New Room

Raven found himself walking through the same empty hallway once again.

The man with the scar escorted him toward his room, his face twisted in pure irritation. His heavy footsteps echoed in the silence, his mood foul enough to poison the air itself.

"What did he mean by those last words?"

"What happens next depends entirely on me?"

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

His thoughts churned, each question piling on top of the other. He still had no idea why he was here, but one thing was clear—this wasn't just a simple kidnapping for ransom.

"What exactly does he want from me?"

Raven glanced at the scarred man walking ahead of him. For a moment, he considered asking why he had been brought here. But the second the thought crossed his mind, he discarded it.

The look on the man's face was enough to tell him—if he so much as opened his mouth right now, that knife on his back would be buried in his gut before he even got an answer.

***

After walking in silence for some time, they finally stopped in front of a familiar door.

Raven recognized it instantly.

It was the same room he had passed before, the one where he had heard the muffled voices of the other captives.

The man with the scar pulled out a key and unlocked the door with a sharp click.

"Hey, princess," he sneered. "Next time you run your mouth in front of the boss, your head'll fly like a bird. Got it?"

Raven didn't respond immediately. He just stared at the man for a few long seconds before finally speaking.

"…Can I go in now? I'm a bit tired."

The scarred man's jaw clenched in fury, his face contorting with barely restrained rage at Raven's complete lack of fear.

"You…!!"

His patience snapped. He grabbed Raven's already broken arm and shoved him inside the dark room with full force.

Raven hit the ground hard, rolling across the floor until his back slammed into the wall.

"Ahhh!!"

A sharp cry tore from his throat as pain flared through his body.

'Ugh… damn it, that hurts.'

Gritting his teeth, he pressed a hand against the wall and slowly pushed himself up, leaning against it for support. His breathing was ragged, his limbs trembling from exhaustion.

Then, a voice called out to him.

"…Uhh, Raven?"

Confused, Raven turned his head toward the other side of the room.

Four figures sat in the dim light, their eyes locked onto him.

Unlike him, their condition was far better.

The first was a boy with brown hair, sharp black eyes, and a slim face, dressed in a crisp white school uniform.

Beside him sat a girl with silver hair and piercing grey eyes. Even with scratches and bruises on her body, her beauty was undeniable. She stared at Raven in shock.

The other two were a smaller boy with messy black hair and a thin frame, and a girl with equally messy black hair but with a graceful, slim figure.

They were all wearing the same uniform.

Raven frowned. He recognized it.

Of course, he did.

He recognized the uniform, and he recognized them.

They were his classmates.

The silver-haired girl hesitated before speaking, her voice tinged with confusion.

"Raven… are you—are you kidnapped too?"

Raven met her gaze, his expression empty.

"…Yeah. I am."

Even though he wasn't close to any of them, there was one person he did know—Haley Karien.

The silver-haired girl.

Her family name, Karien, was one he was very familiar with.

The Karien family had deep ties with the Morrigon family. Raven didn't know much about Haley herself, but he did know one thing.

The Morrigon and Karien families had already arranged for him and Haley to be married.

She was, technically, his fiancée.

Haley suddenly stood up and hurried toward him, her brows furrowed with worry.

"What happened to you!?" she exclaimed. "Why is there so much blood!?"

Her outburst caused the other three to rise to their feet as well, now staring at Raven with newfound concern.

Raven took another glance at them, observing them more closely.

Unlike him, they only had minor cuts and bruises.

His lips curled slightly in bitter amusement.

"…Looks like they gave me special treatment while kidnapping me."

Haley knelt beside him and quickly checked his wounds, searching for any that were still bleeding.

Satisfied that none were still open, she rushed to grab her bag, pulling out a bottle of water.

"Here," she said, offering it to him. "Drink some."

Raven took it without a word and drank greedily, the cool liquid soothing his dry throat.

"Uhh, Haley?" The brown-haired boy spoke up hesitantly. "Are you… close with Raven?"

Haley blinked and glanced at him.

"Hmm? I know him because of our families," she answered simply.

The girl with messy black hair, Mira, clapped her hands together in realization.

"Ahh, that's why! I was wondering why you seemed so familiar with him. You two never talk in class. Well, then again, Raven never talks to anyone in class."

"Yeah, he even has a nickname," the black-haired boy, Shuro, chimed in. A smirk played on his lips.

"Hollow Kid."

Then, without warning, he burst into laughter.

Raven didn't react. He simply finished drinking and handed the bottle back to Haley.

"Mira, Shuro! That's rude!" the brown-haired boy scolded, his tone sharp.

Haley sighed, shaking her head. "Raven, please hang in there. Our families will definitely come for us soon."

Raven's expression didn't change. He wiped the blood from his forehead and muttered, "I don't think it'll be that easy."

Mira frowned. "What do you mean? My family will definitely come for me! They'd never let me stay in this hellhole."

Shuro crossed his arms and scoffed. "Yeah! These losers probably kidnapped us for money. My family is one of the richest out there."

Raven said nothing.

But he noticed something.

Every single person in this room had a powerful background.

Yet…

If this wasn't about ransom, then what was it about?

He looked at Shuro and Mira but didn't bother wasting his breath.

They wouldn't get it.

'Sigh… explaining the situation to these idiots would be a waste of energy.'