The Next Day…
Raven went to university, but his mind was heavy with thoughts. The events of the past hours kept replaying in his head nonstop… How would he get out of this mess? How could he protect himself from the consequences?
His friend Shin noticed that Raven was acting differently. His expression was grim, and his steps were heavy as if he were carrying mountains on his shoulders. As they walked through the university courtyard, Shin said with a smile:
Shin: "Thanks for saving me that day. I would've died if you hadn't stepped in… Who would've thought that you were the Masked Man?"
But Raven didn't respond. He didn't even hear what Shin had said. His mind was completely consumed by the port incident… The fire, the screams, his failure, and the danger closing in on him fast.
In the Asterian Government Palace…
Inside a grand meeting hall, a government official entered to meet the Prime Minister. His expression was serious, and his words carried alarming news:
Government Official: "At the university, I overheard two students talking about the Masked Man… and one of them is him!"
The Prime Minister narrowed his eyes and then slammed his fist on the table in frustration. His voice was firm as he commanded:
Prime Minister: "We must act immediately! Inform all the royal families to mobilize and capture these two."
Then, with anger burning in his voice, he added:
Prime Minister: "This Masked Man has caused massive economic crises… We will capture him, punish him, and then try to contain the damage he's done."
The official hesitated for a moment before asking:
Government Official: "Sir, what should we do about his friend?"
The Prime Minister gave him a cold, merciless look before responding without hesitation:
Prime Minister: "It doesn't matter… Kill him if he gets in the way. Take all the support you need from the royal families and the government!"
Everyone started preparing to capture the Masked Man, but since the government wanted to violate the laws, they made sure to remove the police from the situation to prevent them from intervening. Each royal family began preparing their forces for the attack.
Meanwhile, Raven received a call from Everin's Leader, his voice calm but carrying an underlying tone of manipulation:
Everin's Leader: "Raven, we've found a solution. We can get out of these problems and return to your normal life… but we need to talk first, and you must follow my instructions!"
Raven hesitated for a moment before replying:
Raven: "Alright, I'm with my friend now… when will we talk?"
Everin's Leader: "In two hours from now. Head to the forest, so no one can see us."
Raven: "Alright."
However, Shin, who had been listening, interrupted with determination:
Shin: "I'm coming with you… he said he just wants to talk, right?"
In the Government Headquarters…
In the grand meeting room, all the royal families and their men gathered. The atmosphere was tense, and everyone was ready to move. Everin's Leader stepped forward, looking at the attendees before announcing in a loud voice:
Everin's Leader: "We've received confirmed information that the Masked Man is heading toward the forest… get ready, everyone!"
Whispers and quick movements spread among the men as the moment of confrontation was nearing.
In the Forest…
Raven and Shin arrived at the meeting spot, but before they could do anything, the area was completely surrounded!
raising his hand to signal to stop any attack. With a cautious tone, he said:
Commander: "No one attacks until I give the signal… the information we have says that the Masked Man is dangerous, but we don't know who the Masked Man is among them."
Raven and Shin sensed a strange movement around them, and the area became filled with a mysterious presence. The atmosphere was charged with magical energy, as if the world around them was waiting for an explosion.
Raven: "The Everin family wants to hand us over... we need to escape!"
But before they could move, a large group of soldiers emerged from the trees, surrounding them from every direction. There were too many to count, each soldier wielding a sword or dagger, but their most effective weapon was magic.
Raven: "Shin, use wind magic to create a path for us to escape. I'll use lightning magic to disrupt them."
Shin: "Agreed, but we need to be careful. We can't face this many."
Before they could take a breath, one of the soldiers shouted:
Soldier: "There's nowhere to run! Surrender, or we'll use our powers!"
The soldiers were afraid, having heard a lot about the masked man, and they knew facing him could mean their end. But they were determined to follow orders.
Raven, his eyes gleaming with magical energy, released a spark of lightning. The lightning burst from his hands, striking one of the soldiers who attempted to approach him, knocking him to the ground. But the other soldiers started using their counter-magic, and one soldier shot fire magic at Raven, wounding his arm.
Shin waved his hands through the air, and with the help of wind magic, he created a powerful air current to push the soldiers back, buying them some time to escape. But he too was injured, suffering minor wounds after overusing his wind magic, weakening his body.
Shin: "We won't be able to escape if they keep chasing us like this."
Raven: "Let me clear the way for our escape. Lightning magic will help, but we must be quick."
While Raven unleashed more lightning to blast through the trees ahead of them, opening a path for escape, Shin used wind magic to move the large trees out of their way, trying to create a natural shield from the falling branches. But the soldiers weren't weak; they were using their magic to avoid the attacks.
At that moment, they felt the soldiers were closing in. The magical energy in the air was almost suffocating. But in a split second, Raven struck one of the soldiers with a lightning bolt, while Shin unleashed a powerful windstorm to confuse the soldiers.
Raven: "We need to move faster!"
However, as they tried to flee, Shin was severely injured due to the clash between his wind magic and the counterattacks from the soldiers. Shin staggered back a few steps from the injury, but Raven grabbed him and rushed through the narrow passage between the trees.
Despite the back-and-forth magical battles, Raven and Shin finally managed to escape—but not without a cost. Raven felt pain in his body from the magic, and Shin struggled to breathe after exhausting most of his magical energy.
Raven: "We need to rest. We can't stay here much longer."
Shin: "I think we've survived... but it won't last long."
Before they could take a deep breath, suddenly, one of the soldiers released a snow spell. Five ice bolts shot toward them at high speed. Three of them hit Shin, one piercing his heart and two striking his abdomen.
Raven: "Shin, hang on!"
But Shin became immobile, his pulse stopped. Raven was struck with shock and deep sorrow, while the soldiers began to close in on them.
One of the soldiers: "Surrender, your friend is dead. Don't make us kill you too."
Overcome by grief and shock at losing Shin, Raven couldn't resist. He was completely drained from everything he had gone through.
Raven was captured and taken to an unknown location, where he was locked up in a dark cell.