The entrance to the room was engulfed in holy flames, scorching it down.
As soon as the flames dispersed, the room became visible.
What met their line of sight was a room painted entirely white and… Francis, mercilessly letting out his frustrations on an unconscious Amy.
As soon as Raven made out the sight of Amy, he clenched his teeth and gripped his dagger as tightly as he could.
"Amy!"
Step–
Raven immediately stepped forward.
But as soon as he did, Reina got ahead of him and motioned with her hand for him to stop.
"Stand down, Raven."
Raven was taken aback.
Reina would usually poke fun at him and call him Sherly or Sherlock.
But now…
Things were different.
Reina was serious.
Reina pursed her lips as holy flames gradually crawled up from her feet and onto her torso.
The rest of the Special Force seemed to take the hint as well and stood back, letting Reina do her thing.
"That man…"
She paused, the flames gradually engulfing her entire being.
"...Is a Wraithbound."
At the mention of 'Wraithbound', Raven's entire body shuddered.
Cold sweat started to bead from his forehead, dripping down.
Ba… Thump! Ba… Thump!
He felt the quickening of his heartbeat as he stepped his foot on the ground.
"Haa… Haa…"
Suddenly, he felt his breath grow heavy.
Shifting his gaze to Francis, Raven's pupils dilated the moment he caught a glimpse of his eyes.
'Those eyes…'
A familiar sight.
Just like that of a Wraith.
He then peered down at his hands.
They were trembling.
After all, the day when Raven tried to take his own life…
A Wraith appeared in his vision.
The Wraith offered a pact with him in exchange for power.
However...
Raven didn't accept.
Yet for some reason, he was still alive, despite jumping off a building.
That mere fact made Raven question his entire being.
'Did I accept the offer?'
'How am I alive?'
'But I know I didn't…'
That day… It haunted him..
'Everyday…'
He clenched his teeth.
'Every hour…'
Gripping the handle of his dagger.
'Every minute…'
Drip… Drip…
Blood started to drip from his hand.
Step–
He took a step back.
"Raven?"
Alexandra's voice.
Drowned out by the overwhelming fear that engulfed him.
At that, Alexandra approached him.
Raven suddenly felt warmth spreading across his back.
He turned around only to find Alexandra, embracing him.
As she continued to embrace him, a pure white glow illuminated from Raven.
The moment it did, all of Raven's fears vanished.
His mind cleared and the anxiety that threatened to engulf him receded.
It was one of Alexandra's skills, [Serene Aura].
By channeling the essence of life itself, Alexandra can wash away fears, doubts, and negative emotions, replacing them with a sense of serenity.
"Huu…"
Raven took deep and steady breaths.
He then turned towards Alexandra who had already pulled away from the embrace.
"Thank you."
His tone with a hint of relief. While Alexandra nodded and gave him a warm smile.
"Mhm."
At that, Raven glanced in front of him.
While he was gripped by fear, Reina and the rest of the task force–excluding Alexandra, were already engaged in combat with Francis.
And they were… Losing…
***
Click– Click—
Striding forward, Reina narrowed her eyes and met Francis' gaze.
'How many years has he been a Wraithbound?'
She couldn't tell.
But what she did know was that Francis was a full fledged Wraithbound.
'Who knew the head of a major conglomeration was actually a Wraithbound.'
She stifled a laugh.
It was ridiculous. To think a Wraithbound was right under their noses the entire time.
The only reason she knew was because Francis didn't hide it anymore.
His aura seethed with Wraith miasma.
And for Reina it felt…
Suffocating.
*Puff*
"Hm? Who are you?"
Truth be told, Reina was quite famous as well. Though not as famous as Evelyn.
Despite adorning the Special Force uniform, it seemed like Francis didn't recognize Reina at all.
No, he definitely recognized the uniform, just not the wearer herself.
Click– Click—
With the soft clicking of her heels, Reina kept her guard up.
*Puff*
Francis peered his gaze away. And with a long drag of his cigarette, the smoke gradually became thicker and thicker.
Until…
She realized the entire room was now engulfed in a thick fog of smoke.
Wooosh—
Suddenly, she could see silhouettes that seemed to look like Francis.
Vooosh–!
She extended her hand to shoot a small torrent of flames at the figure, only to disperse the smoke.
Yet the silhouette disappeared, and the smoke thickened once more.
She had to be careful with the flames' trajectory as it might burn the unconscious Amy.
It was quite the handicap, especially with her destructive affinity.
But she was the only one up to the task. She deemed the rest of the Special Force to be subpar for Francis.
It's not like the members were weak. But Francis…
He was in a whole different league.
And Reina knew that too. Even she couldn't feel like she had any chance of victory.
But for the moment she was the only choice.
'If I could just buy enough time for Miss Evelyn to arrive.'
It had been quite awhile since they re-entered the hotel.
'So what's taking Miss Evelyn so long?'
But she knew Evelyn wasn't stupid.
Wherever she was—and whatever she was doing, it would most definitely be to increase their chances of defeating Francis.
Redirecting her attention to the smoke, a silhouette emerged once again.
No, it wasn't just one but two silhouettes.
Wooosh–
The silhouettes would disappear then reappear, inching closing to Reina.
Vooosh–!
She reinforced herself with holy flames. The flames gradually crawled up to engulf her entire figure.
*Puff*
As the puffing sound of a cigarette reached her ears, an invisible force hurled Reina away, crashing onto the wall.
BOOM—!
"Ukh!"
Before she could comprehend what had just happened, three more silhouettes entered her vision.
Wooosh–!
Before the silhouettes managed to inch closer to her, pink crystals protruded from the ground and dispersed the smoke.
But right as the smoke dispersed, it thickened up once more.
Reina shifted her attention to trace the source of the crystals.
What met her sight was the figure of a girl with pink hair and black eyes. It was Francine, and she had entered the smoke fog.
"Francine! Get out of here! This smoke… it's his domain—Ukeh!"
Before Reina could finish, once again—an invisible force smashed her on the ground.
"Leader—Ukhh!"
The same went for Francine who was sent crashing on the wall.
"Fuck…"
Drake urgently entered the smoke.
With a knife in his hand, he immediately slit his wrist.
Drip… Drip…
His wrist bled profusely.
Slap!
Extending his arm, he clasped his hands together.
Then…
Pshhhh—!
The blood from his wrist spiraled in his palms and was shot out indefinitely.
This was possible because of Drake's affinity.
[Blood]
With his affinity, he can even redirect his blood to clot his injuries, healing himself in the process.
Whenever a silhouette appears, Drake would redirect his aim. But yet again, the smoke would only disperse and thicken up once it does.
Before he realized what had just happened, an invisible force gripped his body and sent him flying.
Booom–!
Reina got up, only to find her squad mates on the ground.
She clenched her teeth and muttered to herself,
"Miss Evelyn, please hurry."