The Guardian's Blade
The words had all been spoken once before, back when Raven's self-worth had scraped the very bottom.
Even though he hadn't opened the Gate of his own will—had been pushed into it against his will—why did he carry on like some criminal? The memory of that bitter ache still lingered.
The Guardian Spirit had watched over him from the very moment of his birth. For the boy who held an extremely biased view when it came to Raven, he had poured considerable effort into lifting the child who tormented himself. The words spoken just now were one of many that had come from that process.
Raven's trembling eyes gradually filled with green light. The Guardian Spirit, who had taken over his vision, gently curved the corners of his mouth into a smile.
"……."
You're going to close the Gate, aren't you?
I can't close Gates, and you have a child to look after. This is the best option.
A light tap against his back. The touch was impossibly gentle. Raven stared at him for a moment, eyes quiet.
……Death's voice rang clearly inside his head.
"Honestly, aren't you curious? After all that time together, why hasn't your Guardian Spirit ever given you even a single name?"
"You must have wondered at least once—what he truly is, why he watches over you like that, what his purpose might be."
……That's right. Why are you so kind to me?
It wasn't just the words. Even his voice dripped with warmth and blind affection, yet for some reason, it only made fear rise in Raven's throat.
Damn Death. Saying useless things like that.
'……It's true. No matter how I think about it, I'm not worth that much.'
The part he had tried so hard to ignore was now being poked, and it surged up unbidden.
He clenched his fist tightly in silence.
"No, it's nothing."
……When Death had tried to lure the Guardian Spirit into revealing his name through a bet, the spirit had been furious.
Was that anger directed at the attempt to dig up his identity, or at the way Death kept prodding at Raven?
'……Let's stop thinking about it.'
They had only cleaned up some of the monsters that had poured out. The Gate itself was still open.
The longer it remained like that, the higher the chance that another Gate would open somewhere on the surface. There would be time to unravel these doubts later.
The heavy thoughts that had begun to sink deeper came to a halt there. Raven quickly smoothed out his expression and, just as he always had, lifted the corner of his lips with a hint of playfulness.
"By the way, since you're going to protect him anyway, don't just watch over Didi—"
Raven vanished somewhere. Not long after, he reappeared with something—no, someone—in his hand. It was Dan.
Before Dan could even process what was happening, blinking blankly in confusion, a playful voice dropped onto his head.
"Watch over this one too. You can handle two without eyes, right?"
'What the…'
Dan, who finally caught up to the situation, scrunched his face into a fierce scowl.
The fierce resistance that was about to burst out lasted only a moment before a chilling voice froze the air.
"Yeah."
……His words and actions don't match at all….
It was wrapped in forced kindness, but the suppressed displeasure leaking from that reluctant tone was unmistakable. Raven awkwardly scratched the back of his head.
It wasn't as if Dan had nothing to do with the cause of his injury, so he could understand why the Guardian Spirit disliked him. Still, the way the spirit turned his head precisely toward where Dan stood—despite borrowing Raven's eyes—was somewhat eerie.
After staring at those tightly pressed lips for a moment, Raven quietly added,
"You can't kill him."
"You can't hurt him either."
He had received a clear answer, so there really shouldn't be anything to worry about.
'Then why do I feel so uneasy…?'
Even so, he couldn't just leave the Gate like that. After hesitating for a moment, Raven eventually turned with reluctant steps toward the Gate.
His stride was perfectly natural, as if he had never been injured at all. And like someone stating a simple truth, his calm yet utterly confident voice pierced clearly into everyone's ears.
"I'll finish this quickly and come back."
──The moment Raven stepped into the Gate, the Guardian Spirit's blade was already aimed at Dan's throat.
The Guardian Spirit did not like Dan.
If it had simply been that Raven had gotten hurt trying to save him, or that Dan had scratched that precious body with his nails while trying to stop Raven from killing his older sister, the spirit would have simply felt a bit sour inside and never shown it outwardly. After all, it was a path his child had chosen for himself, and it wasn't entirely Dan's fault.
But Dan had treated Raven with hostility.
So the Guardian Spirit openly revealed his own hostility in return.
The voice that fell was as cold as ice.
Was it just his imagination that the words sounded less like a warning that he might fail to protect him, and more like a declaration that he simply wouldn't?
Dan, who had unconsciously started to follow after Raven, froze. He looked at the spirit with eyes full of bewilderment and doubt rather than fear.
'……Right now, the one you're supposed to protect just went into the Gate alone.'
Why wasn't he even slightly shaken? Shouldn't a 'Guardian Spirit' obviously follow him?
Dan knew Raven was stronger than him. After all, the man had subdued him as easily as handling a child.
But that didn't mean he could close a Gate by himself. To begin with, aside from handling a Sculpted Soul, Raven was no different from an ordinary countryside teenager. It made no sense for a seasoned adult to lose to someone like that. In a way, his own defeat had been inevitable.
People who went to close Gates didn't form teams for no reason.
'If he were skilled enough to close a Gate alone, he would've become famous long ago…….'
Considering that he had never once heard the name 'Raven,' the odds of him returning alive after entering the Gate without his Guardian Spirit were close to zero.
And yet, after sending the one who should be his main force—the Guardian Spirit—to stay behind, he had gone in alone.
[I'll finish this quickly and come back.]
……Instead of talking about survival, he was talking about time. Just what was he thinking? A look of utter dismay settled over Dan's face.
Eyes swirling with disbelief and anxiety darted back and forth between the Gate and the Guardian Spirit. Even though the spirit had borrowed his eyes, he seemed to sense the gaze perfectly. A low voice immediately followed.
"……─."
It wasn't that kind of distrust. Dan shook his head.
Unlike this Guardian Spirit, whose skill was clearly on par with an Awakener, the man named Raven had never properly proven his ability.
He had sliced through a monster's palate, but he had nearly died doing so. Dan had seen him carrying the child called Didi while evading monsters, but the emphasis had clearly been on avoidance rather than attack—likely for safety. And hadn't he even coughed up blood last time?
The image of him vomiting blood as if he were about to die was still vivid in Dan's memory.
He understood that the one called the 'Guardian Spirit' hadn't stayed behind for no reason, but he couldn't simply think positively and wait in leisure.
- Is Mr. Raven… an Awakener?
As someone who had to hope the man wouldn't die until he himself killed him, Dan pushed through the hostility pouring toward him and asked, hoping the man possessed some other ability.
The Guardian Spirit, who had gone silent at the touch against his palm, slowly shook his head.
Of course, in the early days when the Gates first opened, the number of people who could fight monsters had been extremely limited.
There had only been the 'Awakeners,' who gained power through pure luck, and the 'Sculpted Soul Masters,' who were born with their abilities.
But as a race that continued to evolve and develop, the 'Shamans' eventually researched and found ways to combat monsters. A little more time passed, and after bloody effort, the 'Fighters'—who had reached the 'toes' of the Awakeners' realm, a level ordinary humans could only dream of touching even with desperate training—also learned how to deal with monsters efficiently.
And Raven had taught all of them. There was no way someone like that would have weak skills.
The Guardian Spirit recalled 'Raven,' the product of endless effort and struggle, and spoke in a dry voice.
"……!"
He had no desire to converse, and simply appearing like this and speaking with the living would place a burden on the child.
'……I didn't need to warn him, but…'
The Guardian Spirit turned his head. Dan, who had been soothing his surprised heart at learning the man was even more impressive than expected, absentmindedly followed the direction of that gaze—then immediately doubted his own eyes.
How long had it been since he entered? Raven was already stepping lightly out of the Gate, and behind him, the Gate was closing.
Other than a few small cuts on his fingertips from which blood occasionally dripped, he looked exactly the same as when he had gone in—perfectly neat.
The moment their eyes met, Raven waved his hand cheerfully.
"Hello, Dan. Hello, Didi. Do you remember who I am?"
"……."
There was no way he could have forgotten someone in such a short time, yet even though the remark treated people like idiots, Dan felt no displeasure.
Still standing there dumbly in the face of this unbelievable situation, he noticed Raven's gaze quietly waiting for an answer and slowly nodded. Didi, who had been staring with wide eyes, belatedly nodded as well. Only then did a relaxed expression settle over Raven's face.
"I said I'd come back quickly, didn't I?"
……He really had. He had come out incredibly fast.
Had it even taken ten minutes? It hadn't even been five.
'Just what kind of person is he?'
Closing a Gate was something even teams of people often failed at.
……Was this a dream?
Staring at Raven's relaxed face, Dan finally began to doubt reality itself.
To begin with, it was unbelievable that someone capable of closing a Gate this quickly had never become known. This was a level of skill that couldn't be hidden even if one tried.
'A Fighter, he said…?'
Doubt and suspicion sprouted once again from the unbelievable situation. Dan's eyes darted around.
Normally, reaching the realm of 'Fighter' required someone to be in their thirties or forties. Since it was about an ordinary person reaching the toes of an Awakener, it was only natural that it required that much time and training.
Even becoming a Fighter in one's thirties was considered fast enough to shock people. Yet here was someone who looked to be only in his early to mid-twenties claiming to be a Fighter. If that were true, every country in the world would have been in an uproar long ago, desperately trying to recruit him.
The fact that everything had remained so quiet despite that could only mean…….
'This guy really doesn't seem human.'
No, wait. Earlier when the Guardian Spirit spoke about him, he had said that not only Awakeners among 'humans' could close Gates, so he was human…?
Either way, the suspiciousness had gone too far. It felt like he had gotten tangled up with the wrong kind of person.
Of course, that didn't mean he was going to give up. Anyway.
Whether he felt the stupidly persistent gaze or not, Raven casually turned his eyes away. His lips moved as if he wanted to say something to the Guardian Spirit, but after a quick glance in their direction, he simply waved his hand.
"Let's talk again later, brother. Thanks for your help."
The Guardian Spirit gave a silent nod and quickly disappeared. Raven calmly covered his mouth and took a step away from the children. Then, a bloody cough burst out.
"Ugh…! Cough."
……Seeing this, he looked weak again.
Dan's expression grew complicated as he saw the blood staining the floor.
'They said it wasn't an infectious disease……. Maybe a retired powerhouse with a chronic illness or something?'
But aside from the blood, he looked far too healthy. And he was shockingly young.
'……Well, chronic illnesses don't exactly wait for old age.'
Anyway, he had roughly confirmed the man's skill, so it wasn't as if he had gained nothing.
Now that the Gate was closed and the monsters had been cleaned up, Dan, who had been watching the situation, quietly slipped backward again to put more distance between them.
Fortunately, neither Dan nor Didi had forgotten 'Raven.'
Well, he had come out as quickly as possible and had even left part of himself—his Guardian Spirit—by their side just in case, so it was only natural.
After the Guardian Spirit left, Raven endured the pain that came crashing down according to the settlement and spat out the blood that surged up his throat. He let out a small chuckle at the presence of Dan quietly moving away.
It was impressive that he had stayed quiet and waited until now. Raven had thought he would run away much sooner.
'If he managed to escape without any trouble, that's fine. But if he ends up drawing the attention of any monsters that slipped out, it would become a hassle.'
More for the Guardian Spirit than for himself.
He hadn't even considered that the Guardian Spirit might have held a sword to Dan's throat and tied his feet down just to prevent such a nuisance. Covering his mouth, Raven turned his head and focused on coughing up blood.
Although he hid his messed-up lower face, there was nothing he could do about the blood splattered on the floor. The child's startled gaze landed on it clearly.
He glanced at the child's complexion for a moment to check if he was too shocked, being so young.
'……I've shown enough consideration at this point, I suppose.'
More importantly… something was strange.
Raven lowered his eyes, which were steeped in exhaustion.
"Cough, hack—."
Why… why does it hurt?