RAVENNA

Part 5

Somewhere in the East stood a ruined castle, abandoned so long that even history had stopped counting the years.

A woman paused before its iron gates, her sharp red gaze glowing against the twilight. One eye was a different color than the other, her upper lip marked by an old scar. The guards bowed as she passed, heels clicking against marble floors that reflected torchlight and shadows in equal measure.

At the end of the hall loomed a statue of a forgotten god. She turned left, tilted a wall lamp, and the stone wall slid aside, revealing the sounds of screams and groans.

Her laboratory.

The air was sharper here, bright lights cutting into every corner. Rows of capsules lined the walls, each housing one of her "children" in eternal sleep. She stopped at an empty capsule.

"He was responding until yesterday," a trembling assistant explained. "Then he died. So we... fed him to the others."

Her eyes closed briefly in sorrow — then snapped open with fury. In a single movement, her pale hand clamped his throat and lifted him off the ground.

"How. Dare. You." Her voice was cold enough to freeze bone. Her skin darkened, smooth ivory turning obsidian. "They are martyrs. Only the chosen are fed to the others. Who gave you permission?"

"D-Doctor, please—!"

The crack of his neck ended his plea. His body hit the floor like discarded glass.

"Feed him to the hungry," she said, stepping over the corpse as though it were dust.

Another assistant hurried her to a locked chamber. Inside, a single capsule stood apart, guarded like a relic. Her gaze softened.

"Hello, my dove. Still asleep?" She pressed her lips to the glass. "Fourteen years, and you've yet to forgive me. Are you angry? Because I ended your family?"

The figure inside remained motionless.

"I'll wait," she whispered, brushing the capsule with something like affection. "But don't keep me waiting forever."

She turned, her heels echoing as she left. The capsule's nameplate caught the light:

Experiment N. Ravenna.

Author POV

The first thing Nieve went looking for was the library. She wandered aimlessly through rows of shelves, scanning spines, when she bumped into someone.

"Aah. Sorry, didn't watch my way."

"It's alright, Nivi." He smiled, pushing his glasses up.

She glared. "Nivi?"

"Ah—I'm sorry. I guess I'm not your friend yet." He laughed nervously, and her squint made it worse. "I... overheard you and Montgomery in the hallway."

"Right..." she muttered, brushing past.

"But what are you looking for? You've been roaming here forever."

"A book." She huffed.

"Show me."

She handed him the slip of paper.

"Ah, this one. Always tricky to find. Come on." He led her deeper into the rows. "Most students don't bother with the back shelves. Everyone wants things fast—they stick to the middle rows."

He stopped, plucked out a dusty tome, and handed it to her. "Here."

"For this little thing I was circling the whole place. Huff. Thanks, Spider!"