THE RAVEN | avengers

[21]

ACT 1
Chapter 21
A Tear

Raven sprinted down the corridors, her feet barely touching the ground as she moved with a single-minded focus. She didn't stop to change, didn't bother cleaning the blood and grime off her skin. There was no time to report to Viktor. None of it mattered right now.

Soldiers scattered, moving out of her way as she tore through the base, her breath coming in ragged gasps.

The only thing that mattered was Caelan.

Her heart pounded in her chest as she reached the room. Without hesitation, she burst through the door, her momentum carrying her inside — but then she froze, her body suddenly rigid.

Caelan lay on the bed, his form still and pale. Machines surrounded him, their soft beeping filling the room with an unsettling rhythm. Wires were attached to his chest, his arms, and his head, monitoring every aspect of his condition. His eyes were closed, his face unnervingly calm.

For a moment, Raven just stood there, her chest tightening painfully as she stared at him. Her hands clenched into fists at her sides, her mind racing with a thousand questions.

"Raven," came a voice, cautious and hesitant.

She barely registered it, her focus locked on Caelan's still form. The machines beeped steadily, but it did nothing to calm the storm brewing inside her.

"Raven," the voice repeated, a bit more firmly this time.

She blinked, her gaze shifting towards the sound. Reinhardt was standing there, stepping cautiously from the back room. His expression was unreadable, but Raven could sense the tension radiating off him.

"Why isn't he waking up?" Raven's voice was quiet, but there was an edge to it, a dangerous tension as her eyes flicked back to Caelan.

Reinhardt hesitated, his fingers twitching slightly as he avoided her gaze. "He... he lost too much blood."

Raven's jaw tightened. Her fists clenched at her sides, her nails digging into her palms as the anger bubbled up, hot and overwhelming.

"Do something then!" she hissed, her voice trembling with fury.

Reinhardt took a small step back, his eyes widening in caution. "Raven, I—"

But before he could finish, she snapped.

In an instant, she launched at him, grabbing him by his white coat and slamming him against the nearest wall. Her eyes blazed with fury as she pressed him back, her face inches from his. "Make him wake up!" she demanded, her voice low and dangerous.

Reinhardt's breath hitched, his eyes darting towards the doorway. "S-Soldiers!" he shouted, his voice cracking with panic.

Two soldiers burst into the room, moving quickly to pull Raven off him. But they didn't stand a chance. Raven spun on them, her body a blur of motion as she fought them off with brutal efficiency. Her fists flew, her strikes landing with precision. In seconds, both soldiers were on the floor, unconscious. But before she could move, the door swung open again, and this time, a dozen more soldiers stormed into the room, their guns raised and pointed directly at her. For a moment, Raven stood still, her chest heaving with rage. She glanced at the soldiers, then back at Reinhardt, who was pale and trembling against the wall.

"Stand down," one of the soldiers barked, his weapon trained on her.

"Shoot me," Raven said, her voice cold, eyes blazing with fury. "Go on, I dare you." She took a few steps towards the line of soldiers, her movements slow, deliberate.

"Stay back!" another soldier shouted, his voice wavering.

"Shoot me!" she screamed, the force of her voice so powerful she could swear the entire building trembled beneath her. Her breath came in ragged bursts, her chest heaving with rage.

Just then, a familiar figure pushed through the soldiers — Sloane, followed closely by Viktor. Sloane's eyes were wide with concern, her voice soft as she stepped towards Raven.

"Raven, calm down," Sloane said gently, trying to diffuse the tension in the room.

"Harding, stay out of it," Raven snapped, her eyes flashing dangerously as she shot Sloane a glare.

And then her gaze locked onto Viktor.

Her entire body tensed, her eyes dark and deathlike as she began to approach him. The soldiers tensed, their fingers hovering dangerously close to the triggers.

"Stop!" one of the soldiers shouted, his weapon aimed squarely at her chest.

But Raven didn't stop. Her steps were measured, her eyes never leaving Viktor.

"Are you going to let them shoot me?" Raven growled, her voice dripping with venom as she closed the distance between them.

Viktor's face remained unreadable as he raised his hand, a slow, deliberate gesture. The soldiers hesitated, then lowered their weapons.

Raven stopped just inches from Viktor, her breath hot with fury. "I don't care what you do, I don't care what magic trick you have up your sleeve," she snarled, her voice low and threatening. "I don't care if you drain all your little soldiers of blood, but if you don't do something to make Caelan wake up..." She paused, her voice a whisper now, laced with a deadly promise. "I'm burning Kronos to the ground."

And with that, Raven pushed past all of them, her breath coming in shallow, ragged bursts as she stormed down the hallway. Her chest rose and fell, the adrenaline from the confrontation still coursing through her veins. She kept walking, not daring to look back, her mind racing with thoughts of Caelan.

But then, something unexpected happened.

A tear slipped down her cheek.

Raven froze, her body stiffening as the tear rolled slowly across her skin. She lifted her hand, almost in disbelief, wiping it away with a quick, rough motion. A tear? She stared at her fingers, her brow furrowing in confusion.

She didn't cry. She never had. Not once in her entire existence. Emotions like that weren't meant for her. She was Raven, a weapon, a soldier built for combat, not weakness. Tears were foreign, something she'd never allowed herself to feel, let alone express.

But now, here it was, proof of something deeper — something she didn't want to face.

Her breath caught in her throat as she wiped her face again, clearing away the trace of her vulnerability. She clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms as she forced herself to keep moving.