Red Hood Reader X Yang Xiao Long

Chapter 4: Dead and Alive

Raven looks over at the unconscious boy laying in her tent. She recognized him, the Nikos boy. He was badly wounded and for some reason his aura had not regenerated despite his wounds being healed naturally over time. She was wondering what to do with him, he should be dead. She knew of people that had come back from the dead or that were able to regenerate from fatal wounds instantly but this was different. Raven investigated and found that he had broken out of his own grave, and his wounds had not healed at all. However him came back was not Grant's doing at all, and that worried Raven immensely. But before she could brainstorm ways that he could have come back the boy began to move.

Raven: Hello?

No response, Grant just sat upright looking around. Eyes wide and dead, Raven moved over and handed him a plate of food. Grant began to eat but showed no reaction to it being handed to him, like an animal. After finishing eating Grant just stared outside the tent into nothingness.

Raven: Boy you will respond and explain how you are here.

Raven moved into grabbing him but Grant grabbed her hand and knocked it away without looking, then moved back into his still state. Completely shocked Raven went back to her tribe elders and asked for advice. Considering his aura not regenerating and his near lifeless state they concluded that somehow his body was resurrected but his soul was not returned to his body. They saw him as a lost cause and asked for him to be put down so they could move on.

Raven: NO! He's skilled and has been brought back for a reason. We will figure out how to return his soul, until then we are not packing up and that is final. No one knows of this place yet so there is no rush.

Raven blew up on the tribe elders before returning to Grant.

Raven: Come boy, we will be going for a walk.

Grant did not respond in any way other than turning his head towards Raven. Raven had to guide him to his feet and bring him outside. Grant began to follow on his own and soon enough they reached the coast about 15 minutes later. Raven sat down and pulled on Grants hand instigating him to follow. Grant just sat there and stared off onto the seemingly infinity coast of Anima.

Raven: Ya know kid, I'm sure your people are missing you a lot. I watched your funeral out of interest, it's sort of a hobby of mine. People miss you, you brought light to a lot of people even if you didn't know it.

Grant just stared off onto the waves without showing any kind of reaction. This kind of behavior continued for about a week. Raven began to lose hope in the boys recovery. Some things had improved. Grant began to cover himself when he was cold on his own, look for food, even defending himself using the same complex martial arts techniques he had learned before his death. But it was guessed to be simple instinct and muscle reflex, not actual improvement. There was only one other option to return Grant Nikos to his former life, the Lazarus Pits. Ancient pits made from mass graves of huntsmen, where their auras leaked from their bodies and created pools similar to the fountain of youth in legend. There was one nearby, however it was owned by the League of Assassins. Their leader Ra's was a good friend of Raven's, however using the pit was still off limits to her. However she decided to gamble on it and sneak Grant into the pit.

Many hours later Grant and Raven stood about 20 feet above the pit of life, with a sleeping Ra's lying in the pool itself. Raven looked to her left and laying on the ground was a survival pack that Grant would need in order to survive his first few days alone, as escaping would be impossible with them together.

Raven: If this does not help you, I'm sorry.

Raven pushed Grant off of the ledge into the pit, with a splash Grant hit the green liquid. Raven flew down and immediately grabbed Grant and ran, Ra's figured out what happened and began to chase the two out of his fort. Just as they reached the coast Raven stopped and handed Grant the pack.

Grant: I don't understand how am I here, and who are you!

Raven: No time to explain, you need to run. I'll find you.

Raven pushed the young boy into the currents below praying that he'd survive the swim. Until Ra's caught her off guard and grabbed her hand.

Ra's: Do you have any idea what you have unleashed!

Raven: I've returned the soul to that poor boy's body. I did him a favor.

Ra's: Yes you have! But the pit corrupts whatever it touches, I live from the pit and I know what urges I need to keep at bay. You didn't return his soul you forced the pit to create a new one!

Raven turned to look back at the coast before transforming and flying off.

Ra's: YOU WRETCHED WITCH, YOU HAVE UNLEASHED A CURSE UPON THIS WORLD AND YOU CANNOT EVEN STAY TO OWN UP TO IT. YOU ARE SCARED AND YOU RUN AS YOU ALWAYS HAVE. THIS TIME HOWEVER THIS IS A MONSTER THAT YOU CREATED YOURSELF.

Raven flew as fast as she could looking for the boy in the water. Inside the waterproof pack was money, a laptop, and other things he'd need. However the laptop had a tracker in it that she could use. So she stopped and returned to camp to check the location of the tracker with her scroll. She found out he was 3 miles north, the current must have carried him there. She flew off only to find the entire bag ditched except the clothes, money, and the letter she had wrote for him explaining what has happened since his death.

Grant's POV

Grant ran for what felt like hours with the bundles of clash in his pockets. Stumbling on a town Grant immediately got himself a room at the in, needing to bribe the innkeeper to let him have a room due to his young age. Grant sat on the bed of his room and immediately counted out the cash, 28,750$ not counting what he needed to bribe the innkeeper with. Last was the letter, which was the most traumatic part of this entire ordeal yet.

Dear Grant,

I am the women who took you in after I found you, my name is Raven Branwen. You died, funeral, buried, and death certificate and all. Wasn't shown on the news, wasn't talked about, and most importantly you were not visited at your resting place after lain down. However you have been brought back by unknown means, and I am here to help you. Inside this pack will he everything you need in order to make it past these first few weeks, I will find you and explain the rest. Until then stay safe and hidden, do not waste the life you have just been given back.

Grant just sat there, and thought to himself. Not only had he been mistreated and cast aside his entire life, but he wasn't even avenged by his family or the damned legal system. He thought long and hard about how to avenge not only himself but get revenge on his family for not caring for him.