Truth, Lies, and Silver Eyes Pt. 2 [Book 3]

Chapter 9: Summer

Hey guys! I'm back with a new chapter for you all! Sorry if this turned out a bit shorter than my previous chapters. Still, I hope you enjoy it! As always, I appreciate your support! Have a lovely day/night!
—XSummerRoseX ❤️💙💛🧡💚💜

Once Raven and I were alone in the room, I walked over to sit on the bed. Raven joined me a few seconds later.

"What is it about Salem that you needed to talk about?" I asked.

Raven didn't meet my gaze. She stared down at the wooden floor.
After a few minutes, she started to speak.

"I went to Salem's domain and... I saw something absolutely terrifying," she said quietly.

It was then she looked up and turned to me. Her eyes were filled with fear. And something deep down was telling me to listen to her.

"What did you see?" I asked.

Raven took a deep breath and replied, "I saw Salem. At first she was alone in a room lit up with candles that produced these weird purple flames. Then, a few moments later, Hazel walked in carrying a young man. The first thing I noticed about him was that he was shackled. And then I saw his eyes, which shined like mirrors. There was no mistaking it. He was a Silver Eyed Warrior."

I stared at Raven, shocked. After a few deep breaths, I calmed myself enough to ask more.

"What happened next?" I asked.

I saw Raven shiver. "Hazel threw the man on the floor. I noticed that he was bruised and beaten pretty good. Probably by Hazel himself. And then Salem grabbed the man by the throat. Her nails dug into his skin until he started to bleed. I heard her mutter some words in a language I didn't know. She mentioned something about using him as a sacrifice. ...And something about a Master of Darkness too. I also listened in on their meeting. They know that we have the relics, Summer. And her subordinates are spying on you. At least one of them. His name is Icarus. And he has spiky red hair. A girl also joined her group. ...Though I don't really know what her role is. I really don't like this, Summer. So that's why I came back. I want to protect you and the relics. ...Is it okay is I accompany you?"

I was in disbelief. As much as I wanted to believe that the story Raven had just told me was false, something else told me it was true. The amount of detail she had gone into... it couldn't be false. And Raven has never lied to me.
What shocked me most was her asking me if she could come back. I wasn't expecting to see her any time soon. I definitely didn't expect her to be so eager to return either. And yet... here she was.

"Summer?" Raven asked, "you're very quiet. If you want me to leave, then I—"

I grabbed her wrist tightly.
"No!" I said. "I'm ecstatic that you've returned, Raven. And I would be very happy if you stayed with us. Considering where we are, we're going to need all the power we can get."

Raven smiled a bit. "Yeah, I guess you're right. So... you believe me?"

I nodded and said, "I do. But what's with these rituals? And why would Salem mention a Master of Darkness? Is she working for someone?"

Raven shrugged. "I don't know. I didn't think there could be a being stronger than Salem.."

I was thoughtful for a moment. The only being that matched Master of Darkness was the God of Darkness himself...

"You don't think she's working with the God of Darkness, do you?" I asked.

Raven looked at me skeptically.
"I wouldn't think so. As far as I can tell, there are no Gods here in Remnant. At least not anymore."

I sighed. "Yeah. You're probably right. Just me overthinking I guess. Do you have any ideas as to why Salem is sacrificing others? Especially Silver Eyed Warriors?"

"I'm not too sure," Raven said. "But if I had to guess, I think a Silver Eyed Warrior's blood is a more powerful tool in Blood Magic than a regular humans. And it appeared to make Salem more powerful. Which is why we all need to keep watch over you, Summer. And the relics too, of course."

I watched as Raven unstrapped something from her side. Once she lifted it up for me to see, I recognized it immediately.

"You brought the the Relic of Knowledge with you?" I asked.

She nodded. "Yeah. I think it would be better to keep them together and guarded. Apparently the Grimm Salem creates are searching for them. We need to watch our backs."

I nodded in agreement and got up from the bed. Raven got up as well and followed me to the door.

"...How are we going to explain this to the others?" I whispered.

Raven placed her hand on my shoulder. "I can tell them if you want. You have enough to worry about right now."

Just as I was about to respond, I heard someone talking. It was faint, but just loud enough for me to make out what they were saying.

"This has to be fake!" I heard William say. "If this is some practical joke or prank, it's isn't funny! Stop tying to scare us!"

From the tone in William's voice, he sounded genuinely upset.

"What's going on over there?" Raven asked.

"I have no idea. But I'm going to check it out," I said, turning the doorknob.