"Uh..."
"Something wrong?" Raven asked.
In front of Mark, a digital map hung in the air.
It depicted four different Territories. Circling around them, a grey area.
A blinking spot was at the bottom of that map.
Mark took it to be his current position.
'The grey area must be that Rift. The limit between the Monster Realm and the Human Realm...'
On each Territory was written the Deadly Sin associated with that Territory.
The closest one was Sloth, north of Mark's position.
Lust was North East.
North of that one, was Pride.
And on the opposite side of Sloth, Wrath.
Red crosses had been drawn on the whole Territory Wrath and other spots.
The words 'Do not approach' were written next to those red crosses.
"It's um... It's..."
"What?"
"It's... Torn."
"Yeah. Couldn't find a new one."
"So this is... Half the Monster Realm?"
"Yep. Not all of Wrath can be seen, but pretty much half. The center of the Monster Realm cannot be seen either.
"The center...?"
"Where all the Territories meet."
Mark's interest and curiosity were immediately piqued.
"What's there? At the center?"
Raven chuckled.
"Not much. Nothing, actually. Which is why no Demon Lord has claimed that land."
"Huh..."
Raven remained silent while Mark studied the map for a bit.
Its design was somewhat minimalistic, but it gave enough details about the layout of the Monster Realm.
Forests, plain fields, lakes, mountains, etc...
There was no information about what the different parts of the Rift looked like though.
"Saw it yet?" Raven asked.
Mark guessed he was talking about the DN that had been written in green over a certain spot.
The rift on the East side of Lust.
"DN... Draconia?"
"Bingo! That's where you'll find her."
"Where I'll find her?"
"Yep."
"So I'm..."
"You're going alone."
Mark's body twitched instantly.
"Aren't you supposed to-"
"Yeah. I'm supposed to. But a pressing matter appeared, so... Gotta go."
Raven turned away.
Mark still had many questions he wanted to ask.
But not being monitored, being truly free, seemed much more important than the answers he could've gotten.
"Oh." Raven suddenly turned back around. "Forgot something."
Before Mark even realized that Raven had moved, he was already standing behind him.
He stood behind him, after having taken something.
Something important.
Dumbfounded, Mark stared at the spot Raven was standing on moments earlier.
His hand slowly moved towards his neck.
It was gone.
"I'll be taking this."
"Give it... Back." Mark muttered as he turned around.
"Huh?" The look in Raven's eyes changed. "I couldn't catch that."
"Give it back." Mark demanded as he stepped forward.
Raven raised the Underling Necklace in his hand.
"I won't."
"L..."
Mark called out.
But his call wasn't responded to.
"They won't be able to do that if you're not holding it."
"Then give it back."
Mark took another step forward.
A smile was drawn on Raven's face.
A smile different from all the ones he had previously shown.
Perhaps, since their meeting, it was the first time that Raven was genuinely smiling.
A chilling smile.
"Make me."
Mark clenched his teeth.
"You'll have to risk your life to get it back. No... Not exactly. You'll lose your life and still won't be able to get it back."
Mark bit down on his lip.
"Can you refute that?"
"No... I fucking can't."
Raven's smile widened.
A frustrated look.
A face that screamed of repressed anger and rage.
"Oh, don't take it this badly. I'm doing you a favor..."
Raven loved those kinds of faces.
"You said Zephyr didn't understand what it felt like to be weak. What it felt like to always need help from others. Think of this as me..." He casually made the Underling Necklace spin around his index finger. "Giving you an opportunity to win against your past."
Mark lowered his gaze.
There was nothing he could do.
He was already drained from the earlier fight.
'Even if I was at my best... He's far more...'
Raven loved being the reason for such expressions to be drawn.
"No harm will befall them. I can assure you that."
Mark clenched his fists.
"Can I at least talk to them before you take them-"
"No. You can't."
Oh, the expression on Raven's face.
Euphoria and disgust mixed in one.
Disgusted by the weak words coming from the Monster in front of him.
But also delighted.
Denying such a heartfelt request from a Monster.
What privilege.
What joy.
"Now..."
Yet, it wasn't enough.
"Give me the other one too."
"What other one-"
Raven's eyes narrowed, and Mark felt the pressure was about to push his body to the ground.
Suddenly,
"Drop the tough act."
A being made of flames appeared by his side out of nowhere.
"I-"
"No need for parting words. Nothing you can do about this anyways." The Fire Spirit said coldly as he stared at Raven.
"Good. At least, this one understands."
"Don't talk to me. And don't talk about me."
Raven couldn't help but chuckle at the words.
No.
He probably could have helped himself.
But why would he?
Actually, why not make it seem like it couldn't be helped?
"The Nameless Spirit has guts at least. Now, give me that Core. I gotta get going."
Mark called out his Inventory and took out the Fire Spirit Core.
He tightened his grip around it.
"I-"
"I already said that there was no need." The Fire Spirit interrupted.
Raven walked closer.
He could've snatched the Core without Mark even realizing.
But he chose to take his time approaching, and slowly took it out of his hand.
"Once you get me back..." The Fire Spirit started fading away as the Core's Holder changed. "Make sure you're still worthy of me-"
And he disappeared.
Those words seemed to fill up quite a bit of space inside Mark's mind.
After all, even after the Spirit had disappeared, those words were all Mark could think of.
As if they had put him in a trance.
It hurt.
It truly hurt.
He hadn't lost them in battle.
They hadn't sacrificed themselves to save him.
No.
They had simply, and unfairly, been taken away.
All of them.
They hadn't died.
They had been taken from him.
Which made it infinitely worse.
"Guess you'll have to figure out ways to do things alone now, huh?" Raven sneered.
Oh, what a hateful gaze Mark threw him.
Hateful and full of rage.
All the same, Mark repressed those feelings.
And Raven's joy grew.
