Chapter 95: Favor
The girl blinked at him, her eyes bright with curiosity — and faint unease.
Raven smiled faintly, crouching so that their gazes met. Shadows from the nearby cottage fire rippled over his face, giving his expression an unreadable edge.
"I can walk through dreams," he said softly, "and see what people hide from the world — their darkest thoughts, their most precious secrets. This dream of yours," his eyes wandered across the gentle hills behind her, "is one of them."
Judith's little face tensed. Her lips parted to ask something, but the thought slipped away as if stolen. A strange pressure pressed against her mind, dulling her awareness.
"Don't struggle," Raven said. "When you wake, you'll understand what I mean."
She blinked in confusion. "Dream?"
Raven straightened slightly, his smile sharpening. "I'm Charles Nightwind — a wizard, and a teacher. I came to ask you a favor."
The wind stirred the grass. Judith frowned. "A favor?"
"Yes." He reached into his cloak and drew out a small glass vial — its surface glowing faintly red from within. "I need you to save my disciple's aunt. She's innocent, but will be sentenced to life in prison… or worse."
The girl's eyes widened. "Executed?" she whispered. "Why would someone—? I don't understand!"
"You don't need to," Raven said calmly. "But when the time comes, you will."
Judith bit her lip, nervous now. "Maybe you should talk to the village chief. He knows the lord who—"
Raven shook his head. "Not yet. You'll forget this for a long time. Centuries, perhaps. But when this memory awakens, a boy named Raven Silallus Jorvot will find you. Help him. You'll gain more than you can imagine."
Her small shoulders stiffened. "Benefit? Gifts?"
"If you need proof," Raven said quietly, "I'll give you one."
He raised his hand. Red runes ignited in the air, spinning lazily between his fingers. "This is a secret no one on this continent knows. A formula for Fire Affinity Potion."
Judith tilted her head, baffled. "Potion? Like the one that saved the tailor's sister?"
"This one change one's fate." His tone darkened, turning reverent. "Three milliliters of Magma Serpent blood. Five grams of powdered ignis crystal. Ten milliliters of golden ember oil. One Crimson Flame Flower petal. Twenty grams of Flame Mushroom. One hundred milliliters of Ember Water."
Her eyes widened with each impossible name. "W-What are those?" she stammered, taking a cautious step back.
Raven's gaze softened. "You'll know one day."
Then he spoke again — slow, deliberate — describing the process, the temperatures, the sequence of alchemical fusion. His words rippled through the dream like threads of light, each syllable sinking deep into the girl's consciousness.
When he finally fell silent, the red runes scattered into sparks that rained softly over the meadow.
"Remember this, Judith," he said. "When the time comes, you'll understand the value of what I've given."
Judith gawked at him. "You're crazy! Nobody can make up names like that!"
Raven chuckled — a quiet, haunting sound. "Perhaps."
And then his form began to dissolve, edges glowing white before fading into dust.
"Wait!" she cried, but he was gone.
The meadow rustled. The air smelled of ember and rain.
Judith frowned and muttered, "I should tell Aunt Amy… She always says not to talk to strangers."
Then she turned and ran toward the village.
When Raven opened his eyes again, the Dream Realm's silver mist parted. Selene was waiting, her pale hair floating faintly in the dreamlight.
"You're back already, my lord?"
Raven adjusted his coat, still half caught between reality and illusion. "We leave. Before she wakes."
They joined hands, their fingers tightening as one. The world folded inward, collapsing into darkness—
—and then light returned.
…
Judith's Mansion — Midnight
The crystal glass slipped from Judith's fingers, wine spilling across the carpet. She froze, her breath sharp.
That dream.
The images replayed in her mind — a man's voice, the name Charles Nightwind, the impossible recipe whispered like prophecy.
'That wasn't ordinary,' she thought. 'Could it be… a sealed memory?'
Her fingers trembled as she set the empty glass aside. 'Raven Silallus Jorvot. That name… wasn't he the stillborn prince? The child declared dead the night he was born?'
The connection made her pulse quicken.
'Execution. Imprisonment. The Sword Princess's kidnapping… could it be linked?'
Judith rose abruptly from the couch and crossed to the window. The moon bathed her reflection in pale gold — elegant, ageless, yet visibly shaken.
"Affinity potion," she murmured. "Something even the Wizard Union couldn't perfect."
For centuries, she had sought a way to raise affinity — the one dream all alchemists shared and all failed to achieve. Yet every attempt had ended in frustration.
And now, a man from her own forgotten past had whispered the answer through a dream.
Her lips curved. "If this is madness, then I'll indulge it."
She snapped her fingers. "Philip!"
The butler appeared moments later, bowing with practiced grace. "Your Grace?"
"Bring me parchment." She scribbled rapidly, listing every ingredient with meticulous strokes. "Purchase ten batches of these. I'll be in the alchemy lab."
Philip blinked. "Immediately, Your Grace."
As he hurried away, Judith's gaze lingered on the paper. The ink shimmered faintly — as if the words themselves were alive.
"Charles Nightwind," she murmured. "Whoever you are… I'll play along."
…
Two Hours Later
The alchemy lab flickered with orange light. Vials lined the walls like sleeping eyes. Steam curled above a glowing cauldron.
Judith worked in silence, sleeves rolled up, her movements fluid and exact. Each powder shimmered as she poured, each drop hissed with restrained energy.
'Ignis crystal — perfect quality.' She ground the fragments with care, her motions steady despite the excitement pulsing beneath her calm.
Flame reflected in her emerald eyes as she poured the Magma Serpent's blood. "Hold together," she whispered.
The cauldron hissed once, then quieted.
When she lifted the vial, crimson liquid swirled inside like molten glass.
"Beautiful."
But beauty wasn't proof.
"Philip," she said, her voice echoing through the mansion. "Bring me a Fire Affinity Orb from the Guild. Highest grade."
The butler returned thirty minutes later, panting lightly, carrying a runed crystal the size of his palm.
Judith took it, her expression unreadable. "Thank you. Now… place your hand on it."
Philip hesitated, then obeyed. The orb glowed faint red.
"Good affinity," Judith said absently. "Call the servants."
Soon five nervous servants stood in the main hall. Judith descended the stairs, the orb glowing faintly in her hand.
"One by one," she said. "Touch it."
None reacted — until the timid blonde maid's touch made the orb flicker faintly.
Judith's eyes narrowed. "You stay. The rest may go."
Philip opened his mouth to ask something, but Judith's tone left no room for questions. "If a man named Raven or Charles visits, bring him to me. He'll be… expected."
She turned to the maid. "Follow me."
The girl obeyed hesitantly.
Back in the lab, Judith handed her the crimson vial. "Drink this."
The maid blinked, wide-eyed. "Your Grace—?"
"Drink."
The girl swallowed the potion. Instantly, she coughed, clutching her throat as heat bloomed under her skin. Sweat dripped down her temples.
Judith watched with cool interest. "It'll pass."
Minutes stretched into an hour before the maid's breathing steadied.
"Now," Judith said, offering the orb again. "Touch it."
The maid obeyed — and the orb burst into a soft, steady red glow.
Judith's lips parted in disbelief. "It… worked."
Her fingers trembled slightly as she turned the orb, watching the glow fade. "Centuries of research… and a dream gives me the key."
The maid looked confused, but Judith only smiled faintly. "You saw nothing, remember?"
"I—I won't tell a soul, Your Grace."
When the girl was gone, Judith leaned back against the table and exhaled. Her eyes burned with renewed purpose.
"Charles Nightwind… whoever you are," she whispered, "you just changed history."
…
The Next Morning
Raven adjusted his collar as the carriage rolled to a stop before Judith's mansion. He'd switched vehicles twice, changing faces once. The monocle shimmered faintly over his left eye.
'Risky,' he thought. 'But necessary.'
Two armed guards stood by the gate. They stiffened as he approached.
"State your name."
"Raven. My teacher sent word to Madam Judith."
Recognition flickered in their eyes. One saluted sharply. "Welcome, Sir Raven."
The gates swung open.
Raven stepped through, boots crunching against the gravel path. The mansion loomed ahead, its runed spires glinting under the morning sun. Waiting at the entrance stood a man in a butler's uniform, silver-haired, posture perfect.
Raven's monocle shimmered. Data scrolled silently before his vision.
…
[Name: Philip (Edward Raynor)]
[Title: Eye of the Watcher]
[Class: Expert Walker (Rank-3), Seventh Circle]
[Status: Wariness]
…
Raven's heartbeat slowed. Eye of the Watcher?