Chapter 104: Familiar
'He knows my name?'
Selene's eyes flickered with unease. The man seated on the glowing throne looked faintly familiar, yet she couldn't place where.
"Who are you?" she asked at last, her voice low but edged with caution.
The young man leaned back, a faint smile curling his lips as he adjusted the monocle at his right eye.
"People of Zenith call me the Rebel Prince. But my real name is Raven Sillalus Jorvot." His words fell like rolling thunder through the vast, echoing hall.
Selene's breath caught. That name—she'd heard it repeatedly these past few years, tied to rumors of upheaval. The 66th Prince of the Zenith Empire. His recent actions in the royal capital had caused chaos across the continent.
"Y–Your Highness!"
She rose from her seat without thinking and bowed deeply, her heart pounding.
Then, after a moment's hesitation, she voiced the question that gnawed at her more than any other. "Do you know where I am right now, Your Highness?"
Raven inclined his head slightly. "This," he said, his voice calm, "is a domain that connects twelve Fragment Artifacts. Your consciousness appears here because you formed a contract with one of those twelve fragments. Your main body is still standing where you were before."
"Artifacts? Fragments?" Selene echoed, glancing at the black cat perched on her left shoulder.
Raven's gaze shifted to it. "That cat is called the Fragment of Dream. It's similar to this owl."
A soft ripple of light pulsed on his shoulder. In the next instant, a crystalline owl unfolded out of the mist and perched there, staring at Selene with luminous eyes.
"Solis?"
Morpheus's voice—quivering now—slipped from its gemlike form as it stared at the owl in shock, as if recalling an old memory.
Meanwhile, Raven returned his attention to Selene. "From what I've observed through the cat's eye, you seem to be in a different place. Can you tell me how you ended up there, Selene?"
Still reeling from the flood of revelations, she took a steadying breath and began to speak. "Y–Yes, Your Highness. Though you may not believe it, I entered a dream world while chasing this cat… and a goblin." Her words spilled out, detailing the chase, the strange terrain, the goblin village, and everything she had seen.
Raven's brows arched slightly. "Oh? A new world, huh?"
His eyes narrowed, thoughts flickering behind them. Moreover, intelligent goblins…
"Did you check if there are humans in that place?" he asked.
"I haven't explored anywhere yet, Your Highness," Selene replied solemnly, then asked, almost pleading, "Can you help me return to the Zenith Empire?"
Raven fell silent, weighing her words. Then he turned his gaze to the cat. A row of information appeared before his left eye.
"Morpheus can travel from one world to another through the Dream Realm. Help him regain his dream power slowly. Meanwhile, I will find a way for you to return to the Eclipse World."
A faint headache tugged at the edge of his mind. He exhaled quietly.
'It seems I can't communicate with her for too long.'
"Is there anything you want to tell your friends or family?" he asked.
Selene's answer came quickly. "I'm a member of the Sepoy Mercenary Team from Spade County, Your Highness. Please relay a message to the Lord of Azmar that I'm stuck in a different place. Until I return, please tell Lord Thomas to take care of my teammates and my family."
"I can do that much," Raven said. His voice was quiet but firm. "Next meeting will be in a month. The time difference may vary, so wait patiently and build your strength while maintaining a low profile. And…" A faint smile touched his lips. "Call me 'Prince' from now on."
He lifted his hand and waved it lightly.
A powerful suction force burst out, wrapping around Selene like a current. The throne hall blurred and shattered into shards of light.
Selene's consciousness was yanked back toward the strange world— the alien sky, the twin suns, the green-skinned goblins waiting beyond the trees.
And in the Throne Hall, Raven sat alone, his monocle glinting as Solis folded its wings.
Raven left the Throne Hall a moment later.
'Will Selene be okay on her own?' he asked inwardly, his brow furrowing.
[Even if she encounters danger, she can directly enter the Dream World and hide. Not only that, but she can also use her wraith form to escape dangerous situations.] Zera's calm voice reverberated in his mind after a moment of consideration.
Raven's shoulders eased slightly.
'At least the fragment allowed her to enter the Throne Room. Or else she would've been stranded on an alien world all alone.'
Zera's agreement came as a low murmur. [So, what are you going to do now?]
Raven's eyes narrowed. 'I should return to my territory and inform the others that Selene is safe. But before that, I should take a look at the experimental subjects.'
As soon as he spoke, his form blurred into shadow and disappeared.
Raven reappeared in the underground basement a moment later and soon saw a collection of birds—pigeons, owls, crows, ravens, parrots, and more—caged inside.
They were all birds once used by the army during wartime.
He first moved toward a green parrot and waved his hand.
"Let me out, you stupid bastard!" A human voice came out of the parrot.
"I'll let you out when you solve this puzzle," he said, showing a math problem on the board.
The parrot cursed him with a few more words, but eventually solved the puzzle in two minutes.
He also showed similar puzzles to other parrots, such as Grey Parrots, Cockatoos, Macaws, and others, and noticed that they were smart enough to solve complicated problems and even excel at mimicry.
'The only drawback is their color and their talkative nature. They will attract too much attention.'
Raven then experimented on different types of owls, pigeons, crows, and ravens.
'Owls are low in intelligence, but can travel at night faster. Pigeons are somewhat unintelligent, but they can return home at any cost. Crows and ravens, like parrots, are super intelligent but have poor night vision except for the Night Raven. But Night Ravens are hard to tame and have an arrogant attitude.'
Raven moved toward the Night Raven and cast the [Blood Bond] spell on it.
A moment later, a small droplet of blood came out of Raven's fingertip and shot toward the Night Raven's chest before entering inside.
The bird cawed continuously and soon went silent.
At the same time, Raven felt a special bond between the bird and himself.
He opened the cage and allowed the bird to move out.
"Fly."
As soon as he spoke, the raven opened its wings wide, flapped them forcefully, and started flying in the underground basement.
Even though it was dark inside, it didn't face any difficulty and followed his words obediently.
After that, he released all the other birds and let only the Night Raven stay by his side.
"Hmm, this looks more like a familiar spell." He knew it would take some time to train the raven.
'If I train a few more ravens and use them for reconnaissance, I will have a great advantage during the upcoming war,' Raven muttered inwardly.
Then, he returned to his quarters and changed into formal attire—a dark coat with silver lining, gloves, and polished boots. After adjusting his cravat, he rang the bell for the butler.
"I'll be leaving right away. Prepare the carriage for the railway station," Raven informed curtly. Without waiting for further questions, he descended the stairs and had lunch. After that, he left the Crown's Tavern in a Hansom cab and moved into the bustling streets of the Royal Capital.
By late afternoon, he arrived at the central railway station, a sprawling iron-and-stone structure alive with steam and noise. He quickly booked a ticket bound for Giaris City and boarded the train.
The journey back was long. Six days passed in the rhythm of wheels grinding on steel, intermittent station stops, and nights spent staring out the window at the blurred silhouettes of towns and hills.
…
On November 6th, Year 1428 — Rune Era, Raven stepped off the train and returned to the familiar grounds of the Holmes mansion in Giaris. The crisp autumn air carried a faint scent of rain as he walked through the iron gates.
Inside, Daley Findlay was waiting. He had been pacing the main hall for nearly a week, growing increasingly anxious after Jacob told him he had no idea where Thomas Holmes had gone.
"Thomas! Thank the Spirits! You are finally back!" Daley rushed forward, his footsteps quick and uneven.
Raven's gaze was calm, almost indifferent. "Did Selene disappear?" he asked casually.
"H–How did you know?" Daley's eyes widened, his voice unsteady. "Did you meet Anastasia? Is she back from Arcturus?" He craned his neck toward the doorway, half-expecting her to appear.
Raven shook his head slowly. "No. I sent Selene with you two to complete a different mission. I hid it from you both because it's very dangerous, and you might have opposed it. Anyway, she is not in any life-threatening situation."
Daley froze, his brows knitting together. In that instant, the young man before him seemed far more enigmatic than before—as though a veil had been pulled back but only halfway.
'I know he has more secrets, Daley thought. But how does he know so much about the mysterious kidnapper? And why would he send his own member into such a dangerous place?' He still remembered the glimpse of the dream portal; even that view was enough to leave a chill crawling up his spine.
"Is she safe?" Daley finally asked, his voice lower now. "No… how are you so sure that she is safe?"