CHAPTER 254: CHAPTER 253 - THE HUNGRY COMMANDER.

The forest thickened as the density of the trees increased.

They were going deeper into the forest, as a sense of weight hung over the woods ahead.

What they were walking towards wasn’t just ancient history but something deeper and older.

They could tell—the ruins were close.

Raven’s group moved in tight formation, Lia walking ahead with Clara, who had Nibbles on her shoulder, pointing the way, beside her, their eyes sharp and steps fast.

The others kept close, wary of the thick, corrupted mist beginning to roll from the direction of the ruin’s heart.

This area was supposed to be corruption-free—after all, it was far from the Ashen Expanse—but they could sense some corruption.

But before they could make it further, the mist surrounding them parted.

Steel glinted in the distance. Rows of armor. Shields planted in the earth. A line of soldiers—easily more than half a battalion—stood waiting in the narrow pass ahead.

At their center stood a woman with one boot propped on a rock and her arms crossed over her plated chest.

Long auburn hair spilled from under her helm, her cloak whipping in the wind, and her sharp green eyes locked instantly onto Raven.

Raven halted the group with a simple hand motion. "We’ve got company."

The woman took one step forward, and her aura flared—calculated and controlled, but powerful.

She was level seven, and if she was that powerful, then she could only be the commander of the battalion that Master Sergeant Torman talked about.

Torman had said that she was one of the most capable commanders, and that was why she was stationed here for a task as important as searching for and rescuing the young princess.

"So you’re the ones who fired that black flare earlier," she said, her voice smooth as smoke. "I thought it was the assassins calling for reinforcement, so I moved. But you all don’t seem like assassins. Who are you?"

Raven frowned, as he could tell that things would get annoying if he were to engage with someone high-ranking like her.

She wouldn’t take no for an answer, and she would want them to answer all of her questions.

If he did answer her questions, then his cover would be blown.

The only thing they could do here was knock everyone out, then move toward the ruins.

But there were more than five hundred soldiers in the surroundings—some on trees, while others were on horses.

If they were to engage with them and try to knock them out instead of killing them, then this would take up a lot of their time.

It was then that the soldiers saw their faces, and they stiffened.

Then came murmurs.

"Wait—I recognize her! That’s the one who saved us!"

"That guy! He’s the one who took down the assassin without even drawing a sword!"

"Commander, these are the ones who fought the assassins and saved our lives!"

Those words made Raven’s frown relax, as this would make it easier for them to go scot-free.

After all, no one would want to make things hard for their saviors.

But the commander wasn’t listening.

Her eyes were fixed on Raven.

She looked... hungry.

Commander Liora Vane—an officer notorious for her tenacity and directness—licked her lips almost subconsciously.

Every soldier who came back thanks to Raven’s group told her about their strengths and teamwork.

But none of them had mentioned that their leader was this good-looking.

The wind tousled his midnight hair like it had a crush on him. His crimson eyes glowed faintly under his bangs.

He looked like sin carved into marble. Strong, confident—and with just enough mystery to make her forget her military decorum.

Liora wanted nothing more than to carry Raven back to her tent, but she couldn’t do that.

First, she didn’t know how strong he was.

It was said that he had defeated the assassins with pure physical strength, but even she could do that.

So, was he equal to her in strength, or was he stronger than her?

’He looks young,’ she thought, squinting at the group. ’So do the others—’

She froze as her gaze landed on the chicken, squirrel, and—

"Is that a corrupt beast?!"

She almost drew her sword before a soldier yelled from the back. "That beast is tamed, Commander!"

Liora paused, her head tilted. ’A tamed, corrupted beast?’

If corrupted beasts were things to be tamed, then she wouldn’t have reacted that way. But as unbelievable as it was, she could see the beast wagging its tail as it stood beside an armored girl.

Soon, she shook her head, her focus returning to Raven.

She smiled slowly, lowering her helm. "I suppose I owe you thanks... Raven, was it?"

He didn’t reply, but his brow arched slightly.

Liora stepped forward, boots crunching on gravel. "Perhaps you could join me in the command tent. Alone. I’d like to properly... thank you."

Selena’s brow twitched. Clara side-eyed Raven.

Lia, however, flinched.

"We don’t have time for this," she muttered, fidgeting. "Myria’s still—"

Before she could finish, the temperature dropped.

Sharp and sudden.

Frost crackled across the earth like glass.

Several soldiers shouted in alarm as ice licked their boots and froze the grass in a ten-meter circle around Siris.

She stepped forward, one hand extended lazily, her cold aura spiraling off her fingers like death’s own breath. Her eyes—icy blue and utterly unblinking—focused on Liora like she were prey.

"Get. Out. Of. Our. Way."

Even the commander, who had fought abominations and executed traitors, found herself involuntarily shivering under that look.

Her breath caught. She opened her mouth—to argue, to demand, to flirt—but no words came.

She realized that Siris was out of her league.

Raven exhaled, amused. "Siris."

She didn’t look away from Liora.

"Let me deal with them," she said calmly. "These ingrates wasted enough of our time. You go. I’ll catch up."

Lia hesitated. "But—"

"She’s got this," Clara assured her, pulling her along.

Raven stared at Siris for a second.

Then she rushed at him—fast, almost too fast—and pressed a kiss to his lips, cold but fierce. She pulled back just enough to whisper, "Come back alive."

He smirked. "When have I ever failed?"

Turning, he motioned to the others, who followed without hesitation. Selena gave Liora a mock curtsy before vanishing into the mist with the rest.

The soldiers were still there, and some brave ones tried to move as well, but one wave of Jessy’s hand froze them in their place.

Their iron armor turned so heavy that they couldn’t move, no matter how much they tried.

As Raven stepped past the last of the soldiers, he called over his shoulder, "Don’t kill anyone."

Siris groaned. Loudly.

"I hate it when you say that."

A few nearby troops edged further from her.

Then she shouted, "You owe me ten kisses when you come back!"

Raven raised a hand, not turning back.

"You bet."

Siris grinned darkly.

Commander Liora watched him go, still shaken.

Siris then noticed something.

Cluckles and the corrupt panther were standing beside her.

The corrupt panther was wagging its tail at her, looking at her expectantly, as if expecting something.

Her hand inadvertently moved to its head, patting it once, and that alone was enough for the beast to jump in joy.

Then she turned toward Cluckles, who nodded at her in his sage-like demeanor.

It was then, as she saw Raven disappear, that Liora muttered. "...Was that man even real?"

Cluckles, who heard her words, fluffed his feathers and answered solemnly, "Cluckles believes you are too warm-blooded for that man."

Then, with Siris at the center, ice bloomed across the forest like a promise.

................................

Before long, the rest of the group reached the ruins.

The trees thinned suddenly.

All of them paused as they stared at the broken temple-like structure before them.

The ruin loomed—half-swallowed by moss and vine, as if the forest had tried to forget it existed.

Cracked stone arches jutted from the earth like broken ribs, and enormous roots coiled through them like the skeleton of some ancient beast.

The mist here was different—thicker and quieter, like it was listening.

Raven stepped forward first.

The others followed, their boots crunching over gravel and old bone.

Jessy wrinkled her nose. "Shouldn’t there be—you know—death traps or something?"

"There should be assassins," Selena added, already drawing her blade. "Nibbles’s subordinates had seen the assassins here. So, they should be here."

Alex glanced around nervously. "Maybe they’re just... hiding?"

"Then they’re doing it too well," muttered Rufus, running a hand along the cracked stone. "No blood. No tracks. Nothing."

Lia didn’t speak.

She walked a few steps ahead, her breath shallow, her disguise of leaves discarded long ago.

Her eyes scanned every corner—every empty crevice—for something.

She wanted to see anything, as even assassins would be better than nothing.

At least she would know that her sister was here.

But the ruin was silent.

Too silent.

Raven squinted his eyes, staring at the scorch mark near one of the pillars. "There was fighting here."

Clara joined him. "But not recently."

"No bodies," Raven murmured.

Nibbles twitched uneasily on her shoulder.

It wasn’t just quiet. It was cleansed.

It was as if everything was erased.

"Nibbles, call for your subordinates," Raven said, standing slowly. "We need to know what happened here."

Even if Raven hadn’t said that, Nibbles was already doing that.

In less than a second, more than ten squirrels were standing before them, some wearing acorn helmets while some held sticks as swords.

One of them was even flying.

The atmosphere turned serious as Nibbles stepped forward, his expression solemn as the Clawtail Recon Squad told him everything that went down here—or, more like, whatever they saw.

By the time the report from the squirrels ended, Nibbles had turned toward Raven, raising a sign that read, "They all disappeared in a mist."