The Detective Jr.

Raven collapsed onto the ground, panting heavily after finishing her fifth trial. "How many more of these do I have to endure?" she muttered, her voice trembling with exhaustion.

A soft, melodic laughter echoed around her, followed by a commanding voice. "Struggling already, little mortal?"

Startled, Raven scrambled to her feet, scanning the darkness. Her eyes locked onto a pair of fiery red eyes glowing in the shadows like a burning fire. She stumbled back, her voice unsteady. "W-who are you?"

The figure stepped forward, revealing a majestic presence cloaked in light. "I am Oyne, the Deity that loves to Procrastinate, Sovereign of Light, and Keeper of Technology."

"The Deity that loves to Procrastinate... Lady Oyne..." Raven whispered, awe and fear battling in her tone.

Oyne's lips curved into a smile. "You're intriguing, mortal. Skyler was hard on you with the test huh, typical him... Tell me, would you like to learn the art of Light magic from me?"

Raven's exhaustion melted away, her eyes lighting up with hope. "Really....?? Yes, I would love to! Please, teach me!"

But Oyne's expression turned serious. "Remember, once you learn from me, you cannot serve another Deity. That is the rule of this realm." With those words, Oyne vanished, leaving Raven to ponder the weight of her choice.

.

.

.

Elsewhere, I and Nicholas were busy investigating when the ground trembled violently, throwing us to the ground.

"What the heck was that?!" Nicholas shouted, alarmed.

I quickly activated my Third Eye system. "System, scan the south side. Now!"

[Scanning complete. Defective Prototype Robots found. One life source detected.]

My heart sank. "One life source- Raven? Dylan?" I bolted toward the south, Nicholas trailing behind me.

"What's going on?!" he asked, confused.

"Just a bad feeling," I replied, unwilling to reveal the truth.

We spotted Dylan running toward us, tears streaming down his face. When he saw us, without warning he punched me, his voice choked with anger and grief. "You knew! You knew about those robots, didn't you?! This is your hometown, Linxi!"

I stood silent, unmoving as he pounded his fists against me... I couldn't felt pain... it didn't hurt because my soul was of human yet the body of a robot... but why do I still feel bad...Nicholas quickly jumped in and pulled Dylan back. "Knock it off and explain! Where's Raven?"

"She's dead!" Dylan cried, collapsing to his knees. "I couldn't save her. I loved her... I love her so much...!!! She couldn't hear my confession...!! I loved her so much.... Yet I failed to protect her..."

"Dylan..." Nicholas looked sad as he tried to confront him. I went towards Dylan and stretched my hand towards him but he slapped my hand away looking at me with anger.

Before I could react, a sinister laugh filled the air. A figure stepped from the shadows- a woman cloaked in crimson, her dark eyes gleaming with malice, Her long blood-red hair moving along with the breeze.

"How touching~" she sneered. "A bunch of insects mourning their precious friend. My oh my~ what an ugly sight~ But to your entertainment my name is Seraphine, and I wield blood magic. Shall we play?" As she laughed it started raining... Blood rain... It started falling like sharp needles.

Dylan's grief turned to rage. "You'll pay for what you've done!" He unleashed a fiery attack, but Seraphine dodged effortlessly, her laughter mocking us.

I activated my cosmic magic, deflecting her blood tendrils, while Nicholas used his gravity magic to shield us. The battle intensified, but Seraphine's power was overwhelming.

"Dylan~ Don't you wanna join us~" she called, her voice dripping with temptation. "I can bring her back. Join me, join Baphomet Clan, and we'll... we shall resurrect Raven together~ I will also teach you my blood magic~"

Dylan hesitated, his flames flickering. "What... what did you say... You can bring her back?"

"Yes~ I can, or rather my boss can~" Seraphine purred. "All you have to do is embrace the darkness~"

"No!" I shouted. "She's lying, Dylan! Don't trust her!"

But the promise of Raven's return was too strong. Dylan's resolve crumbled. "I... I'll do it," he whispered. "I'll join you...!!"

"Excellent~ Now let's go my dear~!" Seraphine said with a wicked grin. Her blood magic enveloped Dylan, and in an instant, they disappeared into the shadows.

"Dylan! No!! You fool...!!" I yelled, but it was too late. The air was silent, save for Seraphine's fading laughter.

Nicholas clenched his fists. "We'll get him back. We'll save him and Raven, no matter what it takes."

I nodded, determination surging through me. "This isn't over. We'll fight the darkness- and win."

As the echoes of Seraphine's laughter faded into the chilling silence, a heavy weight settled in the pit of my stomach. The loss of Raven and the betrayal of Dylan felt like a dark cloud looming over us, threatening to consume everything in its path. I turned to Nicholas, who was still seething with anger, his hands trembling with barely contained rage...

"Nicholas... I guess I have no choice but to tell you the truth..." I said with my head held low.

"The... truth...?" Nicholas said looking confused.

"The thing is... I-!!"

"Linxi-!!!" A familiar voice cut me off as I quickly turned my head towards the voice...

"No way....?!"

_To Be Continue_