A few hours later, it was two in the morning. In front of the village hall, several people gathered under a nearly extinguished torch.
Among them were the village chief, William, and several students who were still standing strong. Their faces were tense, their voices low but full of anxiety.
They were discussing what they had seen in the cave and about Raven.
"So you mean... Raven did all that?" William said softly but clearly. He looked at each of the students standing in front of him—Theo, Hana, Karin, Lisa, Kyle, and several others who had witnessed the events inside the cave.
One of the students took a deep breath before answering.
"That's what happened in the cave, Mr. William. We all saw it ourselves. He killed them... without the slightest hesitation. It was a truly horrific sight."
Those words made the air feel heavier. William, Riana, Erik, and Leon, who hadn't witnessed it directly, could only look at each other with tense expressions. The same question arose in their minds.
Who exactly was Raven?
Whispers began to be heard from the back row. At first they were quiet, but then they became clearer.
"He was strange from the start..."
"I told you there was something wrong with that guy..."
The stares began to shift. Slowly but surely, they turned to a small group consisting of Hana, Kyle, Lisa, and Karin.
One of the female students stepped forward. Her face was tense, her eyes red from exhaustion and fear.
"You guys are closest to him, right?" she said, her voice sharp. "Don't just stand there. Who is he really?"
Kyle immediately raised his head. "We don't—"
"Oh, come on, you don't know anything?" interrupted another. "You guys are always with him."
"That's right," replied another voice.
"Or could it be... that he's used to doing things like that?"
Several people turned around spontaneously.
"What do you mean?" replied Kyle, his tone rising.
"What do I mean?" The student exhaled roughly.
"How could someone take another person's life so calmly... without hesitation..."
His gaze shifted to Hana and the others, full of suspicion.
"What if he is just like them? Like the people who slaughtered our friends in the cave?"
The air in the room felt tense.
Hana looked down, her fingers clutching the hem of her shirt. Her eyes trembled, holding back something she didn't want to spill. Kyle clenched his fists, the veins in his jaw bulging. Lisa bit her lip, while Karin just stared at the floor, as if any answer would feel wrong.
The tension was like a thin thread ready to snap.
"Enough."
A hoarse but firm voice came from the village hall door.
All heads turned almost simultaneously.
Kevin stood in the doorway. He limped as he entered. His body was still wrapped in bandages, some stained with dried blood. His face was pale, but his gaze was sharp.
"Eh... Kevin?"
"Kevin! You shouldn't be up yet!"
Several students stared at him with wide eyes. Riana, who was standing not far from the door, immediately ran over and held his arm to keep him from falling.
Kevin gently pushed her hand away. "I'm fine."
Then he looked at the crowd coldly.
"What are you guys actually arguing about?" he continued softly, his breathing still heavy. "About the person who is actually making sure you guys are still breathing?"
No one answered immediately.
The student who had spoken sarcastically earlier snorted. "I'm just saying... his attitude is strange and too calm. That's not a normal reaction."
Kevin stopped a few steps away from them. His shoulders rose and fell as he fought back the pain, but his voice remained steady.
"You want him to scream? Tremble? Or what? ... Apologize every time he protects us?" he said flatly.
Silence...
"Can't you guys really see?" he continued, his voice firmer this time. "In that cave, he stood in front of us when none of us could move. If he killed those people and you call him a murderer... then he's a murderer who protects us. A murderer who avenged the deaths of our friends."
Kyle stared at him. The anger on his face faded, replaced by doubt that was difficult to hide. The student who had been about to interrupt lost his words.
"We're all afraid. Me too," Kevin said softly. "But don't let that fear be an excuse to accuse him."
He coughed, his hand reflexively pressing against his wounded side.
His gaze swept across the faces in front of him one by one.
"Raven is strange. I never really liked him either," he admitted without hesitation.
"But he acted when we couldn't. He saved you and me too. While you stand here, busy looking for someone to blame."
Kevin sighed heavily. He took a step forward, closing the distance between them.
His gaze trembled slightly, but his voice did not weaken.
"I'm not that low and I'm not grateful to him." There was a moment of silence. The air in the room felt heavy.
His words echoed in the quiet night air, piercing deeper than any scream. Some of the students who had been most vocal now fell silent, bowing their heads, their faces red with embarrassment. But there were still a few who seemed to be holding back their anger, as if they still couldn't accept Kevin's words.
Kevin snorted softly, his voice almost a mumble, "This is why I hate ungrateful people..."
The words sounded more like a whisper to himself than to anyone else. There was a flicker in his eyes, a brief flash of memory or regret, before it disappeared.
When he turned his head, his gaze accidentally met Hana's. The girl just looked at him with a small smile on her face, soft but sincere, as if thanking him without words.
Kevin was stunned. For a moment, he was lost for words. His face heated up without him realizing it, a red blush slowly creeping from his cheeks to his ears. He quickly turned his face away, clearing his throat softly.
"Whatever," he muttered briefly, trying to cover up the awkwardness that had suddenly appeared.
"I'm just telling it like it is."
No one else argued.
The torch in the yard was reduced to a small light that was about to go out. The night wind blew cold, bringing a silence that was heavier than before. One by one, the students began to disperse without saying much. No one was really sure, but no one wanted to continue the debate either.
William just stood silently, while Riana helped Kevin back to his seat.
Hana kept staring into the darkness outside the village, toward the forest where everything had changed. Tonight, something had broken between them.
And even though there were no visible enemies, the unease lingered, silent but real.