In the silence of the night, Raven walked alone on the village road. A cold wind blew, carrying the sound of leaves rustling. His steps stopped suddenly. He did not turn around, but his voice was clear.
"Stop following me, Hana."
His voice was calm, as if he had known all along.
A few steps behind him, Hana stopped. Her face looked uncertain for a moment, but she no longer hid. She stepped forward until the moonlight revealed her anxious expression.
Raven finally turned slowly.
"What do you want?" he asked briefly.
Hana gripped the sleeve of her own shirt, as if searching for courage. "I just want to know... are you okay?"
Raven snorted softly, his eyes narrowing. "Huh... of course."
"No," Hana shook her head slowly.
"I don't think so."
The wind blew harder, ruffling her hair.
"If there's something wrong, just say it," she continued softly. "Don't always keep it to yourself."
Raven stared at her a few seconds longer than usual. Then his voice turned colder.
"You said I'm not okay?" His voice dropped a notch, colder than before.
"Since when can you tell that just from my face?"
He narrowed his eyes slightly.
"If you want to ask me what I was doing in the cave, the answer is obvious." He turned away.
"And don't act like you have the right to interfere in my business. We... are nothing more than old acquaintances."
The words fell sharply.
He resumed walking. But Hana ran after him, grabbing his sleeve with her trembling hand.
"No one, you say?" she whispered softly, almost choking.
Raven glanced at her, a hint of guilt behind his usually flat eyes. He knew his cold attitude hurt Hana. But that was exactly what he wanted. By distancing himself and severing ties, he hoped that no one close to him would be dragged down the path he had chosen—a path full of blood, danger, and destruction.
"Let go, Hana." Raven tried to pull his sleeve from Hana's grasp.
"No! I don't want to!" Hana's voice broke, full of emotion.
"What do you mean, just old acquaintances? I've known you since we were kids, we grew up together until we were teenagers. I know everything about you, your attitude, your habits, even the way you think. And now you say we're just old acquaintances?"
Tears began to fall down her cheeks.
Hana stared at Raven with trembling eyes. "I know you're hiding something. But that's not what I want to know. I only want one thing: don't burden yourself. Take me, take our friends. We don't want you to carry all this alone... because I know that's who you are. You always want to protect everyone even if it means hurting yourself."
She paused for a moment, then continued in a soft voice.
"E-even back then... when we were still in high school, I should have realized. I should have stopped my emotions, not let them overflow like that."
She took a shaky breath.
"That's why I know... now you must be in the same position as you were back then."
Hana lifted her face. Her tears hadn't stopped, but her gaze was no longer wavering.
"And this time... I won't repeat the same mistake."
Raven stared at her in silence.
For a moment, the night wind seemed to stop between them. There was something trembling in the depths of his eyes—doubt, perhaps. Or regret that had not had time to grow.
But the next second, everything froze again.
"Are you done?" he asked softly.
Hana's face lost its color. It was as if all her strength collapsed along with those words. Her fingers, which were still clutching Raven's sleeve, slowly weakened... then let go.
Her head bowed. Her shoulders shook, and the sobs she had been holding back finally escaped in a voice that was almost inaudible.
Without looking back, Raven walked away. The shadow of his body was slowly swallowed by the darkness of the village road. In his heart, he knew that the words he had just spoken had hurt Hana more deeply than any wound. But this was the path he had to take from now on.
------------------------------------------------------
Hana stood frozen in the middle of the dark village road. Raven's footsteps slowly disappeared, leaving only a faint shadow swallowed by the darkness. Torches on the side of the road flickered in the wind, adding to the biting loneliness.
The sound of crickets could be heard in the distance, as if the night had just taken a long breath after holding its breath for too long. Hana hugged herself, biting her lip to keep her cries from being too loud. But the tears kept falling, dripping onto the dusty ground beneath her feet.
"Why are you always like this, Raven..." she whispered softly, almost inaudibly.
"Always bearing everything alone."
She bowed her head, her shoulders shaking.
Suddenly, soft footsteps could be heard from behind.
"Hana..." called a soft voice.
Hana turned around.
Lisa and Karin were standing there, their faces looking worried and tired. Lisa's eyes looked at her with pity, while Karin held a small lantern in her hand, which was trembling slightly in the wind.
Without saying much, the two walked closer and immediately hugged Hana tightly. Hana finally broke down completely in their embrace. She clutched their shoulders, her body shaking violently, letting everything she had been holding back collapse at once.
"He's changed, Lisa... Karin..." Hana said between sobs.
"I can feel it. He's not the Raven he used to be... but deep down, I know he's still the same person."
Lisa sighed softly. She stroked Hana's hair gently, trying to calm her down.
"I know," she replied quietly.
"But maybe it's precisely because he's still the same... he doesn't want us to get dragged down with him. You know how he is. Even though he seems harsh and uncaring, there must be a reason behind his actions."
Hana lifted her face. Her eyes were red and swollen.
"Then should I just stay silent? Pretend I don't care?" Her voice was hoarse, but there was determination in it.
"I can't. I don't want to lose him again, Lisa."
Lisa stared at her for a few seconds, as if choosing the right words. "You don't have to pretend. But sometimes... someone like Raven chooses to walk alone. Not because he doesn't need us, but because he doesn't realize that not all burdens have to be carried alone."
Karin, who had been silent until then, finally spoke, her voice soft but slightly trembling. "Hana... maybe all we can do now is wait. But waiting doesn't mean giving up. I'm sure... someday she'll have a reason to come back."
Hana was silent.
She stared at the dark road where Raven had disappeared. The shadow was gone, leaving only a long, quiet road, washed by the light of a torch that was almost extinguished.
The night wind blew again, carrying the scent of wet earth and a hint of smoke from the torch.
Slowly, Hana wiped her tears with the back of her hand. Her breathing was still ragged, but something different began to grow in her eyes, something more than just sadness.
"In that case..." she said softly.
"I won't force him now. But I won't give up either."
Lisa and Karin fell silent, noticing the subtle change in her tone.
"I won't let Raven go again," Hana continued more calmly, but firmly.
"And this time... I won't just stand by and wait. I will take action. I will be his strength... not a burden he has to protect."
There was pain in her voice, but also clear determination.
Karin smiled softly, her eyes warming. "If that's your decision... then I will support you completely, Hana." She nodded slightly.
"Now come on, it's late. Let's go back to the village hall."
"Yes," replied Lisa softly, putting her arm around Hana's shoulder. "Tomorrow we'll think about everything with a clearer head."
Hana didn't move immediately. She turned once more toward the dark road where Raven's shadow had last been seen. She stored that image in silence, not as a wound... but as a reminder.
The tightness in her chest hadn't gone away.
But behind that tightness, there was a small ember that now burned more clearly.
Not just pain.
But determination.
Finally, she turned around and walked with Lisa and Karin toward the village hall.
Behind them, the night was silent again, as if it had never witnessed the subtle crack that had just formed. But behind that crack, something much stronger was slowly forming.