The street still seed to carry the echo of the battle. Dust still hung in the air, broken windows revealed the damage, and the tavern... the second floor was practically destroyed. The blown-out facade exposed beams, broken furniture hung precariously, and the roof sagged at odd angles.
Amid the uncomfortable silence, Raven slowly descended the steps to the tavern's entrance. The woman was tall, her apron stained with beer and dried blood, but what truly commanded respect was her gaze—calm, steady, as if nothing that had happened was new to her.
Behind her, the murmur of curious patrons began to erge, muffled voices discussing what they had just seen. But no one dared approach too closely.
Kael turned, his face tense, and pointed at the three of them. "Kneel. Now."
Irelia's eyes widened. "What?"
"You heard." His voice cut through the air like a blade. "Kneel before the owner of the establishnt you destroyed."
Amélia hesitated for a second, but realizing his tone left no room for argunt, she was the first to kneel. Sylphie huffed, crossing her arms before finally following suit. Irelia, however, took longer. Pride burned within her, but Kael's golden gaze, filled with authority, made her muscles buckle. She fell to her knees, anger evident on her face.
The three of them were lined up before Raven, who watched them with a mixture of patience and slight sarcasm.
"Is this what you wanted?" Irelia whispered to Kael, her irritation unmistakable.
He didn't answer. He simply crossed his arms and glared at them like a general facing unruly soldiers.
"You will apologize. Now."
The silence stretched on. Then Sylphie broke the tension: "Well... if we're going to be honest, it's not my fault. It was Irelia who blew up the succubus in the room."
"?" Irelia turned sideways to face her, her eyes flashing. "Who was the first to provoke by saying 'I want to see his face when we get there'? If you hadn't provoked , I would have controlled it better."
"Hah!" Sylphie laughed wryly. "Controlled? You almost tore the whole town apart just because soone called you a slut."
"Shut up, Sylphie!" Irelia roared, lunging forward even while kneeling.
Amélia raised her hand, trying to intervene.
"Actually, if we're going to point fingers..." she shrugged, "I told you we should go in normally. It was you two who ignored it."
"Of course!" Sylphie lifted her chin. "Miss 'I'm always the rational one.'"
"Better than being reckless like you," Amélia retorted, her voice sharp.
Irelia twisted her neck, glaring at them both. "You two have no moral standing to bla . I was the one who held the entire fight."
Sylphie thumped her chest indignantly. "Oh, there. Always this 'I carry the weight' talk. Didn't you see what I did protecting Kael?"
"Protecting?" Irelia laughed derisively. "You barely managed to keep him standing."
"At least I didn't destroy half a building with one blow!"
The voices rose, each speaking over the other. The three, kneeling, were already so involved in the verbal sparring that they completely forgot where they were—as if they were three sisters arguing over who was right, instead of warriors who had just nearly leveled an entire tavern.
Kael finally lost his patience.
The ground shook slightly as he let his energy escape. The golden aura surrounded him, vibrating like raging fire. The air grew heavy, and even the onlookers on the street took a few steps back, silent.
"ENOUGH." The word reverberated like thunder.
The three of them froze instantly. Sylphie closed her mouth mid-provocation. Alia swallowed hard. Irelia tightened her fingers on the hilt of her sword, but didn't dare raise her voice.
Kael took a step forward, his gaze hard as steel.
"I don't want to hear who started it, who provoked it, or who 'carried the fight.'" He leaned forward slightly, the shadow partially covering his face. "You three are guilty. You three acted without thinking. You three destroyed the second floor of Raven's establishnt."
The silence returned, thick.
"Now," he continued, each word heavy with command, "you will both shut up and apologize. Together."
Irelia bit her lip, anger boiling inside her. Sylphie huffed softly. Alia sighed deeply, resigned.
The three exchanged quick glances, none of them friendly. But under the weight of Kael's aura, they knew there was no other choice.
They bowed their heads simultaneously, and in almost forced unison, said, "We're sorry, Miss Raven."
The silence was broken by Raven's low chuckle. It wasn't cruel, nor mocking—it was simply... amused.
"Well, well..." she crossed her arms, tilting her head slightly. "It's not every day I see three warriors of that caliber kneeling in front of a tavern owner."
Raven's laugh echoed like thunder muffled by the dust and the tension still hanging in the air. It wasn't cruel, nor was it mocking—it was a genuine laugh, the kind that ca from soone who had seen it all and wasn't fazed by anything.
She leaned against the broken doorfra, crossed her arms, and shook her head as if watching three children fighting over who had stolen the last piece of bread.
"Hah... Kael, Kael..." she lifted her chin toward him, her eyes narrowed in pure amusent. "I have to admit... you have your hands full. It's not easy dealing with three won of that caliber."
Kael kept his expression serious, the tension still visible in his shoulders and jaw. But deep down, part of him could already sense Raven's lighter tone. Still, he didn't respond. His silence only reinforced the authority of the scene.
Raven took a few steps forward, stopping right in front of the three kneeling won, and leaned in to examine them as if they were rare pieces in a display case.
"And you…" he said, his voice firm but still full of humor. "You don't have to apologize to like a queen. Not that I don't appreciate the curtsy, of course," he added with a sly smile. "But destroying part of my tavern… hah… that's happened before."
Sylphie looked up, still in disbelief. "It's… happened before?"
Raven rely raised an eyebrow, and then, without further explanation, snapped her fingers.
"Clack."
A sharp sound filled the air, and imdiately the three felt a chill run down their skin. It was as if an invisible wave of energy had spread from Raven's hand.
Instantly, the street trembled slightly. The destroyed second floor, which until then lay in broken beams, twisted boards, and clouds of dust, began to move.
The broken timbers slid back into their original positions. The cracked stones reford as if they had never been impacted. Shattered glass flew from the ground and embedded itself in the windows, reconstituting itself like water returning to its container.
The sound was hypnotic—crack, tac, tchhh—like bones being readjusted, like invisible gears being forced to turn. In less than ten seconds, the entire second floor was immaculate, gleaming with the sa appearance as before the fight.
The three kneeling won widened their eyes simultaneously.
"...What?" Sylphie blurted out, in disbelief.
"That's not possible…" Amélia clapped her hand over her mouth, her gaze fixed on the window that had been shattered seconds ago.
Irelia remained silent, but her clenched fists betrayed her surprise. The glint in her golden eyes wasn't anger, but pure disbelief.
Raven smiled, satisfied, like a housewife who had just cleaned the living room after a chaotic party. She wiped her hands on her apron, even though there was no dust on them.
"There. As good as new." Her voice carried a casual tone, as if what she had just done was the simplest thing in the world. "You don't have to worry about repairs, or any cost. The house is standing again."
Kael, who had been watching silently until then, sighed deeply. It wasn't surprise on his face, nor shock—but recognition.
"…I've seen this before." His voice was low, almost a whisper.
The three won turned to him at the sa ti, curious.
"What?" asked Alia.
Kael looked at Raven, then at the ground, and finally answered,
"My mother... Elion." The na was heavy with mories and weight. "She likes to use this magic that rewinds things."
Sylphie frowned. "Your mother did that?"
Kael nodded slowly.
Irelia finally spoke, her voice low but charged with impact. "So... this magic... is sothing advanced."
Raven laughed, and this ti the sound was full of malice. "Advanced? Maybe." She tilted her head, her eyes narrowed. "Or maybe it's just an ancient art that you proud warriors don't yet have the strength to comprehend."
The three of them fell silent, still kneeling, processing what they had just seen. The contrast was stark: all the fury of the previous battle, the destruction that had stained the streets and drawn the city's attention, had vanished as if it had never happened.
Sylphie bit her lip, unconvinced. "So... all of this... was for nothing?"
"Not for nothing." Raven shrugged. "You've shown yourselves. I've seen your strength, I've seen the intensity with which you protect that man back there. And..." she turned slightly to Kael, her smile taking on a hint of respect, "now I know why he's so different."
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