Raven Blackheart had always been a slave to the system.
[Save Amy Ashfield.]
The system had always told him where to go, at the exact place, at the right time.
[Enter the Hotel's Reception.]
[Ask the city folks about Everglade's inner struggles.]
[Find the Hidden Labyrinth.]
He just had to be there, and for some reason, things had always worked out, despite the problems that followed.
[Hold the Wyvern back.]
[Choose the left Mirror gate.]
That was all.
[Leave the Tower,]
He just had to be there.
He just had to follow the system.
Refuse and he would be punished.
[Penalty: Mana Poisoning.]
[Penalty: Mana Core Disruption.]
[Penalty: .....]
.
.
But now?
[Call Isaac and have him investigate Cordillera Towers. Room 512.]
—The murder of Evelyn Cessna, a high-ranking mage and prominent figure in the city, has just taken a shocking turn. Authorities have arrested Brandon Locke, an Imperial Army student,....
He had no idea what the hell was going on.
"Did I make a mistake?"
Raven had no energy to get up from his bed ever since he found out the news.
"There's no way Brandon would ever murder Miss Evelyn."
While circumstances pointed to his deed, knowing how Brandon is, Raven was sure of it.
But in the first place, the only reason why Brandon had been caught was....
—Bastard, the fuck kind of case did you bring me!?
—Brandon Locke. He's your friend, isn't he?
—Congratulations, you're officially friends with a murderer.
It was because of him.
Because he followed the system's instructions.
Was it a mistake?
'But besides the point, Miss Evelyn is dead!?'
Raven truly couldn't believe it, but the news had sent shockwaves throughout the entire continent.
—It wasn't my intention. But we had to do a thorough investigation of the room. The commotion must've attracted the media.
Raven had sent a reply back, asking if Evelyn was truly dead.
—It's the truth,
He wasn't thinking about the pain. He wasn't thinking about the room, or if he would even get out of this situation.
—I don't want to die....
The memories of Evelyn turning into a Wraith played over and over in his mind.
The final look he had given him before....
He had killed her—he had done it—but not in the way they believed.
No one would understand what he had been forced to do, and even if they did, it wouldn't change anything.
He felt the weight of the world pressing down on him.
The hatred of the continent, the betrayal of everyone's trust in him, and most probably, the connections he had made turning their backs on him.
All he could find solace in was the cold isolation, alone with nothing but his guilt.
All it took was a singular moment, and the entire progression was even worse than every lifetime Raven Blackheart had lived.
However, he hadn't been idle.
They may have confiscated every belonging he had.
But....
[Inventory]
He had the system inventory. Due to his overthinking, he had kept several items that could be used for situations he had thought of.
One of those items was a burner phone.
He had only been restrained, cuffed by mana shackles. But it was still possible to do simple activities like push–ups.
But that wasn't what was important.
He retrieved the burner phone, and immediately sent a message to someone
[Have you found anything?]
It was sent to Illya.
The two had been exchanging messages for the past few days now.
But it was hard to respond properly since guards kept watch over him frequently.
He had to be discreet.
—That Doctor you told me of has been murdered. It's hard to find anything as of this moment. But the murder had been linked to the Iron Fist guild massacre. Amelia and your Sister are currently using all their connections as we speak to somehow make the documents relevant.
Brandon nodded his head. Murdered? Of course, he had seen this coming already.
The one pulling the strings was very thorough, if things don't work out, then Brandon had no choice but to go for plan B.
To flee this continent.
But to where?
He was currently pondering that at the moment. But escaping this facility wasn't too hard.
He had the Primordials to thank for that.
But if he were to do that, he would never be able to clear his name, and all the connections and preparations he had set–up for the war would be for naught.
He couldn't discard it yet, when he still had a sliver of a chance.
Sensing a shadow looming over, covering the dim light that shone through the door's window, Brandon immediately returned the burner phone inside the [Inventory].
Realizing the blank expression on Brandon's face, the guard stopped peering and pulled back, but not before Brandon called for him.
"Wait."
"What?"
"Let me hit."
He was referring to the cigarette.