LIGHTNOVELONLINE Masked man
The doctor still couldn’t make sense of Raven's words. Even if he never fought again in his life, with such healing power, Raven could live a much easier life than a normal person. While the doctor thought this was the ultimate blessing, the fact that Raven called it a curse confused him completely. The doctor suddenly started asking Raven the questions on his mind: "This could be one of the greatest blessings in both medical history and on the battlefield. How can you so easily call it a curse?"
Raven sighed and turned his head away, clearly not wanting to answer. When the doctor realized that Raven didn’t want to respond, he turned his back and continued with his work. Slowly, Raven sat up and began to walk toward the window. The doctor was still behind the curtain, busy with his laboratory. When Raven reached the window, he moved his hand to the window handle to open it, but a loud shattering sound suddenly filled the room. A throwing knife flew through the broken glass, aimed at him. Raven tilted his head to the left, dodging it with ease. The knife embedded itself in the wall behind him, making the entire room visible.
Raven, stepping back to stay out of sight, yelled, "Doctor, duck!"
The doctor, after looking behind him and hearing the sounds, ducked and placed his hands over his head. Realizing that more attacks were likely to follow, Raven knew he had to grab the knife from his bag. As he crawled along the floor, he wondered, "Who could be attacking this room in the hospital, and why?" He was almost at his bag. The early hour meant it wasn’t very bright outside—an ideal time for an assassination. Finally, Raven reached his bag, grabbed the steel knife he had stolen from the thugs the previous night, and slowly stood up. He cautiously poked his head out to look through the window, but no one was visible. He leaned further out, checking below, but the street was empty too. It was still too early, and there wasn’t a single soul outside.
Without turning his back to the window, Raven carefully began walking toward the door. Both he and the doctor knew that there were very few people Raven could beat in a one-on-one fight at this moment, especially if a skilled assassin had come for him. Even if Raven won, his stitches could tear open. As he approached the door, he slowly turned around, keeping one hand on the door handle while holding the knife in a defensive grip with his other hand. He began to turn the handle gently, but as the door creaked open, he took an instinctive step back. From the partially open door, a man dressed in all black kicked his way into the room. When the man’s kick missed, he grabbed the window frame. His mask was now fully visible.
Raven had never seen this mask before, but a few ideas were already forming in his mind. The mask had hollow black eye sockets, as if staring into an abyss, and a purple vein-like pattern surrounded the eye area. The mouth, much larger in proportion to the rest of the face, was decorated with jagged teeth motifs. After tightening his grip on his knife, Raven and the man began circling each other in the room. Dr. Oliver, watching from a distance, was witnessing the unfolding events. Both Raven and the masked man waited for the other to make a move. Deciding to break the silence, Raven spoke, "Who do you work for? Which one of us are you after, and what is your objective?"
The man grinned beneath the mask, his voice low and raspy, and drew a knife from his belt, throwing it at Raven. Raven dodged it, but it hit a lamp in the doctor’s lab, sending sparks flying. The masked man grinned again and spoke in the same deep voice, "I can’t believe you’ve never heard the legends of this mask in the city, Raven Blake."
Raven furrowed his brow and focused entirely on the man. The attacker continued, "It is said that everyone who sees this mask for the first time also sees it for the last time. Since I’ll be the last thing you ever see, there’s no harm in telling you who I am."
As they circled each other, both searching for an opening, Raven found it strange—not because of the man’s words, but because he gave no hint of weakness, even while talking. Raven had hoped he could make the man reveal an opening by engaging him in conversation, but it was clear now that this man was a master of combat. As Raven's thoughts raced, the man went on, "I’m part of the elite unit of the Nightmares, a name you might have at least heard of. Last night, 500 credits were missing from the organization's drug revenue, and naturally, when we tracked down a man involved in a gang fight on the same night, we found a 17-year-old who’s been in and out of prison countless times—an adolescent named Raven Blake, currently under the protection of the Hunter family."
Raven was visibly shocked. The Nightmares were such a powerful organization that they had uncovered his entire history in a single night. The speed at which they gathered information was absurd. There had to be a leak—someone must have given them his name, and the only person who could have done that was the doctor himself. Raven, gritting his teeth, was furious. He had been betrayed many times in his life, but never had he been made to feel this foolish. It was clear now that he had allowed the doctor to take him into his hands. Lost in his thoughts and rage, Raven made an opening, and the masked man took his chance. Drawing a long katana from behind his back, he lunged at Raven.
Even though Raven snapped back to his senses, it was too late. The man was clearly the fastest opponent he had faced since Soren. He could avoid the blow, but since he reacted too late, he would have to take minimal damage. As the man thrust his katana at Raven’s face, Raven deflected it with his knife, but the blade left a cut across Raven's face. The masked man’s grin grew wider as he stepped back, positioning himself again. He raised his guard and spoke, "I didn’t expect you to dodge that attack. Maybe if you weren’t injured, you could have beaten me. But surely you’ve noticed by now that with the difference in our strength, your fate is sealed here."