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* Down To Nothing - Siddhartha Menon *

"If you don\'t hate me… then… Can I hug you?" Liz suddenly asked, cutting Raven\'s train of thoughts. However, anticipation was visible in her eyes.

"... Sure," Raven answered with a warm smile, after some hesitation.

Without waiting for an extra second, Liz plunged into Raven\'s arms, breathing heavily and trying her best not to cry again.

Although it didn\'t occur to her at first, Raven realised just how much Liz was doing her best to hold herself together. But at the end, she was a hurting soul that needed to be comforted.

Giving off a deep breath, Raven hugged her back and activated her skill Saint of Life. That skill was originally called Holy Touch and functioned as a healing skill.

It was also used to pass on life force and mana. And as a result, Raven had used it many times in order to comfort people. She has used it the most on Maria, especially after the recent incident.

And now that it has evolved into Saint, its effects are even more significant!

Looking at Liz that was sniffing quietly under her warm touch, Raven slowly patted her head while sighing to herself.

Thinking about it, Liz is the third girl that Raven has hugged today. First it was Aella, then Axane, and now Liz.

Looking back, she was originally a boy and as such she\'d never dare do such a thing. But now, it\'s like a must-do gesture with her friends, otherwise they\'d think something is wrong...

*Sigh*

***

Slowly closing the door and barrier behind her, Raven looked up at Axane who was waiting for her anxiously. 

Seeing the concern in her eyes, Raven simply nodded with a smile, making her breath a sigh of relief.

"Oh by the way, you should go see Maria," Axane suddenly said. "She\'s home."

"Uhm, I\'m going then," with a smile, Raven disappeared from her spot.

Reappearing in front of the Teleportation Gate towards the Human Plane, she was greeted by the shaking guards that were caught off guard. But she simply nodded and crossed the Gate.

The two demon guards kept looking around after Raven had left, as if expecting a ghost to show up behind them. 

However, after some time, nothing weird happened and nothing scary popped up behind their backs so they could only sigh in relief and thank their mistress secretly for not having Lord Abbadon with her this time.

Greeting the guards on the other side, Raven disappeared once again.

But she didn\'t go towards Maria\'s mansion right away. Instead, she went deeper into the forest, found a thick tree, and sat under it without a sound.

Hugging her knees like a lost child, Raven stared up at the sky and falling leaves around her silently.

Many thoughts and emotions were swirling inside her head that she felt dizzy. "Being a girl really sucks…"

"You know, it\'s not just your female hormones that are making you feel like this," Kayla\'s voice came from inside her Minda Space. "Anyone under the same conditions as you would have probably thought their life was miserable… it has been tough on you…"

For some reason, Kayla\'s sound seemed apologetic. She secretly blames herself for not being able to help her Raven.

"Uhm," Raven quietly nodded with a dull expression on her face, feeling quite tired. "How are things on your end?"

"They\'re still fighting…" Kayla\'s voice was filled with anxiety. 

Her main clone was still biting her nails in worry while staring at the kids she had chosen to undergo her transformation. Pain was visible on their faces and it didn\'t help Kayla\'s case!

"Hm, let me know if I can help with anything more than energy, I\'ll give you a hand." 

"Uhm, I know," Kayla smiled. "If it wasn\'t for the energy I\'m stealing from you, it would not have been easy so far. Thank you!"

"It\'s nothing, hehe," Raven chuckled faintly before looking up at the cloudy sky. "It\'s been a long day…"

"It\'s always a long day when you\'re working hard," Kayla shrugged.

Nodding quietly, Raven closed her eyes and opened her heart to the surroundings.

Feeling the squirrels running around on top of the trees and hearing the birds chirping was rather relaxing.

After staying like that for a few more minutes, Raven finally got up from her spot, patted her clothes and disappeared.

***

*Knock* *Knock* *Knock*

Three faint knocks sounded as Raven\'s tender pale knuckles touched the large and beautifully decorated door leading towards Maria\'s mansion.

*Click*

Two breaths later, a faint click came as the door was gently swung open.

Maria\'s beautiful and elegant figure appeared on the other side. 

Long silky jet black hair covered her back while her rosy face seemed to have its own unique light. Her usually sharp blue sapphire eyes seemed reddish now, as if she had shed many tears recently.

Noticing that, Raven didn\'t hesitate to jump at her and envelope her with a gentle warm embrace the moment the door was fully opened.

Maria didn\'t seem to be surprised but rather smiled as if she had confirmed her prediction. Slowly, she wrapped her arms around her daughter.

The two didn\'t need to exchange words, but simply kept listening to each other\'s heartbeat, seemingly able to communicate that way.

Some time passed before the two broke apart. By that time, both had faint smiles painting their faces.

Although they seemed at ease, they both knew what the other was thinking and how much stress was stored in that seemingly simple smile.

Without uttering a word, the two went inside and closed the door behind them.

Step by step, the two walked over towards a beautifully decorated room that seemed to have been untouched for a while now. But even so, not a speck of dust was present, indicating that someone has always taken care of the cleaning here.

Judging by the flowers, stuffed dolls, pinkish lighting, and the overall setting of the room, it seemed to be a girl\'s room.

Suddenly, a hollow chuckle left Maria\'s mouth as she inspected the room.

"What a weird girl… she rarely touched her room…" she said as a cloudy look appeared on her face.

"Uhm," Raven nodded softly as a similar hazy expression filled her face. A hint of reminiscence clouded her eyes. "Although you paid a lot of money to set up everything for her, she kept sleeping either in the living room or my own room…"

"I know!" Maria exclaimed while looking around at the dolls. "I remember she was the one to pick those dolls but she never touched them! In the end, I even ended up buying another bed for her to put inside your own room!"

"She was always like that…" Raven let out a soft sigh. "She only does what she wants."

"What an unfilial child-" Maria struggled to speak as she felt some heartache, remembering her second daughter; her precious Maya.

Warm tears ran down her rosy cheeks and dripped down on the cold floor.

"Mom, I\'ll bring her back," Raven said softly while wrapping her arms around her mother once again. "I promise, I will bring her back."

Her expression indicated that she was simply stating a fact. Her voice was full of confidence that indicates her determination. 

She will bring her little Maya back!

"Uhm, I know," Maria nodded with a faint smile as tears continued dripping uncontrollably.

Although she knew that Raven was going to achieve her promise, she was still a mother and her heart was still weak. 

But at the same time, her sapphire eyes shone brightly as a hint of relief filled her core with unmatched confidence.

She was going to see her daughter soon!