Chapter 38: HIDDEN INFLUENCE (Ch. 38)
Seated in an enormous terrace beneath the stary night, he swirls his cup rhythmically, his eyes closed but his mind well aware
"How is he?"
"He'll live sir"
"Splendid, it would be a shame to have my guinea pig die such a mundane death.... after all you need every piece to complete a puzzle"
Pausing in front of the door, Raven frowns looking at the information his mother had provided him....
(How did she even get this?, even if she could how did she get it this fast?)
ABOUT THREE HOURS PRIOR.
Raven fidgets nervously at his mothers unnerving stare, having explained the situation in it's entirety even admitting the existence of his familiar she'd gone quiet,
(It seems no matter how hard we try we're destined to be embroiled in the world of murim my love, even after your death even with our reluctance it still finds us, it would seem my father was right, our blood calls to be Shifters, and now the symbol of our love is being used as a pawn in that bastards game!), Growling as her thoughts grow grim from the mere notion Raven flinches at the almost inhumane and feral sound that tore from his mothers chest completely missing the shift in her eyes, (it would seem i have no choice but to prepare you for what's to come darling),
"Raven"
"Yes mom?",
"How much do you know about Ethan Raine?"
"Who?"
PRESENT TIME
Having been forced to leave Silver behind Raven now at his destination stares at the information before him before returning his stare to the door dull gray door,
(is Ethan Raine really, the owner of that body?, Am i just a thief who stole someone else's life? How come no one's said a thing?, my pictures are even on the net, surely someone must have seen it?, if the owner of the body is still alive no even if they're dead...is it right to use it?, Was everything Silver said about the two bodies wrong?)
Looking at the information showing the recent change of name for his comatose body he goes mute at a startling realisation, he'd never made an official name change, it had never even crossed his mind, he'd just used his name and attended school as usual,
(there has to be someone else involved in this!, Someone's been manipulating me), Raven frowns as he presses the door handle shocked to find it open, (it's open?), Picking up the pilled up bills in front of the door he steps in, taking in the very standard and equally messy apartment he rummages through the apartment for several minutes, exclaiming in defeat before he continues to search even in the most unlikely of places before spotting a book beneath a pile of clothes, pushing the clothes aside he smiles triumphantly.
"A diary!?" Opening it up he sees illustrations as well as a foreign language he assumes to be 'Greek?', Inside the book a piece of paper falls out, picking it up he opens it to see various mathematical calculations in the 'Greek' language, "chemistry?", Looking through it closely while using his limited knowledge he manages to decipher it as mixtures and portions for different chemicals solutions and compounds, some that should be downright poisonous, (are each of these some sort of Shifter potion?), shinning the torch in hand at it a symbol at the papers edge catches his eye, (a school crest?, Not many schools can afford to brand their crest into the students apperal, much less their notebooks, it definitely has to be a private school), bringing the paper up close he's able to make out the schools name,
"OBRIEN HIGH SCHOOL", (judging by the appearance of the body Ethan was must definitely a high schooler or at most a recent graduate), going through the diary some more he proceeds to run a check on the language used in writing only for the search engine to come up short, staring at the words intently hus eyebrows furrow when a drifting thought catches his attention, acquiescing to the thought he runs Force through his body before containing it in his eyes ad best he could, the words swim an he's met with resistance in his bid to read the words, a form of deterrence disuading him against his will from making out the symbols as words,
(Wait does force affect technology too?, Silver never mentioned this. Or is this really some form of ancient language with some form of seal on it?, Will i ve able to read it with the other body's help or should i just give it to mom?)
A day later Raven finds himself before the tired grounds of obrien highschool,
(it really has been closed down for a while, that would make Ethan a couple years my senior...he just looks young, Shifter aging i guess), grabbing the gates he simulates Daryun's move in his head before executing it tearing the chains of the gate, (that was more difficult than i thought it'd be), he mules as he stares at the gray buildings worn out structure. Clearing his thoughts he makes his way into the school grounds, after passing several hallways he walks towards the large auditorium pausing with astonished eyes as he stares at the innumerable number of trophies in both sections of the glass walls, it was basically a display of one man's abilities,
(Ethan Raine!, It's all him, every sport, every competition, every event....all him!), Whoever this Ethan Raine was he was a genius, and Raven was finding it harder and harder to believe such a man would just roll over and die. Silver had never mentioned another consciousness present in the body, so Raven found it safe to conclude that the only influence left in the body by the man's consciousness was his muscles memory, more worrisome was the fact that if that body was really his, then someone else this Ethan Raine perhaps, still had a link into his body, 'HIS' mind, and that he found unnerving, so he had to know he just had to, was Ethan Jeremy Raine still alive?.
Dashing to the lockers he traces Ethan's locker before managing to force it open", ( just a textbo.....), Pausing abruptly he stares at the picture stuck on to the side of the locker door, beneath it a calendar with a postal code written beneath a date,
"the twenty-first", looking at the picture of what he'd come to know as himself beside an ashen haired old man with a cain to support his hunched back and behind them an old store, the logo and name just beyond the pictures edge, turning toward the postal address Raven copies it down before making his way out if the school under the settling dusk of noon.
Raven eventually arrives at the location and surveys the area but is unable to locate the store,
(it could look pretty different now), calling for a cab he gets inside before handing over the postal address to the driver
"Can you take me here?"
remaining silent while pondering deeply the cab man finally replies, "it'll cost you triple",
"Wha...." Quickly shutting down his own protest, Raven puts the postal address into the drivers hand, his desire to find the location winning out on his dedication to his cheapskate lifestyle.
(It's already quite late but i won't be satisfied till i see it)
After falling into thoughts, Raven is pulled from his contemplation by the cars abrupt stop,
"This should be it" the cab man states, turning upwards Raven staggers out of the car after paying the taxi driver he comes to a halt before his complex, (NO NO NO, IT CAN'T BE!), searching through the post mail information he arrives at the address door.
HIS DOOR.
Raven remains frozen just before his apartment door, his turbulent mind jumbling further,
(my place?, He was moving here?, Was he the previous owner?, I'm going to need to speak with the land lord),
Raven's hand grips the door handle before pausing and letting go, repeating the gesture he pushes the handle till it tilts down far enough to tell,
(It's open!), Immediately Raven tenses, his mind going into drive, "one, two, three!" he mutters bursting into the small confines of his apartment, looking around frantically he finds seated ominously on a wooden chair center beneath his apartments flickering light bulb is Kaytlin's father, Jamison Hide.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone