19 OCTOBER 2024
New York City, USA - A derelict warehouse on the outskirts
Pow Blam
Two bullets, two lives.
Two bullets, two cries.
Two bullets... a man lies.
He lies broken, devastated, completely destroyed from within.
He lies and lies covered in red, injured, beside the bloody corpses of two of the most important and the only two people in his life.
"NOOOOOOOOOO! EMMA! MOTHER!"
He... tried his best, did his best, ran his fastest, KILLED his fiercest, and even did destruction at its finest. But still wasn't able to change the fate, the destiny of his beloved family.
What did he want? Why did this fate befall his family? What did he even do?
"YOU SHOULD HAVE KILLED ME INSTEAD OF THEM."
The roar of a man who has lost everything in life - or rather, a man who has got nothing to lose.
He is not just "any man", he is Thorn, LUCIAN THORN.
A week before - 12 OCTOBER 2024
Silicon Valley, California - Lucian's high-rise apartment
Ring Ring
Phone rings.
A wide-awake snoring man wakes up groggily.
"Ah, who is it? Who calls at fucking 7 in the morning, that too on a Sunday!"
He picks up the phone with frustration clearly visible on his face.
The phone read - Emma My Cutie Sister :)
After seeing the name, a smile pops up instantly on his face with no trace of the previous frustration, and why not? It was the call of his cutie patootie Emma.
"Hello Em, what made you call me this early?", the man asks with a wide smile on his face.
"I got truly an idiot of a brother, don't you remember what day it is today," a sweet and soft voice comes from the other end of the phone.
"Is it your birthday today? Happy birthday my Em! How many years has this earth been blessed by a divine beauty like you today?"
"Idiot, it's your birthday!!! Lucian Thorn, don't you even remember your own birthday? Ugh, happy birthday dumbo." Clearly, the voice on the other end sounds pretty frustrated with the man.
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"Oh, so it is like that. Thank you, thank you!"
"Hmph." Emma cuts the call.
The man is none other than Lucian Thorn. The No. 1 Assa.... Office worker in the world.
Stuck in this 9-5 corporate cycle just pissed him off. Forget about birthdays, he might not even remember the date today.
The only thing he remembers is if it is a Sunday and when to work out.
Sounds pretty odd, an office man working out? And not just any workout, who the fuck works out with such huge ass dumbbells, even heavier than some of you reading this.
Ring Ring
"Another one? Who now?"
Unknown Number
"Thorn, happy 28th birthday."
The voice on the other end is deep, cold, and unmistakable.
Lucian's carefree expression vanishes, replaced by a sharp, dark intensity.
"Thanks, Viktor."
"Enjoying your life, Thorn?"
"Yeah."
"Don't you think it's enough?"
The voice grows heavier, laced with threat.
"I don't think so."
"You know the consequences."
Lucian's grip on the phone tightens. His eyes narrow.
"Viktor, don't you dare."
"When you stare into the abyss, the abyss stares back at you. Do Svidaniya, Lucian, or I would like to call you, The Raven. You have seven days. Tick tock."
"Wait, Viktor, I'll—"
Beep Beep
The line goes dead.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!"
Lucian screams, fury erupting from his core.
Viktor Volkov. To the world, a businessman. To the powerful, the hand behind Russia's thrones.
But to a select few, he is something far more dangerous—one step below the Holy Sanctuary itself. A man who can shake the world with a flick of his wrist.
And the Holy Sanctuary? It stands above all. No one is higher. Everyone is beneath it.
Moscow, Russia - The opulent office of Viktor Volkov
A man in a red suit accompanied by a blood-red tie dialed a set of numbers on his antique telephone.
"Issue an ordeal, target - Voron"
"Let the hunt begin. HAHAHAHAHA"
Viktor Volkov, the man whose position is only a step away from the Holy Sanctuary, was heavily mistaken.
In this hunt, The Raven was not the prey but... the HUNTER.
Back in Silicon Valley, California
Ting
The eerie silence broke with a sharp sound from Lucian's phone.
New Ordeal - Lucian Thorn
Issuer - Pale King
Validity - 7 days
"Damn it," Lucian was pissed.
He glanced at the portrait of his mother and his sister before making his way out.
It's time for the Raven to take flight.
At the same time, the phones of millions of people buzzed simultaneously all around the world. This was an ordeal.
This was the first ordeal of the decade.
Lucian was sentenced to DEATH.
An ordeal lasts for 7 days; the Raven has to survive in this wasteland of hungry wolves for a week.
The Raven will not only survive, but he'll prey upon them.
He'll hunt, kill, and bring destruction.
He's the Raven, the Russians know of him as Voron
Manhattan, New York - The bustling streets of the financial district
A lone figure stood atop a skyscraper, overlooking the city that never sleeps.
"Well well, this child Viktor is still too naive."
"He unleashed the sleeping Raven. This is about to get interesting."
The man said, looking at the vast expanse of the busy city below.
"Time to leave, this city won't be this peaceful anymore."
You could see the back of the man leaving the scene. There was silence around him contrary to the surroundings.
Behind him, there was a subway sign reading:
West 4 Street
Manhattan
If one listened attentively, he could hear the mumbling of a hymn from his mouth.
"In shadows deep, the Raven flies,
Silent wings, no last goodbyes.
A single strike, a fleeting breath,
He brings the quiet touch of death.*
*No mercy here, no second chance,
Just one last, fatal, deadly dance.
When Raven comes, your time is torn—
None escape the flight of Thorn."