Chapter 5 The Raven
The guards dragged Kane deeper into the villa, blindfold tight over his eyes. He didn’t need sight. Every step, every turn, every elevator drop told him the layout. This place was a fortress built like a maze.
He knew exactly who he had come for — the Raven. Ethan Blackwood. A ghost that made even hardened killers whisper. The kind of man who made death feel like mercy.
The guards’ grips were iron on his arms. They stayed silent, but Kane could sense their tension — short breaths, jerky movements. They were nervous.
After what felt like forever, they stopped. A heavy door creaked open.
A woman’s voice cut through the air, sharp and amused. “So this is the guest?”
The blindfold was ripped off.
Kane blinked once, adjusting to the light. A lean woman in denim shorts and a tank top stood there, scanning him with sharp, playful eyes like she already knew all his secrets.
The muscleman shoved him forward. Kane caught his balance easily and looked around.
The room was surprisingly understated for the legendary Drakonspire Villa. Wood-paneled walls, shelves packed with old books, faint smell of leather and paper. No flashy gold or marble — just quiet power.
And there he was.
Ethan Blackwood. Code 9412-Raven-7.
The man who had occupied Kane's thoughts for months sat calmly behind a heavy wooden desk.
He looked to be in his fifties. White streaks touched the edges of his hair, and a pair of glasses rested comfortably on his nose. In one hand was a book. In the other was a glass filled with a dark amber liquid. At first glance, he seemed relaxed.
But his eyes told a different story.
The moment they settled on Ryder, it felt as though invisible chains had locked him in place.
Without hesitation, Ryder dropped to one knee and lowered his head.
"Kane Draven, captain of the Valkyrie Unit, greets Ethan Blackwood. Code 9412-Raven-7."
Silence followed.
A heavy silence.
Ryder remained kneeling with his head bowed, waiting.
Then came the scrape of wood against the floor.
Ethan Blackwood pushed his chair back and rose to his feet. His movements were slow and deliberate. Ryder's heart pounded against his chest, but he stayed perfectly still.
A moment later, Ethan spoke.
His voice carried an unexpected hint of amusement.
"So, it's really you. Ryder Hayes."
The words hit Kane harder than he expected.
He slowly lifted his head and froze.
What he saw caught him completely off guard.
Ethan was smiling.
Not a cold smile. Not a mocking one. It was genuine. His face lit up with unmistakable pleasure, making him look nothing like the terrifying figure Ryder had imagined countless times.
This was Ethan Blackwood.
The Raven.
The man many called a devil in human form.
Yet at this moment, he looked genuinely happy.
Soft murmurs spread through the room. The woman in shorts exchanged a glance with the muscular man standing nearby. Around the room, several others reacted the same way. Their expressions revealed their shock.
Apparently, they had never expected to see this side of their master.
The man who could crush enemies with a few words now wore a smile that seemed impossible on his face.
"I never thought I'd see this day," Ethan said.
He walked toward Kane and stopped in front of him before crouching slightly and placing a hand on his shoulder.
"Kane Draven," he repeated quietly. "After all this time."
Before Kane could respond, Ethan grabbed his arm and pulled him upright. The strength behind the motion surprised him. There was no hesitation and no weakness. Despite his age, Ethan lifted him to his feet effortlessly.
The gesture carried a simple message.
You don't kneel to me.
Now standing face-to-face with him, Ryder finally got a closer look.
For years, he had heard stories about Ethan Raven from soldiers, mercenaries, and intelligence operatives. His name had spread across every corner of the world. Some revered him. Others feared him. But among all the legends surrounding the man, one stood above the rest.
Operation Iron Fang.
It was a mission that no sane person would have accepted.
At the peak of his career, Raven had been tasked with infiltrating the heavily fortified compound of a notorious Colombian warlord named Hector "El Filo" Martinez. The man had built an empire through arms trafficking and human exploitation, protected by private armies and corrupt officials who ensured he remained untouchable.
More importantly, Martinez possessed something governments around the world desperately wanted—a black-market ledger containing the names of influential officials tied to his criminal network. The information was explosive. It exposed an international web of corruption that stretched across multiple countries.
Numerous special operations teams had attempted to retrieve it.
Every one of them had failed.
Many never returned.
The mission was widely considered suicide.
Raven accepted it anyway.
What transformed Iron Fang into legend was what happened afterward. Against impossible odds,Raven infiltrated Martinez's fortress alone. Hundreds of armed guards protected the compound. Layers of security surrounded every entrance. Yet somehow, he dismantled the entire operation from within.
When the mission ended, Martinez's empire lay in ruins.
The ledger was recovered.
And Eagle walked away without a single injury.
The information inside the ledger shook governments across the world. Politicians fell. Military commanders were arrested. Corporate giants disappeared overnight. Entire power structures collapsed under the weight of the revelations.
From that day onward, mercenaries gave him a title.
The man who could outthink an army.
Governments feared him because they knew a single mission from Ethan Eagle could shift the balance of power itself.
As for Hector Martinez?
History gradually forgot his name.
But Raven's legend only grew larger.
Years later, standing face-to-face with Ethan Blackwood, Kane found himself staring at the man behind those impossible stories. For the first time, the legends felt real.
Looking into Ethan's calm eyes, only one thought echoed through his mind.
Was he standing before a man...Or a living myth?
