Chapter 765: The War Council Of The Unkindness [Part 2]
While ordinary people thought of Ravens as mere messengers of the Wizards and Witches, they were more than that and played another role in the Wizarding World.
They were their owner\'s eyes and ears, serving as their scouts and their most steadfast supporters.
A Raven would not hesitate to risk its life if it was for its Master\'s benefit. They were extremely loyal, and regardless of whether their Master was good or Evil, they would continue to stay by their side until the end.
Also, whenever their Masters lost consciousness for a very long time or entered a comatose state, these Ravens would enter their Spirit World and guide their Master back to their vessels, allowing them to regain consciousness.
Lastly, a Raven contracted to a Wizard or Witch wasn\'t an ordinary Raven.
The minute the contract was made, they would gain a fraction of the power of their respective Masters.
The stronger a Wizard or Witch was, the stronger their Raven became.
Ethan was not aware that the Red Dragon that he and the others met during their return trip got a one-sided beating from Dantalion when the Dragon decided to get in the way of Dantalion\'s mission of delivering Ethan\'s letter to his grandmother.
Simply put, the Ravens of Professor Rinehart, Professor Barret, the staff of the academy, as well as some of the most powerful students were more powerful than the rest of their comrades.
If these Ravens, with the addition of Dantalion, really decided to go on a Crusade to hunt those who harmed their kind, something unprecedented would happen within the Shire Continent.
"Please eat first," Professor Rinehart said in a solemn tone. "After that, I will be making an important announcement."
The Headmaster sighed in his heart, not expecting that he would make two important announcements on the same day. The news about the attacks on the Ravens was something he never expected to happen.
But, since the Unkindness had decided to make their move, not even the Wizards, or Witches, could do anything about it.
While it was possible that the people or organization that was attacking the Ravens of Brynhildr Academy might have a connection with the Fomorians, the Headmaster believed that this angle was unlikely.
Professor Barret agreed with him, but since even the Ravens still didn\'t know anything about their assailants, the only thing they could do for now was speculate.
However, it didn\'t change the fact that this was a serious issue.
Ravens getting attacked on a daily basis during their trips was a very common thing and part of their profession.
But if there was a group actively targeting them, then this was no longer counted as an accident but an organized crime.
Although the majority of the students didn\'t have an appetite, they still did what the Headmaster asked of them and ate.
Ethan and the others did the same.
The Dining Hall which was usually lively now had a solemn atmosphere.
Aside from the sound being made by moving cutlery, nothing else could be heard within the hall.
Finally, half an hour later, the Professor deemed that the time had come to make his announcement.
"I\'m sure that most of you have seen the commotion in the sky above the academy grounds," Professor Rinehart said. "You might have also asked your Ravens what is happening and have gotten your answers.
"But to those whose Ravens are currently not in the academy, I will tell you what is happening at the moment."
Professor Rinehart paused for a bit as he scanned the faces of everyone in the Dining Hall.
"According to what the Ravens of the Academy have gathered, there are certain individuals who are actively targeting them," Professor Rinehart said. "The ones who brought back this information were the Ravens who survived the encounter, one of which was helped by my own Raven on his return trip to the academy."
Everyone in the Dining Hall was listening silently, making it seem like the Headmaster\'s words were echoing within the room.
"According to my Raven, Koen, there were five assailants, all wearing gray robes with the emblem of the hawk on their backs. We have every reason to believe that this is just a part of a group targeting our Spirit Guides.
"I have not heard of any organization using this symbol, so we believe that this group had just been formed recently. As for why they are attacking Ravens, we still have yet to know the motives behind it.
"I have asked other Academies if they were having the same problem, and to my surprise, it seems that this is the first time they\'ve heard about this matter.
"Although they are now conducting their own investigations to see if their own Ravens are also suffering from such attacks, I will not hear back from them until tomorrow."
Suddenly, Professor Rinehart looked up at the ceiling as if he had received a message from someone.
It wasn\'t just the Professor. Ethan and the others also heard this message loud and clear, making all of them have grim expressions on their faces.
"Unfortunately, it seems that the Unkindness of Brynhildr Academy can\'t wait that long," Professor Rinehart said sadly. "Their council has made a decision, and as you may have already heard from your Spirit Guides, they have decided to go to war."
As if waiting for those words, the sound of countless wings flapping at the same time reverberated across the academy grounds.
The Ravens of the Academy traveled in groups of nine to a dozen and headed in different directions to search for their assailants.
Dantalion\'s group was composed of the Ravens belonging to Ethan\'s lovers and were accompanied by the Ravens of Joanne and Hecate.
The young man\'s Spirit Guide vowed that he would keep the Ravens in his group safe as they headed South, where the recent attacks were happening.
"Although we don\'t know how long our Spirit Guides will be gone, we should also keep an eye out for the members of this organization," Professor Rinehart said solemnly. "I don\'t know how they are able to know if a Raven belongs to the Academy or not, but one thing is clear.
"They are actively targeting us, so if you are to travel far from the academy, be wary of individuals wearing gray robes with hawk emblems at their backs. Today, they might be targeting Ravens, but tomorrow they might be targeting us."
"Let them come!" George shouted, making everyone\'s gaze turn in his direction. "If they come to me, I\'ll send them flying."
"As expected of you, Mr. Marshall, but I hope that it will not come to that point," Professor Rinehart stated. "So, for now, we will be imposing new rules for the students who will be leaving the academy grounds.
"All of you are only allowed to go to Limeburgh Town. However, you are no longer allowed to go alone. Always travel with a companion. The more the better."
Everyone nodded in understanding.
Although they were not restricted from leaving the academy, they could only go as far as Limeburgh Town, which was the closest town in the area.
Ethan was certain that Professor Rinehart would once again call the Peacekeepers and give them a new mission for the time being.
The school year had just started. They already had the threat of the Fomorians looming over their heads more and more with each passing day, yet an unknown organization with unknown motives had joined the fray and made things more complicated.
The young man, who could still feel his strong connection with Dantalion, decided to watch the world through his Spirit Guide\'s eyes.
With all the Ravens mobilizing to find the culprits, it was only a matter of time before they were found.
The only question that remained was…
What would happen after that?
Ethan didn\'t know the answer to this question.
But he was certain of one thing.
The Unkindness would have their vengeance, for he felt this strongly through his connection with Dantalion.
\'I just hope that everyone will return safely,\' Ethan thought as he sighed in his heart. \'I have a bad feeling about this.\'
Across the skies of Eastshire, countless Ravens flew high above the ground.
This wasn\'t the first time that Ravens traveled in groups. But right now, their presence was very different from normal.
Their usual predators who thought that they were going to have an all-you-can-eat buffet found themselves dying en masse as the angry Ravens vented out their frustrations on the fools who thought that they could get away with attacking their kind.