THE BLACK RAVEN SAGA

1 — SOMETHING IN THE WATER

Morning breaks gray over the city.

At the morgue, Selene stands over a fresh body — not a bullet hole this time, but eyes yellow, veins dark. Jess flips through lab reports, her fingers trembling.

Jess (murmurs):

"It's not drugs. It's not poison. Something's eating them from inside out. And look — the liver's shot. Same lesions we saw in that stray dog last week."

Danny — alive, stitched, still too nosy — hovers in the doorway, his neck bandaged.

Danny (awkward, trying to joke):

"Hey, uh… maybe it's just bad tap water, right?"

Selene doesn't smile. Her mind races — Micah's words echo: "The city's a vein."

She excuses herself. Steps into the cold hallway. Pulls out her burner phone.

One word to Micah: "Confirm."

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2 — MICAH'S DIG

Back at The Nest, Micah's eyes burn holes through old hard drives — files older than Crow's public empire.

He skims scans of ancient lab reports stamped PROPERTY OF PROJECT FLOCK — experiments blending viral genetics with delivery systems tested on the homeless, on gang corpses, on runaways nobody missed.

He finds names — Moloch Horn is there, The Surgeon too. Prototypes. Disposables.

One photo — a younger Crow standing behind rows of half-dead test subjects, eyes hidden under a shadow of feathers.

Micah flicks on his comms — voice hoarse.

Micah (to Selene):

"They didn't just build an army, boss. They built a plague factory. Moloch was just the cattle. We're the slaughterhouse."

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3 — RAFI PLAYS GOD

Rafi uploads again. Footage from his hidden drone — the fight in the tunnel. Selene's mask torn, her voice clear, her threat to Ward half-captured in the echo.

His followers eat it up.

His Nest — his knockoff version — swarms with theories, worship, hate.

He livestreams from his room — neon lights bouncing off cheap posters of the Raven's symbol.

Rafi (to his feed):

"They say she's a monster — she's not. She's the cure. Look what she did to the Bull King. You think your mayor's gonna stop this plague? You think your cops will save you? Only the Raven saves you."

The clip makes the news before Selene knows it's out.

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4 — WARD'S MOVE

At precinct headquarters, Ward stands in front of a dozen crime scene photos tacked to a cork board.

Moloch's corpse. The Surgeons. The old warehouse blueprints.

In the corner: a blurred shot from Rafi's drone. Selene's eyes visible through the cracked mask.

Ward stares at it too long — sees the truth. The morgue attendant with bruised knuckles. The strange shift schedules. The empty excuses.

He drops his coffee. Pours a shot of cheap whiskey into the paper cup instead.

Ward (growls to himself):

"Got you now, Arlen."

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5 — THE NEST CRACKS

Back at the Nest, Selene slams her palm down on the table. Micah flinches — fries scatter off a keyboard.

Selene (low, dangerous):

"Rafi's done. I'm done protecting him. Next leak — I'll bury him myself."

Micah lifts a shoulder — sarcasm thin.

Micah:

"Kid's your biggest fan, boss. You bury him — ten more pop up. Maybe just let me hack his feed, bury him digitally instead."

Selene doesn't laugh. The mask on the table feels heavier than her skin.

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6 — THE CITY SHIVERS

By dusk, the news runs special bulletins:

STRANGE VIRUS HITS LOCAL WATER.

CITY OFFICIALS BLAME TERRORISTS.

DEAD FISH FLOATING IN MARINA.

A clip: Councilman Adair on a stage — Crow's puppet — promising clean water, stronger raids, curfews.

Adair (TV, smug):

"Stay inside. Trust your leaders. We'll purify this city. One way or another."

Selene watches from a diner window across the street — half her face hidden by her hood. She sees her reflection layered over Adair's grin.

Behind her, Ward's car idles at the curb. He's not ready to arrest her yet — not in daylight. But he's not leaving, either.

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7 — MICAH'S SECRET

Back at the Nest, Micah opens one last file — a chemical formula that makes his blood run cold. He hits send to Selene, a new comm line crackling in her ear.

Micah:

"Crow's plan isn't tomorrow. It's now. If they trigger these valves tonight — the city's water supply turns septic in twelve hours. We need to shut the main lines down. You've got maybe four hours to find the switch, boss."

Selene's hand tightens around her coffee cup — her reflection in the glass almost looks like wings.

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8 — A PROMISE IN THE DARK

She walks out of the diner — past Ward's cruiser. He steps out — gun at his hip.

For a heartbeat, they just stand there — rain needling down, city sirens somewhere far off.

Ward (quiet, controlled):

"Drop the mask, Arlen. Come in with me. Let the city rot if it must — but stop this."

Selene's smile is more a wound than a joke.

Selene:

"We both know I won't."

She fades into the rain — a dark wing slicing the city open.

Ward watches her vanish — pulls out his phone, calls in a patrol.

Ward (to dispatch, low):

"Put every eye on her. If she runs — I want her wings broken."

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9 — CROW'S SMILE

In his gilded cage, Crow lifts a glass again — watches the city lights flicker.

He hums to himself — the same lullaby Moloch used to mutter.

King Crow (soft, pleased):

"Let the plague sing now. Let the Raven dance. Let them all drink."

A shadow behind him shifts — a new figure steps forward. A new piece. A new villain waiting for her.

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END OF CHAPTER NINETEEN