Percy stared into the forest as the bird stepped out of the shadows. Its enormous body loomed between the trees, feathers glistening faintly in the dim light. Then, in a blink, it vanished.
"Guys, stay on guard!" Percy shouted, scanning the darkness. Sweat rolled down his face as he summoned his odachi.
"This time," he growled, gripping the blade with both hands, "we're not going out the same way."
The weapon was too heavy for him, but he held it steady anyway. Lane appeared at his side, his expression calm but tense as the rest of the Sovereign closed in, forming a defensive circle.
"Percy, what's wrong?" Lane asked, his eyes darting toward the movement in the trees.
"Forget this!" Ruko shouted, launching a barrage of fiery lightning bolts into the forest. Flames burst outward, devouring the darkness. Smoke thickened fast, choking the air. It would be harder to see, harder to breathe but better than dying.
Zero quickly raised her hands, summoning a shell of ice around them. Frost crept upward, sealing them inside a jagged dome.
Percy exhaled and lowered his blade for a moment. "Listen," he whispered. "That thing hunts by sound. Stay quiet."
"You're telling us that now?" Luna hissed. Her voice trembled as everyone exchanged wide, anxious looks through the haze of frost.
For a heartbeat, the forest was silent. Then the ground trembled.
The Bird of Forgotten Songs erupted into existence at the center of their formation, its form coalescing out of their own shadows. Its claws shot forward, tearing through Lane before anyone could react.
Blood filled the air.
The creature ripped Lane's torso from his legs in one swift motion. Even so, Lane refused to die quietly. His eyes flared with power as his hands snapped up, releasing a hurricane of spirit energy. Cyclones tore across the clearing, shredding the bird's wings and scattering shards of ice in all directions.
The Sovereign was thrown back, crashing into the frozen walls. The world spun, time stretching thin around Lane's final movements.
Before he fell, he hurled his falchion with one last effort. The blade flew true, driving deep into the creature's eye. The entity screamed, a sound that shattered the air, then crushed Lane's remains beneath its talons.
Zero let out a roar of grief and fury. She dashed forward, slicing off the beast's arm with a perfect draw. Frost spread under her feet, freezing its legs in place as she drove her sword into the creature's flesh. The bird shrieked again, thrashing violently, its cry tearing at the sky itself.
Percy could only watch, trembling. His body refused to move. He wanted to fight but fear chained him to the ground.
He turned and bolted.
Branches whipped past him as he ran, heart hammering in his chest. Behind him, Zero screamed as the bird lunged forward. Her cry was cut short as its beak closed around her head, crushing it with a sickening crunch.
Then it turned to him.
The Bird of Forgotten Songs dove, silent and swift. Its massive beak slammed through Percy's chest, tearing through his abdomen and pinning him to the ground. He gasped, blood spilling from his lips, his gaze flickering downward to what was left of his body.
Pain exploded through him, sharp and unbearable. His vision blurred as he screamed a single, long, drawn-out scream of agony and despair, the kind that broke through the night and tore at the soul. It was mirthless, bitter, and unending, filled with every ounce of terror a man could hold before breaking apart.
And then, nothing.
The remains of Percy Swayder fell silent beneath the Bird of Forgotten Songs.
[You have died ]
"Hey… you alright?"
Ruko's voice pulled him back. Percy blinked, his breathing ragged. The others were alive. Unharmed. Staring at him.
His eyes darted around in disbelief.
'That wasn't a dream. What the hell just happened?'
He curled in on himself, trying to control his breathing, but the panic refused to fade.
"I had a vision," he said quietly. "We're all going to die to that thing."
"Don't lose focus," Zero snapped. Her voice was calm again, but her eyes had hardened. "We've got company."
Percy turned toward the forest. His stomach twisted.
Something massive was moving between the trees. Each step sent tremors through the ground. Smaller shapes followed, shadows shifting and rippling in its wake.
"It's happening again," Percy whispered. He grabbed Ruko's coat, clutching it tight. "The same way."
A familiar silhouette appeared in the mist, pale blue light glowing from its eyes.
"Luna! Kiyo! Now!" Lane ordered.
The mages dashed forward, lightning bursting from their hands. The night lit up in flashes of white and azure as bolts ripped through the horde. The smell of burning flesh filled the air.
Then the leader emerged, crashing from the treetops. The titan landed hard enough to split the ground. Its body was covered in black plates of armor, muscles moving beneath like coiled cables. Its pale eyes burned like dying stars.
Lane met it head-on, his blade colliding with the creature's weapon in a burst of sparks. The impact threw both backward. Snow and dirt rained down around them.
The titan's kick sent Lane flying.
Rain raised her hands, summoning fire from the earth. The ground split apart and a molten creature climbed out, magma dripping from its shoulders.
Percy froze. His thoughts spun. The scene was identical. Every sound, every motion.
"Guys, we have to get out of here. We'll all die if we stay," he said, voice shaking.
Lane blurred forward again, his sword flashing once and severing the titan's arm. Zero followed, frost crawling across the ground and locking the beast in place before slicing away the second limb.
Percy didn't move. He stood there, numb, as the memory overlapped the present.
Lane appeared before the titan once more and with a clean strike, beheaded it. The body fell, shaking the forest floor.
Percy exhaled slowly, his hands trembling. His eyes darted across the corpses, the trees, the fog beyond. Somewhere in the shadows, something still watched him.
And this time, he knew it was real.