A Crow's Kaw
[Jabari Ausar]:
"That scoundrel jackal! I knew he was lying!" Jabari roared, his voice cutting through the hushed atmosphere of the library. Rage painted every syllable, his hands trembling with fury as he slammed the table. "We have to show this to the faction head immediately. They need to know what really happened."
Marxes had just finally shown Jabari what Crow had revealed to him — the unfiltered truth of what occurred within the Dungeons Chamber. A truth so damning, so vile, it shattered any illusions they had harbored about Sean Luminaris. Suffice it to say, neither of them were prepared for the weight of what they'd seen.
They were deep within the castle's ancient library — a towering monument of knowledge with four floors stacked high with books. The bottom two levels were accessible to any student—well within reach. The upper levels, however, required special permissions, passes reserved only for the elite or those with faction approval.
Normally, Marxes found the atmosphere here calming—an oasis of insight and information. But not today. Today, all he could think about was finding Corven. And Celeste, of course, though that was more of a byproduct desire, he told himself. Still, he knew better than to rush into action recklessly. Not when it was unclear who could be trusted. Among the staff and instructors, there were too many hidden allegiances. If they made a wrong move now, they could jeopardize any chance of rescuing Corven or Celeste. So Marxes forced himself to stay composed, to think things through. Panic wouldn't help.
Jabari, on the other hand, was not at all pleased – so much so was he, in fact, that his ADHD was acting overtime. In the private, sound-proof room they were in, he was pacing back and forth after watching the footage. He knew Sean Luminaires was a snake, but to throw your own sister through a red Dungeon portal? The ruthlessness was, well, loud, for lack of a better word.
He stopped, turned sharply, and spat out, "I knew Sean Luminaris was a snake, but to throw his own sister through a red Dungeon portal?! That's… that's monstrous."
"Faction heads," Jabari said suddenly, snapping his fingers as if struck by inspiration. "We need to tell one of them. The portal's on cooldown for 12 hours after activation. It's been what, five hours? That gives us seven more before any of them go in. We have time—but they need to know the truth before they target Corven. Otherwise, they might kill him on sight."
"Killing him is… a bit much," Marxes said, his voice low, but not entirely convinced. "I agree we should act—but carefully. Not all the faction heads are clean. Some have ties to the major houses, others are just wolves in sheep's clothing."
Jabari frowned. "Then who can we trust?"
"Only two, maybe," Marxes said. "Faction Head Dr. Bruce Lee Bacchius—his family's only connected to mine. He has no stake in Luminaris politics. The other is Athan Eubeleus. He's a recluse, keeps to himself. And rumor has it… he's Corven's master."
"And the others? Do we show any of them the footage? All of the faction heads cannot be in on this, right?" Jabari tried, helplessly. "Right?" he repeated.
"I—," Marxes began, but was interrupted as Sean and his gang entered their private room, sneering maliciously at the duo.
"What is this footage you speak of?" Sean asked with a devil's grin. "Please do tell."
Immediately, Jabari's two cousin guards drew their weapons, stepping before Jabari close, as if to protect him from the threat that was Sean Luminaris. But Sean seemed uninterested in them; his gaze was locked on Jabari. He suddenly released his aura and Jabari was horrified, because not only was it no longer that of a high level Demigod rank, but it was now at the peak level of the Demigod rank, leading Jabari to figure something out.
Sean had broken through.
"Now… I won't repeat myself," Sean stated, head held high, even as Jabari and the others found it hard to breathe. "What is this footage you speak of? The first one to tell me, I'll spare them their lives."
[Marxes Ilmari]:
'Great. Just… great.
'First it was Celeste. Now it's Sean. Why do I keep getting my ass handed to me by Lumariseans?!'
Marxes gritted his teeth as Sean's aura bore down on them like a tidal wave of raw divinity. He struggled to stay upright, his muscles trembling, breath shallow. If I had my suit—or even a decent piece of tech—I could've absorbed some of this pressure. Maybe even pushed back. But nooo… My power's off the table, and I left my hammer locked in the Forgery locker room. Gods, I feel naked. And not the fun kind of naked.
His knees buckled slightly, but he forced himself to hold.
Wait… I've got a brain. I'm an Ilmari. We're natural-born problem solvers. Tacticians. Thinkers. There has to be something I can do.
He closed his eyes for half a second, forcing his panicking mind to center. Come on, come on. Think, Marxes. There's always a play—
"I'm running out of patience," Sean growled.
Then he unleashed.
The crushing force of his aura intensified, doubling, then tripling. Jabari and his cousin-guards dropped to their knees with a thud, choking on air. Marxes grunted, barely keeping his footing.
"Tell me what I want to know…" Sean's voice crackled like a god's judgment. "Or die."
KAW! KAW!
The sudden caw cut through the pressure like a knife.
Feathers fluttered. Wings beat the air like war drums. Then came the blur.
A black streak shot across the room, barely visible—but violently effective.
SLASH!
"Argh!" one of Sean's enforcers flew back, unconscious before he even hit the floor. Blood streaked across his cheek and neck—two curved claw marks carved deep into his flesh.
"What the—AHH!"
Another was flung like a ragdoll. Then another. Then another.
One after the next, Sean's goons were taken down in a matter of seconds—each marked by twin talon wounds on their bodies, all dropped before they could even react.
Seven enforcers. Seven takedowns. One avian assassin.
And then—silence.
Only Sean remained standing, face pale, eyes wide in horror.
"Wh-What kind of bird is that?!"
He began to step back.
But Crow remembered his face—the face of the man who had endangered its master's life. And for a crow, memory was sacred. Vengeance? Even more so.
The bird descended slowly, wings unfurling wide before landing silently on the polished marble. Then, something unnatural happened.
Its wings… stretched. Became limbs. Talons warped into bare feet. Feathers receded. Its beak folded and softened into lips, into a human face. What stood before them was no longer a crow.
It was a girl.
A lithe teenage figure with pale skin and sharp, storm-dark eyes. Short black hair curled slightly at the ends, and her lips were painted the color of obsidian. She radiated fury like a furnace behind a porcelain mask.
"Crow" wasn't just a bird.
She was a person.
Sean stammered, frozen. "Who are—"
"You have no permission to speak, carcass," the girl snapped.
She blurred forward.
CRUNCH!
A brutal punch collided with Sean's nose, the sound cracking through the chamber like thunder. He was airborne for a breath, then crumpled to the ground—unconscious before his body hit the floor.
Silence.
Even the magic in the library seemed to still, as though stunned into awe.
Marxes blinked. Jabari gaped. The guards exchanged looks.
All of them thought the same thing:
Crow is a GIRL?!
The girl—Crow—dusted off her knuckles with a practiced flick. Her voice softened slightly, but her tone remained firm, commanding.
"Come on. Corven needs us." She looked over her shoulder at the stunned group. "If this Faction Head Athan is as trustworthy as you think, we go to him. Full disclosure. No time to waste."
She paused, then added:
"You can call me Crowrella."
And with that, she turned on her heel and began walking toward the exit.
Her presence stirred them from their trance.
Jabari, ever the fastest to react, darted forward. "This way! Faction Head Athan's study is this way!"
Marxes followed quickly, trying to piece together what had just happened while keeping pace. The guards took the rear, one glancing back at Sean's crumpled body in disbelief.
Crowrella didn't look back. She didn't need to. Justice had been delivered. At least, in part, anyway.
[Corven Umbrovante]:
Corven, astride Skyron, had been riding due west for the better part of 45 minutes. He was grateful the night still reigned overhead — it meant Skyron remained at full stamina, untiring for as long as darkness cloaked the sky.
"Forty-five minutes due west… maybe it's time to change direction?" Corven mused. But then he froze, turning his head sharply. 'What was that?'
Up ahead, nestled between jagged rock formations, something flickered — a flash of movement, barely perceptible, but undeniably fast. Too quick to be anything natural. It was gone in an instant, but Corven caught a glimpse: blond and fast.
"Go, Skyron. Onward," Corven said under his breath, gripping the massive wolf tighter. The chill bit at his skin, and the speed at which they tore through the terrain made it worse. He hugged Skyron closer, seeking warmth and balance.
'I need to remember to stash a jacket in my Shadow Space next time I dive into a dungeon,' he thought grimly.