She sat down by a cold fireplace that hadn't burned for quite some time. Her face was pale, and her thoughts were anxious. Nervously, she touched the strings of her harp, yet still managed to produce a hauntingly beautiful melody.
The room where she sat was a large chamber. The windows stood open, and a chill wind swept through, making her shiver - not from the cold alone, but from fear as well.
It was her first day working as an indoor musician. The owner of the manor was a well-known duchess in the region. The girl had never met her in person, but she had heard enough to know of her strict and ruthless reputation.
She felt a few swift breaths of air to her right. Turning her head, she saw a black crow perched on the window frame. She sighed with relief... until she opened her eyes again and noticed that the crow hadn't moved an inch.
At first, it seemed as though the bird was merely gazing in her direction, but now… now she was certain it was looking directly at her. The crow tilted its head, as if studying her with interest.
Fear gripped her. She stopped playing the harp, her eyes locked with the bird's. Its eyes were a dark, glinting red, and its jet-black beak looked less like a natural feature and more like a weapon.
And yet, somehow, she felt as though the beak was expressing something close to delight, almost as if it were smiling at her.
The girl opened her mouth as if to ask something, but no words came out.What could she possibly say?
The crow hopped onto the floor beneath the window, letting out what sounded like a few arrogant caws. It continued cawing, slowly lowering its head, the movements were unsettling.
The girl sat frozen, unsure whether the crow was an enemy or what, if anything, she should do about this bizarre display.
As she stared in bewilderment, the crow began to change. Its form seemed to blur and darken, as though its body were merging with its own shadow. That shadow swelled, growing larger with each passing second. The caws echoed through the room, gradually becoming more rhythmic, more deliberate, until they resembled something disturbingly close to human laughter.
From the deepening shadow, a tall figure began to rise, taking shape. The form stretched upward, until it stood nearly six feet tall. Slowly, it morphed into the frame of a young man clad in dark red garments—richly adorned clothing that marked him as someone in his twenties, and someone of wealth.
The man who had appeared smiled at her not with arrogance or menace, but with a warmth that felt disarmingly genuine.Strangely, he resembled someone. The girl was certain she had seen him before, but she couldn't quite place where.
Suddenly, the man gasped, as though something had just slipped his mind.
"Ah, sorry if I startled you," he said, lowering his head in a small bow, his palm resting lightly against his chest."The name is Malrik. Malrik Duskbane."
And then it clicked. She had seen him before. In fact, everyone in Grimdorn had.He was the most wanted criminal of the age. His face stared out from posters plastered across the kingdom and fore some reason most heavily in Baneshire, a town practically owned by the duchess.
"Y-you're…" the girl stammered, shrinking back, her voice trembling. "T-that criminal…"
Malrik's smile widened, but somehow it only became warmer.
"Oh yes... A criminal, indeed-"
*(Chapter is still in progress, and i wanted to say that the duchess is Marieth from the first chapter and Malrik is her troublesome brother)*