The figure stood tall amid the ruins of the outpost, framed by broken wood and scattered black feathers.
At first glance he might have been mistaken for a man — pale skin, long black hair falling in uneven strands across his shoulders. But from his back spread wings vast and jagged, each feather sharp as a blade. They shifted restlessly, though no wind stirred, whispering against one another like claws scraping stone.
His eyes glowed a deep crimson, unblinking, filled with hunger and amusement. His smile revealed teeth just slightly too sharp, a predator's grin hidden in human shape.
Kofi's breath caught. He knew, instinctively, this was the presence that had haunted him since his summoning.
"You…" His voice cracked. "You've been watching me."
The crow man tilted his head, expression lazy, mocking. "Of course. I like to watch things struggle before they break."
And then — he moved.
One instant he stood yards away, the next his clawed hand was buried in Kofi's chest, the impact slamming him into the outpost wall hard enough to splinter the wood. Kofi gasped, holy sparks flashing instinctively across his skin to dull the pain, but his ribs screamed in protest.
"So slow," the crow man whispered, his voice low and cold, like a blade sliding against glass.
Darius roared, charging in with steel flashing. His strike was perfect — disciplined, honed through years of war. But the crow man stepped aside as if he'd seen the swing hours before, his wing flicking out in response.
Feathers hardened into steel as they shot forward like knives. They scraped across Darius's armor, leaving jagged scars in the metal, slicing through the knight's side. Blood sprayed, and Darius stumbled back with a grunt of pain.
"Darius!" Kofi cried, staggering forward. His hands clenched tighter around his sword. He poured every drop of holy energy he could muster into the blade, light flickering faintly down its length. With a desperate shout, he swung at the crow man.
For one heartbeat, hope sparked — until the crow man caught the glowing blade between two fingers.
Kofi froze. His holy energy sputtered, trapped, useless.
The crow man leaned close, crimson eyes gleaming. "Pathetic."
With a twist, he wrenched the sword free and drove his knee into Kofi's stomach. Air fled Kofi's lungs as pain erupted, and he crumpled to the ground, coughing bile.
Lyra's voice rang out in desperation. "Begone!"
Her staff blazed with radiant light, arrows of holy energy bursting forth. They whistled through the air, bright and pure, each one meant to pierce corruption.
The crow man didn't even flinch. The arrows struck his body — and dissolved into black mist.
"Holy light burns demons," he said softly, stepping forward through the rain of light. "But I am not a demon. Nor am I holy. I am the end of both."
He spread his wings, and with that motion the outpost drowned in shadow. Darkness spilled across the ground like ink, swallowing walls and earth alike. The air grew heavy, pressing on their lungs. Kofi felt as if he were drowning while standing upright.
Darius staggered to his feet, clutching his bleeding side, sword trembling in his hand. "Stay behind me!" he growled, though his body could barely stand.
Kofi forced himself upright too, gripping his sword despite the shaking in his arms. Fear screamed at him to run — but the memory of the villagers, of the little girl's flower crown, anchored his legs in place.
"I won't… let you win," Kofi rasped.
The crow man chuckled, amused. He snapped his fingers. The shadows around them rippled — and from the darkness, shapes emerged. Twisted figures formed from black feathers and mist, half-human, half-bird, their eyes glowing faint red.
Lyra's barrier flared as they lunged, talons scraping against her shield of light. Her face was strained, sweat dripping down her brow. "I can't… hold this for long!"
Kofi slashed at one of the creatures, his blade cutting through its body — only for it to explode into a storm of feathers, reforming behind him. Another claw raked his back, drawing blood.
Pain lanced through him. His holy sparks flared again, but faint, flickering, unstable. The crow man watched with detached amusement, as though observing insects struggle in a web.
"Stronger than most… yet still so weak," the crow man murmured. "Tell me, boy. How will you ever stand against what's coming?"
Kofi shouted, slashing wildly, his sword glowing as he forced his will into it. "I'll fight! Even if I break, I'll fight!"
For the first time, the crow man's expression shifted — the faintest flicker of interest.
Then, with a single lazy swipe of his wing, he unleashed a gale of black feathers. The force hurled Kofi through the outpost wall, wood exploding as his body crashed to the ground outside. His sword tumbled from his grip.
Vision blurred, chest burning, Kofi tried to push himself up. But his arms failed him.
The crow man's shadow loomed over him, crimson eyes burning like coals. He crouched low, tilting his head with a predator's smile.
"You are not ready."
The words cut deeper than any blade.
Darkness swallowed Kofi whole.