I quickly regroup in midair.
My entire body, once scattered into a swarm of ravens, fuses back together, taking human form again — suspended, flying, sustained by the black wings I summon as an extension of myself. It feels like I can call ravens from any part of my body, and they respond instantly.
"What the hell!? I'm practically flying!"
But the calm doesn't last.
The powerful flap of one of the colossal eagle's black wings slices through the air.
A cutting wind rushes toward me, furious, tearing at my skin like invisible blades.
Before I can react, I'm hurled violently into the void.
Deep gashes split open across my body, bleeding.
"Damn it! At this rate, I'm dead! I have to escape!"
Even in the surrounding darkness, my vision adjusts, and I spot a forest far below — its twisted, shadowy trees like a grim sanctuary.
Without hesitation, I dive headfirst, aiming for that refuge.
But the colossal eagle isn't giving up.
Its long, slick tongue—like some grotesque serpent—wraps around my body, drooling over my neck, squeezing, crushing.
My strength drains away, the pressure choking me.
It pulls me toward its mouth, a dark, hungry abyss.
I'm out of options. Death feels inevitable.
But then—a flicker of hope.
I summon ravens, shaping them into a black blade above my head.
They strike mercilessly, slicing through the monstrosity's tongue.
Thick, ink-black blood splatters across my face.
There's no time to think.
I have to get out.
I tear through the air—or whatever passes for a sky here—shooting down toward the forest like an arrow.
But my bad luck is colossal.
The eagle dives after me, talons outstretched, almost catching me.
At the last instant, I scatter into ravens again, evading the killing blow.
For now, I'm free.
I land on the grotesque ground, panting, dazed by the sheer insanity of it all.
I look around—nothing hostile in sight, only the twisted trees, still and silent.
I collapse onto the ground, exhausted, not caring what might come next.
It seems I've shaken off the eagle.
But something feels wrong.
It's too quiet.
The eagle is gone, vanished without a trace.
No sound of other monstrous creatures either.
The silence presses in on me.
Until…
The already dark sky begins to change.
It turns crimson, as if it's bleeding.
Thunder — loud and alien —booms through the heavy air.
And then, a strange rain begins to fall.
Not normal rain.
Every drop that touches my skin burns like acid.
A sharp, corrosive pain tears through me.
"What kind of place have they thrown me into?"
I take cover behind a tree.
But the drops keep falling, searing my exposed skin.
While trying to make sense of it, my mind strains to recall what I know.
I think of the infirmary, my studies, the science that taught me to recognize symptoms, substances, dangers.
"This isn't rain… It's some kind of acid—maybe a poison dissolved in the clouds… Or a toxic substance released into the air, deliberately or not… Could be a biological weapon, corrosive gas mixing with precipitation… This isn't natural. It shouldn't exist here. But what the hell am I saying?? Nothing here makes sense!"
I glance at my tattooed body, irritation and pain flaring as the burns worsen.
But I can't get lost in that thought now.
"Not now. I have to think about how to get out. Survive."
Then something pulls my gaze upward.
The sky — once dark and threatening — splits into jagged cracks, revealing an ancient fury about to descend.
A heavy silence grips the air, as if the world itself is holding its breath.
And then — impact.
A brutal roar shakes my chest, making my bones vibrate.
From above, enormous stones begin to plummet.
Mountains of rock crash down in free fall, smashing into the ground with thunderous force, throwing up clouds of dust and debris.
Each strike rattles the earth — a sentence being passed.
The air fills with grit that scrapes my skin, blinds my eyes, and coats my lungs with a bitter taste.
When I glance at the ground, I think I'm just being paranoid.
The soil — once a grotesque, shifting mass — is now rigid and solid.
The scene around me unravels into chaos.
My heart races, but my body is frozen, paralyzed by horror.
"This has to be a dream…"
I tell myself, unable to accept the truth.
But the cold, ravenous fear gnawing at me whispers that this is more real than anything I've ever known.
That here, in this moment — death isn't a possibility.
It's a certainty.