High above the tangled sprawl of the Crimson Canopy, the Silver Moon shined like a pale coin tossed into an ocean of ink.
Its light was thin and cold, filtering down through the spaces between the green leaves and branches in narrow, reluctant beams.
The forest stretched endlessly like a living maze of gnarled trunks, thorn-choked undergrowth, and shadows that moved with hungry intent.
Somewhere in the darkness of Crimson Canopy... two humans and a demon stood, frozen in shock.
Yuki's face was smeared with blood, which was not her own. And more continued to drop from the hand of the demon that was shaped like a lance.
She lay broken among the roots with her body like a canvas of ruin. Her white armor was scored with deep gouges, several plates were cracked and hung loose where the Demon's claws had found purchase.
Her breathing came in shallow, hitching gasps that rattled faintly in her chest. Her pink eyes shook as they stared upward at the nightmare suspended above her.
