Chapter 55: Aye Aye

"We'll circle around to the front and cut them off. Don't fall behind," briefs Crow as they quicken their pace.

Just beside them are Sky, Violet, and Hazel, sticking close together as they quickly make their way back to camp.

"But won't they hear us? Also, how did you even know where to find them?" asks Ace.

Crow points a finger at the sky, and Ace looks up and sees a crow gliding above.

While Ace faces forward again, Crow says, "I have eyes everywhere."

Giving Crow a brief side eye, Ace discerns a soft violet gleam emanating from Crow’s mask and recalls what Flora said to him on the very first day, just moments before she died.

‘They're always watching…’

After separating themselves a decent distance away from the three girls, Crow advises Ace as they move to cut them off, "Don't worry about the sound either. They won't hear a thing.”

Already picking up on how this technique of Crow’s operates, Ace says, “Just make sure you don’t fall behind me.”

This kid… I guess the saying 'like father, like son' holds true. The apple really doesn't fall far from the tree, the way they both grind my gears to the point where I want to smack them.

"We'll see about that. Continue following my lead," utters Crow before channeling iris into the soles of his feet and taking off.

"Aye aye," says Ace as Crow leaves him behind.

Cheeky brat.

And to no surprise, the young prodigy caught up with Crow a few moments later, matching his pace until they reached their destination. Grinning as Crow lays in wait for their prey to cross their path, Crow couldn't help but wonder…

Maybe there is hope for us after all.

Peeking over her shoulder to check on Violet and Hazel, a wave of relief hits Sky as she realizes that they aren't only keeping up with her physically but also seem to be holding up mentally, as well.

Violet meets Sky’s eye, and Sky gives her a heartfelt smile, "We didn't go that far out. We should be back before we know it! Everything will be okay!"

After Faith bobs her head a few times, Sky nods reassuringly before focusing back on what lies ahead.

I wasn't lying about not being too far away, either. I'm recognizing more and more of our surroundings, so we must be getting closer to camp.

But just as the slightest flutter of hope kindles within Sky, she detects the sound of rustling leaves to her right.

"Did you see that?!" says Hazel in a gasp-like whisper as Sky locks on to where she caught wind of the sound.

Just then, a dark purple and black shadow wisps from behind the trees. Putting her arms out to either side, Sky comes to a complete stop, Hazel and Violet quickly following suit.

Seeing the other side of this power is fascinating.

Ace thinks that as he stares at Crow casually standing against a tree just a few steps away. Looking away, there’s also the monster frightening the three girls as it circles around them in blinks that almost appear as mirages.

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Remembering how they can't hear us, Ace asks, "How are you doing that?"

Immediately, Crow brings a finger to his lips, gesturing for Ace to be silent. A double of Crow suddenly appears before Ace and whispers, "I'll tell you later, stay focused."

As Ace wafts his hand through the monster's body, it quickly fades out of existence, and Ace looks back at Crow.

What exactly is this guy capable of doing? Is there even a limit to these mysterious powers?

A mirage of Crow flashes behind the girls, and Violet cries, "Behind us!"

Gritting her teeth, Sky orders, "Everybody, keep your eyes peeled! I got what's in front of us. Hazel, you got what's to our left! Violet, the right! Both of you need to keep checking behind us, too! We'll continue running, and don't slow down!"

The three girls set off once more, and Ace watches as the real Crow morphs into his monster form, ordering him afterward with a distorted voice, "You stay here until I call you. Although unintentional, you fulfilled my demands, so our deal is halfway done. But I need more. I need to know I can fully trust you. I'll happily fulfill my end if you prove you're ready. This is it, Ace. It's time to pick a side. Will you choose them, or me? Think carefully. You don't have much time."

Realizing he's being serious, Ace sets aside his desire to be sarcastic.

"Understood."

And with that, Crow disappeared. Fixing his eyes back on the three girls, Ace realized Crow was only toying with them earlier. While his mirages only manifest for seconds at a time, his real body is moving so fast that Ace’s eyes can't even track where he is, even with the aerial point of view he has. There are only brief moments where Crow slows himself down enough to where Ace... as well as the girls, can spot where he is.

"There, in front to our left!" exclaims Sky as she ceases her running.

It was then that Ace figured out what Crow was really doing. His body was almost zigzagging back and forth in front of the girls, gradually drawing closer. But that's not all. He was slowing himself down more and more each time, which not only made it appear as if he was flickering around in front of them, but these erratic movements also forced a more concrete image of him to bore into their minds each time.

"I- I can't tell where he's coming from! Brace yourselves!" cries Sky, her eyes brimming with determination while Hazel and Violet's have grown wide in terror.

As if her words somehow scared Crow off, the anticipated attack never came. There was just… silence. The whistling of the wind grew tranquil, and Ace’s breathing became inaudible. There wasn't a single sound echoing throughout the area.

Just as confused as he was, all three girls stood trembling, defenseless as the torture of waiting for something… anything… to happen provoked their legs to shake. After taking a deep breath, Sky's mouth opened, but as she began to utter the faintest of sounds, Crow seemed to dash out of thin air and seize her by the neck.

As if the dam blocking out the noise from Ace’s ears had just been destroyed, the muted silence was replaced by a violent cascade of overlapping sounds. Covering both ears and slamming his eyelids shut, Ace’s eardrums screeched in pain as he fell to his knees. All he could do was endure this agonizing torment until his body once more grew accustomed to the sounds of mother nature.

Only after he regained enough strength was Ace able to fix his gaze back on Crow, who had lifted Sky up by her throat. Thrashing her arms and legs around, Sky does all she can to break free from his grip, but as Ace knows all too well, she'll only fail, and Ace’s chest begins to pound.

I- I don't want Sky to die.

As Crow studies the girl caught in his clutches, he thinks.

It took a while, but eventually, she looked me in the eyes. They always do.

"I've been watching you…" states Crow as he tightens his grip.

Like a dying dog, she lets out a welp.

"I've been watching all of you…"

Releasing Sky from his grasp, her body falls onto the ground. Immediately coughing as her hands fly to her neck, Sky’s fingers graze the roof of her skin, checking for any injuries.

Shifting his attention toward Hazel and Violet cowering behind Sky, Crow’s mouth droops into even more of a frown, "You three… disappoint me."

One step after the other, Crow walks over to Violet and Hazel, who are both so scared they can’t even blink. Fumbling his fingers around their necks until he decides which grip is most comfortable, Crow slowly lifts them off the ground, holding one in each hand. After a few seconds, fury festers within Crow.

Hazel is the only one somewhat attempting to remove my hand, putting forth only a lamentable effort. Still, it appears that she at least somewhat values her own life.

Placing his eyes on Violet, Crow flexes the muscles in his fingers.

I could crush her frail windpipes at any second I pleased, and she still had no inclination to fight or even escape.

Disgusted, Crow spats, "Especially you."

Violet whimpers as she squirms in the air, not out of tenacity but merely from discomfort. As Crow picks up on the sound of Sky placing her hands on the ground, Crow checks behind him to see Sky slowly lifting herself up, still sporting a piercing glare before letting out a hoarse, "Violet! Hazel!"

Expelling a heavy breath, Crow sends a body double to where Ace should be positioned. To Crow’s surprise, Ace had actually listened and stayed put.

"Hey kid, you're up."