As Faela and Anna left the morgue, a few soldiers sent by Sergio joined them.

The screams throughout the city had died and now everything was in silence However, there was something eerie in it. It wasn’t the silence of the night. Nor of grieve. It was a silence of fear.

I can’t sense much, Tetsuko informed her wielder and her disciple. Though it wasn’t as strong as the tainted blood, the smoke had the poisonous and evil Celeste. As the wind scattered it, it dampened her senses.

“How long until they stop that?” Faela asked one of the soldiers, her eyes fixed at the highest chimney on the medical area in the outskirts of the castle.

Before he could answer, the smoke grew thinner and then it stopped completely. However, even if the source was cut, the wind didn’t carry the rest, leaving the heavy and poisonous cloud above the houses, blocking the sun.

“We won’t be able to fight in the dark. Go get torches,” she ordered. After they all had a source of light, she looked into their eyes. “I don’t know what we’ll find out there. I don’t know if the smoke turned our people into worshipers. If so, it’s our job to save them. Even if it’s your family, don’t hesitate to give them peace.” With those words, Faela left the castle holding a torch in one hand and Tetsuko in the other.

“Someone help! Please!” a voice shouted.

Though they could barely see five meters before them, they raced towards the voice.

Backing away from an alley, they saw a man protecting a woman from a huge shadow. All they could see from it was the black eyes with glowing yellow pupils. The man swung a sword at it but it made no difference. No matter how many times he struck the shadow, whatever it was didn’t seem hurt. It didn’t even seem to care.

Before Faela, Anna, or any of the soldiers could do anything, the shadow thrust something. Whatever it was broke the sword and punctured both the man and the woman he was protecting through the chest. They didn’t even have time to scream.

As the huge shadow the same size of a human feasted on the man and woman’s flesh, one of the soldiers screamed. The yellow eyes turned to them and the thing came towards them slowly.

It’s a crow. A huge crow, Tetsuko projected her thoughts to everyone.

A moment later, the shadow was close enough so the torches’ light could reach it. It was indeed a huge crow. Almost as tall as a human, the black beak as sharp as a sword and dripping with blood. The eyes weren’t only yellow; the Mark of the Devil was on it, as if carved from inside out.

It looked at the soldiers as if surprised. Then it fixed on the torches. A moment later, the crow spread the wings, making it look even bigger.

“Get out of the way!” Faela shouted, jumping to the side.

She, Anna, and a few soldiers were fast enough. But the rest wasn’t.

When the beast flapped its wings, its feather flew like arrows, piercing the slower soldiers and killing them. The wind was strong, but not enough to push them back, but it was more than enough to blow out some of the torches.

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“Damn it!” Faela shouted, covering her eyes to protect them from the wind.

Get out of the way!

The beast crow charged, the sharp beak closed and ready to pierce flesh and bone.

This time Faela didn’t react fast enough. Before she was killed, Tetsuko flowed her energy and shifted herself, blocking the attack. Though it saved her wielder’s life, they were sent backwards, striking against the door of a house and breaking it.

“Shit… Thanks for saving me,” Faela muttered. Despite the pain, she stood up and got back to the street.

The crow had its wings opened again, facing a few of the surviving soldiers. When it closed around them, the wind blew out the torches first.

In the complete darkness, they only heard the sound of people punctured and the dying grunts of the soldiers.

“Crap! Tetsuko, can you see it?”

Barely. The smoke’s residue is coming down and it’s making it difficult for me to sense.

Faela clicked her tongue. “Then we need real light. This isn’t enough.”

Right now, there were three torches still burning, including hers.

Before she could think of something, the crow swung one wing in her direction.

Look out!

This time the beast bird didn’t attack with the wind but instead sent razor-sharp feathers at her. Though Faela used Tetsuko to protect herself, she was still cut.

“Damn it… these feathers are too sharp,” she said cleaning the blood from the cut on her belly. “Can you slice them?”

Yes. Give me some time.

“We don’t have a lot.”

The wind had blown out her torch, and now only Anna and another soldier had light. Without them, they would be in the complete darkness.

The monster crow turned to the last torches.

Faela raced towards it screaming. Her voice attracted its attention, just like she planned. Then she swung Tetsuko.

The bird met the blade with one of its talons.

“Find a way to get light!” she shouted.

At once Anna and the soldier left, leaving the swordswoman in complete darkness.

Look out!

The bird closed the talons around Tetsuko and thrust the beak at Faela.

She managed to dodge, though the attack grazed her shoulder. Even in pain, she didn’t waste the chance to draw a dagger and jab at the bird’s neck.

The small blade didn’t go deep, but it was enough to make the monster scream and let go of the sword.

I’m ready!

Tetsuko had sharpened her edge. When the bird attacked with the talons again, she sliced the foot. Without that, the monster couldn’t stand and Faela charged, swinging her sword.

But in the dark, she missed the head and struck one of the wings.

The crow swung the other, both the razor-sharp feathers and the wind striking at the swordswoman.

With only one wing and a bad stance, the wind had less than half the original strength. But those things hadn’t affected the feathers.

“Shit!” Thanks to Tetsuko, she had managed to dodge, but she couldn’t tell where the crow was now. “Without seeing, it’s impossible to fight!”

As response to her words, the house next to the alley where they watched the couple die caught fire. It consumed the wood so fast the flames became so intense it shone like a star in the middle of the darkness.

The bird turned to it at once, wincing at the sudden light. But before it could do anything, Faela thrust Tetsuko through its heart.

“You’re not going anywhere,” she said, pulling the sword sideways, slicing the animal.

As the monster fell dead, Tetsuko didn’t allow herself to smile.

The flaming house not only had made it possible to fight; it also had shown the surroundings.

On top of the houses, there were more beast crows watching them.