We were gliding through the sky on Ember's ark, and I sat on the edge, holding our wanted posters, deep in thought.

"You know, for someone without wings, sitting that close to the edge is kind of risky," Ember remarked, clearly amused.

I cracked open an eye and pointed to the rope tied to my ankle. "That's why I tied a rope, obviously. Now hush, your elegant leader is contemplating something important," I said, attempting to sound regal.

Ember clicked her beak, irritated, and tilted the ark just enough to send me plummeting off the side. I shrieked as I dangled upside down, swinging from the rope like a fool. Alden and Zira appeared at the edge, looking down at me.

"Gaian, you good down there?" Alden called.

With my arms still crossed, I closed my eyes, trying to maintain what little dignity I had left. "I'm fine. Frankly, I'd prefer hanging here than associating with you inelegant sheep." I smirked, though it was hard to look graceful while hanging upside down.

Zira was trying to stop Alden from cutting the rope as I continued explaining to Sagea, "We're wanted, dead or alive, each worth 10,000 moonstones. But for some reason, Ember's ark alone has a bounty of 100,000,000."

{Oneechan! You should be more careful! Ember-senpai's ark is being hunted, so it'd be best to stop using it from now on!} Sagea's voice chimed in, childishly playful.

I groaned, slapping my forehead. "Didn't I tell you to stop talking like that?!"

Still hanging upside down, I sighed. "But you're right… we're drawing too much attention with this thing."

{Howdy! Back in the day, Emberlyn used to hide that ark using it's crystals, making it look all old and rusty. Yeehaw!} Sagea suddenly spoke with a thick cowboy accent, and I groaned in frustration. "I'm seriously going to exercise you one of these days," I muttered, rolling my eyes.

I called out, "Ember! We need to descend. People are looking for this ark, so it'd be smarter to keep it low!"

As Ember began lowering the ark, it dawned on me that I was still hanging upside down from the rope. "Wait! I'm still down here—!"

Before I could finish, my words turned into muffled cries as I was dragged through mud and dirt, helplessly bouncing along while the ark descended.

As Ember brought the ark to a stop, the group disembarked, heading over to where I was still dusting myself off. Zira pulled me up, and I coughed, trying to clear the dirt from my lungs. "Alright, here's the plan," I began, my voice steadying. "Ember, conceal the ark. You and Zira stay here and guard it. Zira's too noticeable, and you're the princess of Glimmerfen. We can't draw attention." Zira crossed her arms and let out a soft purr in agreement. Ember, perched on Zira's shoulder, nodded with a small sigh.

"Be careful, both of you," she warned. "After everything with Glimmerfen, Dragon's Roost, and the whole Death situation, things have been spiraling out of control."

Alden and I exchanged smirks as we turned to head into the forest. He raised his hand in a cocky wave. "Be careful? Come on, we're light and dark. We don't do careful," he laughed, bumping his fist against mine.

Meanwhile, in the semi-autonomous town of Skam Square, a large crowd gathered before a figure in a cloak, chanting his name with fervor.

"Sable! Sable!"

The excitement was palpable, voices crying out admiration from every corner.

"He's so hot!"

"He's our hero!"

The figure, Sable, finally removed his hood, revealing sharp, avian features—a beak, feathered hair, and a strikingly handsome face. The crowd erupted in even louder cheers as he raised his hand.

"Are you ready for the Festival of the Celestial Birds?" Sable's voice boomed over the crowd. They roared in approval as he pulled down a massive drape, unveiling five towering statues: Sagea, Nocturne Raven, Zephrya, Seraphina, and Pyra—the revered Celestial Birds.

But with a sudden swing of his scepter, Sable obliterated the statues in a single blow, the debris scattering like ash in the wind. "The festival of their death," he bellowed. "When they fell before our glorious gods—the Shadow Flock!"

At his command, the crumbled statues reformed into new, towering figures: the Seven of the Shadow Flock.

Neraxis, the Corrupt Crow

Morvyn, the Cursed Vulture

Noctara, the Sinister Nightjar

Drakara, the Malevolent Condor

Zephyr, the Dark Albatross

Abyssal, the Black Phoenix

Umbra, the Shadow Owl

The crowd erupted again, this time with overwhelming devotion, some falling to their knees in tears, pounding their heads into the ground in worship.

"Our gods! The ones who destroyed those evil Celestial Birds!" Sable shouted. He struck the ground with his scepter, silencing the masses instantly. "Their vessels—the ones running around destroying kingdoms—they are the enemies of our faith! And you know what happens to those who reject the true gods of the Shadow Flock…"

The crowd, now in perfect unison, chanted with eerie obedience.

"We kill them!"

Back in the woods, we trudged along as Alden explained the situation in Skam Square. When he finished, I let out a frustrated sigh. "So they're all just mindless religious sheep?" I growled, my fists clenched.

Alden nodded. "Pretty much. The people of Skam Square believe anything Sable says."

"Why? What is he to them?" I asked, trying to make sense of it.

Alden paused, thinking for a moment. "He's the one who founded the town. He's a mage with a scepter, charismatic as hell. So far, he hasn't done anything overtly dangerous—just spreading his religion. We're not here to start a fight, though. We need answers. So you're going to have to control yourself. No punching anyone." He gave me a pointed look. "Also, we'll need to disguise ourselves. Feather manipulation's key here."

As he spoke, Alden's feathers began to shift, covering his face and transforming his clothing into sleek, all-black modern attire. I followed suit, manipulating the feathers on my head to form locks that hung over my eyes. My body feathers shifted and rearranged into an all white outfit that blended in, giving me a completely new look.

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

"Let's blend in and get this done. No one needs to know who we are until we want them to." I explained and we began running again.

Meanwhile, back at the ark, Zira threw a punch at a massive boulder, shattering it into pieces. "Those two! 'Stay here, you're too big, Zira...'" she muttered, her voice seething with frustration. Clearly, she wasn't happy about being left behind.

Ember, lounging on the ark with her arms behind her head, shrugged. "You're mad because you're not out there fighting? Yeah, me and you are definitely not the same." She sighed, glancing at Zira as if this was just another typical outburst.

Zira, unable to contain her energy, began flickering at lightning-fast speeds, practically a blur. "Dammit, I need to fight something!" she growled before taking off in a flash, racing around the area at Mach 10, her impatience palpable in the air.

Suddenly, two cape wearing imps walked in their area and they attacked the ark, probably trying to get it for the bounty. As they dashed to it, Zira elbowed both of them to the ground at intense speed. Ember jumped on Zira's shoulder and sighed. "You're really scary." She chuckled and suddenly the imps groaned and began pulsing red, they exploded and their blood got onto the girls. "AHH!" They screamed, but something happened to their bodies.

Meanwhile, Alden and I walked the town and were disgusted with what we saw. Skam Square is a strange and unsettling town, heavily influenced by its reverence for the Shadow Flock. The buildings are a mix of ancient stone and newer constructions, with blackened spires and dark banners fluttering in the wind, all adorned with symbols representing the seven gods of the Shadow Flock. Tall, looming statues of Neraxis the Corrupt Crow, Morvyn the Cursed Vulture, and the rest of the shadowy deities line the town square, their menacing figures casting eerie shadows over the cobbled streets.

The town's architecture is harsh and angular, with a palette dominated by black, gray, and deep purple hues. Citizens walk around dressed in muted, dark robes, their heads often bowed in what seems to be silent reverence. The air feels heavy with an almost oppressive atmosphere, as if even the wind is carrying whispers of worship and fear. Throughout the streets, there are shrines dedicated to each member of the Shadow Flock, where townspeople stop frequently to kneel and offer prayers, leaving behind strange, dark offerings—charred bones, feathers, and polished black stones.

In the center of Skam Square is the Temple of Shadows, a towering structure with a jagged, obsidian-like façade. It's the heart of the town's religion, where sermons are held and where Sable, the town's revered leader, conducts dark ceremonies under the glow of eerie, crimson lanterns. The smell of incense and the low hum of chanting fill the air near the temple, creating an unnerving ambience.

The festival of the celestial birds' death is a central event, celebrated with ominous fanfare. Crowds gather, chanting praises to the Shadow Flock, while effigies of celestial birds are burned in symbolic ritual. The town's devotion is extreme, with citizens eagerly participating in the destruction of anything that represents the celestial birds, their faces alight with fervor as if they truly believe their gods had rid the world of evil.

Overall, Skam Square is a town drenched in shadow and blind faith, its people more like worshipful cultists than ordinary citizens. The entire place feels like it's constantly on the edge of something sinister, waiting for the next dark ritual or proclamation from Sable to define their every move.

As we strolled through the festival, a little girl approached me, her face plastered with a disturbingly wide, soulless smile. She handed me a sword, her innocent voice betraying the eerie atmosphere.

"Mister, mister! Since you're new here, you get to strike down the evil Divine Owl, Sagea!" she chirped, tugging me toward a smaller statue of Sagea.

In my head, Sagea growled, her voice suddenly deep and gravelly. {Let me out, I'll end this town... in the name of Gotham!}

I sighed, gripping the sword. "You're seriously copying Batman now?" I muttered.

Reluctantly, I swung the blade down, shattering the statue. The crowd erupted into applause, cheering as if I'd just performed a great act of worship. All the while, I could feel Sagea brooding in my mind, and the whole scene left a bitter taste in my mouth.

Beside me, a hulking man with rippling muscles and a massive wooden mallet strode forward, slamming his weapon into another statue. Even after it shattered, he kept pounding away at the debris, as if possessed by the moment.

"Step aside, little fella, for Sir Gerard has arrived!" he boomed, resting the mallet over his shoulder as the crowd erupted in cheers.

"Uncle Gerard!" the little girl from earlier squealed, running toward him and leaping into his arms. I raised an eyebrow, catching myself staring at the interaction—innocently enough, I thought—until Gerard turned his gaze to me, his expression darkening.

"You're staring at my niece?!" he roared, swinging his mallet directly at my head.

Before I could react, Alden appeared behind the brute, resting a hand on his shoulder with eerie calm. "You dare attack him?" Alden's voice was low, ominous, sending a visible tremor down Gerard's spine. As the dust cleared, the crowd gasped—the mallet lay shattered at my feet, while I casually held the sword up, unfazed.

"It's fine. I'm alright," I said calmly, offering a slight smirk.

Gerard yanked me by the shirt, his face inches from mine, growling through clenched teeth. "Who the hell are you? You dare challenge me, disrespecting me in front of my niece?!"

I paused for dramatic effect before giving him my best regal smirk. "They call me... The Divine One," I said with a flourish, trying to sound elegant.

From behind me, Alden facepalmed and sighed loudly. "Really?"

Sagea chimed in with a trembling, elderly voice. {Oh dearie, what a refined name for such an elegant successor! Back in my day, any fool could be strong, but only I was the true divine one.}

I groaned in my mind. "You're an old lady now? And look, I needed a nickname, alright? Can't have them figuring out who I really am."

"And they call me the Dark Warden," Alden said, stepping up beside me. We stood shoulder to shoulder, exuding calm confidence. Gerard growled, setting his niece down before pounding his chest. "You wanna fight me?! Come at me!" He roared, taking a step forward—only to freeze when he felt a tap on his shoulder.

He spun around, eyes widening at the sight of Sable, who stood behind him with a smile that didn't quite reach his narrowed eyes. Gerard immediately dropped to his knees. "I'm sorry, Sable, sir! Forgive me!"

Sable, still smiling, waved him off like he was shooing a child. "Run along, Gerard." Then, turning his attention to me and Alden, he approached with a curious glint in his eye. "Visitors, hmm? We don't see many of those here. Tell me, are you believers in the Shadow Flock?"

Alden didn't miss a beat. "Of course, sir. We're travelers from... EmbersArken." He smoothly made up the name, cleverly mixing 'Ember' and 'ark' without so much as a pause.

Sable's eyes flickered with mild interest. "EmbersArken, you say? Fascinating..."

I nodded, my gaze shifting to the intricate carvings on his scepter. "So, you're Sable... or should I say, Sir Sable?"

He chuckled softly, twirling the scepter in his hand as if it weighed nothing. "Just Sable will do." His eyes gleamed with pride. "Titles are for those who need them. I, on the other hand, have the devotion of my people."

I raised an eyebrow. "And that devotion gives you all the power you need?"

Sable's smile widened. "More than you can imagine." He leaned in slightly, lowering his voice. "But tell me, travelers—what brings you to our humble town during the Festival of the Shadow Flock? Surely, it wasn't just to admire our statues."

Alden crossed his arms, his face unreadable. "We're seekers of knowledge, Sir Sable. Our journey has brought us across many lands. We're just here to see how different cultures are, so don't mind us." He explained and Sable nodded. "Well, don't let me hold you up, have fun." With a bang of his scepter, he vanished out of thin air.

I yawned and stretched my arms. "This town's not the worst, honestly. Sure, Sable's a little... off, but after dealing with Death himself, I doubt there's anything too creepy about him. That said, this place feels more like a cult than a religion," I muttered. Just then, a woman approached with a plate in hand.

"Fried lance hog?" she offered sweetly.

"Absolutely," I grinned, grabbing a piece and biting into it. But the second I did, my mouth felt like it was being drained of all moisture, and before I knew it, I was spitting out purple sand. "What the—? What is this?!"

She blinked, unbothered by my reaction. "Oh, that's Sun Sorrel. It's a seasoning made from moondust sand, left to rot in the sun for a few days. Really brings out the flavor."

My left eye twitched. "I take it back. This town sucks," I growled, squeezing the gritty sand between my fingers.