The thing out there is an enemy.

In a blind impulse of fearful self-defense and foolish passion, you throw out your right hand, pointing it at the dark smudge down in the abyss.

Blazing, golden light erupts from your outstretched hand, streaking down at the enemy. The bolt of pure, effervescent light crackles forth, closing the distance nigh instantly.

But it is for not.

The bolt streaks by the smudge, just ever-so barely missing its mark. You had aimed where it was, not where it was going to be.

You blink. How had you made that light?

The smudge has stopped its wide circling of the Titan Tree. It sits there for a heartbeat, doing nothing that you could make out from your windowsill, before suddenly moving again.

This time towards the Tree.

You narrow your eyes, straining to make out what it was that you shot at.

The smudge approaches, fast.

A knock comes from behind you.

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

"Nova?" A familiar voice calls.

"Come in!" You snap quickly.

The door opens, revealing L'Neeri. "Good morning! What are you-" A crash accompanied by the sound of broken wood sounds from behind you, causing you to jump.

You whirl to come face to face with a man wreathed in black feathers.

A sudden lurch assaults you and you fall out over the abyss.

Your stomach drops as your body tumbles. You reach out desperately and catch something. The bird-like newcomer flaps his massive raven wings, defying L'Neeri's altered gravity. He shoots back at your room, pulling you along with him.

You land on the wooden floor hard as he drops you. Jumping towards L'Neeri.

L'Neeri grunts as he is grabbed and slammed into the floor. Both of them fall up to the ceiling, left and right to the walls, up and down in some alien dance. Both attempt to beat the other into submission using the walls of your room.

Feathers swirl as they are plucked free from this avian man, he lets out an ear-piercing screech as he throws L'Neeri out of your door and down the stairs. He turns to you, malice boiling in his eyes of night.

You throw out your hand, releasing the fear and stress as a cloud of blazing white light.

The man screeches again, screaming in alien gibberish as you fill his eyes with blinding light. He stumbles backward, clutching at his eyes as you watch him fall out of the hole that he made in your wall. The birdman falls down into the abyss, struggling to orient himself in the air, before shakily flapping away from the Tree.

L'Neeri groans as he trudges up the steps. "Nova," he breaths, holding his side, "I have reason to believe, we have made a very dangerous enemy."

You go over to him, prodding his side and causing him to wince. Your arms are scratched and bleeding.

"...what?" you respond after a heartbeat.

"That was one of the Accursed. Some of the most infamous Branded Ones ever." He says through gritted teeth. "And now they know where to find us."