It started as a whisper.
A rumor from a merchant's dream.
A passing echo in a Beliefstorm.
A name written in sky-feathers above a ruined observatory:
> "Birb has risen."
---
The World's Top 10 — the unreachables, the myth-layer of Arcane.
Each one carried presence so dense, even reality trembled near them.
To be on that list wasn't just strength.
It was significance.
But someone had just been removed:
Dragola, the Storm-Mouth Titan, had stepped down.
Voluntarily.
He didn't die.
He didn't lose.
He just… left.
And the world went quiet for three days.
Then…
> Birb entered the list.
---
> "A bird made Top 10?" OTG blinked.
> "Not a bird," Wave corrected. "Birb. The name itself carries weight."
Yukie narrowed her eyes.
> "How does one get that strong out of nowhere?"
> "You don't," Biji murmured, unusually serious. "Unless you were always strong. Just unseen."
---
The group, naturally, sought him out.
Not to fight.
Not to challenge.
But to ask:
> "Wanna join us?"
Because while Biji was growing —
And OTG's buff system now let him move faster than sound —
They still had a long road ahead.
And they'd need someone already near the top.
---
The Encounter
They found him.
Sitting on a stone near the edge of the Silent Peaks.
Eating what looked like… crumbs.
He wore a cloak of feathered voidlight. His eyes shimmered like sky broken by wind.
And yes — he had wings.
Not full bird. Not full human. Just Birb.
---
He looked up and said, with a strangely casual tone:
> "I've been expecting you."
OTG muttered, "Of course you have."
Wave stepped forward. "You're Birb?"
> "In body, yes. In idea, maybe."
> "...What?"
Yukie leaned on her blade. "You made Top 10."
> "Yes."
> "Just like that?"
Birb nodded.
> "It wasn't hard. I just believed I'd already made it. And the system couldn't argue."
---
Biji stepped forward.
> "Why are you waiting out here, then?"
Birb looked at her.
Then at OTG.
And smiled.
> "Because I felt it. Two things. One: my path as a solo is done."
> "And two…" he stood up, stretching his wings slowly.
> "You two will surpass me. One through silent growth," he nodded to Biji, "and one through limitless rhythm," he glanced at OTG.
> "I want to be there when it happens."
---
Yukie was stunned.
Wave blinked. "You're serious?"
Birb nodded.
> "You're strong. But they… they're the shift. The next wave. I'd rather walk with the future than stand above the past."
---
And just like that, Birb joined them.
Currently the strongest in the team.
Effortless in battle.
Mysterious in motive.
Always eating breadcrumbs.
Always watching Biji and OTG grow.
---
Arcane now had four chaotic prodigies and one legendary feathered top-tier roaming together.
The world started shifting again.
Because if one Top 10 member left to follow a girl with an unknown ability and a speedster who fights with laughter—
Then maybe Arcane wasn't ready for what came next.
---