The silence behind the door didn't last long.
Nujah hadn't even taken three steps when—
"Wuhuhuu!" a sharp cry echoed.
He turned his head.
At shoulder height, standing confidently on one leg, was a crow:
"Hold it! You're Nujah, right?"
Nujah sighed.
"I've never seen a bird so full of itself."
The crow twitched with energy.
"Should I take that as a compliment or an insult?"
There was no answer.
Nujah just kept walking.
But the crow flew ahead and landed in front of him again.
"Hey! Naraka said he sent you. I'm here to guide you.
I mean… think of me as your GPS."
"Naraka's been watching me?"
"Yep, always. He takes you seriously. Maybe a bit too much."
The crow leaned theatrically and spread its wings:
"The one you seek: Vercurius."
He's on a floating city named Vercu, in the middle of the sea.
If you don't get there in time… he'll escape by ship.
You know how old enemies are. They always leave a little too early."
Nujah stopped.
He leaned toward the crow.
"You memorized that, didn't you?"
The crow coughed.
"Kind of... Naraka gave it to me in writing."
There was a pause.
Nujah was about to continue walking.
But the crow added one last line:
"Hey, maybe the world isn't that bad, huh? Traveling with a bird on your head… definitely unusual."
The stone path beneath his feet looked like faded lines on an old map.
There were no signs.
But he knew: the road still recognized him.
Behind him came a rustling sound.
"Kraaa! This road… it's cursed. Or maybe I'm just hungry," said the crow, flapping its wings.
One eye squinted, the other wide open.
"You know, Nujah, there used to be a guy who sold crepes by this road. Now we all just eat dust."
Nujah didn't reply.
The crow was used to echoing itself anyway.
"This silence is killing me," it said again. "I mean… you were dead, right? Do the dead get such nice walkways? You're lucky. I've lost even my ankles."
Without taking his eyes off the road, Nujah turned toward a stone statue.
A fallen warrior with a broken neck and a sunken face.
One line carved on the base was still visible:
> "Those who leave their hearts behind turn to stone when they return."
The crow noticed it too.
"Yup… you're getting all dramatic again. Anyway, we could still go back, you know. Maybe your mom forgave you. Maybe she even has a cozy nest for me…"
Nujah stopped.
The crow grabbed its beak.
Then burst into laughter.
"Ahaha, okay okay, I'm done. Time to get serious. We're heading to Vercurius.
I bet they'll roast us the moment we arrive."
"He can't roast me," Nujah finally said.
His voice was cold.
"Even if I'm not as strong as before," he continued,
"there's no way I'd lose to him."
He pulled something from his coat.
Chains — dark, heavy, and etched with old runes.
"These were made by Naraka.
If Vercurius doesn't have something like this…
then he better figure things out on his own."
The crow blinked.
"You know, you could've just said that in a more normal way."
Nujah didn't respond.
His steps grew more steady.
Off in the distance, far beyond the hills,
smoke was rising from the edge of the ocean.
The scent of salt and ash began to fill the air.
Nujah smirked slightly.
"Hope you like the ocean breeze," he said.
The crow tilted its head.
"I'm already regretting this."