The crow's eyes widened like saucers when it saw Nujah walking over the ocean.
It puffed up its feathers and shrieked:
> "If I knew we were going for a walk, I would've brought flippers!"
Nujah's face remained serious, but the crow wouldn't stop:
Nujah gave short, clear answers:
> "We go in, we get out, we take what she had, and we leave."
The crow kept whining, but Nujah didn't slow down.
They gradually approached the floating city — Vercu.
---
Vercu stood tall before them with massive towers rising from the water.
Its golden upper layers stretched into the sky.
The entry point was dangerous.
Guards patrolled the perimeter.
Nujah quietly pulled out an old cloak and covered his face.
The crow couldn't help itself:
> "Your stealth score… is minus eight. That cloak draws more attention than it hides!"
Nujah began climbing one of the tall towers.
A soldier almost spotted him.
Just then, the crow shouted from above:
> "Look down! A cloud exploded!"
As the guards turned toward the sound, Nujah slipped by unnoticed, reaching the lower level of the tower.
---
The stone path beneath his feet resembled faded lines of an old map.
No signs marked the way. But he knew — the road still recognized him.
Children played in the street:
"You're caught!" – "No, that doesn't count!"
A vendor shouted nearby:
"Three for two! Fresh as can be!"
A man passed by, dragging two small horses.
Two guards in gleaming armor marched slowly.
The crow perched on his shoulder:
> "Are we here?"
Nujah pointed upward — toward the golden castles.
> "You don't need to know. But his place is up there."
The crow shuddered:
> "You mean… fly up there? Into the golden towers? Even my feathers would be taxed up there!"
Nujah kept walking and whispered:
> "Fly if you can. But be careful. Everyone in this city is for sale… but some only want your soul."
---
As Nujah passed silently through the villagers, his eyes caught a thief.
A young boy had stolen an old woman's pouch and ran.
No one noticed.
But Nujah stopped.
He moved his fingers gently.
Gravity collapsed.
The boy dropped face-first as if crushed by an invisible giant.
No one knew what happened.
Nujah walked on as if nothing had occurred.
The crow blinked.
> "Is that a new trick? Pretty impressive. But if you do that to me, my feathers will snap."
> "I don't want attention," Nujah replied.
"Trust me, that was silent."
A few streets later, a worn tavern door creaked open.
It was dark inside, but warm and full.
The crow stayed outside, perched on the wooden roof.
Nujah entered and sat at an empty table in the corner.
In the dim light, someone turned their head.
An old, bearded man. His eyes widened.
> "…You… Nujah?"
Nujah gave a slight nod.
The man stood, pulling out a chair, hand shaking with a glass.
> "You saved me during the collapse… I haven't forgotten.
But… why are you here? This city is full of enemies for you."
Nujah said only one sentence:
> "I'm looking for Vercurius my sister."
The man's hands began to tremble.
He glanced around.
Then whispered:
> "They're preparing a ceremony… near the Golden Castles in the upper district.
They don't say who it's for. But we know.
Shinrei is there."
After a pause, Nujah asked:
> "Is there an open path or a hidden tunnel that leads there?"
The man blinked, looked away, and lowered his voice even more:
> "Behind the northern towers, near the stables… there's an old maintenance passage.
Officially shut down… but some still use it."
Nujah nodded.
Before leaving, he whispered:
> "Thank you."
Just as he turned his back, a hundred silver coins dropped in front of the man.
The clinking echoed across the tavern.
The man was stunned.
> "This… this is more than enough…"
But Nujah was already out the door.
---
His shadow merged with the crow waiting outside.
The stone streets glowed red under the setting sun.
They walked side by side.
The crow murmured:
> "You've been way too quiet. Say something!
What's the plan after we sneak in? Gonna say 'hi'?"
Nujah didn't reply.
But suddenly, he heard a child crying ahead.
A little girl had dropped her ice cream.
It melted into the hot stone, cream and chocolate spreading.
The crow noticed too:
> "Ah yes… the world really is cruel."
Nujah slowed.
Reached into his pocket.
Everything fell silent for a moment.
Time… stepped back.
The ice cream was back in her hand.
As if it had never fallen.
The girl blinked, then smiled.
She hadn't noticed a thing.
Nujah kept walking as if nothing happened.
The crow turned:
> "You act like a miracle… and don't even notice.
Anyway, you scored some points. You just rewound a child's fate."
Nujah spoke a single word:
> "Stay silent."
---
As the sun vanished, Nujah stood at a corner.
Shadows stretched.
He waited for the right moment.
Even the crow was silent now.
They both knew — night in Vercu flowed differently.
Hours passed quietly.
Dark blue twilight cloaked Vercu's towers.
Street lamps flickered, and people slowly returned home.
Suddenly, Nujah stopped.
He raised his right hand slowly, palm facing the sky.
Darkness leaked through his fingers.
A wave of shadow spread outward.
The castle's surroundings…
…were swallowed by darkness.
Towers, balconies, guards — vanished like mist.
> "That… isn't magic," the crow whispered, voice suddenly quiet.
"It's something else… like a veil. You can't even feel it."
Nujah said nothing.
He walked into the shadow without a sound.
The crow watched him.
Then flinched.
No jokes this time.
It silently opened its wings and followed.
> "I've talked too much around you…" it muttered.
"But right now… I don't want to speak."
Inside, it was dark — but Nujah could see.
For one who walks with shadow, darkness is the path itself.
He stepped silently.
The crow followed, for the first time… not as a nuisance,
but as a companion.
Under the shadow, the inside of the castle was silent.
They walked through narrow corridors.
The crow seemed to be holding its breath.
At last, they stopped in front of a door: the kitchen.
The door creaked open.
No one was inside.
Onion peels on the floor, full cauldrons, and the scent of steam from the vents.
Nujah paused for a moment, then raised his fingers to eye level.
Illusion magic.
His face changed.
His clothing turned into the dirty apron of a garbage cleaner.
The crow stared, mouth agape.
"Don't forget me!" he whispered.
With a touch, Nujah transformed him as well:
into a feathery cleaning mop.
> "This isn't humiliating at all," said the crow.
"But I might forgive you... if this actually works."
The duo entered the kitchen.
As they passed by the cauldrons, servants moved in and out, but no one grew suspicious.
Meanwhile, the crow whispered quietly to Nujah:
> "The top floor here… that's the royal quarters, right?"
"Vercurius might be up there."
Nujah nodded.
"Yes. But there's something else below…"
The crow squinted.
"The event floor?"
Nujah whispered:
> "Everyone will gather downstairs for the ceremony.
While they clear out the upper floors, we go up.
But we need to set a trap. If things go wrong… we'll need a distraction."
The crow started thinking.
"You can't use me as the trap."
Nujah looked at him.
"No. This time I have something else in mind. This city… it won't crumble to noise, but it might tremble at hope."
The crow shivered.
"What does that even mean?"
Nujah smiled faintly.
"I don't know yet."
As they left the kitchen, Nujah approached a window.
Without drawing attention, he placed his fingers on the glass.
With a faint shimmer, the window silently opened inward.
The crow blinked.
> "We're going out through there?"
"No hidden passage?"
"Unnecessary," Nujah said.
And slipped outside, merging with the shadows.
The crow leapt after him.
As they climbed floor by floor, Nujah changed his face and clothing at each level:
First, a kitchen cleaner,
Then a head janitor,
On the next floor, a servant,
And finally, the chief attendant.
The crow watched with a mix of awe and anxiety:
> "It's like a magical makeup kit. Except full of knives."
At the top floor, nearing the door of the royal quarters, Nujah stopped again.
He listened.
Footsteps, murmurs…
Noble guests were just beyond the door.
Nujah took a deep breath.
Once more, he raised his fingers into the air.
His eyes briefly turned white.
His appearance changed:
A graceful mask now covered his face.
His outfit transformed into a heavy, gold-embroidered gown.
A noblewoman.
The crow muttered under his breath:
> "That's... a bit too impressive.
In this form, I'd gladly serve you."
Without turning his head, Nujah replied coldly:
> "Say something like that again... and I'll sell you to the nearest merchant. No label included."
The crow immediately shut up and perched on his shoulder.
> "Alright alright… heavy costume, heavy humor... message received."
And Nujah slowly pushed the royal chamber door open.
It made no sound.
Nujan was inside now.
At the highest floor, in the most dangerous place.
---
Nujah stepped into the grand hall — cloaked in an outfit crafted by his sister Mabaka herself.
The fabric flowed like night silk, deep sapphire embroidered with golden symbols that shimmered only when touched by light at the right angle. His collar bore a forgotten family sigil, only visible to those who remembered.
And in that moment, the atmosphere cracked.
Every head turned toward him.
Conversations froze mid-sentence.
Laughter died in throats.
Glasses paused mid-toast.
Even breath itself was forgotten.
All eyes watched him — as if Death had walked the runway.
And just then, from above, the crow moved.
It understood.
Nujah needed a distraction — now.
With a shriek, it launched toward the chandelier, wings slashing the air in wild, glimmering arcs.
> "Oh my stars! What a marvelous ballroom! Nobody move — that cozy beam is mine!"
A few nobles chuckled.
Others frowned.
But crucially — no one looked at Nujah anymore.
His hand moved quietly behind his back.
His figure shimmered in the candlelight —
and then vanished.
No footsteps. No sound.
Only a thin trail of black mist sliding into the edges of the room.
He became the shadow.
Not magic — instinct.
He slipped under tables, behind curtains, around statues.
Not seeking guards. Not hunting for Vercurius.
He was chasing signs.
A single coin beneath a chair.
A smudge on a painting's edge.
Dust trailing the wrong direction.
He didn't know exactly what he was looking for.
But something here did not belong.
And whatever it was — it had just moved.
From the corner of his ear, nobles' chatter resumed.
One voice pierced the veil:
> "She's going to his chamber tonight — the one with the golden door!"
"They say she's his lover. Can you believe it?"
"She told me she's sending an excuse in about three hours…"
Giggling followed. None noticed what ears had heard too much.
Nujah quietly slipped back, shadows draping over him like a second skin.
The crow descended beside him.
In a low tone, Nujah whispered:
> "Come."
They entered an empty chamber.
The door shut behind them.
Then — swift as thought — Nujah turned, seized the crow by the throat.
From his fingers, dark veins of shadow crawled into its feathers.
Its wings stiffened. Breath shortened.
> "I'm sorry," Nujah said coldly.
"But you tried to fool me first."
The crow struggled.
Too late.
—
Two hours later, the chamber door creaked open.
Vercurius stepped inside.
The moment his foot crossed the threshold, gravity shattered.
The world inverted.
Furniture, drapes, even floating dust — all collapsed toward the floor.
Nothing rose.
Nothing breathed.
But Vercurius stood untouched — as if walking through the eye of a silent storm.
He smiled.
> "Didn't think you'd fall so easily… not after all this time."
He turned to the crow.
> "Well done. The paper you wanted — I have it. Take it."
But the voice that replied wasn't the crow's.
It was calm. Smooth. Familiar.
> "Thank you, my lord."
Nujah's voice.
Vercurius blinked.
There he stood — Nujah, completely still, eyes locked with his.
And something inside Vercurius broke.
His knees buckled.
His arms fell limp.
He had seen something he was not meant to see.
Then — silence.
His body collapsed to the ground.
Unconscious.
Nujah returned to his true form.
He turned to the crow.
With a wave of his hand, he withdrew the curse —
the dark threads slipping away from its throat and wings.
The crow gasped — fully healed.
Unharmed.
Then Nujah approached Vercurius's fallen form.
From within his robes, he retrieved what they had come for —
the sealed fragment.
He raised his hand.
Shadows coiled like smoke, binding Vercurius's limbs midair.
His body hovered in dark silence.
Without a word, Nujah activated the runes he had etched earlier.
A teleportation spell — linked to the nearest coastal city, beside the great ocean.
And in a blink —
They reappeared at a quiet harbor.
The sky was pale.
Dawn approaching.
Nujah stepped toward a docked ship.
Handed a heavy pouch to the sailor.
> "You heard nothing tonight," he said.
"No matter what it sounded like."
The man nodded.
The weight of gold outweighed the weight of questions.
And without another word,
the ship vanished into the mist.
---