Calaf's clothes were now strewn about on the floor and a bird was perched on an armrest. Panting, the bird shuts its eyes as it trembles, relieving the final aftershocks of the painful shockwave.
'It was bound to happen around this time anyways,' Calaf thought, shaking out his wings.
He had become a crow about the size of a stray cat. A crow with purple eyes and faint silver markings of swirls and cursive writing on the wings. His appearance was still intimidating even in the form of a crow. He sighed as he flew about in the room. He perched on the windowsill as he looked down at the cities from his office window. His bedroom wasn't far from the office, but he felt more at peace in the place where his knowledge and solitude graced him rather than being in the dark of his bedroom which only brought him troublesome memories.
The bird closed its eyes for some time before it dipped outside. Eyes still closed, the crow fell as the wind whistled past its wings. The bird felt at peace falling down for once letting only the wind guide his movements. As if sensing the ground approaching closer, the bird opened its eyes as it gained enough momentum. I shot its beautiful wings out and swerved and shot to the sky flying away from the castle and its towering pillars and domes.
The Pareshwaran Palace was located in Pereshwar, a megacity like Karandish but in an area more subtle and quieter. The first emperor Shahjalal Inyak Khattab was smart enough to choose a wider and open space to allow freedom and more land access. Pereshwar was known for its abundant resources, contrary to Karandish which was more known for business affairs and tourism. Pereshwar was undoubtedly though, the most beautiful city in the entire Kingdom. The sandstorms were less violent in Pereshwar, compared to how it's like on the outskirts of Karandish.
As the bird continued flying, it passed a few small towns and was about to enter the grand city of Karandish. The lights were still visible even from such a height, it was truly a city that never slept. Life was so exotic and entertaining in Karandish. The crow flew over mansions, stores, and plazas before settling atop the Thelowars' mansion. It was sunset and the dark night started to greet the city as the moon winked out from a group of moving clouds. Basking in the cool moonlight the crow sighed.
He was feeling so empty inside, each time he closed his eyes and tried to shut himself off from the world. The beautiful lights, people, and the mood. Everything was wonderful yet the crow couldn't help but still feel dull and unfeeling to the outside world. The black mana in him flowed slowly, like unrefined crude oil, it was pure but disgusting. It gathered in him, spreading in his body.
He hated it, the being he was. He hated it so much that he wanted to carve it out himself. No markings worked to free him from the hatred he felt. The loneliness that bites at him and gnaws at his insides, carving out a pain that can't be expressed. How many times did he have to carve himself over and over to be free from the dull world he was seeing? No colors, but just figures and blotches and movements and sounds. Where does he go, what makes him happy, he didn't know.
His eyes closed, he saw red and black and white. He wanted to see more colors. He couldn't feel, he couldn't see, he couldn't hear happy things. Every time he blinked it pained him to see the things rolling around inside his mind. It was hard for him to sleep at night without taking suppressants to relax his body. He wanted to be out of his body, and be able to fall for just a second without having to look back. He shook his head as he tried to open his eyes but he couldn't. It started to take him in, the effects of the black magic and he reeled back as he rested his head against the wall, the throbbing pain banging around in his head, asking for a release. It was stronger than ever, and he needed something to take his mind off of.
He saw a small figure exiting out the Thelowars' mansion in the corners of his vision. The thing was covered in a bulky but ripped cloak. With weird patches all over. The crow moved its head to look at the figure closer.
'Tch. Poor thing could at least buy something better to cover itself with. Knowing Thelowar, he treats his servants adequately enough for them to at least properly be able to manage themselves.'
The Prince glanced at other servants, maids, and footmen around the mansion and noted how they were more well-dressed than the person earlier. The crow turned to look at the person again but couldn't find his/her presence around the mansion anywhere.
'Strange, I swear I looked away for a second,' the crow thought suspiciously, as its mind started to recover from the throbbing sensation earlier.
Having nothing more to do, the crow decided to follow the person for the time being just to see where he/she went. Flying over the buzzing crowds, the crow passed by windows of happy people and felt indifferent. Not even a feeling of envy crossed him. The crow clenched its jaws and looked away as it swooped down to have a better view of the people. The person was still nowhere to be found.
'How far could the person have gone in a matter of minutes?' The crow thought becoming more suspicious of this mystery person from the Thelowars' mansion. Close to the outskirts of the city, he flew over some more roads and paths until he noticed a familiar bundle of patched cloth. Sitting in the back of a carriage lugging some shipments, the person sat leaning against a box crate sleeping soundly. The crow decided to lightly land on the crate before the carriage jolted over a bump and shook the person awake.
Recognizing his/her surroundings the person stretched and calmly jumped off the truck, lightly as if to not make much noise in the process. The crow was still flapping quietly in the air dumbstruck by this weird person. Before he could fly closer, the person started sprinting fast towards the outskirts of the city. A bit annoyed at the person for always outrunning him, he quickly flew to catch up with the person. This time he wanted to see the person's face.
'There was no way someone that could run this fast and lightly was not some sort of knight or trained personnel. But why was he/she in such a shabby state?' the crow thought hurriedly.
Uniform codes were pretty strict if you belonged to any official household, and the fact that this person didn't abide by the rules all the more added to his suspicions.