In a small, medieval-style motel, Alden, Zira, and Ember stood in front of the counter, Alden and Zira wings unfurled behind them as Ember was perched on Zira's head.. "Gaian's catching up," Alden informed the group. They nodded in silent acknowledgment.
The front room of the motel was unsettling—its dim lights flickered, casting long shadows that danced across the empty space. The only other figure was a towering man dressed entirely in black. His pale face contrasted sharply with his massive upper body, supported by unnervingly thin legs. The eerie silence hung thick in the air, making the room feel even more ominous.
"Good evening." The man suddenly appeared in front of them, causing all three to jump and shout in fear.
"How did you get from there to here?!" Alden blurted, eyes wide, but the man simply smiled and stared at him, unblinking.
"This is Motel Beaktree. I assume you'll be needing three rooms?" His voice was calm, but his intense gaze sent chills down their spines.
"N-no," Zira stammered, feeling goosebumps crawl up her neck. "We have four people." Her voice wavered as she spoke. The man's smile twisted into a frown, but there was something off about it, something that made Zira's stomach churn—a feeling you'd have to experience to understand.
"Who is the fourth?" he asked, his eyes boring into her.
Just then, I burst through the door, panting and out of breath. "Running is so hard without wings to guide me!" I wheezed, raising a finger to pause the conversation. "Just… give me a second." I stumbled over to a nearby water fountain, grabbed a cup from the top, and pulled down the dispenser. As the water flowed, I took a long drink—then froze, my eyes widening in horror.
"A tooth?!" I shrieked, spitting the water and dropping the cup. "There was a tooth in the cup!" I turned around, heart pounding, only to find the man standing directly in front of me. He had moved from the counter to me in an instant. His unsettling gaze lingered on me, and his presence made my skin crawl.
"Apologies," he said, grinning. I could now see the gap where his tooth was missing. "Must've fallen in when I was refilling the fountain." His smile was unnerving. "Please forgive me—I'll give you all a free room for the trouble."
"Do you serve free lunch and breakfast? I get hungry fast," I asked, rubbing my feathery stomach. The man nodded and pointed to a small, barely noticeable table behind him.
"I'll be serving breakfast," he said with another nod. Then, unexpectedly, he turned his attention to Ember, who coughed awkwardly. Without warning, he bolted toward her, moving like a twisted cartoon character, his legs stretching in long, unsettling strides. He stopped inches in front of her, his beady eyes locking onto hers.
"Are you alright?" His feathers ruffled as he leaned closer. Ember flinched in fear. "Y-yes," she stammered, backing away slightly. "Well then, you should all be getting to your rooms," he suggested with an eerie smile, tossing me a key, which I caught in mid-air.
"Thanks," I muttered, feeling a growing unease.
Once inside the room, Zira, Ember, and I gathered around Alden, who was visibly uncomfortable, his arms crossed defensively. "And why are you all huddled around me?" he asked, narrowing his eyes. I absentmindedly bit at my talons, which kept growing back each time.
"Because you're the one who deals with creepy stuff. Darkness and all that," I explained. He huffed in frustration. "Et tu, Zira?" Alden asked, turning to her. She let out a nervous purr, her eyes darting toward the door. "He's like seven feet tall and built… wrong. Something's off about him," she whispered, clinging to Alden for reassurance.
"We should make a buddy system," Ember suggested, her voice shaky. "I'll stick with Gaian, and Alden and Zira can stick together." Alden sighed deeply. "I can't believe I'm the one expected to handle this…"
A few moments later, Zira and Alden lay in one of the beds, awkwardly positioned—Zira sleeping with her head at the top, feet dangling off the edge, while Alden was stretched out in the opposite direction. On the other bed, I tried to sleep with Ember's claws gripping my chest in fear. Her unconscious grip was tight, but she slept soundly.
I stirred awake, feeling the need to use the bathroom. Gently, I lifted Ember's claws off me and laid her down carefully. She shifted but stayed asleep, her breathing soft and steady. I yawned, stretched, and winced as my back cracked. Heading toward the bathroom, I grabbed a doorknob, only to find it locked. "Must be a closet," I mumbled to myself.
That's when I heard it—scratching at the door.
I froze for a moment, my heart skipping a beat, then slowly approached. As I reached for the knob, the door creaked open on its own, revealing the tall, eerie figure of the man from the lobby. His hollow eyes stared down at me.
"You should lock your door at night," he said in a deep, gravelly voice. Silence hung between us, the tension thick. Then he turned to leave—but his body twisted first, with his head lagging behind as if on a delay, like something out of a nightmare. Without another word, he shuffled back toward the lobby.
I slammed the door shut, my hands trembling. "I don't have to use the bathroom anymore," I muttered, crawling back into bed. My eyes were wide, staring at the ceiling, heart pounding.
"Alden," I whispered urgently. "Did you see that?"
From across the room, Alden replied, his voice groggy. "Yeah."
"Then why didn't you do anything?!" I hissed in frustration.
He sat up, rubbing his face. "Because I know you. If I got up, you'd want me to investigate it with you. The guy has a key to our room, and you got so scared you probably pissed yourself! What do you expect me to do? Probably piss myself too." He flopped back onto the bed, clearly not keen on playing detective.
He sat up, rubbing his face. "Because I know you. If I got up, you'd want me to investigate it with you. The guy has a key to our room, and you got so scared you probably pissed yourself! What do you expect me to do? Probably piss myself too." He flopped back onto the bed, clearly not keen on playing detective.
I glared at him, annoyed. "Real nice, Alden. We're supposed to be the brave ones here, and you're giving up that easily?"
He sighed, pulling the blanket over his head. "It's not about bravery, Gaian. It's about survival. That guy gives me the creeps. He's got a key, remember? If he wanted to kill us, he wouldn't need to knock. Let's just stay put and act normal, okay?"
I groaned and laid back down, staring at the ceiling again. "So, we're just gonna pretend he's not some freaky birdman who sneaks around at night?"
"Exactly," Alden mumbled from under the covers. "We ignore him, we survive. That's the plan."
Ember stirred beside me, her claws twitching in her sleep. "You sure you don't want to team up and take him down?" I pressed, hoping to rile Alden up just enough.
He peeked out from under the blanket with a tired, deadpan look. "Gaian, if you wake me up again, I swear I'll let him lock you in the closet."
I heard Alden start snoring and growled in frustration. "Zira!" I whispered sharply.
"No," she replied instantly, her voice stern before she rolled over and fell right back to sleep.
"Was everyone awake for that?!" I hissed in disbelief.
From the darkness, I heard a series of half-asleep hums—each one a lazy confirmation.
I let out a defeated growl and flopped back onto my pillow. "Unbelievable," I muttered, before reluctantly closing my eyes and trying to sleep.
I jolted awake and immediately noticed the empty room around me. The others were gone. "Why is it so damn cold?" I muttered, rubbing my arms. A shiver ran down my spine as I threw off the blanket and swung my legs over the edge of the bed.
I glanced down and froze. My legs were bare—several of my feathers had fallen out overnight. My eyes darted to the bed, where loose feathers lay scattered like a strange offering. "I guess I shed last night," I whispered to myself, trying to shake off the unease crawling up my neck.
Rising to my feet, I noticed the door to our room slightly ajar. That's weird. I didn't leave it open. Cautiously, I approached and pushed it the rest of the way open, stepping out into the dimly lit hallway. The air was heavy, almost stifling, and the only sound was the quiet creaking of the old building settling in the morning cold.
As I moved down the hallway and entered the lobby, I spotted Zira, Alden, and Ember sitting at a small, rickety table, whispering among themselves. Relief washed over me at the sight of them, but something was off—their expressions were tense, like they had just seen something they didn't want to talk about.
"Morning," I greeted, though my voice came out more strained than I intended. Everyone looked up at me—Zira managed a weak smile, but the room remained silent.
Alden's wings twitched anxiously, a telltale sign of his nerves, while Zira absently picked at her claws. Ember's usual fiery confidence was nowhere to be seen; she stared blankly at the table. "Last night, Zira and I went to get some ice," Ember said, trying to break the tension. "The innkeeper was just... staring at us the entire time. We were there for at least 30 minutes, and he didn't even blink. It was like he was waiting for something."
"I've just had my wings detached, and now I'm dealing with this creepy guy," I muttered, frustration clear in my voice. As I spoke, the bell above the door jingled, drawing everyone's gaze upward. I followed their stares and tilted my head to see the man standing there, his eyes locked onto me.
"How was your first night?" he asked, his gaze sweeping over the group. "I apologize for the disturbance last night. I intended to perform some maintenance on the room, but I didn't want to wake you."
He produced a key adorned with feathers. The sight of them sent an odd sensation through my legs, an uncomfortable itch that made me fidget. The feathers on the key seemed to shimmer, almost as if they were subtly drawn toward me. I couldn't believe it—were those my feathers?
I wasn't sure if he knew what I was thinking, but the man quickly pocketed the key and disappeared behind the counter, into another room. "We just need to hang around here until we find some information on the whereabouts of the vessels—Seraphina, the Swan of Serenity, and Pyra, the Phoenix of Rebirth," I said, my voice low but firm. "We should scout the area, ask around." The others nodded in agreement.
As I glanced down, something caught my eye: an ID badge that read, Employee of the Month, with a photo of a young boy. "One of that man's workers," I muttered to myself, picking up the badge. "I wonder where he is now."
Moments later, we were outside, the fog thick around us like a damp blanket, reducing visibility to almost nothing. I strained my hearing, relying on my heightened senses as my sight was limited. Above me, Zira and Alden flew through the mist, and I gave them the signal to scout ahead. They nodded, wings flapping as they vanished into the dense fog.
Ember perched herself on my shoulder, her claws digging into me lightly as we navigated through the eerie town. "Troutbeak is such a creepy place," she muttered, her voice barely louder than a whisper. I couldn't help but agree. The air was thick, not just with fog but with the unsettling feeling that we were being watched.
From deep within the mist, I spotted the hulking figure of the man again. His long, gangly limbs flailed as he moved, almost like a grotesque cartoon character come to life. His unnerving speed made my heart race—his mouth hanging wide open in a twisted grin as he charged forward. Ember and I froze, goosebumps prickling up our skin. Instinctively, I dropped into a fighting stance.
"S-Stay back!" I shouted, bracing myself as he came barreling toward us.
But just as he reached us, he slowed to a casual jog, his massive frame towering overhead. He glanced down, nodding politely. "On your left," he muttered, passing by without a second glance.
I blinked, still tense, unable to shake the eerie chill that lingered in the air. I could feel Ember's heart pounding against the side of my head. Gently, I picked her up, cradling her in my arms as I slowly rubbed her golden feathers. "G-Gaian, can we go back to the room now?" Her voice trembled, and a tear of fear rolled down her cheek, her feathers shivering in sync with her anxiety.
I hesitated but then nodded, torn between the need to gather more information about the vessels and the reality that my archangel was terrified. We walked back in silence, the unsettling atmosphere still clinging to us like a second skin.
Once inside the room, Ember's claws were still tightly sunk into my shoulder, her grip like a vice. She wasn't letting go. I sat on the bed, eyes drifting toward the closet across from us. "What's in there?" I muttered aloud. Something about it felt wrong. I stood up, my curiosity and unease battling for control. My hand hovered over the knob, and despite Ember's pleading grip, I twisted it. It clicked but refused to turn any further. Locked.
"M-maybe we should leave it alone," Ember whispered, clinging tighter, but I ignored the warning. With a forceful pull, the door wrenched free from its hinges.
What I saw inside made my blood run cold.
A pair of binoculars, perfectly positioned and aimed at the room. Beyond that, a wall plastered with wanted posters—sketched portraits of me, Alden, Zira, and Ember. Two empty spaces marked the spots for the missing vessels: Seraphina and Pyra.
But that wasn't the worst of it.
Scrawled across the wall in thick, blood-red letters was a poem. The same words etched into my soul, twisted into an omen of our doom:
In shadows deep, he stalks the night,
A whisper caught in fading light.
With every step, a silent dread,
He feeds on fear, where hope has fled.
The heart that pounds, the breath held tight,
He savors terror, veiled in fright.
A smile that chills, a gaze so cold,
He thrives on fear, the weak enfold.
For in the dark, where courage dies,
He feasts on whispers, gasps, and cries.
And when the dawn brings fading breath,
You'll know too late—he's not just fear, he's death.
At the bottom of the poem stood the man—the same towering figure, now inside the closet. His cold, lifeless eyes locked onto mine.
And then, everything went black.
When I regained consciousness, I found myself suspended in midair. My limbs dangled weightlessly, and as I scanned my surroundings, I noticed the eerie sight of other bodies floating around me—pale, lifeless, their eyes hollow as if their very souls had been drained.
In front of me stood the man, his deadened gaze fixed on nothing, his presence cold and menacing. Slowly, he raised a hand, and from his palm, two small glowing objects appeared, swirling faintly like tiny, trapped spirits.
"Do you know what these are?" His voice was flat, emotionless.
I swallowed thickly, my voice hoarse. "Souls?" I managed, my throat raw with fear.
His gnarled fingers wrapped around my neck with sudden, crushing force. He began to squeeze, cutting off my breath in an instant. "Your souls," he hissed, his grip like iron. I struggled, gasping for air, my hands clawing at his arm, but he was impossibly strong. Golden blood spilled from my mouth, my vision blurring as my head drooped weakly.
Through the haze, I caught sight of Ember. Her small body hung beside me, ashen and shriveled, a far cry from her usual vibrant self. "W-who are you?" I croaked, my voice barely more than a rasp, the remnants of shattered bones grinding in my throat.
The man leaned in close, his breath cold against my ear. "Let's see… Gaian, vessel of the divine owl Sagea," he whispered, his tone mocking. "But that's not all you are, is it?"
He stepped back, a twisted smile playing on his lips as he picked up a gleaming scythe, the weapon casting a deathly glow.
"Wait…" I gasped, the realization hitting me with gut-wrenching terror. "You… you're the Grim Reaper! Tall, skeletal, everywhere at once... and a room full of soulless bodies..." I trailed off, choking on my own blood as fear coursed through me.
He smirked, an expression devoid of warmth. "I go by many names," he said, lifting the scythe effortlessly. "But I prefer 'Death'."
Without warning, his fist plunged into my side, and I felt my ribs shatter under the force. My breath left me in a rush, eyes rolling back as the jagged bones punctured my organs. The last thing I saw was his cold, unfeeling gaze as the world faded into darkness once again.
He slapped me hard, jolting me awake. My mouth was filled with blood, and tears streamed down my face as I struggled to focus.
"Nope! I need to explain why I'm here," he said, his voice dripping with menace. He watched with cold detachment as I coughed up blood, his eyes never leaving me. "You ended your life once before and woke up in this new body. The only thing that enrages me is," he said, his scythe slicing through my flesh with a sickening sound, "why were you chosen to be the divine owl's vessel? The universe you came from is nothing like this one."
He twisted the scythe, and I screamed, the agony piercing through me. He then kicked the wound, sending a fresh wave of pain through my body. "I—I don't know! I have no idea why—"
Before I could finish, I heard Zira and Alden calling me from outside the motel room. "HELP!" I managed to shout, but he silenced me with a chilling touch. He reached into my chest, his hand passing through my flesh as though it were made of mist. I felt a terrible void as he extracted my heart, a radiant white organ pulsing with golden blood.
He held the heart up, its light flickering as he pressed his finger to his lips in a mocking gesture. "Shh," he said softly, watching with an eerie calm as my body grew pale and weak.
He suspended my heart in the air, leaving it to float ominously, then vanished without a trace.
Suddenly, Death appeared behind Zira and Alden, causing them to jolt in surprise. "Ms. Zira, Mr. Alden," he greeted with eerie politeness. Zira turned slowly, her face pale with fear. "O-oh, hello... have you seen Gaian and Ember?" she asked, her voice trembling.
Death's unsettling grin returned as he answered, "Your two friends? I believe they were looking for something outside." He vanished again, only to reappear behind her, his chin resting lightly on her shoulder. Zira flinched, feeling his cold, soulless eyes just inches from her face.
Alden, sensing the danger, tapped Death's shoulder, forcing him to turn and crouch to Alden's eye level. "You know," Alden began calmly, "we never actually signed in. Why don't we take care of that now? I doubt we'll be leaving anytime soon."
Death's bony fingers wrapped around Alden's arm, guiding him to the counter. He handed Alden a sign-in sheet. Alden stared at it for a long moment, aware of Death's cold gaze as his fingers twitched idly.
Then Alden looked up, eyes sharp. "There's something off," he said, turning the paper toward Death. "You called us Zira and Alden, but... we never wrote our names on the registration." He smirked, letting the paper fall to the ground.
Death's smile flickered. "I heard your friend call you by name," he began, but the lie was thin.
Before he could continue, Zira flash-stepped between them. "Nope," she interrupted, voice firm. "Gaian never said our names, not until we were outside. You came to our room late at night. Nothing that a normal innkeeper would do. But you had no way of knowing who we were."
The room fell silent, the truth hanging in the air like a knife. Death's grin twisted into something darker, his gaze shifting between them, calculating.
Zira's gaze fell upon the counter, where a soulless body lay sprawled. Her eyes widened in recognition. "That's the boy from the 'Employee of the Month' card Gaian had earlier," she said, her voice steady despite the horror. "So, I take it you're not the original owner of this place."
Before Death could respond, he moved with unnerving speed, touching both Zira and Alden on the chest. In the blink of an eye, they were transported to the same grim soul room where I was suspended. They gasped as they saw my battered form and the heart hanging ominously in the air.
"Gaian! Ember!" they shouted, their voices filled with panic as they took in the sight of our suspended figures and the glowing heart.
Zira's eyes darted between me and Ember, her fear palpable. "What have you done to them?" she demanded, her voice trembling. Alden's fists clenched in anger, his usually calm demeanor shattered by the sight of us.
Death's lips curled into a chilling smile. "Welcome to the true depths of my domain," he said softly, his tone devoid of sympathy. "Here, you'll find answers to questions you didn't know you had, and perhaps… the end you feared most."
As the realization of our dire predicament set in, the room seemed to close in around them, thickening the atmosphere with dread.
I coughed, blood dripping from my lips. "I need to tell you something," I rasped, my voice barely audible. "This man… he's the literal embodiment of Death. He wants to kill me, not because he understands me—but because he doesn't." My words were punctuated by the harsh rhythm of my breath as Death's cold, unblinking gaze lingered on me.
Despite the pain, I smiled, glancing at my heart hanging in the air. "I don't fully understand myself either, but you don't have to take these souls. I think… all you really want is a friend. Let me be the light in your darkness, Death."
For a moment, Death's hollow eyes softened, his expression unreadable. He looked down. "It's lonely being Death."
I nodded, feeling his grip on us loosen. We fell to the ground, the weight of gravity rushing back. Gasping, I felt my heart return to my chest, warmth spreading through me as the souls he'd taken flew back to their rightful places—either returning to their bodies or to their final resting grounds.
Standing, I placed a hand on his bony shoulder. "Thank you."
For the first time, Death smiled—a fragile, almost human smile. "So, what now?" he asked, but before I could respond, Ember sprang into action, her eyes glowing with a rainbow aura. She stabbed him in the heart with a crystal blade, catching him off guard.
Zira wasted no time, hitting him with a flurry of 100 blink strikes, her movements too fast for even Death to track. He screamed in pain, his body hurled into the air. "Dumbass," Alden muttered, summoning his shadow assassin to dash at him, cutting through with brutal precision.
I straightened up, a cocky grin creeping onto my face as I watched him struggle. "You think you can touch an elegant man's heart and get away with it?" I taunted, savoring the moment.
The others groaned in unison. "He's on the 'elegant' thing again," Alden sighed, shaking his head.
Death's body began to glow with a golden light due to my eclipse surge kicking in, and with lightning speed, I unleashed a thousand heavy strikes in an instant, each blow resonating with raw power. He hit the ground with a sickening thud, his face caved in, body battered and bruised.
As Death's body began to disintegrate into dust, Sagea's voice echoed in my mind, a warning laced with ancient wisdom. {Death isn't just one person, Gaian. It's a clan—a force born from the remnants of our downfall. It was created by the Shadow Flock's Morvyn, the Cursed Vulture. What you faced was merely a fragment, an echo of a much darker power. There are millions more out there. If you had encountered the true embodiment, the main one… you may not have survived.}
"What the hell, Sagea?! Where were you during all of that? You've been silent ever since you took control to fight Nocturne and Zephyra!" I shouted angrily in my mind.
{D-don't yell at me! I've been a bad girl…} she replied timidly, her voice surprisingly shy.
"What… what the hell? Why are you talking like that?" I asked, completely thrown off by her sudden shift.
She cleared her throat. {I thought I'd try speaking more, uh, modern. I went through your memories, pulled some lines from those shows you used to watch in your past life.}
I groaned, rubbing my temples in frustration. "Stop doing that!"
I must've looked insane to the others, hitting my head as I scolded her. They were staring, completely unaware of the strange conversation going on in my head with Sagea.