The somber skies stretched as far as the eyes could see; a misty rain persisting for many days, plunging the city into a cold and dreadful atmosphere. The light of day trying to pierce through the heavy clouds, it offered only a dim glow upon the tallest of buildings.
"The Anathema Horologe truly is magnificent…" She spoke softly, her eyes gazing in direction of the steeple. She ran her fingers between the plumage, brushing gently against her feathered companion. "What do you think Sephora?" The Raven responded with a single cawing. "A monumental wonder encased in smeared historical facts..." She shook her head, her eyes piercing at the towering structure, enthralled by its enigmatic allure.
From her location, the majority of the city could be seen: a long river separating Cresfall from the old parts, the reflection of the street lights dancing with the waving mist, stacks of smoke reaching high above the clouds. From a distance, its view was of strange beauty; a certain appeal and alluring darkness shrouding what had risen from the old grounds. But all she saw was this one architectural magnificence.
"The darkness draws near..." She closed her eyes. An approaching storm could be heard, a string of lightning bolts flashing amidst the heavy clouds.
She had come from far, to carry out an ambiguous task given to her by her mentor. Seek out the one of Shadows... guide the Light back to the one of Darkness- The Vein must be healed... She recalled his words. She was provided a plentiful amount of gold coins, a phial of Elements and a voluminous memorandum, but no more details on her mandate.
Few days following her departure, she had reached her destination. Although her travels were not without hardships and obstacles, she had faced far darker forces within the walls of this ill-fated city.
"Those armored men... they knew my name..." Her expression creased, her memories regained in full. "They were prepared for my arrival... set on-" She was interrupted by a familiar sound. Her eyes opened, immediately locking upon her faithful companion. "What is it Sephora?"
Resting upon the windowstill, she seemed agitated; ruffling her feather, her croaking sounding different than her usual calls.
"Did you see something?" She sauntered to the adjacent window, more concerned than curious, as she recalled her chase with the guards. Remaining out of sight, she stood still; listening in for any intruding sounds, for even the slightest trace of potential harm. Her winged companion pecked at the glass; a glimpse out the window, she noticed clumps of feathers and drops of blood on its ledge.
"Is that what you were trying to tell me?" She sighed in relief. She opened the casement, stretched out and scouted the outside of the building, in hope she would find what had caught Sephora's attention. A better look at the ledge, her eyes trailed the blood drops to find a bird, one of its wing of crimson hue. "Is that a magpie?" Bleeding... She grabbed a nearby cloth, before climbing out. Standing high above ground, one misstep could prove fatal, yet her only concerned was to bring the bird to safety. Her back firm against the brick wall, she carefully shimmied across to where the injured animal rested. She stood motionless, her eyes fixated upon the bird; in one swift move, she wrapped the cloth around it. Easy there... It struggled, high pitch croaks as it aggressively pecked through the cover. Holding it firmly against her chest, she shimmied back to the window and inside her room.
"Hush..." She whispered, her touch warm, as she carefully freed its head from the cloth. "You may bite my fingers all you want... it won't stop me from caring for you, little one..." She remained calm, unflinching from the magpie's defensive pecking. She grabbed a small vial and linen ribbon from a nearby nightstand; tending to its wound with her gentle touch, she eventually subdued the panicked animal. Her thumb brushing against the side of its head, she held it in her soft embrace. Her eyes gazing upon the gracious Raven, she smiled warmly; this was all too familiar. "You truly are one of a kind, Sephora."
