Eccar stood up slowly, his gaze never leaving the broken figure before him. With a flick of his hand, the spears of earth crumbled back into dust, sinking into the ground as if they had never been there.
The bird man let out ragged wheezing breaths. Now, as he felt the pressure on his wings vanish, he blinked in confusion. He looked up at Eccar, his face twisted with pain and disbelief.
"You're… letting me go?" he rasped.
Eccar just crossed his arms and gave a small nod toward the dark stretch of trees behind the bird man.
For a long moment, the bird man hesitated. Then, with a shuddering groan, he forced himself to stand. His wings hung uselessly at his sides, blood dripping onto the roots and leaves below. Every step was full of pain but he pushed forward whil elimping and stumbling then broke to half-running deeper into the forest's shadows.
Eccar watched him go until the broken champion vanished between the trunks and mist swallowed him whole.
