After finishing the bandaging and making sure she was lying comfortably, using the dead soldier as a makeshift pillow, Adyr settled in and began waiting for the next ritual.
His plan was actually quite simple.
He had intentionally let the patrolling skeletons catch him, just to be brought here, so he could check Vesha's wound and give her basic first aid.
And once he was sure she'd survive a little longer, he would ensure that he was chosen for the next ritual. The moment he was closest to the Dawn Raven—unguarded, exposed—he'd strike, catching it in a single move.
He still wasn't entirely sure what would happen to the rest of the skeletons if he caught or eliminated the Dawn Raven—but for now, that was a detail he was willing to ignore.
It's starting. Adyr thought as he saw the two skeletons that had brought him here begin to move.
His theory was correct—they didn't even glance at the other two bodies lying nearby. Their focus was solely on him, the one still radiating life energy.
"Be gentle, guys," Adyr muttered, extending his arms for them to grab.
As a sacrifice, he was well aware of his legal rights and the ritual rules he had to follow. As long as he played his part perfectly, everything would proceed as planned.
The skeletons grabbed him by the arms and began dragging him toward the stone platform, just like the previous offering.
Adyr looked up at the Dawn Raven, then knelt below the platform, mirroring the praying skeletons around him. He raised his arms, mimicking their posture precisely.
One thing he'd observed earlier was how simple-minded the skeletons seemed. They behaved like programmed constructs—responding only to commands and acting within a fixed task-reward framework. As long as nothing violated their sense of protocol, they didn't intervene. And so far, they haven't.
Seeing him kneel willingly, the two skeletons that had escorted him assumed he posed no threat. They lowered themselves beside him, adopting the same prayer-like position.
With nothing left to block his move, only one final step remained: letting the Dawn Raven get close enough.
Under his watchful gaze, the raven slowly spread its wings and glided down from the platform, drawing near. Adyr didn't move. He simply stared, eyes locked on the creature. And as the Dawn Raven drew closer, he looked straight into its eyes.
Into those pitch-black eyes.
What kind of creature are you? He couldn't help but wonder.
He had looked into the eyes of countless beings before—human, animal, dead, living. And he had always known exactly what he was seeing. Especially the eyes of someone whose soul was slipping away—those were the moments he savored most.
But now, staring into the Dawn Raven's eyes, what he saw caught him off guard.
It wasn't life he saw.
It wasn't death he felt.
It was something familiar. Something he'd seen before, but couldn't quite place. For a moment, he struggled to find the word. Then it hit him.
It felt familiar. And yet, he couldn't remember who they belonged to. Because those eyes had never belonged to anyone else—only to him.
The same eyes he saw staring back at him every time he looked in a mirror.
"You're just like me, aren't you?" He said quietly, voice cold and calm. "A monster… just trying to survive the life forced on you."
Then, without hesitation, he lunged forward, wrapping the strip of cloth, torn from Vesha's dress, tightly around the raven's wings and head, locking it down in a single, swift move.
As he held the raven in his hands, he could feel the creature's heartbeat racing beneath its feathers. "Shh… don't be afraid. I'm not gonna hurt you," he said in a reassuring voice, gently stroking its wings.
But just then, a sudden sense of danger struck him. He leapt back, barely dodging an axe that came down from above, missing him by inches.
"What the hell? Don't you see I'm holding your god—or whatever it is—hostage? You want it dead?" He shouted, quickly raising the raven high for all to see.
Before he could even register the skeletons' reaction to his actions, a text prompt appeared before him:
[You captured a spark. Do you want to start your evolution process?]
– Cost: 20 Energy
– Rewards:
Evolutionary step: Dawn Human
Unlock [Sanctuary]
Unlock [Spark]
Adyr gave the text a brief glance before dismissing it. This wasn't the moment for distractions.
The moment the skeletons saw their precious Dawn Raven in his hands, they froze. Suddenly, everything went silent—not a single sound, as if the entire chamber had glitched out.
Exactly as Adyr had predicted. The skeletons, driven by basic instincts and limited logic, couldn't process the situation. Faced with something outside their protocol, they stalled, paralyzed by uncertainty.
"Don't try anything smart—one move, and it dies," Adyr warned as he began walking through the motionless skeletons.
He had come here to play the main character, yet somehow felt more like a second-rate villain in a cheap play. Not that he minded—he was enjoying it more than he'd like to admit.
Without interruption, he reached Vesha's side. "Are you awake?" He asked.
At the sound of his voice, she slowly opened her eyes and mumbled, "Yes."
But as Adyr looked into her eyes, he could tell she wasn't fine. He could see it—the fading soul, the dimming life force slipping away.
"You're a strong woman, right?" He said softly, placing the Dawn Raven gently in her lap. Then he guided her hands to hold it in place.
"Just hold on to this for a while. I'm trusting you with it. Just hang in there a little longer—we're getting out of here." With that, he lifted her into his arms, cradling her like a princess, and began to walk.
For a moment, Vesha felt his warmth seep into her frozen body. She tightened her grip around the thing in her arms. She didn't know what it was—but Adyr had entrusted it to her, and she was determined to fulfill that duty before her time ran out.
Adyr noticed the small gesture. She was truly strong-willed. And even that one simple task might be enough to keep her holding on a little longer.
Just before stepping out of the chamber, Adyr paused and looked back one final time. The horde of skeletons stood motionless beneath the cold glow of the crystals—silent, helpless, stripped of all will.
I'll return for the purple crystals, he thought, eyes narrowing.
But not today.
Today, he walked away with something far more valuable.