Vale stared upward, his legs trembling beneath him as the obsidian-colored monster stood between him and certain death. Its enormous frame loomed over the ruined arena like a nightmare given flesh, black feathers shifting slowly in the wind while fresh blood dripped from clawed wings onto the shattered stone below.
He could not fully comprehend what he was looking at.
Not truly.
The creature resembled a bird only in the loosest sense of the word. Whatever it had once been had long since evolved into something monstrous, something colosal and wrong. Yet despite its horrific appearance, one thing was unmistakably clear.
It wanted the forest drake dead.
Not for food.
Not for territory.
For hatred.
Vale swallowed nervously beneath his mask.
Questions stormed through his mind one after another.
Why was something this powerful inside the colosseum?
Why had nobody informed him?
Wasn't he supposedly one of the two strongest gladiators here alongside Lucias? If such a creature existed beneath the arena, why had its existence remained hidden?
His breathing grew shallow.
And then the realization struck him.
The iron bars.
The shattered cages.
The ruined reinforced walls.
A category three beast could not destroy the defenses of the colosseum. Those barriers had specifically been built to contain creatures of that level.
Which meant,
Vale's eyes widened in horror.
The monster standing before him was a category four.
A true disaster-class beast.
The kind only Sentinels were meant to fight.
Panic erupted through the audience almost instantly after that realization spread. The once roaring crowd dissolved into chaos as thousands scrambled toward the exits in blind terror. Nobles shoved civilians aside. Guards yelled frantically. Children cried while people trampled over one another just to escape faster.
Nobody wanted to remain near a category four monster.
Then suddenly,
The creature turned toward Vale.
For the first time, he saw its full form clearly.
Its body was covered in layered obsidian feathers darker than night itself. Massive wings drooped low beside it, though unlike a bird's wings, these possessed elongated talons similar to those of a wyvern. Long tail feathers trailed behind its body like sharpened spears, each one ending in points sharp enough to impale flesh effortlessly.
Its beak resembled a massive lance more than anything natural.
And its eyes,
Vale froze.
Six pale blue-white eyes stared directly at him, each devoid of pupils, making the creature appear even more inhuman than before. Yet despite their unnatural appearance, Vale was certain the beast could see him perfectly.
The monster blinked slowly.
Then its expression changed.
Gentleness.
Recognition.
For some reason, it looked at him as though it knew him.
Before Vale could process the thought, a grotesque sound emerged from deep within the creature's throat. Its many tongues shifted behind its beak as it lowered its gaze toward the wound on Vale's shoulder.
"Father… hurt…"
Vale's eyes shot open beneath the mask.
His thoughts exploded into complete chaos.
'Father?'
The creature tilted its head slightly before turning toward the drake once more.
"You… hurt father?"
Its voice sounded agonizing, distorted, almost painful to hear, as though countless broken sounds were layered together into something barely capable of speech.
The drake growled furiously in response.
The raven-like creature lowered itself closer to the ground. All six eyes narrowed simultaneously.
"You… die."
The drake's eyes widened.
Then it charged.
The monster met it head-on.
Its clawed wing snapped outward, intercepting the drake's strike effortlessly before hurling the massive reptile across the arena like discarded trash. The drake smashed into the stone wall hard enough to shatter it before collapsing amid falling debris.
Vale stared in stunned silence.
Then suddenly,
"Vale! Vale, are you alright?! Listen to me!"
Korin landed beside him heavily, grabbing his shoulders and shaking him urgently. Vale barely reacted. His gaze remained locked entirely on the obsidian creature.
Lucias arrived moments later, spear already in hand.
He hissed sharply while staring at the monster.
"Korin, we need your help handling that thing," Lucias said grimly. "It evolved again."
Korin snapped toward him in disbelief.
"Again?!" he demanded.
Lucias gritted his teeth.
"That thing…" His gaze hardened. "It took my arm."
Korin froze.
Lucias continued quickly, eyes never leaving the beast.
"It never truly meant harm before. It was as much an actor in these fights as we were. But now…" His expression darkened. "Something's different. It feels insane."
Vale finally moved.
His trembling hand rose toward the shattered remains of his armor, exposing the metallic structure beneath his ruined shoulder plate.
Lucias noticed immediately.
His eyes widened.
"Lionheart… you're-"
"Don't do anything," Vale interrupted quietly.
He stepped forward slowly before glancing back over his shoulder.
"Korin," he said calmly, "make sure the Royal Guard doesn't come. Tell them the situation's under control."
Korin stared at him like he'd lost his mind.
"Are you insane?!" he shouted. "That thing could kill you!"
Vale smiled faintly beneath the mask.
Then, sensing the crowd had finally evacuated completely, he removed it.
His face was revealed at last.
"It won't," he said softly.
Korin looked utterly baffled.
But after several tense seconds, he groaned and reluctantly grabbed his communication device.
"Royal Guard," he spoke bitterly, "the situation at the colosseum is handled. Backup is unnecessary. Remain at your stations."
Meanwhile, the raven-like beast roared again while facing the drake.
The reptilian monster slowly rose despite its injuries, blood pouring freely from its ruined legs onto the arena floor. Its breathing was ragged now, yet fury still burned within its eyes.
It refused to surrender.
With another deafening roar, the drake charged once more.
The raven stared at it almost lazily.
Then,
A deep, unsettling chuckle escaped from its beak.
The sound alone sent chills through Vale's spine.
The drake lunged.
The raven didn't move until the final instant.
Its wing snapped upward again.
The impact ripped the drake straight out of the air before slamming it back into the ground with overwhelming force. Bones cracked audibly. Blood sprayed across the arena stones.
The drake staggered upright again somehow, legs shaking violently beneath it.
It charged a second time.
This time the raven met it directly.
Its clawed wing grabbed the drake mid-lunge and slammed the creature into the earth hard enough to crater the arena floor. The reptile shrieked while desperately clawing at the raven's feathers,
Only for those feathers to slice into its flesh like blades.
Brown scales tore free from the drake's body one after another. Blood flooded across the stone beneath them.
The raven watched silently.
Then finally decided it had enough.
Its massive beak speared downward.
The drake's neck ruptured instantly.
But the raven wasn't satisfied.
Not even close.
The creature had almost killed its father.
That alone condemned it.
The raven roared furiously while tearing its beak upward through the drake's neck, ripping flesh apart until exposed vertebrae became visible beneath the blood and gore. With another monstrous shriek, it grabbed the beast's body in two separate places and pulled.
The drake was decapitated.
Its severed head flew across the arena trailing blood, organs, and torn flesh.
Still the raven continued.
It plunged its claws into the corpse's abdomen and tore it open entirely, dragging intestines and organs free while black feathers became soaked crimson. Flesh ripped apart beneath its claws as though the drake's body were nothing more than paper.
The creature tore into the corpse with pure, uncontrollable rage.
Until suddenly,
"STOP!"
The raven stopped instantly.
Blood dripped from its massive frame in slow crimson streams, splattering softly against the ruined stone beneath it. Torn flesh and shattered organs from the forest drake still hung from its feathers while its enormous claw remained pressed firmly atop the corpse, as though even in death it refused to let the creature escape its wrath.
For a moment, the entire arena fell silent.
The raven's six pale eyes widened slowly.
Its grotesque beak closed, and the countless tentacle-like tongues writhing within gradually retracted back into the darkness of its maw. Then, with deliberate slowness, the creature turned toward the source of the voice.
Toward Vale.
He stood several meters away, injured and exhausted, blood still running down what remained of his shattered shoulder armor. Yet despite everything that had just happened, despite the horrifying slaughter, despite the monstrous appearance before him, there was no fear in his eyes anymore.
Only uncertainty.
And hope.
A faint, hesitant smile rested on his face as he took a careful step forward.
Then another.
Behind him, Lucias tightened his grip around his spear hard enough for his knuckles to whiten. His eyes remained narrowed on the raven every second, muscles tense and ready to strike the instant anything went wrong.
The creature was still a category four monster.
One wrong movement could turn this reunion into a massacre.
Yet Vale continued forward regardless.
"He there," Vale said softly, his voice gentle and almost awkward beneath the silence. "Easy now…"
The raven did not answer immediately.
Instead, it began moving toward him.
Each heavy step shook the fractured arena floor beneath its claws. Blood-soaked feathers dragged against the stone while pieces of gore slipped free from its body with wet sounds. Up close, the creature looked even more horrifying than before, a living abomination forged from darkness, feathers, and violence.
And yet…
Vale could not bring himself to fear it anymore.
Not after hearing that voice.
Not after hearing it call him father.
He continued walking slowly until only a short distance separated them. His expression softened further as he observed the creature carefully, recognition gradually overtaking the uncertainty in his eyes.
"It must've been rough," Vale said quietly. "Right?"
The raven stared at him silently.
Then Vale spoke again.
"Illu… right?"
The effect was immediate.
All six eyes flickered with hope.
The enormous creature froze completely, as though struck by lightning. For several seconds it simply stared at him, motionless and disbelieving.
Then, slowly, it spoke.
"Father… remembers?"
Its distorted voice trembled strangely, the monstrous tones within it weakening beneath something far softer.
Something vulnerable.
Vale's eyes widened.
Relief hit him so suddenly it almost hurt.
Emotion surged upward from deep inside his chest, overwhelming him before he could suppress it. Small tears formed at the corners of his eyes as his smile finally became genuine.
"Yes, Illu," he answered softly. "Of course I remember."
His voice cracked slightly.
"How could I ever forget you?"
For a moment, neither of them moved.
Then Vale took the final few steps separating them.
The massive raven lowered itself immediately, its gigantic frame crouching before him with surprising care. Slowly, almost hesitantly, Illu closed its eyes and pressed its enormous beak gently against Vale's body.
The motion resembled an embrace.
Vale smiled through the sting in his eyes and raised his remaining arm, resting his hand carefully against the side of Illu's bloodstained face.
Lucias stared at the reunion wide eyed, he was unsure of how to feel about it, but slowly the grip on his spear began to soften as it then fell completely deciding his intervention would no longer be necessary.
"Illu… glad," the raven muttered quietly.
Vale closed his eyes for a moment.
The chaos of the arena faded away entirely. The blood, the destruction, the fear of death, all of it became distant compared to the simple realization standing before him now.
He had found one of them again.
After everything that had happened…
After believing they were lost…
He had finally found Illu.
"Yeah," Vale whispered softly, leaning his forehead against the creature's beak. "I'm glad too."
His smile trembled slightly.
"I really am."