Shackled Wings

"Huh?" Meryt barely had time to react as the cold edge of the blade grazed her nape. Before the chill could settle, she vanished in a flicker of motion, reappearing some distance away, breath ragged. That was too close, she thought, heart pounding. Did she just create a summon? But... how? No mana. It didn't make sense.

Across the battlefield, Kaia's gaze shifted slowly toward the creature that had materialized before her. Her brow arched, a flicker of recognition passing over her face. "Why are you here?" she asked, her voice calm yet laced with a dangerous edge. It was the same knight from the Roula realm.

The knight's eyes glinted an eerie, furious blue as he scanned the surroundings, his focus sharp. "You were the one... to summon me, master." His voice echoed like a cold wind through empty halls. He turned, seeking Meryt. "Should I kill her?"

"No," Kaia's command cut through the air, as sharp as a blade. The knight stiffened, his head snapping toward her, a flinch running through him at the sheer weight of the dark power radiating from her.

Kaia rose from her crouch, brushing dust from her shirt as she stood tall. "I'm not entirely sure what's happening here, but..." Her lips curled into a faint smile, dark and calculating. "I'm not a killer."

The knight's blue eyes widened in shock, his voice low, almost reverent. "Master... you are still the same."

Kaia rolled her eyes, rubbing her temples. "Your words are going over my head," she muttered. "But she won't escape unscathed." Her steps were purposeful as she moved toward the knight. "What's your name?"

"Call me Amok," the knight replied, his tone cold but resigned.

"Amok, then." Kaia's eyes darkened, her smile slipping into something more dangerous. "Stay out of my way."

The knight took a step back, his massive frame looming. Kaia's fist clenched, and a dark, swirling abyss of power spiralled around her hand. A series of deep, resonating rips tore through the sky above them—portals, glowing red and black, opening one after another, each more menacing than the last.

Meryt, from a distance, watched with a growing grin, her eyes narrowing. "I didn't expect this much... but I guess I misjudged the Info unit leader."

Suddenly, the portals unleashed beams of pure energy, slicing through the air toward Meryt. Her heart beat faster, but her face remained steely, unshaken. A dark veil materialized around her, shrouding her from the blasts. She pulled the veil tighter, compressing the deadly rays into a dense orb of swirling black energy.

Kaia's voice sliced through the charged atmosphere. "Meryt!" Her name sounded like a warning, but Meryt wasn't listening.

Meryt's muscles tensed, the familiar surge of power racing through her veins. "No matter how much power you unleash," she yelled, "it won't be enough!" The tiny orb of compressed energy shot toward Kaia, who caught it with a swift, effortless motion, her hand gripping it like a deadly weapon.

The air seemed to hum as Meryt darted forward, her form a blur of motion. In an instant, she was on Kaia, her hand tightening around the her neck with the force of a vice. At the same time, Amok lunged, his sword aimed at her back—but Meryt's other hand shot out, grabbing the blade mid-strike.

The knight's fury burned in his eyes. "Tiger?" His voice was a low growl as he poured strength into the strike, blood welling up from Meryt's palm as she gripped the blade with raw determination.

"That's right," Meryt smirked, eyes flashing with a cold amusement. "You're pretty strong for an S-class." With a single fluid motion, she yanked the sword from his hands, tossing the knight through the air with a powerful twist of her body.

Onis crashed into the ground, skidding to a halt a few yards away, his armour clanging as he struggled to right himself. Meryt's gaze then flicked to Kaia, her attention shifting.

Kaia, unaffected by Meryt's grip, stood calm, but her focus was elsewhere. Her eyes narrowed as they landed on something lying on the ground beside her.

Meryt's gaze followed Kaia's as she saw the clear noticeable golden feather between the rubble. Kaia's eyes glowed in red as she saw the feather completely lost by it.

***

Yona curled into herself on the couch, her arms hugging her knees tightly as she shut her eyes. The weight of the past pressed down on her chest, each breath a struggle against the suffocating memories. Not again, she thought, but it was impossible to stop them from resurfacing.

A small, blonde girl—no older than seven—was dragged by her hair, the sharp pull jerking her head back as she was hauled across the rough stone floor.

She kicked and cried, but the woman dragging her didn't care. Her fingers dug into the girl's scalp, each step pulling her further into darkness.

Behind them, more children walked in silence, their faces hollow, their hands trembling as they held flickering candles. They formed two lines, an unspoken procession, their movements synchronized with a chilling precision.

The girl was thrown into a room, her dress torn at the back, revealing angry welts across her delicate skin. Bloodstained stripes marred the once-pristine white fabric. The woman—tall, blonde, wearing a sharp suit—picked up a leather belt, the sound of it cracking through the air like thunder. Without a word, she swung it across the girl's fragile back.

Each strike landed with brutal precision. The girl didn't scream. She didn't even flinch. Her body jerked with each blow, but her face remained devoid of expression, her eyes hollow, staring at the floor as if she were already a ghost.

Her breath was shallow, her body beaten, but her spirit seemed to be long gone.

The woman's chant filled the room, soft at first, then louder, more insistent, as the belt struck again and again.

Suddenly, a soft rustling sound broke the rhythm of the strikes—something delicate stirring beneath the girl's shoulder blades. Frail, translucent wings unfurled, their tips barely visible like the wings of a fledgling, but too weak to support her.

Blood trickled from where the wings connected to her back, staining her already bloodied dress.

The woman's chant grew louder, more forceful, as she tore at the girl's wings, pulling at them as though she were harvesting them for some dark purpose.

The wings didn't grow stronger, they tore and ripped, shrivelled and weak, as though they'd been battered for years.

The other girls gathered around, their faces blank, emotionless. They shackled the girl's neck and hands, forcing her onto the cold, stone floor.

A narrow hole in the wall, just big enough to fit her frail wings, loomed ahead. The air was thick with the scent of old stone and the oppressive weight of years of pain.

She sat there, her arms hugging her knees tightly, her body trembling as she heard the low clanking of cages being opened behind the wall.

Strange animals, their eyes gleaming with hunger and cruelty, emerged, shackled by chains. They crawled toward her, their rough paws scraping against the stone as they reached her wings.

They attacked with ferocity, gnawing and tearing, but their efforts were constrained by the restraints holding them back. Still, their teeth sank into her flesh, ripping at her wings, shredding what remained of the fragile bones.

The other girls in front of her began to sing, their voices haunting, a prayer that seemed to echo off the stone walls.

The older woman, seated on a stool, her legs crossed, watched with a twisted grin. Her eyes never left the girl's broken form as the pain continued to tear through her body.

She spoke, her voice low, deliberate, and cold, reaching the girl's ears like an echo of doom. "That's right, Yona. Keep doing your part... as a member of the family."

The words rang in Yona's mind like a curse, each syllable sinking deeper into her soul. The memories threatened to consume her, but before she could drown in them, the harsh sound of her phone ringing cut through the fog.

She grabbed the phone, her hands trembling, as she saw Kai's name flash on the screen. She answered quickly, her pulse pounding in her ears.

"Yes?" she answered breathlessly.

[Kai: "I need you to head to Onis City. There's been a violent explosion there."]

The call ended abruptly, the line going dead. Yona stared at the screen, her heart sinking. Onis City? Her breath hitched in her throat. The name sent a chill down her spine, and before she could second-guess herself, she was already moving—grabbing her jacket, slipping into her shoes. Her body moved on instinct, her mind already racing toward the next task.

Kaia...

Her mind was a blur, thoughts racing at a dizzying speed, each one colliding with the next. The weight of her past clawed at the edges of her consciousness, but she shoved it aside, burying it deep beneath layers of urgency. She didn't have the luxury of dwelling on old wounds now—not when something more pressing demanded her attention.

Her heart hammered, pumping adrenaline through her veins, pushing her forward. There was no time to waste. The past had crept into her life, uninvited and insistent, but today—right now—she couldn't let it consume her. Not when the present was unravelling faster than she could catch up.

Her mind was sharp, focused only on one thing: getting there.