Eliar

The night forest gasped from the barking of hounds and furious screams. The torches of the villagers slashed the darkness with crimson scars. The girl ran, feeling nothing in her legs, while branches mercilessly whipped her face and tore at her clothes. Her only crime was knowing healing herbs and being able to bring people back from the dead. But for the dark, fear-blinded peasants, she had become a monster. 'Witch! Death to the witch!' — echoed behind her.

Bursting into a small clearing, she was completely exhausted. At that moment, the space around her cracked loudly. A sharp, thunderous clap sounded, followed by a moment of absolute, ringing silence. In the next instant, the night sky was split by a dazzling flash. Like a dying comet, something massive and furious crashed to the ground very close to her.

The flash was so powerful that the black forest turned white for a second, like a clean canvas. The light burned tears even through her tightly shut eyelids. The girl fell to her knees, stunned and blinded, gasping for air.

Behind her came the crack of breaking bushes. One of her pursuers, screaming wildly, burst into the clearing and raised heavy pitchforks over her, ready to end her life. But there was no strike.

A dry, terrifying crunch echoed. From the darkness shot a pale hand covered in black cracks. With an iron grip, it seized the man's throat mid-air. Eliar — with charred ash-colored wings, breathing heavily and trembling with rage — lifted the man off the ground and with a guttural roar hurled him aside like a rag doll. The man screamed as he flew into the bushes, breaking bones.

Eliar turned heavily to face the frozen crowd with torches. His violet eyes burned with mad, predatory fire, and the cracks on his skin pulsed with Darkness. He didn't even turn his head towards the girl huddled on the ground; he merely spat out angrily through his teeth at his attackers: — One more step towards me — and I will feed your souls to this abyss. Get out of here before I tear you apart.