The sky was somewhat overcast. Looking up, thread-like volcanic ash drifted down from above. Roger reached out his hand, but the floating particles in the air vanished abruptly as they approached him.
"This feeling... it's so familiar, like the Land of Eternal Darkness."
Yuan Guanghai spoke.
Squawk!
A piercing bird cry suddenly echoed from mid-air, and Roger's gaze locked onto a gray, bald monstrous bird.
Its size was comparable to that of an average adult woman.
But its body was entirely featherless—bald. Peculiarly, crude pieces of clothing covered certain key parts of its body.
Almost as if it understood the concept of modesty.
Yet, the creature was far from resembling a human; its head was grotesquely oversized, with a massive eyeball dominating the upper half. The eyeball was a swirling void of chaos, devoid of any trace of sentience.
Its beak was long and ochre-yellow. Even when shut, its jagged, interlocking edges could be glimpsed—sharp and menacing.
Squawk, squawk!
