Omniscient Necromancer POV

We continued through the suffocating darkness of the forest. After a while — minutes? hours? — the thick fog began to lift slightly.

Gradually, more defined shapes appeared before us. First were broken fences, then some structures resembling wooden houses, overgrown with gray vines. Most of the roofs had collapsed, and the walls were barely standing.

Rosella quickly noticed. "This... looks like a village."

I agreed silently. It didn't take long for us to pass through a broken stone arch, the entrance to a small medieval-style village. The streets were wide and overgrown with roots that had broken through the ground. Doors hung off their hinges, windows were cracked, and rusty tools lay scattered as if the residents had fled in a hurry centuries ago.

"Villages like this are not uncommon in the Tower of Babel. It's hard to remember that this place is not just a challenge for humanity. It's alive. It was once home to entire peoples. Elves, dwarves, and many races we never encountered in our own worlds. Each floor holds remnants of civilizations that flourished, kingdoms that arose, and empires that fell."

Rosella looked at the decaying houses, and I continued:

"This village is one of those remnants. Perhaps, at one time, families lived here, cultivated the land, laughed around campfires. Now only rotten walls and ghosts remain in the memory of the forest."

Curiously, in the center of the village stood a large, completely dead dew tree. The dry branches were long and pointed toward the sky, and dozens of crows were perched on them.

The eyes of these crows glowed a magical emerald green.

Rosella grabbed the side of her sheath, preparing to draw her sword if necessary. This apparently angered one of the crows, which took flight. Its wings spread with a heavy flap, and it quickly flew upward, then made a swooping motion downward. The creature cawed, emitting a high-pitched sound.

Immediately, the fireball I was carrying flew out as well and engulfed the crow completely halfway between us, leaving only ashes that fell to the ground like black dust.

The other crows cawed in unison, flapping their wings in despair. Within seconds, the sky above us became a whirlwind of feathers and screeches, and then they dispersed, flying into the darkness beyond the village.

Rosella let out a sigh of relief. "Sigh... At least we don't have to fight them all. It would be hard to get away without a scratch against all those beaks."

I shook my head slowly, without releasing the flame from my fingers. "Indeed, the crows wouldn't be a big problem, but the real problem is what might come after them."

"What do you mean?"

"These crows are like scouts. That crow's attack was a test. By attacking, it achieved two things: first, it confirmed our position. Second, it found out how we react. What kind of abilities we have. And now the information has been passed on."

Rosella frowned. "Passed on? Are you saying they shared it with each other?"

I gestured with my free hand toward the dead tree, where the dry branches still swayed slightly after the birds had scattered. "Those crows are part of something bigger. What unites them is not just a flock, but the curse that afflicts this region. It works like an infection. Imagine a virus... but one that attacks the mind rather than the body. Every creature touched by it loses its individuality and becomes part of a collective consciousness. Every creature afflicted by this curse, like those crows, is the eyes, ears, and also the weapons of this plague. What one sees, all see. What one feels, all feel. What one discovers is shared immediately."

Frightened, Rosella was silent for a moment. Her eyes returned to the dead tree in the center of the square, and her expression grew somber.

"What you're describing... sounds like the curse is... intelligent."

"Unfortunately, only an intelligent curse would be capable of destroying an entire land in this way. Think about it: there was once life here, civilizations, people who built homes and kingdoms. Now, all that remains are ruins devoured by roots and hollow houses where not even echoes want to linger. To do that, it takes more than just power."

Rosella finally drew her sword. "If that's the case, we're surrounded right now."

I smiled slightly. "You understood quickly. Let's continue on our way until their inevitable ambush happens."

So, I took the first step forward. However, before the second step was complete, I heard a low crack like the sound of a branch breaking under weight.

The fire in my fingers increased instinctively, and I turned my face to look over my shoulder behind me.

Something was beginning to move in the darkness of the trees. At first, it seemed like just the sound of the wind against a tree branch or a wild animal coming out of a bush, but in the Varzen Forest there was no wind, nor were there any wild animals that were not afflicted by the curse. As the moments stretched out, the roots and dry branches began to writhe, creaking against each other like bones being dislocated. The rotten wood of the bush I was looking at took on an almost humanoid shape. It had no organs or eyes, but it still formed two arms and two legs on its own. In the middle of it all, a wooden mask appeared with two green dots that glowed like the eyes of crows.

"This is a creature created by the curse, Rosella. They are not weak, so be careful."

Suddenly, the sound of wings cut through the air above us. I looked up and saw that the crows had returned. They circled overhead, a dark and incessant whirlwind above us. The quiet place became noisy because of the cawing of these crows. Unfortunately, this distracted us from the real problem, and when we realized it, there were already four creatures made of dry brush. Two of them were small, the other two were large.

I raised my hand, the fireball growing until it turned into a small flaming sun. Even with the living flame, it wouldn't scare them away this time.

Rosella took a deep breath beside me. "So... the ambush came sooner than you thought."

I smiled without showing my teeth. "No problem. They're just Rank-D creatures. Save your energy and leave this to us."

"Us?" asked Rosella.

"I'm a Summoner, remember? I never fight alone."

As I said this, my left hand pointed downward, causing three magic circles to glow.

Soon, the entire body of the first knight formed over the magic circle. His heavy armor creaked, covered with rust marks and cracks. He carried a broad sword, almost as tall as himself, and his eyes were red as fire. The second mage also created a Hollow Knight.

Finally, the central circle. Unlike the other two, it appeared with an icy breeze that swept through the area, dispelling even the rotten smell of the bush creatures. Then, a hooded figure began to rise slowly, the translucent bones of the spine appearing even before the tattered cloak formed around him. The moment the hand took shape, a wooden staff also formed.

"My summons, it's time to hunt," I said, pointing forward.

The Ghost Wizard raised his staff, the tip of which glowed incandescent red, and from it a flaming sphere was born—no smaller than the one I had created myself, but more unstable, vibrating as if it would fall apart at any moment.

However, the wizard did not aim at the creatures made of bushes, but at the sky. The projectile flew with a roar, tearing through the darkness of the forest like a thunderbolt of fire, and the fireball exploded right in the center of the whirlwind of crows.

The impact lit up the area like fireworks, and then came the rain of fragments. Not the beautiful fragments of fireworks, but of crows. They began to plummet to the ground. One by one, a good portion of those dozens of crows began to fall.