Chapter 121: The Raven's Shadow

Ekko's heart thundered in his chest as the shadow crept across the battlefield, darker than the night itself. His sword was still poised above Ambessa, ready to strike the final blow that would end her reign of terror. He could see her blood staining the ground beneath her, hear her labored breath—she was on the brink of death. But the moment was shattered by something far more unsettling.

A cold wind swept through the battlefield, the air thick with an unnatural chill. Ekko's gaze snapped up, eyes narrowing in confusion. The ground beneath him trembled as if something ancient and powerful had just awakened. For a split second, he thought he saw the outline of something—a shape, dark and indistinct, flying low across the battlefield. It was a silhouette—a crow, but one far too large and ominous to be a mere bird. And it wasn't alone.

Before Ekko could process what was happening, a dark shape shot from the shadows and dove toward Ambessa. The crow-like figure was fast, its wings cutting through the air with such force that they created a vacuum, pulling the very light from the sky. It was almost impossible to track, moving so swiftly that Ekko barely had time to react.

With a screeching cry, the figure descended upon Ambessa, its talons—massive and sharp as obsidian—gripping her by the shoulders. Her eyes widened in terror, but it was too late. With one swift motion, the creature hauled her into the air, its powerful wings beating furiously. Ambessa was helpless, struggling against the grip, but the crow's shadowy form had her locked tight.

The moment she was pulled away, Ekko's breath caught in his throat. His mind screamed for him to stop them, but there was nothing he could do. The creature's wings whipped through the air, lifting Ambessa off the ground, taking her away.

"NO!" Ekko shouted, but the figure was already soaring above him, its silhouette vanishing into the smoke-choked sky.

The raven-like creature was impossibly fast, its form a blur against the dark clouds. Ekko stood frozen for a heartbeat longer, his heart racing in his chest as the last of the Noxian leader's screams faded into the distance. There was nothing left to be done. Ambessa had been taken.

His hand tightened around the Swordbat, his knuckles white. He could feel the weight of what had just happened—Ambessa, a key player in this bloody conflict, was now out of his reach. And the way she had been taken—without a trace of mercy—felt wrong. It wasn't just an ambush. It was deliberate, precise, and cold. The crow-like figure had come for her as though it had been waiting for the right moment.

But who was it?

Ekko couldn't shake the feeling that this event was more than just a random attack. The power in the air, the way it moved through the battlefield—it wasn't something of this world. It felt like a specter. A warning.

The rumble beneath his feet had stopped, but the eerie stillness in the air was palpable. His instincts screamed at him to be on guard, but his focus was consumed by the aftermath of the battle. The Noxian forces had scattered, most of them fleeing after the loss of Ambessa, but Ekko knew that wouldn't be the end of their troubles.

Without a word, he turned on his heel, his breath steadying as he scanned the battlefield. His mind was racing, piecing together the implications of what had just happened. Ambessa wasn't going to be easily forgotten, and now that shadow had taken her—it felt like a bigger game was at play.

Behind him, he could hear the others shouting orders, rallying the Zaunites and the Piltover enforcers to tend to the wounded. Powder, Vi, and the rest of the Firelights were all too busy handling the chaos to notice his growing unease. But Ekko couldn't afford to focus on that right now. He needed answers, and fast.

He needed to know who—or what—that creature was.

Ambessa's vision blurred as she was yanked through the air, her body jerking with each powerful flap of the raven-like creature's wings. She had no idea where she was being taken—only that the world below her was quickly becoming a distant memory. The battlefield, the soldiers, the screams of victory and defeat—all of it was fading. The cold, dark figure holding her did not speak a word, but she could feel the power radiating from it. It was as though it was made of the shadows themselves, a creature from the depths of her nightmares.

Ambessa struggled in its grasp, her lungs burning as she gasped for air, but the creature's grip was like iron. She tried to scream, but the wind roared so loudly in her ears that her voice was lost.

Her mind raced. She had never been one to show fear—her reputation was built on strength and dominance—but now, as she was carried away like prey by this monstrous figure, she could feel the terror creeping in. Was this her end? Was this how she was going to die?

No. She wouldn't let it happen. Not like this.

She twisted her body, her hands reaching for the hidden blades she carried beneath her clothing, but the creature's grip tightened further, preventing her from drawing her weapons. Her mind raced, trying to calculate an escape, but there was nothing. Nothing except the endless black sky and the shadowy creature that held her in its clutches.

Ambessa's breath came in shallow gasps. Her mind was a storm of panic and anger. She had come so far, fought so hard to carve her place in this world, only to be taken like this. She cursed under her breath, struggling against the impossibly strong grip. But then, she felt a shift—a pull deep inside her, a realization that surged through her like a current.

Something was wrong.

As the creature soared higher, Ambessa's thoughts began to clear. Her fear gave way to cold calculation. She knew this wasn't a random act of violence—it wasn't an accident. This being, whatever it was, had come for her.

It wasn't just an assassin.

It was something far worse.

Ekko stood frozen, staring at the fading trail in the sky where Ambessa had disappeared. His breath quickened as his mind raced. There was a nagging sensation in the back of his head, something deep inside that told him he had just witnessed something far more dangerous than he had realized.

He turned and began walking back toward the Firelights' camp, his mind still focused on the figure that had taken Ambessa. It wasn't just the raven-like creature. It was everything that surrounded it—the feeling that something bigger was unfolding. A shadow that had been watching them, waiting for the right moment.

"Ekko!" Vi's voice broke through his thoughts, and he turned to see her walking toward him with a concerned look on her face.

"Are you okay?" she asked, her eyes scanning his form for any sign of injury.

"I'm fine," Ekko said, his voice hardening. "But we need to prepare. That wasn't just an attack, Vi. It was a message."

"A message?" she echoed, frowning. "What do you mean?"

"Ambessa's gone," Ekko said, his tone grave. "Taken by something. Someone. It's not over. This war... it's just beginning."

Vi's eyes darkened. "What are you talking about? Who could've taken Ambessa?"

Ekko's gaze turned toward the horizon, where the last remnants of the battle faded into the smoke. "I don't know. But we need to be ready. Whatever's coming—it's going to be worse than anything we've faced."