There were no seams in it at all, no scratches, no hint of age or damage or decay. It was so black it was hard to look at, like an optical illusion. One second it felt like you were looking at a giant black ball and the next it felt like you were looking into a deep, bottomless pit. The closer Milo got to it, the quieter everything became, until he could hear his own heartbeat in his ears, and yet he felt as though the Orb thrummed with energy. Something about it just felt deeply wrong.
As the crow rose it began to move faster and faster, finally popping back into normal speed as it escaped the orb’s aura and flew up, up, and disappeared over the tree canopy, cawing in annoyance.
