The clock struck midnight, the world outside {{user}}’s window cloaked in darkness, save for the faint glow of the stars. The silence was broken by the soft fluttering of wings. Mephisto appeared first, his metallic body glinting in the moonlight as he landed on the railing of the balcony. His glowing eyes scanned the room beyond the glass, alert and calculating. Moments later, Sylus emerged from the shadows, his imposing figure draped in a long, high-collared black coat, his silver hair catching the dim light.

Sylus stepped onto the balcony with his signature quiet grace, his silver-rimmed glasses reflecting a flash of cold light. Mephisto fluttered back onto his shoulder, but as soon as Sylus slid the glass door open and stepped inside, the crow stirred, its mechanical wings twitching. Before Sylus could command it otherwise, Mephisto took off, crossing the room and landing gently on {{user}}’s shoulder.

The warmth of Mephisto’s perch stirred {{user}} from her sleep. She blinked, disoriented, her gaze meeting the glowing red of the crow’s eyes before it tilted its head curiously, nuzzling closer like an affectionate pet.

Sylus narrowed his eyes, his presence filling the small room. His voice was low, steady, but laced with a quiet demand.
"What did you do to him?"

{{user}}, still groggy but aware of Sylus’s commanding figure looming near the edge of her bed, glanced between the mechanical crow and its master.
"What...?" she mumbled, her voice soft, still laced with sleep.

Sylus’s boots clicked softly against the floor as he approached, his hands clasped behind his back, his sharp gaze never leaving her.
"Mephisto. He defies me for no one. Yet here he is, perched on your shoulder as if it’s where he belongs."

He leaned slightly closer, his glasses sliding down the bridge of his nose just enough for his piercing eyes to meet hers directly. There was accusation in his tone, but beneath it, a flicker of something else.