The
capital
was a city of
lights and shadows,
where towering estates of the elite stood side by side with dark alleyways that swallowed secrets whole. It was a place where whispers held more power than steel, where the right words could kill just as effectively as a blade.
And Seraphis?
She was about to
turn the whole place upside down.
A Raven in the Sky
Under the cover of
night
, she
soared through the city
, her
white raven form
nearly invisible against the stars. Below, the streets pulsed with life—nobles in carriages, merchants closing their stalls, beggars lurking in the shadows.
But Seraphis wasn’t here for them.
She was here for
two nobles.
Two
crooked bastards
who might lead her straight to
Lord V.
Their names?
Baron Reinholt and Viscount Duras.
Both were
filthy-rich scum
, known for
bribery, extortion, and "disappearing" anyone who crossed them.
And tonight, conveniently, they were
both gathered in one place.
Seraphis smirked to herself.
Fate had a sense of humor.
The Target: The Gilded Serpent Manor
She landed on a
rooftop
, her keen raven eyes locking onto the
massive estate
before her.
The
Gilded Serpent Manor
.
An extravagant,
marble-walled
fortress dripping in wealth. Gold-plated gates,
stone gargoyles
perched along the roof, guards in
polished armor
patrolling the grounds.
Inside,
Baron Reinholt and Viscount Duras
were meeting behind closed doors.
Plotting. Scheming.
Completely unaware that
death had already arrived.
Seraphis flapped her wings once—then dove.
The Infiltration
A
shadow among shadows
, she flew through an
open balcony window
on the second floor.
Landing silently, she
shifted back to human form
, her boots making no sound as they touched the expensive
velvet carpet
.
The air smelled of
perfumed candles and spilled wine.
Laughter echoed from downstairs.
She moved, gliding along the corridors like a ghost, her
razor-sharp metal cards
already slipping into her fingers.
Then—
She heard them.
The Nobles’ Secrets
Through the crack of a half-open door, two voices murmured in the dimly lit study.
Baron Reinholt: "This Lord V—he’s not someone we should be dealing with so carelessly."
Viscount Duras: "You’re scared of
ghost stories
now, Reinholt?" He chuckled. "The man has money. He has power. And if we do what he asks, we’ll have more of both."
Seraphis leaned in, eyes narrowing.
Lord V’s influence reached deeper than she thought.
Reinholt sighed. "And if we refuse?"
Duras scoffed. "Then we die."
A pause.
Reinholt muttered, "Then we better play along… for now."
Seraphis smiled darkly.
Not for long.
The Attack Begins
She
burst through the doors.
Before the nobles could even react, she
flicked her wrist—
Her
metal playing cards
sliced through the air, striking down
two guards
instantly.
Blood splattered.
The nobles
staggered back
, eyes wide in
pure terror.
"Y-You—!" Duras stammered, reaching for a bell to
call for help
.
Seraphis
threw another card
—it
pierced his hand
, nailing it to the wooden desk.
His
scream
filled the room.
Reinholt turned to run—
But Seraphis was
faster.
She
slammed him against the wall
, her blade pressed against his throat.
"Now, now," she whispered. "We haven’t even started talking yet."
The Setup: A Rivalry Turned Bloody
Fifteen minutes later, the
manor was in chaos.
Bodies littered the floors—guards, servants, and
several lesser nobles
who had the misfortune of being
present tonight.
But the true
masterpiece?
She had made it look like
Duras and Reinholt turned on each other.
She left
Duras slumped over the desk
,
a dagger in his chest.
She posed
Reinholt’s corpse
against the far wall, a blade still clutched in his limp fingers.
Around them?
Fake documents, false ledgers, incriminating letters
—all of which
made it seem like the two had been plotting to betray each other.
A noble
rivalry turned deadly.
Perfect.
As the
first alarm bells rang outside
, Seraphis shifted back into her
raven form
and flew into the night.
The capital would wake to
a scandal, a bloody feud, and a power vacuum.
And Seraphis?
She had just sent
Lord V a message.
I’m coming for you.
To be continued…