The capital’s
golden towers
shone under the moonlight, but for Seraphis, the city was nothing more than a den of
corrupt vipers
hiding behind silk curtains.
Tonight, another one would fall.
A Hunter in the Skies
In her
white raven form,
Seraphis perched on the highest spire of an abandoned clock tower, her sharp eyes locked onto the carriage
waiting outside a noble estate.
Her target?
Count Darion Vale.
A man dripping with wealth, power, and
a trail of blood that led to countless missing people.
But tonight, Seraphis wasn’t after him.
She was after his
daughter.
Lady Annalise Vale.
Spoiled. Cruel. A woman who treated
human lives like playthings.
Seraphis had heard the stories—
kidnapped commoners, mutilated servants, corpses found with twisted grins carved into their faces.
And tonight?
She was heading out for
another night of "fun."
The Chase Begins
Annalise stepped into her
luxurious black carriage
, her
laughter
echoing as her guards closed the doors.
With a crack of the reins, the horses
charged into the night,
carrying her toward some
remote location
where she would indulge in whatever
sadistic amusement
she had planned.
Seraphis spread her wings.
And took off.
The wind howled as she flew
high above
, following the carriage as it rumbled down a lonely forest path.
Her vision pierced through the night
, tracking the flickering lantern inside.
After a long ride, the carriage finally came to a stop.
A secluded
hunting lodge
deep in the woods.
Perfect.
Slaughter in the Moonlight
Seraphis
dove from the sky
, shifting back into her
human form
just before landing.
Her feet touched the
dirt road without a sound.
The lodge was surrounded by
armed guards
, their torches flickering against the trees.
Seraphis counted them.
Fifteen men.
They wouldn’t see tomorrow.
She stepped forward, drawing
three of her metal playing cards
between her fingers.
The first
fell
with a whisper of steel through the air.
A silent kill.
The second
gurgled
as her card
slit his throat.
The third barely had time to blink before a
card embedded itself in his skull.
The alarm was raised.
But it was already over.
Seraphis
moved like a shadow, weaving between them, her blades flashing.
Steel clashed. Blood sprayed.
Bodies dropped one by one.
And then—silence.
The only one left
was Annalise.
The Kidnapping
The noblewoman
staggered back
, her perfect face now twisted with
pure terror.
"W-Wait! Please!" she gasped, falling to her knees. "I’ll pay you! Whatever you want!"
Seraphis tilted her head.
"I want you to die screaming."
Annalise
screamed.
She tried to
run
, but Seraphis was already
behind her.
A sharp
crack
—Seraphis slammed the pommel of her dagger against the back of her head.
Annalise
collapsed.
Seraphis grabbed her by the collar and
dragged her into the forest.
Destination?
A cave.
A Noble’s Despair
By dawn, a messenger arrived at
Count Vale’s estate.
He handed the noble
a letter sealed in blood.
Inside?
A
threat.
A
warning.
And something else.
As Count Vale unfolded the letter, something
wet and soft
fell onto his desk.
A
severed hand.
His
daughter’s hand.
The count
stared in horror
, his face draining of color.
Then—
A roar of
pure rage
.
He
flung a chair across the room
, shattering a glass window.
"GET MY MEN!" he bellowed. "WE’RE GOING TO FIND HER!"
Within minutes,
an army of knights
was on horseback, riding toward the
cave mentioned in the letter.
Too Late
They arrived at
midnight
, torches illuminating the cave’s
black entrance.
Swords drawn, they stormed inside—
And
froze.
There, in the center of the cave, knelt
Lady Annalise.
Her
body tied with thick ropes.
Her
head resting beside her lifeless body.
Both of her
hands severed, placed neatly on her lap.
A single
candle flickered beside her, casting eerie shadows on the cave walls.
And leaning against the far wall,
arms crossed
, was Seraphis.
Smirking.
"Glad you could make it to the party," she purred.
The count’s
screams of agony
filled the cave.
But Seraphis?
She was already
gone
, slipping into the shadows as chaos erupted.