The
capital
was behind her.
Seraphis walked the long, winding road leading back to the
town she called home.
The night air was crisp, and the moon hung high above, casting a silver glow over the landscape.
She kept her pace steady, blending into the darkness as she traveled alone.
By the time she reached the outskirts of town, the first hints of dawn were creeping over the horizon. The
familiar sights
welcomed her back—the crooked rooftops, the dimly lit taverns, the hushed murmurs of the underground world.
But she had
one destination
in mind.
The
Assassins’ Guild.
A Grand Entrance
Seraphis didn’t
knock.
She
kicked the doors open
and strode into the guild like she owned the place.
A few heads turned. Conversations
paused.
Some assassins recognized her. They whispered among themselves,
speculating
about what she had done this time.
She ignored them.
Her target was
straight ahead.
The
Guildmaster’s office.
The Guildmaster
The
door slammed open.
"Hello, old bastard! What you up to?"
A man sitting at a cluttered desk
sighed heavily.
He didn’t even look up from the
mountain of papers
in front of him.
"First off," he muttered, flipping through a document, "I’m not old. I’m in my forties."
Seraphis smirked and flopped onto the couch in the corner of the office.
"Yeah, yeah. For an assassin, you’re ancient. You should be retired by now."
The Guildmaster,
Reynard Vael
, finally looked up.
His dark brown hair was streaked with silver, and his sharp
gray eyes
held the weight of
experience and exhaustion.
"You're insufferable," he said dryly. "I assume you’re here because of what happened in the capital."
Seraphis stretched,
grinning.
"Oh? So you’ve heard the news?"
Reynard folded his arms. "Let me guess… it was all you."
She placed a hand on her chest
dramatically.
"Guilty as charged."
Reynard
rubbed his temples.
"You killed a Queen, destroyed the Bro family, and put a
new ruler
on the throne. Do you realize how much chaos you've caused?"
Seraphis
tilted her head.
"Do you realize how much fun I had?"
Reynard let out a
deep sigh
and sat back in his chair.
"You always bring trouble wherever you go, Seraphis. I should’ve kicked you out of the guild years ago."
Seraphis chuckled.
"Yeah, but then who else would keep you entertained?"
The Guildmaster shook his head.
But
despite his words,
she could see it—
the ghost of a smirk tugging at his lips.
He was amused.
And more than that—
He was
impressed.
The Guild Reacts
Word of Seraphis’
recent actions
had already spread through the guild.
Assassins came and went, whispering in hushed voices about the
fall of the Queen
and the
shift in power.
Some admired her.
Some
feared her.
And some…
wanted her dead.
She could
feel their eyes
on her as she left the Guildmaster’s office.
A few assassins—
ambitious, reckless ones
—glanced at her with
calculating stares.
They were thinking about it.
Thinking about challenging her.
Seraphis grinned.
"If you want to try, be my guest."
Her
hand hovered
over the metal playing cards at her hip.
The
air grew tense.
Then—
The assassins
looked away.
None of them were foolish enough to make a move.
Not yet.
A Night to Remember
Seraphis made her way to the
guild’s bar
, ordering a drink and leaning against the counter.
The bartender—a gruff, one-eyed man named
Marek
—slid her a glass of whiskey.
"Didn’t think I’d see you back here so soon," he muttered.
Seraphis raised an eyebrow. "And why’s that?"
Marek smirked. "Figured you'd be dead by now."
She
laughed
, taking a sip of her drink.
"Please. It'll take more than a few nobles and an angry king to get rid of me."
She glanced around the room, watching the other assassins go about their business.
There was a
storm brewing
in the underworld.
The Queen was dead.
The kingdom was in
transition.
And in the shadows—
power struggles were beginning.
Seraphis smiled to herself.
"This is going to be fun."