The night air was
crisp and cold
, the moon casting a pale glow over the rooftops of the city. Shadows stretched across the streets, swallowed by the labyrinth of alleyways and twisting paths that made up the assassin’s domain.
Seraphis stood at the edge of a building, her white hair fluttering in the wind. Beside her, Elowen and Sylvaine crouched, their gazes sharp and focused.
Without a word, their bodies
shifted.
Bones
snapped, twisted, and reshaped
as they melted into their
raven forms.
Seraphis’ feathers gleamed
a pure, ghostly white,
standing out against the darkness of the city. Elowen and Sylvaine bore
deep black plumage
, save for the
vivid green streaks
running through their wings.
The transformation was seamless—instinctual.
With a single
beat of their wings
, they took off into the sky.
Hunting in the Night
From above, the city was
a canvas of flickering lights
and
shifting figures.
Their eyes, now keen and predatory, scanned the streets below.
They had a mission.
Find the traitor.
It didn’t take long for Seraphis to
spot movement
in the distance—
a hooded figure slipping through the shadows, moving with deliberate caution.
She let out a sharp
caw
, signaling to the others.
Elowen and Sylvaine followed as they
tailed their prey
, wings silent against the wind.
The figure entered a narrow alley.
A dead end.
Seraphis didn’t hesitate.
She dived—
plummeting from the sky like a streak of white lightning.
At the last second, she shifted back into her human form, landing
lightly
behind the man, blade already drawn.
The traitor
froze.
Elowen and Sylvaine
landed on either side
, their weapons gleaming in the moonlight.
Seraphis smirked. “Going somewhere?”
The man turned.
It was
Rennick.
A mid-ranking assassin—someone who had always
kept to the shadows
, neither ambitious nor reckless. The kind of man who went unnoticed.
Until now.
Seraphis tilted her head. “You’ve been busy.”
Rennick’s eyes darted between them. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Sylvaine chuckled. “That’s funny, because we found something interesting.”
Elowen stepped forward, pulling a folded parchment from her sleeve.
She tossed it at Rennick’s feet.
He didn’t move.
Seraphis nudged the paper with her boot. “Go on. Read it.”
Rennick hesitated before bending down. His hands shook as he unfolded the letter.
The moment his eyes skimmed the words,
his face drained of color.
Seraphis smiled. “You recognize it, don’t you? It’s the message you sent to The Black Fangs. The one selling out the guild.”
Rennick
stumbled back.
“This is a mistake.”
Sylvaine scoffed. “Sure it is.”
Rennick’s breathing
hitched.
Then—
He ran.
Seraphis
anticipated it.
Before he could take two steps, she moved.
A dagger flew through the air—embedding itself into his calf.
Rennick
screamed
as he crashed onto the ground.
Seraphis approached slowly, kneeling beside him. She grabbed his hair and yanked his head up.
“Do you know what happens to traitors?” she whispered.
Rennick
whimpered.
Elowen and Sylvaine stood over them,
unmoved by his suffering.
Seraphis leaned closer. “You’re going to be an example.”
Then—she slammed the hilt of her dagger against his temple.
Rennick
collapsed, unconscious.
A Message to the Guild
Dragging Rennick’s
limp body
through the halls of the Assassin’s Guild was a statement in itself.
The guild members
watched in silence
, their eyes
wide with shock
as Seraphis, Elowen, and Sylvaine strode through the main hall.
When they reached the center, Seraphis
dropped Rennick’s body onto the floor with a thud.
Then, she spoke.
“
Everyone, listen up.
”
Her voice carried
through the hall
, demanding attention.
“Everyone thought we were dead. Gone. Forgotten.”
Her gaze swept across the room.
“But we weren’t.”
She took a step forward.
“And when I came back, I found out that this guild—
my guild
—has been betrayed.”
The assassins
murmured
amongst themselves, shifting uncomfortably.
Seraphis’ voice
sharpened.
“Apparently, some of you think we aren’t scary enough. That we aren’t strong enough.”
She pulled out her dagger.
“So let me prove it to you.”
Then—
in one swift motion, she drove the blade into Rennick’s knee.
A sickening crack echoed
through the hall as Rennick woke up
screaming.
Gasps filled the room.
Seraphis grabbed his hair, forcing his head up for everyone to see.
“Look at him,” she commanded. “Look at what betrayal earns you.”
Rennick
sobbed
, his entire body shaking.
Seraphis’ voice
lowered to a chilling whisper.
“There’s only one punishment for traitors.”
Without hesitation—
She swung.
The blade sliced clean through.
Rennick’s head
rolled onto the floor, blood pooling beneath it.
Silence fell over the hall.
Seraphis bent down, picking up the severed head.
She held it high.
“
This is what happens to traitors.
”
No one dared to move.
No one dared to
breathe.
She turned, walking up the stairs to the second floor.
At the top landing, a
metal shield
hung on the wall—a relic of the guild’s past.
Seraphis didn’t hesitate.
She
impaled the head onto the shield’s surface
, letting the blood
drip down
like ink staining a canvas.
Then, she faced the guild below.
“To anyone else thinking of betraying this guild—
this is your fate.
”
Her
white hair was streaked with red.
Her
pale eyes burned with cold fury.
For a long moment, no one spoke.
Then—
One by one, the assassins lowered their heads in respect.
A silent agreement. A message received.
Seraphis turned, stepping back from the gruesome display.
The guild would never doubt her again.