Shadows in the South

Silverhaven's evening lull had settled in earnest by the time Red carried Selena, now soundly asleep back through the winding streets. The warm lantern light from the city's brick houses danced across cobblestone paths as he walked, his armor clinking softly with each step.

She murmured something in her sleep, something about silver coins and lemon cakes, and shifted against his shoulder. Red glanced down, the briefest trace of amusement in his expression. She was still clutching her coin pouch like it was the most valuable artifact in the kingdom.

He nudged open the door of the inn with his foot, gave a nod to the sleepy-eyed innkeeper, and carried Selena up the stairs without a word. Their shared room was quiet and clean, a single candle flickering near the bedside. Red gently placed her down on the bed, tucking the blanket over her. She stirred only slightly, curling beneath the fabric.

Red stood by the bedside for a few moments longer, watching the steady rhythm of her breathing.

The scroll burned with phantom weight beneath his coat.

The Midnight Pact didn't summon lightly.

And when they did, it meant something in the shadows had begun to stir.

He stepped out into the night.

The wind had cooled as the moon rose higher, casting a pale glow over Silverhaven's quiet streets. Red moved through the city's darker veins, alleys behind shuttered bakeries, rooftops above silent courtyards, until he reached the appointed meeting point: a half-burned bell tower long since abandoned, now cloaked in vines and ivy.

She was already waiting for him.

Lyra, clad in her sleek crimson leather armor, stood atop a wooden beam inside the ruined tower, half her face veiled by shadows. Her long braid draped over one shoulder, the dark red of her hair blending into the night like flowing blood.

Red stepped inside the tower silently, boots crunching over moss and rubble.

Lyra: You're late...

She said, without looking down.

Red: You're early

She dropped from her perch, landing in a crouch before rising to meet him.

Lyra: You got the scroll?

Red: North sector. No details, no names. Just a point on the map.

Lyra's lips twitched in a humorless smile.

Lyra: Same for me. Mine points south. Badlands, near the shattered coast. I suppose this one's bigger than usual.

Red: If they're splitting targets, it's a coordinated purge,

Red muttered, his eyes scanning the decrepit chamber. 

Red: Or worse, it's already spread wider than we thought.

Lyra crossed her arms.

Lyra: I've only seen the Midnight Pact mobilize like this twice in my life. Once was the Hollow Plague in the east. And the other...well, you remember the Fortress of Gildran Hollow.

Red's jaw tightened at the memory.

Red: Too many died before we acted.

Lyra: Which is why we won't be slow this time

Lyra: I've already made arrangements. I'll be heading out tonight.

Red glanced up at the jagged opening in the roof, where the stars blinked behind fast-moving clouds.

Red: They'll want confirmation within a week,

Red: If you find anything unusual, ritual markings, corrupted beasts, abnormal weather...

Lyra: I know what to look for

Lyra: Do you think I've lost my edge since the last mission?"

Red: No...

Red: But you've been… distracted."

Lyra smirked slightly and walked a slow circle around him.

Lyra: Is this about your new tag along? The girl with the bright eyes and no clue how to hold a blade?

He didn't respond.

Lyra: She's sweet, but she'll get herself killed out there. Especially if what the Pact fears is true.

Red: I'm aware... said, voice firm.

Lyra: She's not one of us

Lyra said, coming to stand directly in front of him.

Lyra: She doesn't understand the dark. She'll slow you down.

Red's gaze didn't falter.

Red: Then I'll carry the weight.

There was silence for a moment, broken only by the faint whistle of wind through broken stone.

Lyra: She's made you soft.

Lyra said at last, her voice quieter now.

Red: She's made me remember why I carry the sword

For a brief moment, Lyra looked away...her expression unreadable.

Lyra: You think this will end differently than the last time?

she asked, her voice nearly a whisper.

Red: I don't know,

Red: But if it ends, I'd rather it end with some part of me still human.

Lyra turned, walking a few steps toward the archway.

Lyra: We're not made to last, Red. You know that. The Pact gives us a purpose, not a future.

Red: Maybe, But it's not the Pact that decides who I am."

Lyra paused at the door. Her silhouette was haloed by moonlight.

Lyra: Don't let her get too close.

Red didn't answer.

And then she was gone

vanishing into the night, her crimson silhouette swallowed by shadow and silence.

Red returned to the inn an hour before dawn. He entered the room softly, his armor removed, his blades sheathed.

Selena was still asleep, curled up beneath the blanket, her face peaceful in the candle's soft glow. Her coin pouch had rolled to the side, a few silver pieces spilled across the blanket like tiny stars.

He sat down in the chair by the window and stared out into the darkness.

North.

The scroll remained hidden beneath his coat, its seal already broken but its meaning still unfolding.

If the Midnight Pact was right and they often were

then the world might soon remember what lurked just beyond the curtain of normalcy.

The true monsters.

The kind that didn't jiggle or squeak.

The kind that devoured entire kingdoms in silence.

And Red, as always, would be the blade sent to face them.

But this time, he was not alone.

And that… changed everything.