— The Assassin of Light

The looming shadow of war hung over the lands surrounding Iron ridge.

Kaelen's Shadow Court acted quickly, with envoys dispatched and alliances formed in whispers.

However, not all threats are publicized with banners and troops.

Some slipped through the darkness with drawn knives...

A Visitor in the Night

It was the third night since the conflict.

The camp outside Iron ridge slept under a cloud of mist. The Shadow Legion, ever vigilant, patrolled the perimeters silently.

Kaelen sat alone in his command tent, maps spread in front of him.

[System Reminder: You're being watched.]

The whisper across his interface caused him to freeze.

His eyes narrowed. He spoke quietly.

"…Come out."

Nothing.

Then—

A flash of light in the shadows behind him.

Kaelen pivoted, blade drawn, only for the invader to catch him in mid-strike.

A dagger of glowing white collided with his Shadowblade. Sparks hissed across the air.

The assassin moved quickly, dressed in sleek white robes and hiding his face behind a porcelain mask etched with a single sun sigil.

"By the decree of the Holy Council," the assassin whispered, "your life ends tonight, Shadow King."

Battle in the Tent

Kaelen countered the flurry of stabs, barely parrying the assassin's lightning-fast strikes.

She glided like light itself, with each stab exact and every dodge faultless.

[Shadow Reflexes Activated].

Kaelen felt that the system was in sync with his instincts. He avoided a fatal thrust, his blade brushing her side, only for her to vanish in a flash of holy light.

She reappeared behind him, her dagger slicing towards his neck.

"Persistent," Kaelen mumbled.

He sank into the shadows below him.

The assassin's blade pierced the air.

Shadow vs. Light

Kaelen erupted from her shadow, his blade igniting with abysmal power.

"Shadow Fang!"

A dark arc of power rushed at her.

The assassin crossed her daggers, forming a radiant barrier, but the force caused her to skid back.

For a heartbeat, her mask cracked slightly at the edges.

Kaelen caught a glimpse of the bright violet eyes staring at him.

Assassin's Identity Revealed

"You're no mere killer," Kaelen murmured, circling.

"Who are you?"

The assassin paused. She then flicked her hand to remove the fractured mask.

A young woman, barely twenty in human years, with silver hair that falls over sharp, angular features.

Her violet eyes glowed with holy power.

"I am Lyra Virelle, Inquisitor of the First Order… and your executioner."

The System's Response

[ Hostile Entity Identified: Holy Assassin — Elite Rank ]Weakness: Prolonged exposure to Abyssal Corruption

[ Skill Available: Abyssal Entropy ](Drain holy energy over time within shadow domain)

Kaelen smirked."Well, Lyra… welcome to my domain."

The Turning of the Tide

He whispered a command.

"Shadow Domain: Engulf."

The tent walls pulsed, and shadows deepened unnaturally. The temperature plummeted, and the air became dense with dark mist.

Lyra's radiant aura flickered.

Her movements slowed—only slightly, but sufficiently.

Kaelen pressed the attack.

Strike after strike, he put her on the defensive.

"Your light dims here," Kaelen stated coldly.

With a final clash, his blade ripped over her shoulder, sending her sprawling.

Mercy or Death

Lyra knelt, her hold on the daggers shaky.

Kaelen raised his sword to finish it, but paused.

"He met her eyes..." I saw no hatred... However, there is something else.

Fear.

There's also some confusion.

"You're not what they said," she whispered.

Kaelen dropped his weapon slightly.

"And you aren't as blind as the rest."

Kaelen's Choice

Instead of delivering a fatal blow, Kaelen extended her a hand.

"You have a choice, Lyra." "Go back and tell your masters I fell, or stay and see for yourself."

Lyra looked at him, caught between devotion and instinct.

Finally, she sheathed her daggers.

"I don't betray my oaths easily, Shadow King."

Kaelen smiled faintly.

"Neither do I."

System Notification

[ Shadow Court Recruitment Possible: Lyra Virelle ]Bonus: Assassin Class unlocked.

Accept Recruitment? [Yes/No]

Kaelen tapped [Yes].

Lyra bowed her head slightly.

"Then… I will watch. And decide if your war is worth fighting."