After a day that decided the two hundred survivors, the entire city had fallen into exhausted silence.
No cheers.
No drunken celebrations.
Only the quiet breathing of thousands who had collapsed after witnessing brutal battles.
Above the sleeping capital—
The moon stood high.
Cold. Radiant. Unchallenged.
Silver light washed over the rooftops like a calm ocean.
Peaceful.
Too peaceful.
Because beneath that quiet sky…
Death was already moving.
Three shadows rushed across the rooftops.
Black clothes.
Tightly bound armour beneath them.
Daggers strapped behind their backs for quick draws.
Every movement was controlled, silent, precise.
Professionals.
They moved in a straight line toward a single destination.
One of the men finally spoke in a hushed voice.
"Sir… is it really necessary to take such a risk for a small item?"
He glanced toward the man leading them.
"No one would even know what it is. That boy doesn't understand its value either."
The leader stopped for half a second.
Just enough for his voice to drop like a blade.
"Fool."
The word alone carried killing intent.
"Do you want to die already?"
The man immediately shut his mouth.
The leader continued running without slowing down.
"Master's orders are absolute."
His voice became colder.
"We retrieve the item."
"Even if we must expose ourselves."
He glanced toward the distant house ahead.
"And why worry?"
A cruel smirk formed beneath his mask.
"He's weaker than us."
"We take it. We leave."
"Simple."
The man behind him swallowed and nodded silently.
They moved faster.
Minutes later—
They reached their destination.
A small house at the edge of the street.
But they were not alone.
More than twenty figures were already waiting in the darkness.
Some hid across rooftops.
Some blended into alley shadows.
Others kept watch from multiple angles.
The entire house had been surrounded.
A man stepped forward.
"Sir."
He saluted by striking his fist against his chest.
The leader nodded slightly.
"What's the situation?"
His sharp eyes scanned the entire area.
"Subject is asleep in his room."
"Zero movement."
"The effects of the poison are still fully present."
The spy spoke with confidence.
"Our surveillance confirms he won't wake until tomorrow morning."
"And even if he does…"
A thin grin appeared beneath his mask.
"His body is too weak to move."
"Mission success is guaranteed."
The leader listened quietly.
Then he asked the only question that mattered.
"What about Hosric Valemont?"
The entire group stiffened slightly.
Even the name alone carried pressure.
"If he senses us…"
The leader's voice turned dark.
"…none of you will keep your heads."
The spy answered quickly.
"Confirmed location, sir."
"He's inside the Valemont mansion with his family."
"No chance he's here."
"And besides the target and two servants…"
"There is no one else inside the house."
He gestured around confidently.
"This area has been under twenty-four-hour surveillance."
"Nothing enters."
"Nothing leaves."
"Not even a bird flies here unnoticed."
The leader finally nodded.
He raised binoculars.
His gaze locked onto a single window.
Rey's room.
"Good."
His voice dropped lower.
"Prepare for the mission."
The temperature of the air seemed to fall.
"We retrieve the dagger... or we die trying."
He turned toward two chosen operatives.
"You two enter after thirty minutes."
"If the servants interfere…"
"Kill them."
"No witnesses."
His eyes hardened.
"For the subject…"
"Knock him unconscious."
"Take the item."
"Leave immediately."
He paused.
Then delivered the final sentence.
"If you fail to find it…"
"Do not bother coming back alive."
The assassins nodded together.
"Yes, sir."
And the silent surveillance resumed.
The house stood quiet.
Unaware.
Unprotected.
Or so they believed.
__
Inside Rey's room—
Darkness filled the space.
But the silence hid something violent.
Rey's body trembled on the bed.
Crimson sparks crawled across his skin like living lightning.
Steam slowly rose from his body.
As if something inside him was boiling.
His muscles twitched.
Bones shifted faintly.
His face twisted with suppressed pain.
His body couldn't move much.
The damage inside him was too severe.
But something else was happening.
His abilities had begun repairing him.
Mana and stamina drained steadily.
Muscles stitched themselves back together.
Fractured bones slowly reinforced themselves.
Internal injuries healed layer by layer.
The process was slow.
But relentless.
Eventually—
Rey's face relaxed slightly.
His breathing steadied.
But he remained deep asleep.
Completely unaware.
Outside his window—
Someone was watching everything.
Aiden stood calmly beside the glass.
His gaze pierced through layers of darkness that normal eyes could never perceive.
He was observing the street.
Observing the rooftops.
Observing the assassins.
A faint smile appeared.
"Victor."
His voice was casual.
"The party is about to begin."
Behind him—
Victor stood beside Rey's bed.
His hand hovered above Rey's chest.
Energy flowed through his fingers like invisible threads.
He was carefully stabilising Rey's internal flow.
"Hm."
Victor didn't even look up.
"I'm almost done."
His voice carried excitement.
"I've been waiting for our guests."
A dangerous smile slowly appeared on his face.
"Tonight…"
His eyes glowed faintly red.
"…I can finally stretch a little."
Aiden chuckled.
"Well."
"I won't ruin your fun."
He turned toward the window.
"They're moving."
Then he vanished.
Victor glanced toward the empty space Aiden left behind.
Then he looked back at Rey.
Silence filled the room.
Five minutes passed.
Victor finally stood.
His expression had changed.
Excitement.
Anticipation.
Something darker.
He disappeared without a trace.
The room fell silent.
Still.
Peaceful.
Just like before.
Until—
Click.
The window lock shifted.
Very slowly.
Very carefully.
The glass opened just enough for someone to slip through.
Moonlight spilt into the room.
Two shadows crept inside.
They landed silently on the floor.
Black-clad.
Fully masked.
The same operatives sent by their leader.
One of them pointed toward Rey's wardrobe.
They communicated using silent hand signals.
One moved to search.
The other watched the room carefully.
Every corner.
Every shadow.
Every breath Rey took.
Weapons were hidden beneath their clothes, ready to strike instantly.
Minutes passed.
Clothes were thrown aside.
Drawers pulled open.
Furniture quietly searched.
Rey's wardrobe was completely turned upside down.
But the item they were looking for…
Still hadn't appeared.
One of the men opened another drawer.
Then suddenly froze.
He gestured urgently to his partner.
Inside the drawer—
A bow rested neatly.
Beside it lay a quiver of arrows.
And next to them…
A dagger.
The assassin's eyes lit up.
"Is this it?" he whispered.
His partner walked over and picked it up.
He inspected it carefully.
Then shook his head.
"No."
His voice was sharp.
"There's a specific mark on the blade."
"This isn't it."
"If we bring the wrong one…"
He returned the dagger immediately.
"Sir Marcus won't even need to kill us."
"The leader will do it first."
He stood up.
"Keep searching."
"We're running out of—"
He stopped.
Both men froze.
They heard something.
A voice.
Behind them.
Low.
Heavy.
Calm.
"Hah…"
The voice carried an eerie amusement.
"Don't worry."
"You still have time."
The air suddenly felt heavier.
"I can wait while you finish searching."
The assassins' bodies stiffened instantly.
Cold sweat rolled down their backs.
They hadn't sensed anyone.
No footsteps.
No breathing.
Nothing.
Yet someone was standing behind them.
Then the voice spoke again.
Slowly.
"If I may interrupt…"
Metal glinted in the darkness.
"…is this the dagger you're looking for?"
Both assassins jumped away and spun around instantly.
Weapons already in their hands.
Their instincts screamed danger.
But what they saw—
Made their hearts drop.
A figure stood in the darkness.
His entire body hidden within shadows.
Only two glowing crimson eyes were visible.
Watching them.
Silently.
Both assassins instinctively glanced toward the bed.
For a moment, they thought the one standing before them might be Rey.
But the darkness in the room made it impossible to see clearly. The figure stood between them and the moonlight, his entire body swallowed by shadow.
All they could see was a silhouette.
Still… they assumed the obvious.
Rey had awakened.
One of them clenched his teeth and spoke through the pressure weighing on his chest.
"If you are Rey Dragonstorm… step aside."
His grip tightened around his weapon.
"The consequences of interfering will be far worse than you can imagine."
For a moment—
Silence.
Then the figure chuckled softly.
"Hnn…"
The sound was calm.
Amused.
"You think I am Rey."
He tilted his head slightly.
"Well… you are not entirely wrong."
His voice lowered.
"But unfortunately…"
"…you won't live long enough to understand why."
The moment the words finished—
The air collapsed.
A crushing pressure erupted from the figure.
It slammed into the two assassins like an invisible mountain.
Their legs instantly buckled.
Neither of them could move.
Neither could breathe properly.
Both were rooted to the floor.
Their eyes widened with disbelief.
'Sh*t…'
One of them instantlyrealisedd something was horribly wrong.
'That pressure…
At least… Acolyte rank…'
Cold sweat poured down his back.
'But how?!'
Hosric Valemont wasn't here.
They had confirmed it repeatedly.
And Rey Dragonstorm himself wasn't supposed to be anywhere near this level.
His thoughts raced violently.
'Is there another guardian here?
Someone protecting the boy?'
Beside him, his partner's condition worsened.
The man trembled violently under the pressure.
He was only a Lower Apprentice rank.
Even standing was becoming impossible.
The first assassin clenched his teeth harder.
He himself was a High Apprentice rank.
Even he felt like his bones might snap.
The leader had intentionally sent weaker operatives.
They had expected no resistance.
Now—
They were staring at a monster.
The shadow stepped forward.
Moonlight touched his hand.
A dagger glinted in his grip.
The assassins' eyes immediately locked onto it.
The blade was strange.
A dark edge.
A distinctive symbol carved into the handle.
Recognition struck them instantly.
'That's it.'
The dagger.
Their hearts skipped.
The shadow casually twirled the weapon once.
"Hoh."
His tone carried faint curiosity.
"Is this the item you two were searching for?"
Neither of them answered.
Their minds raced.
'They knew.
They knew the plan.
They were waiting for us.'
The assassin's breathing grew heavier.
'This was a trap.'
The figure took another step closer.
The pressure doubled.
Both men nearly collapsed completely.
"Why aren't you answering me?"
His voice dropped colder.
"Don't make me repeat myself."
The dagger lifted slightly.
"Otherwise…"
"…the consequences will be unpleasant."
Still—
Silence.
Neither assassin spoke.
Not a word.
Not even a groan escaped them despite the pressure crushing their bodies.
The shadow watched them quietly.
Then he exhaled slowly.
"Hnh."
"So you choose silence."
A faint smile formed in the darkness.
"Very well."
The dagger lowered.
"In that case…"
"You no longer have value."
The air suddenly felt colder.
"Both of you can die."
The figure stepped forward once more.
And this time—
Moonlight finally reached his face.
The assassins saw him clearly.
And their eyes exploded open in horror.
Because the one standing before them was—
—
Outside the house.
The surveillance team continued watching the window where the assassins had entered.
Minutes had already passed.
The leader's patience was running thin.
"What the hell are those idiots doing in there?"
His voice carried clear irritation.
"Does it really take this long to find a single dagger?"
One of the operatives tried to calm the situation.
"Sir… perhaps the item isn't with the subject."
"Maybe Hosric Valemont took it."
"If that's the case, they might be searching the entire room just in case."
"That could explain the delay."
The leader grunted.
"Hnn… perhaps."
He raised the binoculars again.
His eyes remained fixed on Rey's window.
"I'm getting impatient because of this mission."
His voice turned colder.
"Contact the other squad."
"I want constant updates on Hosric."
"If he moves even an inch, I want to know."
"Yes, sir."
The subordinate nodded quickly.
"Our squad is already monitoring the Valemont mansion from outside the detection radius."
"There are Acolyte ranks inside, so we can't get closer."
"But Hosric Valemont has not left the mansion even once."
He spoke confidently.
"For this mission… nothing can stop us."
And then—
It happened.
BOOM.
The window exploded outward.
Wood splintered.
Glass shattered.
A cloud of dust burst into the night air.
The sudden noise echoed across the street.
Several nearby houses lit up instantly.
But strangely—
No one rushed outside.
Because the surrounding houses were already filled with spies from different factions.
No one wanted to interfere.
All eyes instead focused on the object that had just been launched from the room.
Two bodies crashed onto the ground.
Hard.
The dust slowly settled.
And when the squad finally saw them clearly—
Every single one of them froze.
The two operatives who had entered the house…
Were lying there.
Broken.
Covered in blood from head to toe.
One of them was already dead.
A massive hole had been torn straight through his torso.
His face remained frozen in absolute horror.
As if he had seen something beyond belief before dying.
The second man lay a short distance away.
His body slammed against the wall of the house.
Every limb was twisted unnaturally.
Bones clearly shattered.
Deep cuts covered his body.
Half of his face had been destroyed.
Blood poured from his mouth.
From his eyes.
From his ears.
His body looked completely drained of life.
The entire squad stood stunned.
Their minds refused to process what they were seeing.
Slowly—
Every pair of eyes lifted toward the broken window.
Dust still drifted through the air.
Then—
The darkness inside the room shifted.
And something stepped forward.
The sight that appeared before them…
Was something none of them had imagined.
Something that should not have existed.
Because standing at the shattered window…
Was—