The sun dipped low over the East Market, casting long amber streaks across the rooftops. Shadows stretched and blended into the narrow alleys below. The noise of the marketplace had dulled—vendors packing up, carts rolling away, the air thick with dust and the scent of spices.
Shin remained crouched on the tiled rooftop, his eyes fixed on the window of the narrow stone building. Time dragged, each second heavy with waiting.
The soft clatter of boots on roof tiles broke the silence.
Two figures emerged from the adjacent rooftop—Kairen and Tolen—moving low and fast across the final gap. They climbed over the ridge and settled beside Shin without a word.
Kairen whispered first. "We circled around. There's a balcony on the east side—second floor. Hidden behind an old drying rack."
"No other exits," Tolen added, pulling his scarf down to reveal a serious expression. "No fire escape. No rooftop hatch. Just that window here, the front door, and the balcony."
Shin gave a sharp nod, calculating. "That's enough."
A moment passed. Then—
A soft flicker from the building caught his eye. Through the tight curtains of the second-floor window, a faint glow pulsed to life.
Light.
Someone was inside.
Shin leaned back slightly, eyes narrowing. He raised two fingers in a silent command—split up.
He turned to Kairen. "You take the balcony. Tolen, circle down and cover the door."
Both men nodded without hesitation. In a flash, they were gone—vanishing into the falling dusk like phantoms, their movements fluid and soundless.
Then he turned, walking calmly along the sloped rooftop, boots whispering over old tile. He stepped across the final ledge—the roof of the target building—and stood at its peak for a brief moment, turned around, coat fluttering faintly in the wind.
Showtime.
With effortless grace, he stepped off the ledge and fell silently.
Just as the window on the second floor flashed into view, his arms out. One hand snapped forward, fingers hooking the outer stone ledge. His body swung, boots striking the wall below him to absorb the momentum.
He hung there, one-handed, like a shadow on the wall.
The window was shut. Curtains drawn. The faintest glow of light flickered behind them.
He pulled himself in close, testing the frame. Locked. His free hand reached up.
With a swift motion, he drove his elbow through the glass—a low crack of splintering sound—and caught the falling shards with his sleeve as he pushed the curtains aside.
The sound cracked like thunder through the still air.
He vaulted through, shards spraying behind him, landing with a silent crouch on the wooden floorboards of the second floor. The room was dim, lit only by a small oil lamp on a corner table, its flame flickering wildly from the sudden disruption.
Then—movement.
Across the room, a woman stood, her posture tense, already reaching for something at her side. She wore a traveling gear—dust-stained boots, fingerless gloves, a satchel on her back—and there, visible beneath a few loose strands of black hair, was a scar carved down the side of her face.
Her eyes locked on Shin. Cold. Sharp. Calculating.
"Tch." Shin narrowed his gaze.
She moved first.
A flash of silver—a dagger flew at his throat.
Shin's reflexes fired instantly. He twisted aside, the blade whistling past his ear and burying itself in the wall behind him with a dull thunk. He lunged forward, grabbing her wrist mid-draw as she reached for another blade.
But she was fast—too fast.
With a sharp grunt, she kicked upward, her knee slamming into Shin's abdomen. He staggered back, just as the door exploded open, kicked in by Tolen. Simultaneously, Kairen dived through the open balcony, rolling smoothly into the room.
The woman wasted no time.
She spun, leaping toward Kairen. "Out of my way!"
Kairen reached for her arm—but she was already airborne.
She twisted her body mid-jump, wrapping her legs around Kairen's neck in a scissor-lock and flipping him onto the floor with a harsh thud. Kairen groaned, stunned as she pushed off him and sprinted for the balcony.
"She's going to jump!" Tolen shouted.
From the doorway, Tolen reacted fast. He pulled a dagger from his coat and hurled it without hesitation. The blade sliced the air, striking her square in the shoulder just as she leapt.
She cried out—a sharp gasp of pain—and tumbled over the railing, crashing hard onto the cobblestones of the narrow alley below.
"Nice one!" Shin was already moving.
From above, he could see her—one hand clutching her bleeding shoulder, stumbling into the alley, trying to disappear into the dark.
Only two blocks ahead, that alley would merge into the main road, where wagons and people still moved in the fading light. If she reached that street—
She'll vanish in the crowd.
"No, you don't," Shin muttered, lifting one hand.
A faint hum of magic echoed from his palm. A strand of glowing mana-thread shot outward like a whip, winding through the air.
The woman glanced back—
Too late.
The mana wire snaked around her ankle, tightening.
She fell forward—face-first onto the stone. The impact sent her dagger skittering across the ground.
Shin jumped.
He vaulted the railing, dropping from the second floor with a thud that echoed down the alley.
The woman rolled onto her side, reaching for her belt—perhaps another weapon, perhaps a smoke charm.
Shin didn't give her the chance.
He stepped forward and slugged her across the face with a swift, brutal right hook. Her head snapped to the side, and she went limp, breath knocked clean from her body.
Silence.
Only the distant sounds of market bells and fading footsteps filled the dusk.
Shin stood over her, breath steady, eyes hard. The wire around her ankle glowed faintly before vanishing with a hiss of dispersing magic.
Kairen arrived moments later, panting slightly, holding his side. "She damn near knocked me out."
"You alright?" Shin asked without turning.
"I've had worse." Kairen winced. "She's stronger than she looks."
Tolen descended the fire escape, crouching beside the unconscious woman. He checked her pulse. "She's alive. Barely. The shoulder wound's deep, but clean."
Shin finally looked down at her face—bloodied lip, blackened eye forming, the scar still cutting down her cheek like a marker of history.
"This is her," Shin said, voice low. "The one from the infirmary breach."
"What now?" Kairen asked.
Shin glanced toward the mouth of the alley, where lanterns flickered on at the edge of the main road. Evening had finally settled.
"Secure her arms and legs. We take her back to the guild. Quietly."
He looked up at the rooftops, the buildings surrounding them. Watching. Silent.
"She's not just a stray mercenary," he muttered. "This one was trained."