The city hadn't forgotten.
Even three days later, Valenport smelled of smoke, scorched wood, and fear. The warehouse fire had gutted an entire dockside block, and whispers of Kael Draven's attack spread faster than any Council decree could suppress. Merchants shuttered windows earlier, guards patrolled in tighter formations, and bounty posters appeared on every corner.
I moved through the alleys like a shadow stretched too thin—slim, silent, and empty of hesitation. My boots barely kissed the cobblestones, but every echo was a heartbeat of warning. The Council had made a fatal mistake: they assumed I'd act with restraint. They assumed I'd wait for them to strike first.
[ Objective Updated: Neutralize Council Presence in Industrial District ]
Ryn trailed behind me, her crossbow folded across her back, eyes scanning every shadow. The two of us didn't speak. We didn't need to. Words were luxury; survival wasn't.
"This quiet," she murmured, breaking the tension, "it feels like they're baiting us."
I didn't answer. The streets told the story better than she ever could. Empty barrels littered the ground, doors swung open to abandoned shops, and the faint smell of oil lingered, suggesting someone had been here recently.
We rounded a corner, and I froze.
Three figures stood near a lamppost, faces hooded, weapons glinting in the half-light. They weren't ordinary guards. I could tell by the subtle way they shifted their weight, the calculated spacing—mercenaries. Council mercenaries.
[ Alert: Hostile Signatures Detected – 3 ]
"They're ready," Ryn whispered.
I didn't wait.
The first one moved, knife flashing toward my throat. I sidestepped, letting momentum carry him forward, and swept his legs out from under him. My blade traced a clean line along his shoulder, severing tendon from flesh. He crumpled without a sound.
The second lunged with a spiked mace. My eyes caught the glint of steel a fraction too late—almost. I twisted, letting his momentum drive him past, and slammed the flat of my blade into his chest. The impact threw him backward into the stone wall with a sickening crack.
The third froze. His eyes widened when he saw what was left of his companions. He tried to retreat, but my blade was faster. I didn't give him a chance to breathe. One step, two steps—then the tip of my sword at his throat. He went rigid, tried to say something, but fear strangled the words.
[ +220 XP ]
[ +225 XP ]
[ +210 XP ]
I let him fall. Not alive. Not screaming. Just… gone.
The streets were empty again. Too empty. My Soul Resonance tingled, a pulse of energy warning me before I saw the next threat.
From above, the mage came, leaping off a rooftop, staff glowing with green sigils. Fire and ice crackled across his fingers. He landed in a crouch, eyes fixed, and opened his mouth for the first spell.
I moved before he could finish the incantation. Mana flared in my arms, my sword singing as it absorbed energy from the air itself. Lightning arced along the edge as I charged, closing the distance in a heartbeat. His spell collided with my momentum, exploding in sparks and smoke. I didn't falter.
A single swipe cut through his defenses, severing the staff in two and sending shards of enchanted wood flying across the street. He hit the ground hard, the glow of the runes dimming in his chest.
[ +240 XP ]
Ryn dropped down beside me. "Too easy," she muttered, but her eyes betrayed the tension she tried to hide. "Something's coming."
I didn't need to ask. The shadows shifted, moving like a tide. Three more emerged, faster, synchronized—spears, axes, and a small mage weaving behind.
This time, I didn't rush in blindly. I let them come. Every step I took back drew them into a trap of their own momentum. The first thrust caught only air; I pivoted, letting him stumble past, and brought my blade across his side. The second's axe swung high—predictable. My strike crushed his forearm, and the third mage barely had time to react before I hurled a shard of his companion's broken spear into his chest.
[ +250 XP ]
[ +230 XP ]
[ +235 XP ]
The last one paused. Spear in hand, he studied me, eyes narrowing. I could almost hear his thought: He's not human. He's not supposed to move like that.
I didn't move. I waited.
Then I stepped in.
Every ounce of Soul Resonance in me surged forward, burning through my veins, sharpening my reflexes to a point. I didn't dodge. I didn't block. I struck. The spear shattered under the strike, my blade slicing clean through the haft. His armor gave way under a flurry of blows I barely registered as my own movements.
He fell.
[ Soul Resonance – Overload Available ]
The notification flashed, a sharp reminder. Pain, power, and clarity blended into a single instinct. I activated it. Mana roared, my sword burned, and the last few breaths of the mage and mercenary were gone before they even realized what hit them.
The street was silent. The city held its breath again.
Ryn crouched beside me, scanning the horizon. "Kael… they'll be sending more."
I sheathed my sword, letting the mana drain, my body shaking with the exertion. "Let them come," I said. "Every shadow they hide in, every blade they lift—it'll only make them regret standing in my way."
We disappeared into the alleys, the quiet of Valenport broken only by the faint crackle of distant fires, and a single truth burned clearer than any warning:
The war had already begun.