The city never truly slept. Even when the streets of Valenport were quiet, something always slithered beneath the surface. Tonight, it was the Silent Serpents.
I knew their presence before I saw them. The alleys grew colder, the fog heavier, the silence too sharp. We had barely escaped the enforcer's ambush when Ryn froze mid-step, her hand lifting for silence.
"They're watching," she whispered.
The words sent a ripple through us. Mira's glow dimmed as she pulled her magic close, no longer a beacon but a shield waiting to be triggered. Loran tightened his grip on his axe, lips curling into that reckless grin that meant he smelled blood.
And me—I reached for my Resonance, steadying the pulse of power that still flared erratically after the fight. My body wanted rest. My enemies wanted me dead. I couldn't give either what they wanted.
[ Alert: Silent Serpents – Multiple Signatures Detected ]
[ Engagement Probability: 96% ]
The system's cold warnings echoed in my vision, but I didn't need them. I could feel the Serpents moving. Not footsteps, not breath—just a pressure at the edge of awareness, the same sensation as venom waiting to enter a wound.
Ryn shifted beside me. "They don't fight like the Council's enforcers. They won't come in a wave. They'll bleed us out, one by one, until we're too weak to resist."
"How do you know that?" Loran asked.
Her jaw tightened. "Because I trained with them. Before I chose Kael, before I chose freedom. The Serpents aren't soldiers. They're executioners."
The confession wasn't new to me, but hearing it aloud, here, in this moment, made the night feel heavier. Mira's eyes flicked to Ryn, searching, weighing.
Loran spat onto the cobblestones. "Executioners, eh? Let's see how they like it when the blade's at their own throats."
The first strike came from above.
A shadow dropped silently from the rooftops, twin blades flashing like fangs. I twisted, parrying the first, but the second cut deep into my shoulder. Pain flared white-hot, but Mira's magic was already stitching the wound before the blood had time to spill.
Ryn's dagger flashed, faster than sight. The Serpent collapsed with her blade buried in his throat, dissolving into silence just as quickly as he'd arrived.
Then the others came.
Not with screams or war cries. Not with the thunder of boots. They simply… appeared. Shadows peeling from shadows, masks glinting faintly, steel whispering in the dark.
"Stay close!" I barked.
Loran did the opposite. He roared, charging into the thickest cluster, his axe carving wide arcs that scattered bodies. Every strike left broken limbs, crushed ribs. But even as he killed, more Serpents slipped around him, blades cutting at his sides.
Mira threw up a barrier, light bending into a dome around us. Knives hissed through the air, sparking as they struck the ward. She grimaced, sweat dripping as she reinforced it. "I can't hold them all!"
"Then we break them before they break us," I said, pushing forward.
My sword found a Serpent's chest, Resonance flaring along the blade. The impact hurled him back, his body striking the wall with bone-snapping force. Another came low, scythe sweeping for my legs, but Ryn intercepted, her movements fluid, deadly, every strike aimed to maim or kill.
"Watch their patterns!" she called. "They hunt in pairs—always in pairs. Kill one, and the other will lose rhythm."
She was right. Two masked killers circled me, one striking high, the other low. I let the first blow glance off my blade, then pivoted, driving my sword through the second's chest. His partner faltered, just enough for Ryn to slit his throat.
One pair down. Too many left.
Loran bellowed, his axe dripping red, his arm cut to ribbons. "Hah! I thought assassins were supposed to be quiet!"
A Serpent landed on his back, blade plunging for his neck. But before it could strike, Mira's magic flared—chains of light snapping out to drag the assassin screaming into the cobblestones.
Loran wiped the blood from his cheek and laughed. "You're earning your keep, mage!"
But Mira didn't smile. Her hands trembled, her lips pale. Holding her wards, chaining her magic, and healing me all at once was burning through her reserves.
We had to end this.
I reached deep, pulling on every thread of Resonance I could muster. The air thickened, vibrating with pressure. The Serpents paused, sensing it.
[ Ability Unlocked: Soul Resonance – Pulse ]
[ Warning: Overuse may destabilize core integrity. ]
The warning barely registered.
I slammed my sword into the ground.
Resonance exploded outward in a shockwave of force and light, tearing through the alley. Serpents were hurled into walls, bones snapping, masks shattering. The street shook, dust raining from broken windows.
When the light faded, the survivors melted back into the shadows, vanishing as swiftly as they'd come. The Silent Serpents never lingered when their strike failed.
But they'd be back.
My legs nearly buckled, only Mira's steadying hand keeping me upright. Ryn scanned the rooftops, her chest heaving, daggers slick with blood. Loran leaned on his axe, his grin wild but his body battered.
Silence fell again. Not peace. Just the pause before the next move.
I looked at the bloodstained cobblestones, at the corpses that were already fading into smoke. My voice came rough.
"They're testing us. Just like the Hounds. Just like the enforcer. The Serpents aren't meant to kill us tonight. They're meant to see how far we'll go."
Ryn's eyes hardened. "And when they report back, the Council will know exactly what we're capable of."
"Good," Loran growled. "Let them know. Let them fear it."
But Mira's whisper chilled the fire in my chest. "Or let them plan for it."
The night wind stirred the alley, carrying the faint rattle of chains in the distance.
The Serpents had shown their fangs. The Council's venom was already seeping into Valenport.
And we had less time than ever.
[ Objective Updated: Survive – Council Response Imminent ]
[ Time Remaining: 61h 22m ]