The forest was too quiet.
Adrian slowed his pace, his hand tightening around the hilt of his blade. Even the rustle of leaves seemed to hold its breath. Selena walked a few steps behind, her eyes darting nervously from shadow to shadow.
"Why… why does it feel like something is following us?" she whispered, her voice barely audible.
Adrian didn't answer. His gaze swept across the trees, his instincts screaming louder than words. Since awakening the scroll's power, his senses had sharpened—every shift in the wind, every crunch of earth beneath his boots carried meaning.
Tonight, the forest was wrong.
They reached a clearing bathed in moonlight. Adrian halted, his breath fogging in the cold night air. Slowly, he lowered his pack to the ground and muttered, "Stay close."
Selena's brows furrowed. "Adrian, you're scaring me—"
A flicker. A shadow moved against the tree line, faster than the eye could follow.
Adrian's blade rang free in an instant.
From the darkness, a voice cut through, smooth and chilling.
"You've grown sharper, boy. Most wouldn't have sensed me until their throats were already slit."
Selena stiffened, her face pale. "That voice… the Black Crane."
Adrian's grip tightened. He had heard the name whispered in taverns and alleys—a legendary assassin who never missed his mark, his emblem said to be stained in the blood of countless clans.
From the trees, a man emerged, clad in dark robes that seemed to melt into the shadows. His mask was carved like a crane's beak, and his presence pressed down like a suffocating weight.
Adrian stood firm, though his heart pounded in his chest. "If you've come for me, then step forward. Let's end this here."
The assassin tilted his head, as though amused. "Confident. Reckless. Just like the boy who dares to hold what should never have been touched." His eyes flicked to the scroll strapped to Adrian's side. "Hand it over, and I may grant you a quick death."
Adrian's blood ran cold, but he forced a grim smile.
"If you want it—" He raised his blade, inner energy beginning to flare. "—then try and take it."
The air shifted. In a blur of motion, the Black Crane struck—faster than lightning.
Steel clashed under the moonlight. Sparks burst in the silence of the clearing. Adrian's arms trembled under the weight of the assassin's strike, yet his spirit roared louder than fear.
For the first time, he would test the true power of the scroll.
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✨ Author's Note:
🔥 The Black Crane has finally arrived! Do you think Adrian can withstand this assassin's deadly skills with the scroll's power, or is he still too inexperienced? Thank you so much for pushing this story past 3k views—your support keeps me writing! 💙