01:13 AM — Outskirts of Rahasan's Forest
The mist was thick enough to drown in.
Perched on a crooked branch, Katrina studied the estate below. The Iverro Mansion. Outwardly abandoned. Inwardly crawling.
Guards patrolled in sets of two. Silent. Disciplined. Not street thugs—military training. Whoever owned this place wasn't just rich. They were careful.
Katrina's violet suit blended into the shadows. Her hood was up, blades laced into her sleeves, and her breath calm as death.
Tonight's mission was clear:
Infiltrate. Locate the suspected magic item. Neutralize the opposition. Leave nothing behind.
She leapt.
---
01:19 AM — Mansion Grounds
The first two guards stood near the side entrance, muttering about the humidity.
They didn't see her coming.
Two chops—neck, temple.
Both dropped before they could blink.
She dragged their bodies into the hedge and moved on.
---
01:23 AM — Interior Wing, Second Floor
Katrina slipped through a balcony window, into a velvet-draped corridor. Chandeliers swayed slightly overhead.
The magic in this place wasn't alive, but something in the air was… sharp. Contained. Waiting.
She didn't stop to wonder.
A trio of guards rounded the corner ahead—crossbows in hand, light armor, quick on their feet.
They saw her.
Bad luck.
"Sound the—!" one shouted.
He didn't finish.
Katrina sprinted forward like a dagger.
The first guard fired. She ducked under the bolt, slid across the polished floor, and swept his leg. He hit the ground with a crunch.
Second one aimed—she kicked the downed man's crossbow into his gut.
Third ran at her with a dagger.
She sidestepped, caught his wrist, twisted—and slammed him headfirst into the wall.
Three down. None dead.
Her breath didn't waver.
She kept moving.
01:37 AM — West Wing
The hallway ahead was dark. Too dark.
Katrina narrowed her eyes. The hair on her arms stood.
A presence.
Not magical. Human. Trained. Still.
She advanced.
The man stepped from the shadows. Tall. Sleeves rolled. Gloves on. Scar across his chin.
"You're early," he said.
"You're in my way," she replied.
He smiled. "I was hoping I'd get to kill the ghost the mansion's been whispering about all week."
He drew two short blades—blackened, curved. No aura, no light.
Katrina's eyes sharpened.
He knew how to hide his energy.
That made him dangerous.
---
01:38 AM — The Duel
No banter. No warning.
He lunged. Fast.
She was faster.
Steel rang out. Sparks lit the dark.
He aimed for arteries. She responded with joint strikes. He countered with kicks. She answered with feints.
They danced.
Wall to wall. Floor to ceiling.
He slammed a boot toward her ribs.
She caught it—spun—used him as leverage—and launched him across the hallway.
He landed. Rolled. Laughed.
"You fight like someone who's been alone too long."
"You talk like someone who's about to sleep for a long time," she said, cracking her neck.
Then: lightning.
A compact discharge from her palm. He dodged—but not fast enough.
His left blade shattered.
She moved in.
Four blows in under two seconds.
Ribs. Elbow. Shoulder. Throat.
He stumbled.
Blood on his lip. But a grin on his face.
"Now I see why they sent you."
Katrina didn't answer.
She twisted, stepped behind him, whispered, "Night."
And knocked him.
01:45 AM — Inner Sanctum
The vault was open.
On a pedestal rested a small, cloth-wrapped object bound in sealing threads. Humble-looking. But the air around it was tense, as if the mansion held its breath around it.
She didn't unwrap it.
Didn't need to.
She took it, slid it into a hardened pouch on her belt, and turned.
---
01:50 AM — Grand Hall
She lit the first flame at the base of the stairwell. The oil from the lamps helped.
Second flame in the west corridor.
Third near the curtains.
Soon, fire kissed the woodwork like a lover returning from war.
Katrina walked through the chaos she created, untouched by the smoke or the panic of creaking ceilings.
The guards she'd left unconscious? Still alive.
But they'd wake up to ash.
---
02:03 AM — Hillside Ridge
She stood on the edge of the trees, watching the Iverro Mansion turn into a bonfire.
The smoke curled into the stars.
Somewhere behind her, the capital would whisper rumors in the morning.
A ghost in violet.
A lone intruder.
A woman who left nothing but fire.
Katrina pulled her hood lower.
And vanished into the dark.