The warm afternoon breeze stirred softly through the dense forest canopy, brushing tenderly against the white owl's feathers as she glided silently over the vast sea of green. The sun, partially veiled behind drifting clouds, cast shifting patches of golden light and shadow across the treetops below. From her lofty vantage point, Eira's sharp eyes scanned every detail of the ruined fortress nestled deep within the wilderness.
The fortress was a jagged scar on the landscape, its stone walls cracked and weathered by time. Ivy clung stubbornly to crumbling battlements, and broken towers leaned precariously toward the earth. Along those ancient walls, twelve dark-robed figures moved with purposeful caution. Their steps were steady, their watchful eyes tracing the edges of the forest. They were ghosts in the afternoon light, blending seamlessly into the muted colors of stone and foliage.
Eira's heart beat steadily beneath her cloak—not from fear, but from the sharpened alertness that came with impending battle. Her mind raced with calculations: distances between patrols, timing of rotations, the sound of footsteps against stone and earth. Every move, every choice, had to be perfect. There was no room for error.
With effortless grace, the owl descended, folding her wings tightly as she landed upon a broken ledge of the fortress wall. The cold stone beneath her feet was rough and uneven, dust motes floating lazily in the shafts of sunlight. Slowly, her feathers gave way to pale skin and white hair, the transformation seamless. Cloaked in shadows, the figure of Eira White crouched low, wand drawn and ready.
Her eyes, fierce and calculating, rested on the first guard—a solitary figure standing near a shattered archway. The man's breath was even, his gaze outward but unaware of the silent threat closing in. Eira's lips parted, whispering a spell as soft as a breeze.
"Silencio."
The air around the guard shimmered faintly as an invisible bubble of silence enveloped him. His exhale froze midway, lips parted but voiceless. Panic flickered in his eyes as he froze, suspended in an eerie stillness.
Eira moved like a shadow released from chains, drawing a thin dagger from her cloak. In a single, fluid motion, the cold steel found its mark at the base of his skull. The guard collapsed silently onto the mossy ground, unmoving.
Before the bubble of silence could fade, Eira murmured another incantation. The guard's form blurred, becoming translucent before dissolving entirely into the afternoon air. No body, no evidence—just empty space where he had been moments before.
"One down," she breathed quietly.
Her steps were barely a whisper as she slipped toward the second guard, stationed near a collapsed tower. The man scanned the tree line, vigilant and alert. Eira flicked her wand, casting "Nox," plunging the area into sudden darkness. The man reached blindly for his wand, but before he could summon a spell, Eira's voice cut through the gloom.
"Petrificus Totalus."
He stiffened instantly, frozen like a statue. Eira's wand moved again, this time transforming him into black stone. Without hesitation, she shattered the statue with a sharp flick. Dust scattered on the breeze, carried off into the vast forest.
The remaining guards gathered in small groups along the eastern wall, voices low and watchful. Eira cast "Muffliato," filling their ears with a faint buzzing noise that swallowed their conversation. Two guards dropped swiftly to "Stupefy," their bodies dissolving under "Evanesco" magic to leave no trace.
Her spells were swift and clean—designed not to wound, but to disable and erase. A few carefully aimed "Expulso" blasts shattered the ground beneath careless guards, sending them tumbling into unconsciousness.
Each fallen figure was concealed with "Occultare" or vanished altogether.
The forest remained eerily still. Only the distant songs of birds and rustling leaves disturbed the quiet.
A deep breath steadied her nerves. With a swirl of her wand, she erased every footprint, every sign of disturbance. Leaves shifted back into place, earth smoothed over.
The fortress was silent once more.
"No witnesses. No evidence," she whispered.
Now, only one person remained—the apparent leader of these thugs. Eira moved silently toward the room she had already identified as his lair, every step measured and deliberate.