The fog rolled in thick over the city that night, swallowing the streets in a damp, silvery haze. It wasn't natural—that much I could feel in the way my Soul Resonance thrummed in warning.
Mira walked beside me, her hood drawn low, her hand brushing the hilt of her dagger. Neither of us spoke. We'd learned the hard way that silence could mean survival.
Every footstep seemed to echo too loudly in the stillness. Somewhere beyond the mist, distant voices whispered—too faint to make out, but sharp enough to set my nerves on edge.
We were on our way to meet with a potential ally, a man named Ardan who supposedly had ties to both the merchant guild and the underground information network. If he was telling the truth, he might be able to help us identify who in the city was secretly funding the Silent Serpents.
If he was lying, well… I had my sword for that.
A shadow moved in the fog ahead.
"Stay close," I murmured.
The silhouette paused, then started toward us. For a moment, I thought it might be Ardan. Then I saw the glint of steel in their hand.
"Down!" I barked, shoving Mira aside just as the attacker lunged.
The clash of metal rang out as I parried the strike. The force of it sent a jolt through my arm—this one wasn't some common thug. He moved with precision, each blow aimed to kill, each step pushing me back into the deeper fog.
I fought to keep my focus, letting my Soul Resonance flow into my blade. The edge shimmered faintly, cutting through the mist with every swing.
Mira was already moving to flank him, but a second attacker emerged from the fog behind her.
"Two of them," I growled. "Silent Serpents."
The first assassin came at me again, faster now, trying to overwhelm my defense. I sidestepped, slashing low to force him back. The second assassin tried to take Mira from behind, but she spun, her dagger catching his strike in a burst of sparks.
We fought like that for what felt like forever—steel on steel, the fog swirling around us like a living thing. Each breath burned in my chest, each strike pushing me to the edge.
Finally, I feinted left, then drove my blade into the first assassin's shoulder. He hissed in pain but didn't fall—Silent Serpents didn't die easy. Still, the wound bought me the moment I needed.
I grabbed Mira's arm. "We move—now!"
We broke into a run, the assassins' footsteps pounding after us. The fog was so thick I could barely see, but I trusted my instincts, weaving through the twisting alleys until the sounds of pursuit finally faded.
We stopped in the shadow of a crumbling wall, both of us breathing hard.
"That," Mira panted, "was not an accident. They knew exactly where we'd be tonight."
I clenched my jaw. She was right. Which meant someone had betrayed us—or our movements were being watched far more closely than I'd realized.
When we finally reached the meeting point, Ardan was nowhere to be found. Only a small, bloodstained scrap of cloth lay on the ground.
It wasn't just an ambush. It was a warning.
I looked at Mira, my grip tightening on my sword. "They want us afraid."
She met my gaze, fire in her eyes. "Then let's make them afraid instead."
The fog began to lift, but the unease it left behind clung to me like a second skin.
This city had always been a battlefield. But now… now it felt like the war was finally beginning.
To be continued…