CHAPTER 5 — THE ASSASSIN
The world outside the breathing forest was… quieter.
Too quiet.
Riven walked slowly through the thinning mist, feeling the difference in every breath. The air no longer hummed with spirit-light. There were no trees shifting, no soil pulsing, no whispers riding the wind.
Just ordinary woods.
And yet…
Something was wrong.
Riven glanced over his shoulder.
The shadow creature walked behind him, its small, fox-sized body gliding over the ground without making a sound. Its pale eyes reflected nothing—no emotion, no curiosity. Just awareness.
Riven narrowed his eyes.
"You're still following me," he muttered.
The creature tilted its head.
Riven rubbed the back of his neck. The crescent mark pulsed faintly again, like a heartbeat responding to danger.
He didn't know why… but ever since the pool, ever since the vision, his instincts had sharpened.
Something was watching him.
And not the creature.
Something else.
Something that carried intent.
---
THE FOREST QUIETS
By noon, Riven found a small clearing. A dim sun filtered through a cloudy sky, washing the ground in a grey, faded warmth.
He stopped beside a fallen log.
"Let's rest," he said, mostly to himself.
The shadow creature sat a few feet away—still watching, still silent.
Riven took a long breath, leaning against the log. Leaves rustled softly. Birds chirped somewhere far off.
Normal.
Calm.
Safe.
Until—
Scrrrrk…
A single crack echoed through the woods.
A twig snapping under a boot.
Riven's eyes snapped open.
His senses sharpened instantly.
That sound… didn't belong to any animal.
It was too heavy. Too controlled. Too deliberate.
Someone's here.
He stood slowly, heart beating faster but mind steady. The crescent mark on his neck pulsed again—harder, like a warning.
The shadow creature lowered its body, as if sensing the same threat.
Riven whispered, "Show yourself."
The forest was silent.
Then another sound.
Step.
Another.
Step…
This time closer.
Riven clenched his fists. His breath slowed. His muscles tensed.
He looked toward the trees—
And the world dropped into a cold stillness.
A figure stepped out from the shadows.
---
THE ASSASSIN ARRIVES
Tall.
Lean.
Wrapped in dark leather armor engraved with fang-like runes.
His eyes gleamed beneath the hood—cold, sharp, and hungry.
Riven didn't know him.
But the instant he saw him… he understood.
This man came for me.
The assassin stopped ten steps away, his boots sinking softly into the damp leaves.
His voice was calm. Controlled.
"Riven Soltray."
Riven stiffened.
"You know my name?"
The assassin smiled faintly.
"I know your mark."
His gaze flicked to Riven's neck.
Riven instinctively touched the crescent symbol hidden by his collar.
"You're from that cult," Riven said slowly.
"Cult?" the assassin repeated, amused. "That is such a small word for what we are."
His hand drifted to the dagger strapped to his thigh. The blade was black—glossless—like solidified shadow.
Riven took a half-step back.
"What do you want?"
The assassin shrugged lightly.
"Orders."
"Orders to do what?"
"To retrieve your mark."
Riven's blood went cold.
"And me?"
"You are optional."
Riven clenched his jaw. "I'm not going anywhere."
A grin spread across the assassin's face.
"I expected you to say that."
He moved.
So fast.
A blur of black surged forward.
Riven barely dodged as the dagger slashed through the air, cutting a clean line where his throat had been a second earlier.
Riven tumbled back, heart pounding, dirt scattering under his boots.
He's fast. Too fast.
The assassin straightened, amused.
"You survived the first strike. Impressive."
Riven wiped the dust from his hands.
"You won't get another."
"Oh?" The assassin flickered—and vanished.
---
THE FIRST STRIKE
Riven ducked instinctively.
Shhhk!
The dagger sliced a strand of his hair.
The assassin stood behind him, blade dripping with a thin line of blood—Riven's blood—from the shallow cut on his cheek.
"You react well," the assassin murmured, "but not well enough."
He lunged again.
Riven jumped sideways, barely escaping the sweeping slash. His body screamed from the sudden movement, but he didn't stop—he twisted, kicked off a tree trunk, and launched himself backward.
The assassin's dagger stabbed into the trunk where Riven had been standing.
But Riven stumbled on landing. His chest burned. His breath trembled.
Damn… my body isn't ready for this.
The crescent mark pulsed violently.
A cold shock ran up his spine.
No—don't activate! Not now—
His vision blurred. A flash of white light sparked across his eyes—like the pool's memory trying to force itself open.
The assassin noticed.
"So the mark is still unstable…"
He stepped forward, dagger raised.
"Good. That makes this easier."
---
THE SHADOW CREATURE INTERVENES
The blade descended toward Riven's throat—
SHRREEEK!
A shrill sound tore through the air.
The shadow creature launched itself like a streak of darkness.
The assassin's eyes widened as the creature slammed into his arm, throwing off his strike by a fraction.
Enough for Riven to roll away.
The assassin staggered back, shaking his arm like he'd been burned.
"What—what is that thing?"
The creature landed soundlessly, its white eyes glowing, its shadowy form curling protectively around Riven.
It didn't hiss.
It didn't growl.
But its presence radiated danger.
The assassin glared.
"A forest wraith…? Impossible. They never leave the boundary."
Riven stood, shoulder throbbing.
"You shouldn't have followed me," he muttered to the creature.
It didn't move.
It just stared at the assassin, body low, ready to strike again.
The assassin straightened, amused but annoyed.
"So the forest protects you. Interesting. But useless."
He stepped forward again—
And the shadow creature leaped.
---
THE BATTLE BREAKS OPEN
The assassin dodged, but the creature's body twisted mid-air like liquid smoke. Its claw-shaped tendrils lashed toward his throat.
The assassin blocked with his dagger.
Dark flames sparked as the two shadows collided.
Riven stumbled back, shock on his face.
"What… are you?"
The creature ignored him, attacking again.
Strike. Dodge. Slash. Flicker.
The two moved like shadows fighting shadows.
But the assassin was trained—his weapon wasn't normal steel. Each swing of the dagger created thin ripples in the air, cutting through the creature's smoky form.
The shadow creature recoiled, parts of its body flickering violently.
Riven felt a strange pain in his chest—as if the creature's injuries echoed inside him.
The assassin smirked.
"Pathetic little wraith."
He raised the dagger for a finishing strike.
Riven didn't think.
He moved.
His foot slammed into the assassin's ribs, sending him staggering back a few steps.
The assassin's expression barely changed, but his eyes had sharpened.
"So you're not entirely helpless."
Riven's chest burned. His vision wavered. The crescent mark pulsed again and again—faster, louder, harder.
"No more running," Riven said, voice shaking but determined.
The assassin's smile widened.
"Good. I like it when they fight back."
---
A POWER HE DIDN'T WANT
The assassin vanished again.
Riven braced.
Left? Right? Behind?
A whisper in his head—
Not a voice, but instinct.
Right.
Riven spun.
The dagger sliced toward him—
And the crescent mark erupted.
A shockwave blasted outward, sending both Riven and the assassin flying in opposite directions.
The trees rattled. The ground cracked. Leaves spiraled into the sky.
Riven crashed hard against a rock, coughing, ears ringing.
The assassin hit the ground and rolled, stopping himself with his blade.
Smoke drifted off the ground.
The assassin stared at Riven—stunned, then thrilled.
"That power… yes. That is the Crescent."
He stood slowly.
"I must take you alive. The Seer will want to dissect you himself."
Riven struggled to breathe.
"No… you won't."
The assassin blurred again.
The shadow creature limped forward, blocking his path.
And this time—
Riven moved with it.
---
THE COUNTERATTACK
The creature feinted left. Riven lunged right.
The assassin caught the feint—but misread Riven.
Riven's fist slammed into his jaw, sending a shock through the assassin's skull.
The assassin stumbled.
The creature attacked then—fast, desperate—clawing the assassin's leg.
The assassin hissed in pain.
Riven followed with a kick.
The assassin's dagger flew from his hand, spinning into the dirt.
For the first time, the assassin looked… unsettled.
"You… untrained brat…!"
Riven gritted his teeth.
"You shouldn't have come after me."
The assassin lunged barehanded.
Riven's crescent mark pulsed—
BA-DUM.
Another shockwave rippled outward.
The assassin froze mid-strike, eyes widening.
"No… not again—"
BOOM.
The blast threw him back into a tree. His body hit the trunk with a crunch.
He slid down…
Then went still.
Dead?
Unconscious?
Riven didn't know.
He didn't care.
He collapsed to one knee, chest heaving, vision trembling.
The shadow creature limped toward him and sat silently at his side.
Riven whispered, barely conscious:
"…Now the others will come."
Because the assassin had whispered that same line with his final breath.
And Riven knew—
This was only the beginning.
Chapter 5 — END