Two months ago.
It was a day when the rain never stopped.The city of Sulvaran, home to the elves who worshiped nature above all, lay quiet under gray skies. Streets glistened with water, and the scent of wet stone and moss filled the air.
At the heart of the city stood the castle of the Silverbloom family.Its walls were pale and smooth, shaped around the roots of ancient trees. Rain ran down the stones, tracing the lines of the building like rivers. Even in the storm, the castle seemed calm, watching everything that moved beneath it.
Inside, the halls were empty except for the soft sound of water dripping from the high arches. The light from outside filtered through the leaves above, pale and steady.
In the throne room of the castle, footsteps echoed softly.
A woman sat on the throne. Her gaze fell on the man kneeling before her.
For a moment, the room was silent. Only the two of them were there.
"Nocthyr Thalanir, do you know why I summoned you here?" the woman asked.
"Do I need to kill someone, Princess?" he asked, head bowed.
"Yes. You need to kill someone," the woman said. "More precisely, the son of a noble family in the Valtherion Empire."
Nocthyr lifted his head slightly.
"The Valtherion Empire?" he asked. "Princess, are you sure? The Valtherion Empire is strong. Provoking them could bring consequences."
She looked down at him, her expression unchanged.
"You will do as I say," she replied calmly. "Is that not correct, Nocthyr?"
The man met her gaze for a brief moment, then lowered his head again.
"Yes, Princess," he said. "I will do as you command, no matter the cost."
"Good."
He hesitated for a moment.
"But may I ask one question first?"
She studied him, then nodded. "You may."
"Who is the target," Nocthyr asked, "and why?"
A faint smile appeared on her lips.
"His name is Kael Revanor," she said. "He is the heir to the Revanor Duchy."
Nocthyr's eyes narrowed.
"The Revanor Duchy?" he said. "Princess, do we not have good relations with them? Why do you wish to kill their heir?"
Nyssara leaned back slightly on her throne.
"You know what kind of skill I possess," she said.
"Of course, Princess," Nocthyr replied. "Everyone in Duskhelm knows you have the ability to see the future."
He paused, then asked carefully,
"Did you see him become a threat to the elven kingdom?"
The smile on Nyssara's face slowly faded.
"Yes," she said quietly. "And you must leave no evidence that this was our doing."
Nocthyr did not hesitate.
"As you command," he replied. "There will be no witnesses. No traces."
After saying that, he rose to his feet and left the throne room to fulfill the order given to him.
Nyssara watched his back as he disappeared into the halls.
"I will clear your path for you," she said softly. "My hero."
Nocthyr Thalanir's POV
That was my order.Kill Kael Revanor.
First, I gathered information about him.
There was very little. He rarely left the castle. He was known as the youngest sword prodigy of the Revanor Duchy. He was engaged to the third princess of the Valtherion Empire. And in two months, he was expected to awaken his power.
Finding personal information was difficult. His parents protected him like a dragon guarding its only egg. Every servant was screened. Every guard was loyal. Nothing leaked.
That alone told me enough.It would be difficult to enter the castle.
Two months passed. I reached Revanhold, the capital of the Revanor Duchy. I blended into the crowd, hiding my face, and watched the servants and soldiers outside the castle walls.
Then I saw him.
Looks like it will be easier than I thought.
I followed him to a tavern, one that many people visited. He sat in the corner, drinking. I walked over and took the seat across from him.
"Who—?" he started.
"Don't be alarmed," I said.
He was about to shout again. I lifted my mask. He froze, eyes wide.
"Nocthyr Thalanir… what are you doing here?"
"I am here under orders," I said. "And… you live a very lavish lifestyle, I think."
"What do you want?" he asked, voice trembling.
"Do you want your daughter to live?" I said.
He froze again.
"My daughter… what happened to her?" he asked, voice tight.
"Nothing has happened," I said. "But something will, if you don't do what I say."
He thought deeply, eyes narrowing.
"So… you came here to kill Kael Revanor?" he asked at last.
"You catch on very fast," I said. "I only want you to create an open space. A place with no guards."
He looked at me sharply. "Do you think I will betray them?"
"For your daughter… I think yes," I said.
"Give me time," he replied.
"Okay," I said. "You have one day. After that… if you don't act, I will send a message home. She will not survive."
He said nothing and left. I did not blame him. With this choice, he would betray one side eventually.
"I will be here until tomorrow," I said softly, before he disappeared from sight.
That night, he agreed to my proposal.
The next morning, as I was about to enter the castle, I saw twelve men moving ahead of me. They were assassins, like me, but all human. I didn't know who sent them.
If they could kill him, there would be no trace leading back to the elves. So I let them pass and followed from behind.
They moved toward the training grounds. I followed again, keeping my distance.
When I arrived, I saw two children sparring.
One of them had to be Kael Revanor. The other was his fiancée—the third princess of the empire.
I watched them for a while.
Then the human assassins attacked.
At first, I thought their target was the princess. I decided to wait and see the result before joining the fight and exposing myself.
Unfortunately, most of the assassins died. The others fled when the sound of guards shouting reached the training grounds.
Before the guards could reach the training grounds, I had to kill him.
There had to be a scapegoat.
If Kael died here, they would believe he was killed by the human assassins. Their anger would turn inward. They would search among their own nobles, hunting for traitors and conspiracies.
No one would think of the elves.
That was the best outcome.
And it was why I waited in the shadows, watching, calculating, until the right moment came.