Selena Syndrine.
That her her name. A name she held in high regard, as it was proof of her Noble lineage and connection to a House of Magi. Or at least it was, until House Syndrine was destroyed by opposing factions. All the males were either killed or banished, while the females were captured and sold into slavery. Selena was sold herself, and a life of rape and torture awaited her. But before such a fate call befall her, she was bought by a secret organization of assassins and recruited.
The organization saved her life and in return, she gifted it to them. She was reborn in the crucible of death, taught to kill and slip through the shadows like water. She was given power that far surpassed what House Syndrine could provide, and soon Selena fell into her new life with glee. Her first act was to kill the slavers that held her, before turning to the factions that destroyed House Syndrine. The latter operation was far more difficult however, as it involved multiple Noble Houses and even two other Magi.
So Selena was forced to put her revenge on hold, at least until she was powerful enough to handle them. Until then, she focused on serving the organization and its whims. One such mission bestowed to her was the assassination of Sia and Altair Atrazark, the two children of Raphaniel Atrazark. This was an important task issued by an upper echelon directly to Selena, highlighting its need for completion. It was also an honour for Selena and her comrades, as it showed the organization valued them highly enough to give them this task.
Selena was an upper Grandmaster Tier existence with a C- Core, making her somewhat of a prodigy as she was only in her mid twenties. She was tasked with dealing with the person protecting the Atrazark children, who was an upper Grandmaster Tier existence himself. In fact, he was at the bottleneck just before Epic Tier. His Core was unknown, but it was likely in the C+ Rank as well.
Her water spear clashed with his longsword comprised of dark material. Selena wasn't certain what it was exactly, but it was undeniably an expensive ore. It seemed especially conducible to Mana, allowing her opponent to channel lightning through it. Selena clicked her tongue and disengaged after receiving a shock. Water was weak to Lighting, as the latter simply travelled through it. If she formed a water shield, the longsword would tear it apart in an instant.
The Affinities did not line in her favour, but Selena was given this mission for a reason. She was a highly skilled combatant, and she was determined to carry out the kill successfully. Her opponent was equally determined to stop that from happening however, and a burst of lightning ran down his blade. Selena dodged backwards, but her shoulder was singed by the attack. A cold sweat ran down her neck, as the cold touch of death began creeping up on her. She shook the feeling away and resolutely gripped her spear. She would win this fight and complete her mission, no matter what.
She gathered 30% of her total Mana in one go, forming a large and complicated spell matrix. Her spear began to vibrant and bluish air currents formed around her. In response, the man released a massive burst of lightning that formed arcs around him. His longsword glowed like a torch, and the air around them began thick and hard to breathe. He was releasing so much lightning, the oxygen was being burnt up!
Both assassins struck at the same time, trying to finish the other off in a single strike. The longsword flashed and multiple tendrils of lighting homed in on Selena, In turn, a beam of roaring water was expelled from her spear tip. Just before the two spells met, the water beam sploshed and spread everywhere. The lightning tendrils were hit by the water and sizzled, effectively stopping the attack. A portion of the water beam remained however, and headed right for the man's heart. A hint of concern flashed in his eyes before darkness surged round him and blocked the water beam.
Selena gasped in shock at the sight. She was not overly surprised he could use two Elements: that wasn't rare for a Grandmaster Tier existence. But the move he just used...that was a common Technique of the organization Selena belonged to! At this realization, one named entered the young woman's mind: Jace Abernathy, the turncoat and master assassin! Jace seemed to notice the recognition and let out a grim chuckle.
"You aren't the worst I've seen, but you still have along way to go girl. A shame you won't realize your full potential, since you are going to die here today" his threat was casual, like it was already set in stone. And Selena couldn't shake the feeling that it was. Jace Abernathy was just that dangerous a person. He was one of the few people alive that could kill Epic Tier entities while being a Grandmaster Tier existence himself. And he wasn't even a Magi!
Before the battle could resume, a massive explosion shook the hotel. A sudden influx of Wind Mana flooded the corridor Selena and Jace were fighting in, making bothy furrow their brows. Jace recognise that Mana signature...'shit!' With a bolt of speed, he attempted to bypass Selena and head back towards Sia and Altair. However, a spear made from water dashed in like a snake and struck him on the upper thigh. The force of the blow also knocked him backwards.
A grin had appeared on Selena's face at some point as she looked at Jace triumphantly. "It's too late! My colleagues have already killed those kids by now. That was likely a last-ditch effort! You failed, old man." She was elated at the success of her mission, but still kept her guard up. Jace could still kill her with relative ease if she showed an opening. Especially now, when he might unleash his anger and rage on her at the death of his charges.
As she expected, Jace unleashed a furious flurry of strikes, each one capable of taking her head off. She desperately tried to defend, but cuts began to pile up nonetheless. With one last vicious clash, her water spear was dispersed and Selena was left defenceless. Fear filed her face and Jace's longsword made a beeline for her heart, still glowing from an overload of lightning. Death was assured if contact was made, but Selena saw no way out.
As the tip, of the blade rooted itself in her chest, an enormous mass of Mana caused the whole hotel to shake. The corridor groaned and collapsed, dragging Selena down with it. Jace jumped back, clicking his tongue as he observed the blood on his sword. He had cut her, but Selena had narrowly avoided her heart being pierced. She was badly wounded though, and the fall would cause even more damage. Not enough to kill her however, as Jace knew just how tenacious high Level Grandmaster Tier existences were. With one last snort, Jace vanished and headed towards the room Sia and Altair were in.
…......
Selena awoke with a cough, shaking congealed blood from her lungs. Her body and head hurt like hell, with her chest in particular feeling like shit. The fall had broken several ribs and given her a nasty concussion, but she lived. Jace was right: they really were a tenacious bunch. Selena stood up with a groan, leaning on a piece of rubble for balance. She steadied herself and looked around.
Selena had been lucky enough to have landed near a broken wall of the hotel, allowing her access to escape the crumbling building. She could see fires and hear screams from the town in the near vicinity, showing the Heretic's rampage was still ongoing. A slight twinge of guilt flickered in her heart at the thought of so many dead civilians, but she steeled herself and made to leave. Collateral was unavoidable, especially in such a high-stakes mission like this.
She had only taken a few steps however, when a figure suddenly appeared in her vision. They had magically appeared out of thin air, causing Selena to instantly go on guard. She summoned her water spear again, gritting her teeth and swallowing back the blood that bubbled up. Her Mana was basically exhausted: she was unable to fight. But maybe she could bluff? She pointed her spear at the person. "Who are you!"
The figure stepped closer, revealing itself to be a...thing. Selena blinked, trying to discern just what she was looking at. A humanoid entity, it was comprised of a strange black matter that sucked in all light around it. Not just light however, as even time and gravity seemed to be affected. The figure had no face except deep purple eyes, just a smooth surface that glistened like oil. It's hands ended in five elongated claws that shined ominously, seeming sharp enough to tear through steel.
Seeing it approaching, Selena spoke. "Come any closer, and I'll gut you!" she warned. She put on brave front, but her instincts were screaming at her to flee at once. Yet her body was unable to follow that command, as she was crippled and exhausted. Perhaps sensing this, the creature sped up lightly in response. A crack formed on it's smooth face, transforming into what Selena assumed was a misshapen mouth. "Or what? You gonna poke me with that stick of yours?" it spoke.
Selena was unable to understand however, as she stumbled back as soon as the first word reached her ears. Her head felt like someone gripped it with a vice and was trying to crush it. Her already bad wounds all opened up at once and she nearly died on the spot from haemorrhaging. Not even her Grandmaster Tier Vitality could keep her body together in front of whatever the creature did. Speaking of the creature, it stopped just in front of Selena and looked down at her.
It studied her sleek silver hair that glistened like ice crystals and rose-red eyes, her porcelain face and physique, her bust and everything else about her. Selena was no stranger to such gazes, as she was used to them. A beauty like herself had to be, after all these years. Yet she could not shake the sense it was looking at something else, peering right in to her very soul. It nodded to itself, evidently pleased by what it observed. "You will suffice then."
Before Selena could respond, she was suddenly lifted by the throat, She gasped and struggled, but was unable to break free. The creature let loose a guttural chuckle that reverberated in her head. It stretched it's mouth as wide as it could, having it reach the edge of its face. She could see down it's throat, and was met with a sinister purple flame burning. "W-what are y-you?" she croaked in terror. It merely tightened it's grip.
"A remnant of Infinity seeking enjoyment and pleasure. Now then...my body was broken down and used as the foundation for you. So, it is only fair for your body to serve as the foundation for me!"
The flames inside the creature's throat roared and spilled out. With a scream, Selena Syndrine was consumed by the purple light and disappeared. Nothing, not even ash, remained of the once noble assassin. The creature lowered its arm and vanished from its spot. It reappeared beside two bodies, children both of them.
It spared a courtesy glance to the girl before focusing on the boy. As it observed him, it slowly sank into his shadow. Just before it's head was sucked in, it spoke. "Pathetic" Then it was gone, leaving no trace it ever existed in the first place. The scene of the sleeping children remained undisturbed for several minutes, before it was intruded upon by a man wielding a longword that glowed a soft yellow.
He rushed to the children's side and measured their pulses. After confirming they were alive, he picked them both up and left. Behind him, the last remaining pieces of the hotel groaned and collapsed, consumed by the still-raging inferno. With it, three torn and ravaged bodies dressed in black cloth fell into the fire, being erased. As one fell, the glint of a silver ring revealed itself before melting with its owner.