The wind howled through the open window as Kade stood over the fallen assassin, his mind spiraling in disbelief. His heart pounded in his chest, not from exertion, but from the crushing weight of betrayal. The assassin lying dead at his feet wasn't just a nameless face from the Shadowfang Guild. It was someone he knew—someone he had trained alongside, fought with, and trusted.
Galen.
Kade knelt, turning Galen's body over to face him. The mask, now tossed aside, revealed a man he had once considered a brother in arms. His expression was frozen in a mix of shock and determination, eyes wide and staring into nothing. Blood continued to pool beneath him, soaking into the plush carpet of Lord Blackthorn's manor.
"Why?" Kade muttered under his breath, his voice barely audible above the wind's wail. There were no answers, no easy explanations. Only questions and the deepening pit in his gut.
He couldn't stay here. The guild knew he was here, and that meant others would be coming. There was no time to mourn, no time to puzzle out the intricacies of the betrayal. The guild was merciless, and they never left a job unfinished.
Moving swiftly, Kade rose to his feet, wiping the blood from his blade and sheathing it. His mind raced as he pieced together the only possible explanation. Someone within the guild had put out a bounty on him, likely without the approval of the Shadow King—if that even mattered anymore. Could the guild itself have turned against him? Could the Shadow King have issued the order? None of it made sense. Kade had never failed a mission. His loyalty had never wavered.
He had followed the code. He had never questioned the guild.
But they had betrayed him.
Kade took one last glance at Galen's lifeless body, then moved toward the window. He had to get out of Valdrion. The city was a death trap now. The streets teemed with guild agents, and once word spread that he was a target, there would be nowhere to hide. But first, there was one last thing to take care of—Lord Blackthorn.
The mission still stood, even if it had been a setup. Kade's eyes narrowed. He had been betrayed, but his principles remained intact. Blackthorn's death was the reason he came, and Blackthorn would die.
Silently, Kade slipped deeper into the manor, moving like a shadow through the dimly lit corridors. The opulence of the estate was an affront to everything he had known—noble families who wallowed in luxury while the rest of the world crumbled around them. Blackthorn was no different. He was a snake, manipulating power from behind the scenes, allying himself with whomever paid the highest price.
Kade had killed men like him before, men who wielded influence as a weapon and left destruction in their wake. The nobles viewed assassins like Kade as tools, easily discarded after their use. It wasn't the first time, and it wouldn't be the last.
He reached the entrance to Blackthorn's private chambers, pausing outside the heavy oak door. It was unnervingly quiet on the other side, but that was no surprise. The man was likely asleep or unaware of the danger closing in. Lord Blackthorn wasn't the type to get his hands dirty—he hired others to do that for him.
Kade's fingers ghosted over the door handle, then paused. His instincts flared again. Something was off. He pressed his ear to the wood, listening carefully voices.
Kade frowned. Blackthorn was speaking to someone, his voice muffled through the thick door. Another figure responded, this one deeper, colder. Kade strained to hear the words, but all he caught were fragmented sentences, whispers that set his nerves on edge.
"...must be finished by morning... the guild won't wait..."
Kade's grip tightened on his dagger. There was no doubt now — Blackthorn knew. He was part of whatever conspiracy had been set in motion, and Kade had walked straight into it.
Without hesitation, Kade pushed open the door. His movements were swift and silent, and he slipped into the room like a wraith. The chamber was large and lavish, with tapestries hanging on the walls and a roaring fire crackling in the hearth. At the far end of the room stood Lord Blackthorn, dressed in fine robes, his face pale with shock as Kade emerged from the shadows.
Across from him stood a second figure—a tall, cloaked man whose face was obscured by a hood. The stranger's presence exuded danger, a sense of controlled violence that even Kade could feel from across the room. He wasn't just a bodyguard. He was something far more dangerous.
"Kade Shadowstrike," Blackthorn stammered, taking a step back. "What... what is the meaning of this?"
Kade's eyes flicked to the cloaked figure, then back to Blackthorn. "You tell me. You knew I was coming. You hired someone else to finish the job before I could. Why?"
Blackthorn's eyes darted to the man beside him, his fear palpable. The stranger said nothing, his stance relaxed but ready. Kade could sense the tension in the air, the looming threat that hung between them like a drawn blade.
"I—" Blackthorn began, but before he could say another word, the cloaked man stepped forward, his hand raising in a casual gesture. Kade barely had time to react before he felt a surge of dark energy ripple through the room. Shadow magic, but not the kind Kade knew. This was something older, more dangerous.
The shadows in the corners of the room seemed to come alive, twisting and writhing as they moved toward Kade. He rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding the tendrils of darkness that lashed out toward him. His own shadow magic flared in response, but it was no match for the raw power emanating from the cloaked figure.
"You're out of your league, assassin," the man said, his voice a low growl. "This isn't your fight anymore."Kade gritted his teeth, forcing himself to his feet. The man was right. Whoever he was, he wielded a magic Kade had only heard about in rumors—shadow magic drawn from forbidden sources, the kind that even the most powerful assassins in the guild avoided.
But Kade wasn't about to back down.
He lunged forward, his blade slicing through the air, aiming for the man's throat. The cloaked figure moved faster than Kade had anticipated, sidestepping the attack and retaliating with a wave of shadow energy. It crashed into Kade like a physical force, sending him flying across the room.
Pain shot through his body as he hit the wall, but he forced himself to stand. He had to finish this. He had to take down Blackthorn, no matter the cost. He wouldn't be hunted like a dog by his own guild.
But when he looked up, the chamber was empty. Blackthorn and the cloaked figure were gone, leaving only the lingering shadows in their wake.
Kade cursed under his breath. The hunt had just begun.