The streets of Taldoria were shrouded in the heavy veil of midnight, the moon hung low and the shadows moved with unnatural grace. Nyx watched from the rooftops, her sharp eyes trained on the dimly lit window of the Great Archive below. The Silent King's orders echoed in her head - retrieve the prophecy, eliminate all witnesses.
She adjusted the two daggers strapped to her thighs. Their edges were coated with a poison so strong that even a scratch could silence a man in seconds. The thrill of the hunt coursed through her veins, but something about this mission gnawed at the edges of her mind. The Silent King's obsession with the Heartstone was becoming dangerous.
"Knowledge is power," he had whispered to her in the cold halls of Umbren. "And power belongs only to those willing to take it."
Nyx's lips curved into a grin as she descended from the roof, her movements a whisper on the stone. She landed silently in the alley below and pressed herself against the outer wall of the Archives. The rustle of parchment and the faint glow of candlelight filtered through the cracked window. Inside, she saw him—Alaris, bent over a stack of scrolls, his face lost in thought.
He didn't look like much. Too quiet. Too cautious. But these were the ones to keep an eye on.
Nyx drew a thin blade from her belt and whispered, "Let's see what secrets you hide, scholar."
---
In the Archives, Alaris sat at his desk, his fingers tracing the delicate ink of an ancient manuscript. His mind was overwhelmed by the events in the temple—the attack, their escape, and the gaps in his memory that gnawed at him like a phantom presence.
*The heart remembers what the mind forgets.*
The sentence haunted him. It seemed... familiar, as if someone had said it to him long ago. But who?
"Lost in thought again?" Elyra's voice broke through his reverie, and he looked up to see her leaning against a nearby shelf with her arms folded.
He gave her his usual impassive look, but inside his mind his thoughts swirled like a storm. "There's something I'm missing," he murmured. "Something hidden beneath all these words."
Elyra moved closer, her fingers lightly brushing the spine of an old tome. "Or maybe you're looking too hard, Alaris. Some things don't reveal themselves until they're ready."
He frowned. "We don't have the luxury of waiting. The Silent King's forces -"
A creak of floorboards drew their attention to the far end of the chamber.
Elyra's hand flew to her sword. "We are not alone."
Alaris extinguished the candle in one swift motion, plunging it into darkness. He pressed his back against the desk, his heart pounding in his chest.
The shadows shifted.
Then Nyx struck without warning.
---
A dagger whizzed past Alaris' ear and pierced the wooden shelf behind him. Elyra's sword flashed in the dim light as she charged forward, colliding with Nyx's second blade. Sparks flew in the cramped space.
"The Silent King sends his regards," Nyx whispered, her voice like silk laced with venom.
Elyra gritted her teeth. "Tell him to come himself next time."
Alaris pulled himself to his feet and looked through the archives. He had to think - and fast. His fingers brushed against an old binding and an idea flashed in his mind.
"Elyra! Distract her," he hissed.
Without hesitation, Elyra pushed forward, her blows calculated and precise. Nyx countered effortlessly, her movements a deadly dance perfected by years of assassination. But Alaris was not aiming for brute force.
He reached for the dusty tome - *The Forgotten Arcana* - and opened it. Symbols glowed faintly on the pages, responding to his touch. He muttered a spell under his breath and a gust of wind rushed through the chamber, sending scrolls flying through the air.
Nyx stumbled, momentarily taken aback.
Elyra seized the opportunity and her blade sliced toward Nyx's unprotected side. But the assassin was fast—too fast. She twisted backwards, landing with catlike grace and throwing a small vial to the ground.
A thick cloud of smoke erupted, blinding them both.
"Until next time," Nyx's voice echoed through the haze.
When the smoke cleared, she was gone.
---
Alaris coughed and waved away the remaining mist. "She was after the prophecy," he muttered, a hint of frustration in his voice.
Elyra sheathed her sword and let her eyes search the dark corners of the archive. "And she will come back. We must go."
Alaris nodded, but his gaze lingered on the empty space where Nyx had disappeared. Something about the assassin seemed... familiar. As if he had seen her before.
Then his gaze fell to the floor. There lay a single silver coin with the Seal of Umbren.
He picked it up and ran his thumb over the intricate engraving.
Elyra frowned. "What is it?"
Alaris stared at it for a long moment before answering. "A message. The Silent King is not just hunting us... he is playing with us."
"Then let us make sure we are not his pawns," Elyra said, her voice determined.
Alaris put the coin in his pocket, his mind already racing. The Silent King's influence was greater than he had thought, and their time was running out.
"We leave at dawn," he said.
Elyra nodded. "And where are we going?"
Alaris exhaled slowly. "To Solmara. If the answers aren't here, they're there. And if the prophecy is true... we must find the next shard before Nyx does."
---
Far away, in the dark chambers of Umbren, Nyx knelt before the Silent King.
"I didn't manage to get the scroll, my lord," she said, her head bowed.
The Silent King's masked face gave nothing away, but his voice was like ice. "No matter. They're running, which means they're afraid. Fear makes people careless."
Nyx hesitated. "Something's wrong with Alaris. He didn't fight like a scholar."
A pause.
"Interesting," the Silent King murmured. "Watch him closely, Nyx. He may be more than he seems."
Nyx stood up, a slow smile playing around her lips. "I always do, my lord."
And with that, she merged with the shadows once again.