Chapter 4: The Assassin in Moonlight
Nightfall blanketed Duskwind in a velvet shroud, stars pricking the heavens like ancient scars. Kael stood at the highest tower of the palace, overlooking the flickering lights below. His fingers brushed the edge of the stone balcony, sharp eyes tracing the roads and alleys like a predator waiting for the shift of shadows.
Because he knew she was coming.
Not Seraphina.
Her role, for now, was to remain watched and guarded. No, this time Kael waited for a different piece on the board. One that moved in silence and struck before the world even noticed its heartbeat had stopped.
Lyria Noctveil.
He remembered her vividly from the novel—the second villainess. Princess of the fallen Noctveil Empire, raised in shadows, trained by blades. A whisper among assassins, a ghost among nobles. In the story, she had allied with the Hero Aleron under the false promise of redemption. But behind that cold mask hid one of the sharpest minds in the entire realm.
And now?
Kael would make her his.
---
Midnight struck.
The bells did not toll.
But the silence did.
Kael turned his head slowly as the world seemed to still. A sudden gust passed, cold and sharp. Then he felt it—the prickle of bloodlust on his neck, like the kiss of a poisoned blade.
She was already here.
He didn't move.
"Impressive," he said aloud. "But if you were truly here to kill me, I would already be dead."
From behind, a whisper. "Who says you're not?"
Kael turned, and there she was.
Draped in black and violet, her form seemed stitched from the shadows themselves. Lyria Noctveil stood barefoot on the balcony rail, arms folded, a curved dagger gleaming at her thigh. Her face was partially veiled, but her eyes—violet like crushed dusk—shone with focused malice.
Kael gave her a mocking bow. "Lyria Noctveil, last of the Noctveil bloodline. Assassin of the Crimson Veil. Traitor. Killer. Beauty."
Her gaze narrowed. "You forgot orphan."
"No. I never forget things that matter."
She jumped down from the railing with catlike grace. "Why am I still alive?"
"Because I requested your presence."
She paused. "You hired me?"
"No. But I knew you were coming."
She paced around him slowly. "You were supposed to be dead. I saw your corpse myself."
Kael smiled. "A god tried to end me. He failed."
Lyria's hand hovered over her dagger, but didn't draw. "Then why summon me?"
"I want to offer you a contract."
She snorted. "You're bold."
"You're desperate."
That stopped her. Just briefly.
> [Skill Activated: Eye of Truth – Reveal Surface Weaknesses]
[Result: Guilt, Vengeance, Loneliness, Betrayal]
Kael stepped closer. "You've been hunted for years. The Radiant Order has blacklisted you. The new king of Tharia has placed a bounty on your head. You've lost your home, your sisters, your people. And still, you wear their blood on your lips like penance."
Lyria's jaw clenched. "Shut up."
"I can give you sanctuary."
"You're a tyrant reborn."
"Then let the tyrant shield the killer. We'd make a fine pair."
> [Main Quest Triggered: Target #2 – Lyria Noctveil]
[Status: Hostile – Threat Level High]
---
Suddenly, Lyria vanished.
Not blinked. Not teleported.
Vanished.
Kael shifted his stance just in time as her blade came from the blindside. Sparks flew as he parried with a conjured gauntlet, the sheer force driving him back.
She didn't speak now. She was testing him.
Strike. Fade. Slash. Step.
Lyria's entire body moved like poetry in war, a deadly rhythm Kael knew well. She fought like a shadow set on fire. Every attack was precise, elegant, beautiful… and meant to kill.
But Kael had seen death. Been death.
And he no longer feared it.
He raised his hand.
> [Skill Unlocked: Sovereign's Command – Domain of Control]
The air thickened instantly. Like pressure under the sea. Lyria hesitated for half a second.
He seized it.
Chains of black light burst from the ground, wrapping around her limbs. She flipped, twisted, broke two of them—but the third slammed her into the wall.
Kael stepped closer, breathing steady. "Are we done pretending you're not interested?"
Lyria growled, fangs bared. "You think you can tame me?"
"No. But I can respect you."
He deactivated the chains.
She slumped to the ground but didn't rise, watching him with suspicious eyes.
"You don't want redemption," Kael said, kneeling. "You want revenge. And I'll give you a throne to step on the corpses of your enemies."
Silence.
Then, softly: "What's the price?"
"Loyalty. Not forever. Just long enough to make the world remember your name again."
Lyria stared at him.
> [Dialogue Choice: Offer Her Purpose or Freedom]
Kael chose Purpose.
"You don't have to follow me blindly," he said. "But walk beside me. Help me tear down this broken system. And when we stand at the summit… your blade will write the final sentence in the book of fate."
Another pause.
Then she said: "If you lie to me… I'll slit your throat in your sleep."
Kael smirked. "I wouldn't have it any other way."
> [Quest Progress Updated: Lyria Noctveil – 35% | Status: Wary Ally]
---
By dawn, she was gone again.
But Kael knew she'd return.
She was the wind that carried blades and betrayal. And now, she was his.
Or so he hoped.
---
Later that day, in the sanctuary gardens, Kael sat with Seraphina. Her eyes scanned a sacred tome, lips murmuring verses of purification. She had changed into lighter travel robes—still holy, still pristine, but less formal.
Kael sat on a bench across from her, silent.
She looked up. "Your aura is heavier."
"I had company last night."
"A woman?"
"A storm."
She gave him a look. "You play dangerous games, Kael."
"I'm just rearranging the board."
A shadow flickered across the rooftop.
He saw it.
Seraphina didn't.
Lyria was watching.
Good.
---
Far in the east, past the borderlands and into the Emerald Cliffs, another figure stood before a stone altar.
Aleron Dawnstar.
The Hero of Light. Sword of the Heavens. Loved by millions. Champion of prophecy.
His golden eyes opened as a vision struck him—fire, chains, and a throne of bones.
"Kairon…" he whispered.
Then he turned, gripping his holy blade.
"I'm coming."