"Phantom Rebirth: The Last White Raven’s Path to the Ultimate Assassin"

A bounty on my head.

It wasn’t the first time, and it wouldn’t be the last. But this one felt different. House Draymoor. They weren’t just some back-alley gang or desperate noble house grasping at power. They were deeply rooted in the underworld.

I had no intention of waiting for them to strike first.

The Guildmaster leaned forward, his sharp eyes studying me carefully. The candlelight flickered between us, casting long shadows against the stone walls of his office.

“I’ve got a job for you,” he said, voice low.

I raised an eyebrow. “Aren’t I supposed to be lying low?”

His lips curled into a smirk. “Not exactly. If they want to play dirty, we’ll play dirtier.”

I crossed my arms. “Go on.”

“House Draymoor has more skeletons in their closet than most. Smuggling. Assassinations. Corruption. We need evidence—enough to paint them as the worst scum in the city. And then…” He slid a small dossier across the table. “We pin it all on House Avalon.”

Avalon. Another noble house known for shady dealings. They weren’t innocent, but they weren’t currently the target.

“You want me to wipe out Draymoor?” I asked, flipping through the papers.

“If the evidence isn’t enough, yes,” the Guildmaster said. “Erase them. Completely. And make sure it looks like Avalon did it.”

I smirked. “Sounds messy.”

He chuckled. “That’s why I’m sending you.”

A Mask in the Crowd

Nightfall found me perched on the rooftop of a luxurious estate. House Draymoor’s mansion. A sprawling structure of stone and marble, adorned with statues of golden lions and intricate carvings that spoke of old money and even older power.

The manor grounds were heavily guarded. Men in armor patrolled the gates, their torches casting flickering light across the cobblestone paths.

Too obvious. They expected an attack.

Good. That made my job easier.

I didn’t need to go through the front. I needed to go where they weren’t watching.

My fingers flicked a single playing card into the air.

It hovered, shimmering, before splitting into three copies of itself—each one forming into the shape of a black raven.

The birds took off, flitting between the guards, weaving through open windows, slipping into the manor undetected.

Eyes and ears where I couldn’t be.

I closed my own eyes, letting the magic link settle. My vision blurred—then shifted.

Through the ravens’ eyes, I saw everything.

Servants moving about. Guards stationed at hallways. Secret doors hidden behind bookshelves.

And in the heart of the mansion—a hidden chamber.

Secrets Buried Beneath

I moved swiftly, slipping past the outer patrols and into the shadows of the courtyard. One guard turned his head—too late. My blade slid between his ribs, silent and quick.

I caught his body before it hit the ground and dragged him into the hedges.

One down.

I made my way to the outer balcony, picking the lock with practiced ease. The window creaked open, and I stepped inside, silent as a ghost.

Inside, the manor was lavish. Red velvet drapes, golden chandeliers, walls lined with portraits of men who had probably lied, cheated, and killed their way to power.

And now… they were about to lose it all.

I made my way down the corridors, avoiding patrols. The ravens guided me, their sight my own, leading me through the maze of hallways until I reached the hidden chamber.

A door—heavy, steel-reinforced, with runes carved along the edges. A magical lock.

Nothing I couldn’t handle.

I pulled a small vial from my belt, swirling with dark mist. A dispel mixture. I uncorked it, letting the vapor seep into the runes. The magic flickered—then died.

The door creaked open.

Inside, I found the truth.

Stacks of ledgers. Crates filled with smuggled goods—rare magical artifacts, illegal alchemical substances, stolen gold. Papers detailing bribes to city officials.

And most damning of all—a list of assassinations paid for by House Draymoor.

The names on that list…

Some of them belonged to people in the royal court.

My smirk widened.

This was more than enough.

I gathered the documents, stuffing them into a satchel. Then, I did something risky.

I wrote a new document.

A forged letter, carefully crafted in the handwriting of House Avalon’s steward. A letter detailing a deal gone wrong between the two houses.

And at the bottom… a signature.

Avalon’s crest.

I placed the letter in the middle of the desk, right where someone would find it.

Now, all that was left… was the finishing touch.

A Massacre in the Night

I moved like a shadow through the estate.

One by one, the guards fell. Some were silent kills—a slit throat, a poisoned dart, a snapped neck. Others… were meant to be messy.

Blood smeared across the marble floors. Bodies left in places that suggested a brutal attack. Weapons placed strategically to implicate Avalon’s assassins.

By the time I reached the upper chambers, the air reeked of death.

And the final target was waiting.

Lord Draymoor.

He stood in his chamber, sword drawn, eyes wild with rage.

“You,” he hissed. “I should have known.”

I tilted my head. “You put a bounty on me.”

He sneered. “And I’ll double it if you walk away now.”

I laughed. Laughed.

“Cute.”

I flicked a playing card into the air. It whirled, expanded, shifted—

And became a dozen floating blades.

Draymoor barely had time to react before they struck.

Steel pierced flesh. He gasped, choking on his own blood, collapsing to the ground.

I stepped over his body and carved Avalon’s symbol into his desk.

By morning, the city would be in chaos.

House Draymoor was no more.

And House Avalon…

Would take the fall.

Returning to the Guild

By dawn, I was back at the Assassin’s Guild, the satchel of documents landing heavily on the Guildmaster’s desk.

He flipped through them, whistling softly. “Impressive.”

“The job’s done,” I said.

He smirked. “And Avalon?”

“They’ll be too busy proving their innocence to come after us.”

The Guildmaster leaned back, studying me for a long moment. Then, he chuckled.

“Seraphis… remind me never to get on your bad side.”

I smirked.

Wise decision.