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

The Silent Pursuit

The town was far behind her.

Seraphis moved swiftly through the dense moonlit forest, her white hair blending with the silver glow that trickled through the towering branches above. The air was thick with the scent of damp earth and pine, but underneath it, she could sense something else.

She was being watched.

It wasn’t just a feeling—it was instinct.

For the past hour, ever since she had slipped beyond the last signs of civilization, the sensation had lingered at the edge of her awareness. Footsteps that stopped when she stopped. Shadows that seemed to shift unnaturally. A faint whisper in the wind that did not belong.

Her grip on her concealed daggers tightened as she continued forward.

The forest path was narrow, littered with fallen leaves that crunched beneath her boots. She could feel the tension in the air, the way the world had gone eerily silent.

No birds.

No insects.

Not even the rustling of the wind.

Something was coming.

And it wasn’t human.

The Ambush

The attack came without warning.

A shadow descended from the treetops, moving faster than the eye could track. A blur of black and crimson, fangs gleaming in the moonlight—

A vampire.

Seraphis barely had time to react.

Her instincts screamed, and she threw herself backward just as razor-sharp claws slashed through the air where her throat had been.

The force of the attack sent a shockwave through the leaves, scattering them like dying embers.

She twisted mid-air, landing in a crouch, daggers drawn.

The vampire landed lightly on the ground before her, its eyes glowing a deep, menacing red.

Then—

A second one.

From her left, another dark figure darted forward, faster than any human should be able to move.

Seraphis spun, her blade catching the moonlight as she parried the incoming strike, her arms vibrating from the sheer power behind it.

But before she could counter—

A third presence closed in from behind.

The last thing she saw was a flash of fangs before pain exploded in her back.

The Bite

She gritted her teeth as she felt sharp fangs sink into her shoulder.

Cold.

Unbearably cold.

Like the very essence of life was being drained from her veins.

A hiss of pain escaped her lips as she drove her elbow backward with brutal force, catching the vampire in the ribs.

The creature snarled, but its grip was ironclad.

The other two lunged—

Seraphis vanished.

One moment she was there, the next, she wasn’t.

Her body flickered like a shadow, a blur of motion as she twisted free, using the vampire’s own momentum against it.

She reappeared ten feet away, breathing hard, blood dripping from her shoulder.

The three vampires turned, their crimson eyes gleaming with hunger.

One of them—taller than the others, his long black cloak flowing in the night air—licked the blood from his lips.

"Exquisite," he murmured.

Seraphis wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, her gaze cold and unyielding.

"You shouldn’t have done that."

Then, she attacked.

A Battle in the Dark

She moved first, closing the distance before the vampires could react.

Her daggers sang through the air, slashing toward the first enemy’s throat.

He dodged.

Barely.

Her blade nicked his cheek, and for the first time, surprise flickered in his eyes.

Seraphis didn’t slow down.

She spun low, sweeping her leg beneath the second vampire, sending him crashing to the ground.

But the third—

The third was already behind her.

She felt the wind shift, sensed the presence looming over her, but before he could strike—

Her playing cards shot from her sleeve like a storm of steel.

A dozen razor-sharp metal edges slashed through the air, hitting their mark.

The vampire staggered back, growling as deep red gashes appeared across his arms and chest.

Seraphis didn’t let up.

She twisted her fingers, commanding the cards to curve mid-air, redirecting toward her fallen enemy.

The moment he tried to rise—

Three cards embedded themselves into his throat.

A strangled gurgle.

Then silence.

The first vampire snarled, lunging for her—

Seraphis ducked, flipping her dagger in her grip and driving it straight into his gut.

The vampire howled.

But he wasn’t dead.

Not yet.

He grabbed her wrist with inhuman strength, attempting to force the dagger from her grasp—

Seraphis smiled.

"You think that’s enough?"

Then she twisted the blade.

A sickening crack filled the air as black veins spiderwebbed across his skin, spreading from the wound like a curse.

The vampire’s eyes widened in horror.

Seraphis yanked the blade free—and with one clean motion, she severed his head from his body.

The final vampire remained.

The leader.

And he was smiling.

The Final Duel

"Impressive," he mused, rolling his shoulders.

"I was hoping for more of a challenge tonight."

Seraphis wiped the blood from her dagger, her expression unreadable.

"Keep talking," she said. "It’ll make killing you easier."

The vampire chuckled.

Then—

He disappeared.

Seraphis’ eyes darted in every direction, sensing him before she saw him.

A blur of black and red—

She pivoted at the last second, barely avoiding the clawed hand aiming for her heart.

Her counterattack was immediate—a dagger thrust toward his chest.

He caught it.

Barehanded.

Her eyes narrowed.

"You’re fast."

He smirked.

"And you’re bleeding."

She was.

Her shoulder throbbed from the earlier bite.

But Seraphis did not falter.

With a flick of her wrist, her playing cards flew out once more, a whirlwind of metal.

The vampire dodged, weaving through the storm with unnatural grace—

But that was what she wanted.

She lunged forward, using the distraction to close the gap.

Her blade sank deep into his ribs.

For the first time, he staggered.

Seraphis twisted the dagger, her voice a whisper:

"You lose."

Then, with a single swift motion—

She beheaded him.

The vampire’s body collapsed into the earth, his severed head rolling into the grass.

Silence returned to the forest.

Seraphis exhaled, wiping the blood from her face.

Her body ached.

But she was alive.

And the vampires?

They weren’t.

She stepped over the corpses, walking deeper into the shadows.

The night was far from over.