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

The parchment papers lay before her, worn with time, their edges fragile. The ink had faded in places, but there was something unnatural about it—though centuries had passed, the symbols still glowed faintly, resisting complete decay.

Seraphis ran a finger across the ancient script. “This isn’t any language I’ve seen before.”

She had learned many languages in this world—Elven, Draconic, the Common Tongue, and even the obscure dialects of the underground dwarves. But this script… it was something older.

And so, she did what any scholar of magic would do.

She stood, gathered the parchments, and walked toward the central archive of her library.

The Library’s Core

Her castle cave’s library was no ordinary collection of books—it was a sanctuary of knowledge, a vast archive that stretched deeper underground than one might expect.

At its center stood a grand spiral staircase, leading down to a lower chamber where the rarest tomes were kept.

As she descended, magical torches flickered to life, revealing shelves lined with forgotten languages, lost histories, and forbidden magic.

She reached out, brushing the spine of an old book titled “The Thousand Scripts of the First Era” and pulled it free.

Dust scattered as she set it on a nearby desk.

Flipping through the pages, she searched for something—anything—that resembled the script on the parchments.

And after a few minutes…

There it was.

A symbol, identical to one on the parchment, etched into the book’s pages.

The Ancient Language of the Lost Kingdoms

The book described it as "Vaerthian", a language spoken by a long-forgotten civilization.

According to the text:

• The Vaerthian language was used by an empire lost to time, one that had once ruled over the southern deserts.

• Their scholars were said to be masters of magic and metallurgy, blending language and enchantments in ways unheard of.

• Their writing system wasn’t just letters—it was woven with mana, allowing the words to hold power even centuries after they were written.

• It was believed that no living person knew how to read it anymore.

Seraphis furrowed her brows. “So this isn’t just a language—it’s an enchanted script?”

That would explain the faint glow in the parchment’s ink.

If these writings were imbued with magic, then ordinary translation wouldn’t work.

Searching for Ancient Magic

She needed a different approach.

Pushing the book aside, she strode further into the archives, reaching for tomes that dealt with ancient magical methods of translation.

One by one, she pulled out:

• "Echoes of the Past" – A book detailing spells that allowed mages to hear the voices of ancient texts.

• "Tongues of the Old Gods"

  – A tome discussing languages so old that they predated mortal civilization.

• "The Lexicon of the Arcane" – A grimoire that spoke of runes and linguistic magic, methods of imbuing words with power.

• "The Scholar’s Eye" – A book on using mana to decode lost languages.

She sat down, flipping through them all.

The Magic of Translation

She discovered three possible methods:

1. The "Whisper of Ages" Spell – A technique where the caster channels mana into the text, allowing them to hear echoes of those who wrote it.

2. The "Eye of Understanding" Ritual – A process where the caster inscribes a special rune on their forehead, granting them the ability to temporarily comprehend any language.

3. The "Runebinding Technique" – A method where the caster writes the unknown symbols into a magical circle, forcing them to translate themselves.

Each method had its strengths… and its dangers.

• The Whisper of Ages could be overwhelming—hearing voices from the past might reveal too much at once.

• The Eye of Understanding was temporary and required constant mana upkeep.

• The Runebinding Technique was highly unstable—if the words contained a curse, it could backfire.

Seraphis tapped her fingers against the table.

She needed to be careful.

After some thought, she chose to start with the Whisper of Ages.

Unveiling the Past

Taking a deep breath, she channeled her mana into the parchment, focusing on the ancient text.

For a moment, nothing happened.

Then—a whisper.

Soft at first, like the wind through an empty hall.

Then clearer.

And suddenly—

"To those who seek knowledge, beware... for the words you read are bound by blood."

Seraphis’s eyes widened.

The parchment shuddered, glowing brighter.

The voices continued, murmuring pieces of a story lost to time.

• It spoke of a kingdom that vanished overnight, leaving behind only these writings.

• It warned of a secret buried beneath the ruins of their last city.

• It hinted at a name, one that should never be spoken aloud.

Seraphis gritted her teeth.

This wasn’t just knowledge—it was a warning.

What exactly had she just uncovered?