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

The Aftermath of Destruction

The air was thick with silence.

Seraphis stood in the dim glow of her laboratory, staring at the pile of blackened dust that had once been the forbidden creature.

Its final words echoed in her mind.

"She made us… but we do not remember her name."

Who was she?

And what was this thing’s true purpose?

Seraphis tightened her grip on her dagger before crouching down, running her fingers through the strange dust.

It was cold.

Not the cold of winter. Not the cold of death.

It was a void—like touching emptiness itself.

Experiment 1: Testing the Ashes

She retrieved a glass vial, carefully scooping up some of the black residue.

The dust shifted unnaturally, like it had a will of its own.

Setting the vial onto a stone table, she prepared her first experiment—fire.

She summoned a controlled blue flame in her palm and lowered it toward the dust.

The reaction was instant.

The dust absorbed the fire, just as the creature had before.

But this time, something different happened.

The ashes began to move.

The blackened particles reassembled, forming tiny tendrils that reached toward the flame.

Seraphis pulled her hand back immediately.

It wasn’t dead.

Experiment 2: Testing Its Essence

She needed to analyze it on a deeper level.

Reaching for her arcane tools, she placed a sample of the dust onto an enchanted examination plate.

The plate glowed, its magic reading the essence of the material.

Lines of ancient script formed in the air, detailing its composition:

✔ Unstable magical structure—constantly shifting.
✔ Absorbs energy instead of being destroyed.
✔ Linked to an unknown soul signature.
✔ Not entirely of this world.

Seraphis’s eyes narrowed.

"Not entirely of this world?"

This thing… wasn’t just a product of forbidden magic.

It came from somewhere else.

Another realm.

Another dimension.

Or perhaps—another time.

Experiment 3: Attempting Communication

She reached for a soulstone, a gem designed to capture lingering consciousness.

If the creature had any remnants of thought or memory, this would allow her to speak with it.

She held the stone above the dust, muttering a binding incantation.

The dust twitched.

Then, a voice whispered into her mind.

"You… still seek answers."

Seraphis’s breath caught in her throat.

It was still aware.

She tightened her focus. "Who is your creator?"

Silence.

Then—a flash of images burned into her mind.

A shrouded figure standing before a massive, pulsating gate.

The gate was alive, covered in black veins and glowing runes.

A female voice spoke—but the words were garbled, fragmented.

Then—the vision shattered.

Seraphis staggered back, gripping the table for support.

Her head throbbed, her mind reeling.

That had been real.

A glimpse into its past.

Experiment 4: Testing Its Potential

Seraphis clenched her jaw.

If this thing could still react, absorb, and think, then maybe…

It could still evolve.

She retrieved a mana crystal, filled with raw energy, and placed it beside the dust.

Within seconds, the blackened particles lunged for it.

The dust spread across the crystal’s surface, sinking into its core.

The crystal dimmed.

Then—it cracked.

Seraphis’s pulse quickened.

The dust was feeding.

But what would happen when it had enough?

The Unraveling Horror

A deep hum filled the room.

Seraphis stepped back as the crystal shattered completely, revealing…

A new form.

The black dust had reconstructed itself, but this time, it wasn’t just shifting matter.

It had legs. Arms. A solid frame.

A humanoid figure stood before her—featureless, eyeless, but aware.

It turned its head toward her.

"You gave me form."

Seraphis’s dagger was in her hand before she even realized it.

She had miscalculated.

This thing wasn’t just a fragment anymore.

It was becoming whole again.

A Desperate Containment Attempt

Seraphis acted fast, slamming a containment spell into place.

Golden chains of magic erupted, lashing around the being, forcing it back.

The entity struggled, its form warping violently.

It let out a sound—not a scream, not a growl.

A distorted echo of voices, overlapping like a chorus of lost souls.

Then, a whisper.

"You… are not my master."

The chains tightened.

The being collapsed, shattering into black mist.

The magic forced the remnants back into the soulstone, sealing it.

Silence returned.

Seraphis exhaled sharply, her hands still trembling.

This had been a mistake.

She had learned much…

But she had also awakened something dangerous.

And she had a terrible feeling…

This wasn’t over.