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

The Box That Refused to Open

Seraphis stood before the mysterious chain-bound box, her fingers tracing the cold, dark metal.

The chains pulsed with magic—not just any magic, but something forbidden and alive.

She had tried two unlocking spells already.

Neither had worked.

She narrowed her eyes.

"Fine. If magic won't work, I'll take a different approach."

Seraphis retrieved her arcane dagger, the blade shimmering with runic light.

If she couldn't unlock the chains…

She would cut through them.

She raised the dagger—

And the moment the blade touched the metal—

A shockwave of dark energy erupted from the box, sending her flying backward.

She crashed into a bookshelf, books tumbling around her as pain pulsed through her arm.

Seraphis growled, gripping her dagger tightly.

"So, you fight back, huh? Fine. Let’s see how long you can resist me."

The Unbreakable Chains

Seraphis stood, brushing off the dust from her cloak.

She studied the chains more closely.

✔ They weren’t iron or steel—they were made of something older.
✔ The runes carved into them pulsed with a sealing magic far stronger than she had encountered before.
✔ The links weren’t connected normally—they twisted and reformed, shifting like living things.

Seraphis frowned.

"Someone didn’t just seal this box."

"They made sure no one could ever open it."

Which meant…

Whatever was inside was dangerous enough to be buried forever.

A Hidden Message

Seraphis leaned in closer, running her fingers over the box.

Then—she noticed something.

Etched into the wood beneath the chains were small, ancient letters.

It was an old dialect she barely recognized.

But she could still read it.

"To break the seal, one must offer that which is bound to them."

Seraphis narrowed her eyes.

"That which is bound to me?"

Her mind raced through possibilities.

Her blood?
Her magic?
Her soul?

None of those seemed like good options.

She needed more information.

Searching for Answers

Seraphis turned to her shelves, scanning through her collection of forbidden texts.

She found a book on soul-binding seals.

✔ Some seals require a life exchange.

Seraphis closed the book, her mind working through the puzzle.

"So, if the box is bound by something connected to me…"

She looked back at the soulstone on her desk.

It pulsed faintly.

The creature inside it.

It was bound to her.

Her heart tightened.

"Is that what I have to offer?"

Testing the Theory

Seraphis retrieved the soulstone and placed it next to the box.

The chains reacted immediately—glowing faintly as if acknowledging the connection.

She took a deep breath.

Then, she placed her hand over the soulstone and focused her magic.

The moment she did—

A low, distorted voice echoed from the box.

"You hold the key. But are you willing to turn it?"

Seraphis’s blood ran cold.

The box was… speaking?

Or rather—something inside it was.

The Sacrifice

Seraphis knew she had to make a choice.

To break the seal, she needed to offer something bound to her.

And right now, the soulstone was her best option.

She hesitated for only a moment before pressing her palm against the soulstone.

It burned at her touch, resisting.

But she forced her magic into it, severing its connection to her.

The moment the link broke—

The chains on the box shattered, dissolving into mist.

A rush of air filled the room.

The lid of the box creaked open.

And inside—

She saw something she never expected.

Inside the Box

At first, it looked like a simple artifact.

A blackened skull, its surface covered in runes.

But when Seraphis reached for it—

It moved.

The runes flashed, and an inky black mist rose from the skull.

Then—

A pair of glowing eyes opened within the mist.

"You have finally freed me."

Seraphis stumbled back, her dagger raised.

Whatever this thing was—

It wasn’t human.

And it had been waiting for a very long time.