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

Seraphis stirred from her deep slumber, feeling a sudden jolt as the door to her chamber was flung open with a force that made the wood creak.

She shot up in her bed, her eyes snapping open as she instinctively reached for the hilt of her dagger on the nightstand.

Her heart raced for a moment before a familiar voice echoed through the room.

“Wake up, your old friend is back!” Lysara’s voice was filled with both excitement and urgency.

Seraphis blinked a few times, trying to shake off the remnants of her dreams.

“Old friend?” she mumbled, rubbing her eyes.

The words hadn’t fully registered in her mind, and she wasn’t yet fully awake.

Lysara, who was already halfway out the door, poked her head back in.

“The sea serpent, Seraphis! The one we killed before. He's back—this time, no backup!”

Seraphis’s mind snapped into focus at the mention of the creature.

She sat up quickly, realizing exactly what Lysara was referring to.

The sea serpent. The creature they had battled, the one that had almost been the end of them during their last encounter.

And now, it was back.

“Oh, right,” Seraphis muttered under her breath, suddenly wide awake.

She felt the adrenaline beginning to flood her system as the memories of the first battle resurfaced.

That fight had been brutal, but now, it seemed like they had another chance to finish what they’d started.

She stood up, her bare feet hitting the cold stone floor of the Raven’s Perch.

Quickly, she grabbed her leather armor from the nearby chair and began strapping it on.

Her movements were quick but calculated. She was no stranger to these kinds of battles.

The thought of facing the beast again, especially without knowing whether it had any new tricks up its scales, was unnerving.

“What’s the plan?” Lysara called from the hallway, her voice growing fainter as she moved toward the battlements.

“Are we going out to meet him head-on?”

Seraphis finished lacing up her boots and grabbed her daggers.

“Head-on sounds good,” she said, her lips curling into a smirk.

“Let’s see if he learned anything from last time.”

She made her way outside to the cold, breezy heights of the perch.

The moon hung high above them, casting a silvery glow across the calm waters below.

The peaceful stillness was broken only by the sound of waves gently crashing against the cliffs.

Standing at the edge of the balcony, Seraphis peered into the distance.

Her sharp eyes scanned the horizon, searching for any signs of movement.

It wasn’t long before she spotted it—the massive, dark shape cutting through the water.

Its body was long and sinuous, with glistening scales that shimmered like black obsidian in the dim light.

“There he is,” Lysara said, coming to stand beside her.

Her eyes narrowed as she took in the sight of the serpent.

“Looks like he’s come alone this time. Maybe he’s learned his lesson.”

Seraphis wasn’t so sure.

She had learned in her time as both an assassin and a captain that monsters—especially the dangerous ones—never traveled alone unless they had something up their sleeve.

But for now, there was no sign of additional serpents. Just this one. This one, they could handle.

“Ready to play?” Seraphis asked, her voice steady.

Lysara flashed a grin. “Always. You know I live for this.”

Seraphis watched the serpent as it neared, its massive form slithering through the water with an eerie grace.

Its eyes, glowing with an unnatural, almost hypnotic light, locked onto the Raven’s Perch.

There was a brief moment of stillness, where everything felt suspended in time.

And then, without warning, the serpent lunged.

“Get to the battlements!” Seraphis shouted, her voice cutting through the air.

“Lysara, take the high ground!”

The two women sprang into action, moving swiftly to their respective positions.

Lysara dashed for the nearest wall-mounted crossbow.

Seraphis took a running leap onto the battlement edge, drawing her weapons in midair and landing with a practiced roll.

The sea serpent let out a deafening roar, a mixture of fury and hunger.

It was larger than Seraphis had remembered, the dark glow of its eyes burning brighter as it sped toward the shore.

Its long body whipped through the water, leaving a wake that crashed against the rocks beneath.

“Time to test these new toys,” Lysara said, her voice low but filled with excitement.

She began to load a bolt into the crossbow, aiming carefully at the serpent's approaching head.

The beast was fast, but Lysara’s aim was faster.

With a sharp snap, the bolt shot through the air, narrowly missing the serpent’s gaping mouth.

“Missed!” Seraphis called out from her perch, eyes sharp as ever.

She wasn’t used to seeing Lysara miss a target, but the serpent’s movements were unpredictable.

The serpent veered to the side, dodging the bolt effortlessly.

It closed the distance between itself and the battlements with alarming speed.

Its enormous tail rose from the water, crashing against the stone wall in a devastating blow that shook the entire perch.

Seraphis gritted her teeth, diving to the side just as the serpent’s tail slammed into the wall.

The impact sent a violent tremor through the ground, but Seraphis remained on her feet, eyes blazing.

“We’ll need more than bolts for this one,” she muttered.

The serpent reared back, its massive head rising above the water like a nightmare brought to life.

Its jaws opened wide, revealing rows of jagged teeth that dripped with venomous saliva.

The creature was angrier than ever, and Seraphis could see the desperation in its eyes.

This wasn’t just a hunt—it was personal.

“Lysara, ready the Voidflame arrows,” Seraphis ordered, her voice calm but commanding.

“We need to hit it where it hurts.”