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

The wind shifted.

It was subtle, almost imperceptible to an untrained ear, but I felt it. The trees whispered their warnings, their leaves rustling in hushed voices. Something—or someone—was approaching.

I stood in the clearing, my breathing steady. The corpse of the hunter still lay at my feet, his blood soaking into the earth. The forest had already begun to reclaim him, insects drawn to the scent of death.

But my focus wasn’t on him anymore.

I was no longer alone.

I reached into my coat, fingers brushing the cool surface of my metal playing cards. Their edges gleamed under the sliver of moonlight peeking through the branches above.

Then, silence.

No birds, no insects—nothing.

They’re here.

I turned my head slightly, listening. Years of training had taught me how to read the weight of the air, the shift of the leaves, the unnatural pauses in the rhythm of nature.

There were at least four. Skilled enough to move in near-perfect silence, but not enough to fool me.

They don’t know I’ve noticed them. Good.

I let out a slow breath, my body relaxed but poised to strike. Every muscle in my body hummed with anticipation.

Then, the first mistake.

A footstep—just the faintest crunch of a leaf.

There.

I flicked my wrist, and a playing card shot through the air like a dagger. The moment it left my fingers, I was already moving, spinning low as I hurled a second card in the opposite direction.

A grunt. The soft sound of metal piercing flesh.

One down.

The shadows around me exploded into motion.

I ducked just as a blade whistled past my ear, the air parting in its wake. My cards were already back in my hands, my fingers tracing their razor-sharp edges.

I turned, catching a glimpse of my attackers.

Black-clad figures. No insignias. No identifying marks.

Professionals.

One of them lunged, twin daggers flashing in the moonlight. I sidestepped, letting his momentum carry him past me before driving my knee into his gut. He gasped, stumbling, and I slammed the edge of a card into his throat.

He dropped.

Another figure was already on me, a curved sword slicing through the air. I barely managed to twist away, feeling the fabric of my cloak tear as the blade skimmed past.

Close.

Too close.

I didn’t give him a second chance.

A flick of my wrist sent another card flying—straight into his eye.

He screamed, dropping his weapon to claw at his face. I silenced him with a swift kick to the temple.

The last one hesitated.

Smart.

But hesitation was death in a fight like this.

I stepped forward, my cards spinning between my fingers. “You can run,” I said softly. “Or you can die. Choose.”

He chose.

He bolted into the trees.

I exhaled, rolling my shoulders. The fight had been quick, efficient. But something didn’t sit right.

This wasn’t just a random attack.

They’d been sent.

Which meant someone was growing impatient.

I wiped the blood from my cards before slipping them back into my coat. Then, without another glance at the bodies, I melted into the shadows.

I needed to find out who was pulling the strings.

And I had a feeling my answers lay beyond the city walls.