No one's POV:
The night was darker than usual, and the air thick with tension. Auren's pulse raced as he surveyed the scene, his mind focusing on the task at hand. It was the final day of his mission, and everything had led to this moment. The weight of the objective pressed down on his shoulders.
The room was quiet, save for the soft rustling of paper and the occasional scrape of metal against stone. A noble walked down the dimly lit corridor, oblivious to the silent figure in the shadows.
Auren swallowed hard, feeling the weight of the decision pressing into him. His fingers flexed. The newly acquired skill (actually I forgot what the skill is called, so I'll just call it) —Shadowmancy—slipping through his fingers like liquid as he mentally prepared himself.
It had taken time for him to grasp its nuances, to perfect the delicate art of melding with shadows. Becoming nearly invisible.
But now, in the heat of the moment, it felt like second nature. It was the perfect tool for a mission like this. If he could blend in, stay unseen, and strike without warning. The enemy would never know what hit them.
The noble walked into the archive room, just as Auren had predicted. The heavy door creaked open, and the noble stepped inside. His footsteps echoed through the otherwise quiet hallway. Auren moved silently, his body melting into the darkness as he utilized his skill. His form blended with the shadows so seamlessly that even the most keen-eyed would fail to notice him.
Perfect.
He moved with practiced ease, his steps barely a whisper as he crept forward. The noble had his back to him, shuffling through the papers on a desk. This was it. The final piece of the puzzle.
Auren's mind raced, the adrenaline pumping through him. He had studied this noble, observed his movements for days. This was the one. The one feeding information to the Queen. The one that could ruin everything Kael had fought for.
Auren flexed his fingers, feeling the power of the shadows course through him as he closed the distance. With a fluid motion, he stepped out of the darkness, his hands coming to rest on the noble's shoulders.
The man barely had time to react before Auren's shadow-wrapped hands clamped down, preventing him from making any noise.
"Don't scream," Auren's voice was a low whisper, just enough for the noble to hear. His grip tightened as the noble tensed, trying to break free, but it was futile.
Auren's skill made him stronger, more lethal at this moment. The noble's hands went up in surrender, his body shaking from fear.
Auren leaned in closer, his lips brushing the man's ear. "I know what you've been doing," he whispered, feeling the tension in the noble's body. "You've been leaking Kael's strategies to the Queen, haven't you?"
The noble's breath caught in his throat, and Auren could feel the sweat trickling down the back of his neck. He was a wreck, and Auren knew that he had him cornered. But the question remained: would he break? Would he reveal what Auren needed to know?
The noble hesitated, and Auren's eyes narrowed. He needed to hurry. Kael would be back soon, and Auren couldn't afford to waste any more time.
He applied just enough pressure, pushing the noble's back against the desk. "Tell me what I want to know," Auren pressed. The shadows around him seemed to pulse, as if eager for the information. It was now or never.
The noble swallowed, his voice quivering with fear. "I-I don't know what you mean. I haven't–"
Auren's grip tightened, cutting him off. He didn't need to hear lies. He needed answers, and he would get them.
"Who's your contact?" Auren demanded. His patience was running thin, and his body hummed with the power of his skill. "Tell me, or I'll make you regret it."
The noble's lips trembled, and for a moment, Auren thought he might break. Then, with a sudden shift, the noble slumped, the weight of his defeat sinking in.
"It's Lord Valen," the noble gasped out. "He's the one who's been- he's the one feeding information to the Queen. He's planning something big. I swear, I didn't mean to–"
Auren's eyes flashed, and the shadows around him swirled, almost as if they were responding to the revelation. His grip on the noble loosened just enough to allow him to stumble backward, fear now fully taking over.
"Lord Valen?" Auren repeated, his voice cold and calculating. "Thank you for your cooperation."
Without waiting for the noble's response, Auren moved swiftly, dragging the man toward the door, his mind racing with the new information. He had what he needed. Now it was time to finish the mission.
With a final, decisive move, Auren stepped into the shadows again, his body melding with the darkness as he disappeared. The noble, left alone and trembling in the dimly lit room, had no idea what had just happened. He was no longer a threat. Auren had his lead.
The mission was complete.
Auren didn't stop to celebrate. There was no time for that. He had done what he needed to do, but Kael's return was imminent. His mission wasn't over yet. Not until he had gathered every scrap of information, not until the Queen was dealt with, and Kael was safe.
But for now, he could breathe a little easier. The puzzle was coming together.
As he moved through the shadows toward the exit, Auren allowed himself a brief moment of satisfaction. His skill, the one he had worked so hard to master, had served him well. He had completed his mission and now, there was only one more thing left to do.
Auren felt the adrenaline course through him, but there was no time to rest. The information he had gathered could very well be the key to unraveling the Queen's plans, but it wasn't enough yet. The puzzle pieces had shifted, and he now needed to act fast.
Kael's return was imminent, and he had no intention of letting any of this slip under the radar.
His hands, still trembling slightly from the intensity of the encounter, tightened around the edges of the documents he had taken from the noble. The ink was smudged with sweat from his palm, but the notes were readable. He glanced down quickly, the faint glow of the papers illuminating the darkened hallway.
It was just as he had suspected. Lord Valen– the Queen's key informant, the man whose presence had hovered around the Queen's inner circle for months. But there was more.
Auren's heart skipped a beat as he read the next set of details. A meeting. A clandestine gathering. Tomorrow night.
It was now clear. The noble had revealed something far more significant than just a leak of Kael's strategies. There was something much darker at play here.
Valen was orchestrating a larger plan with the Queen, and Auren needed to be there. He couldn't allow them to go any further, not after everything that had transpired.
Auren's eyes flickered toward the heavy wooden door, the one that led to the archive room where the noble had kept his secrets. A sick feeling gnawed at the pit of his stomach. He had done what was necessary.
He had completed the first part of his mission, but the final piece was still out of reach. The Queen's hand was in motion, and it was only a matter of time before Kael would return and the web of deception would tighten even more.
Time was running out.
Auren couldn't afford to dwell. The final act of the mission had just begun. He needed to find the meeting location, confront Lord Valen, and stop the Queen's plan before it could take root.
His mind sharpened, and the familiar weight of his Shadowmancy skill was his only ally in the dangerous mission.
***
Later that night
The moon was full, casting an ethereal glow over the Kingdom of Solvanyr as Auren moved through the shadows. He had carefully memorized the noble's schedule.
His movements, his habits. And now he was following him. Valen was never alone. Auren had expected that. There was always someone in his company. But tonight, the man had ventured alone to a hidden alley in the northern part of the city.
Auren crouched behind a stack of crates, blending into the darkness. His heart pounded in his chest, his body still buzzing from the earlier adrenaline rush.
His breath was slow and calculated. And for a moment, the world felt eerily still. He could feel the shadows bending to his will as he prepared to move.
Then he saw it– the flash of light.
Valen had stopped at an inconspicuous door, one that was unmarked by the usual symbols of the nobility. The dim light spilling through the cracks in the door indicated movement inside, and Auren could sense the presence of at least two guards.
It was a high-security location. One that seemed to be untouched by any of the Kingdom's official forces.
Auren's lips curled into a determined smile. This was it.
Moving with like a shadow, Auren crept forward, blending effortlessly into the darkened corner of the alleyway. His skill thrummed through his veins, urging him forward. He felt invincible, like a predator stalking its prey.
The guards were positioned just outside the door. One of them was checking the seal on the door, while the other kept a watchful eye on the surroundings. Auren's gaze flicked from one to the other, calculating his next move. They were the weak link.
He moved like liquid, his body slipping through the gaps in the shadows, soundless, unseen. As he approached the guards, he tightened his grip on the shadow energy that swirled around him.
The air grew heavier, colder, and the shadows themselves seemed to twist in anticipation. With a soft push of his mental focus, the shadows wrapped around the two guards. Binding them with an ethereal force that left them frozen, their bodies locked in place, as if time itself had stopped.
Now.
Auren stepped forward, slipping through the open door with fluidity, like a ghost. Inside, the room was dimly lit, filled with an assortment of furniture and stacks of scrolls. But it was the figure at the far end of the room that caught his attention.
Lord Valen.
The man was hunched over a desk, scribbling on a parchment. His back was to Auren, and his mind was fully engrossed in his work.
Auren's heart raced. This was it. The final confrontation.
But as he moved forward, his foot caught on the corner of a discarded chair, sending it crashing to the floor. The noise echoed through the room.
… Seriously what the hell's wrong with my foot!
Valen whipped around, eyes wide with shock. "Who–?"
Before the noble could finish his sentence, Auren was upon him, grabbing him by the throat and slamming him against the desk. The force was enough to send papers flying in all directions, but Auren's focus was absolute.
"You," Auren's voice was cold and filled with the anger that had been building in his chest. "You thought you could betray Kael and get away with it."
Valen gasped for breath, struggling in Auren's grip. "I–I don't know what you mean–"
"Don't lie to me," Auren growled, his grip tightening. "You've been leaking information to the Queen. You've been plotting against us. And I'm here to make sure you don't do it again."
With a flick of his wrist, Auren used his skill to darken the room, the shadows wrapping around Valen's limbs, pinning him in place. The noble's eyes went wide in fear. "Please–please, I beg you! I was just doing what I was told to do–"
Auren leaned in closer, his lips brushing the noble's ear as he whispered. "Then you'll tell me everything. Every single detail, and I won't kill you. Otherwise..." His voice trailed off, and the air grew thick with anticipation.
Valen's face twisted in fear. After a moment, he finally spoke. "--I was only following orders. The Queen... she's planning to invade Kael's territory. She's going to strike once she has enough intel. But I didn't–I didn't want to—"
Auren's eyes narrowed. This was bigger than he thought. The Queen wasn't just leaking Kael's strategies. She was preparing for war.
"You'll tell me everything you know," Auren commanded, his grip tightening further, a threat laced in his words. "And if you value your life, you'll make sure to give me the names of those involved. Now."
Auren's pulse pounded in his ears, his mind racing as the noble began to break, spilling more and more of the Queen's plan. The pieces were coming together, but Auren knew one thing for certain: he had to finish this before Kael returned.
His lover's future depended on it.
The mission had only one path left. And Auren was ready to walk it. No matter where it led.