The blade missed her throat by an inch.
Sha didn't flinch.
Her boots slid against gravel as she ducked low and kicked her attacker square in the chest. He stumbled back, gasping, and fell off the ledge into darkness. She didn't bother watching him fall.
Zev's voice crackled through her comm-piece. "Third wave's cleared. You alive, boss?"
"I'm always alive," she muttered, wiping blood from her cheek.
The wind howled through the cliffs of Dareth, carrying dust, danger, and the scent of death. Somewhere beyond the jagged rocks, hidden beneath the fortress of night, lay their true target—the Crown of Rings.
Ancient. Forbidden. Desired by every assassin, thief, and warlord in the five kingdoms.
And her team had been chosen to retrieve it.
Five of them had left the capital. Only three remained.
Sha sheathed her blade and turned to the others as they climbed up the ridge—Kael, cold-eyed and silent, and Riva, wild and impulsive, blood still splattered on her cheek. Their boots were worn. Their eyes carried war.
"We keep moving," Sha said. "We're close."
But silence followed.
Zev wasn't there.
Neither was Lira.
Sha's jaw tightened. "Where are they?"
Kael shifted. "Zev didn't respond after the cave. Lira vanished an hour ago."
"They wouldn't run," Riva said too quickly.
But they would.
And they had.
---
Two hours earlier, they'd stood at the altar of Kareth, the ancient stone tomb where the prophecy was carved. They were to move as one, retrieve the crown, and return with glory.
Instead, Sha had found Zev's knife coated in Riva's blood.
And Lira's bracelet on the path leading to the opposite cliff.
They'd betrayed them.
Taken a different route. Maybe to steal the crown first. Maybe to leave the rest to die.
Sha had led assassins her whole life. She knew what betrayal felt like. It was always colder the closer it came.
---
The cave's entrance loomed ahead. Cracked. Whispering.
"I'll go first," Kael said, his voice quiet, always watching her. "It could be trapped."
"No," Sha said. "I lead."
She stepped inside. The air inside the cave changed immediately—thicker, older, pulsing with magic that clawed at her skin.
The deeper they went, the louder it became.
Not voices.
Not wind.
Music.
Low and ancient. A melody hummed through the stones like a heart beating underground.
They reached a circular chamber. At the center was the Crown of Rings—silver, floating, spinning slowly mid-air, glowing with blue fire.
No one spoke. Not until Sha stepped forward.
And then the crown trembled.
---
Kael inhaled sharply. "Is that…?"
"The artifact responds to sound," Riva whispered. "To music."
Sha remembered the prophecy now. He who sings the song of power shall awaken the fire of nations. But nowhere had it said it must be a he.
Kael stepped forward first. He cleared his throat. Then, a quiet hum left his lips—low, calm, controlled.
The crown did nothing.
Riva gave it a try, her voice echoing off the walls with a haunting melody. Beautiful. Empty.
The crown stayed still.
Sha hesitated. She hadn't sung in years. Not since her village burned and her voice had become a secret, buried like her past.
But this time, she let it out.
A broken tune. A lullaby from her childhood. Words whispered to her by a mother long gone.
The crown shook.
It flared with light and dropped to the floor with a thunderous clang.
Sha stumbled back, gasping. The chamber exploded in heat.
From the walls, dark shapes began to crawl—monsters of bone and shadow, drawn to the crown's awakening.
Riva screamed. "You woke the guardians!"
Kael unsheathed his blade. "We fight or we die!"
Sha grabbed the crown and ran, shouting, "Follow me!"
---
They fought through smoke and blood, racing up the rocks with creatures chasing at their heels. Sha's fingers bled from gripping the crown. Her lungs burned from screaming commands and verses all at once, keeping the monsters at bay with her voice.
The song was no longer a lullaby.
It was a weapon.
A command.
A curse.
And the more she sang, the more power pulsed through the crown. She felt it connecting to her veins like fire wrapping around her soul.
But they didn't make it far.
Standing on the final cliff were Zev and Lira, blades drawn.
"You weren't supposed to survive," Zev said coldly. "You were just the key."
Sha's voice faltered. Riva cursed behind her.
Kael stood still, muscles tight.
"You betrayed your own family," Sha growled.
"We chose power," Lira said. "The crown doesn't belong to a girl who sings lullabies."
"It belongs to the one who can command it," Zev added.
Sha raised her chin. "Then let's see who it listens to."
The crown pulsed in her hand.
And the wind screamed.
Zev lunged first.
His blade aimed for her heart, fast and fierce, the kind of strike only a top-ranked assassin could deliver. But Sha had trained with him. Fought beside him. Trusted him.
She knew how he moved—and how to stop him.
She ducked low and slammed her elbow into his ribs. He grunted, stumbled back, but didn't fall. Kael was already there to intercept him, sword locking against Zev's in a hiss of steel.
"I should've finished you in the caves," Zev snarled, sparks flying from their clash.
"Should've," Kael replied coldly, shoving him back.
On the other side, Lira charged Riva with wild fury. Riva screamed, not out of fear—but rage. Betrayal sat like acid in her gut. Lira had been her closest friend. Her roommate in the guild. Her sister.
"You left me to die!" Riva shouted, clashing with her, blades ringing through the air.
Lira grinned darkly. "I hesitated."
They fought like torn storms—fast, sharp, and bitter. But even as the blades crossed, the real war pulsed in Sha's hands.
The Crown of Rings glowed in her grip, warm and alive. It responded to her song, her soul. She could feel its ancient pull—it wanted her.
But it wasn't fully awakened.
Not yet.
She closed her eyes and sang again. This time louder. A melody from a time before war. Before betrayal. Her voice rang through the mountaintop like thunder cloaked in silk.
The wind howled in response. The crown rose, hovering before her, spinning faster and faster until flames burst around it.
Lira froze mid-swing. Zev took a step back.
The demons that had chased them earlier screeched in the distance, scattering into the shadows. Even nature bent in silence to the song Sha poured from her lungs.
Then, in the center of the mountain, a deep rumble echoed—like something ancient had just opened its eyes.
Sha dropped to one knee, sweat dripping from her brow.
Kael rushed to her. "You awakened it."
"No," she whispered. "I touched it. I think this is just the beginning."
The crown burned with blue fire, then dimmed, landing gently in her palm like it had chosen its wielder.
Zev's face twisted in fury. "Give it to me!"
Riva stood with a bloodied cheek, blade still pointed at Lira. "You'll have to go through all of us."
Zev raised his hand—and a whistle cut through the air.
From the shadows, cloaked figures emerged. More assassins. Reinforcements.
Sha's heart dropped.
They weren't going to survive this.
Unless…
She stood. Lifted the crown high. And sang again—this time with purpose.
The air shimmered.
A circle of blazing light erupted around her and her teammates. Kael and Riva stood close. The others—Zev, Lira, the traitors—they stepped back, shielding their eyes.
Then the light exploded.
And the world went white.
---
When the glow faded, they were gone.
Sha. Kael. Riva.
The crown had transported them far from the cliff—into another realm, another battlefield.
She collapsed onto cold grass. Kael landed beside her. Riva groaned as she sat up.
The stars above them were different.
Strange creatures howled in the distance. Giant shadows circled overhead.
But the crown was still in her hand.
And it had chosen her.
Sha's chest heaved as she stared at the unfamiliar stars. The crown pulsed in her palm—alive, hungry, and full of power.
Kael wiped dirt from his face and said, "Where are we?"
Riva shook her head. "Doesn't matter. We're alive. That's all."
Sha forced herself to stand. "We have to find a way back. And we have to finish the mission."
"Finish it?" Kael's eyes narrowed. "We've lost two. Betrayed by our own."
Riva's voice cracked. "No. We still have a chance."
Sha looked at her two remaining teammates, the weight of leadership heavy on her shoulders. "This crown—it's more than an artifact. It's a key. A weapon. And it chose me."
Kael's jaw tightened. "Chosen or not, we're in this together."
Riva stepped closer, fire burning in her eyes. "Then we fight."
Sha smiled faintly, a spark of hope igniting. "Together."
---
Suddenly, a rumble shook the ground beneath their feet. Sha tightened her grip on the crown.
"The guardians," she whispered.
From the dark forest beyond the meadow, monstrous shapes emerged—half-shadow, half-beast, eyes glowing red.
Kael drew his sword. Riva readied her daggers.
Sha took a deep breath, raised the crown, and sang.
Her voice cut through the night, a powerful melody that wrapped around the beasts like chains. The crown's light flared, and the monsters hesitated.
This was their beginning—a battle for survival, trust, and the power hidden within the Burning Silence.
Suddenly, a rumble shook the ground beneath their feet. Sha tightened her grip on the crown.
"The guardians," she whispered.
From the dark forest beyond the meadow, monstrous shapes emerged—half-shadow, half-beast, eyes glowing red.
Kael drew his sword. Riva readied her daggers.
Sha took a deep breath, raised the crown, and sang.
Her voice cut through the night, a powerful melody that wrapped around the beasts like chains. The crown's light flared, and the monsters hesitated.
This was their beginning—a battle for survival, trust, and the power hidden within the Burning Silence.