The valley floor was a labyrinth of half-frozen marshes where ghostly lights drifted in the fog. Caelum and Selka navigated narrow trails of ice, senses strained to every sound.
Late one night, as they camped on a small rise, a figure stepped from the darkness — not a shadow beast, but a tall man clad in dark leathers, face pale beneath ragged black hair. He carried a blade of jagged steel humming with dark energy.
"I've waited for you," he rasped. "The Shaded Architect says your thread must end."
Before Caelum could answer, the man charged. Sparks flew as katana met cursed steel. Each clash shook the ground, frost and shadow crackling on every blow. The fight wove through the fog, blades painting arcs of ice and darkness.
Selka lunged from the mist, daggers flashing. The assassin twisted to parry — but Caelum seized the moment, channeling a surge of freezing wind through their katana. The final strike caught the assassin in the chest. His scream echoed as ice spread over him, turning his body into a brittle statue that shattered with the next gust.
As the shards fell, Caelum sank to one knee. "He sent an assassin," they gasped. "He wants me gone now."
Selka's eyes hardened. "Then you're closer to the truth than he wants."