The night in the room was thick as ink; shadows writhed in the corners as if waiting for an explosion.
Liren stood before the knight, the mask hiding her features, the seal painted on her arm weighing on her breath, binding her power like invisible chains pulling her toward impotence.
Silence...
A deep silence, heavier than any scream.
Neither spoke, yet the silence between them was loud as a suppressed storm.
Liren thought to herself:
> "This restraint… it limits my power, but it's also the only reason I'm still alive.
If I want to survive, I must learn to adapt… otherwise I will be erased entirely."
The black knight sat perfectly still, his gaze cutting through the dark as if seeing beyond it.
She stared at him for a long moment, a cold smile forming on her lips—half defiance, half fear.
Liren whispered:
> "Alright..."
"Let's see how far you think you can control me, you arrogant knight."
She watched him move with calm, neither fast nor slow, but with terrifying precision.
She observed him train in silence and began to analyze him as one does prey before the strike.
She thought:
> "He doesn't move with supernatural speed… but he moves with an intelligence humans cannot reach.
Every step calculated… every motion perfected.
Killing him in a direct confrontation would be impossible… unless he were asleep."
A small, wicked smile crossed her lips.
> "Heeheehee… sleep is the right time, Shadow Knight."
She slipped forward like a drop of blood seeping between stones.
> "Ah—this fool is asleep… now I can kill him easily."
But she paused to look at him:
"Strange… why doesn't he remove his helmet even while he sleeps? Is he a fool, or does he not sleep at all?"
She cared little for the question. She slowly drew a dagger from his pocket, a grin widening on her face:
> "You stinky thing… mission complete."
When she looked at the blade she froze.
There were strange stains of blood on the dagger mixed with a dark poison.
> "What…?" she murmured quietly.
"Did… he stab himself on purpose? Impossible… did he want to send me a message—that he knew I would try to kill him?!"
Her body trembled. One thought flashed through her mind: a test.
She raised her hand to test if he was truly asleep.
But before she touched him, a sudden movement—
A powerful strike sent her flying backward.
> "Aaaah!"
She hit the ground in pain, clutching her cheek.
Liren thought to herself, trembling: I am counted among the dead now.
Then she heard it… a faint snore.
She froze, eyes widening in disbelief.
> "H… he is actually sleeping?!"
"Did… did he hit me while asleep?! What kind of creature is this by the heavens?!"
She quickly put the dagger back, her face darkened, heart pounding.
> "Better not try again… my luck won't smile twice."
She let out a muffled, scornful laugh: "I can't even kill him while he's asleep… how ironic."
The next morning she tried to act as if nothing had happened.
> "Good morning—"
She stopped abruptly when she saw the dagger placed on the table.
"Hey, you, Black Knight! Why is this dagger here?!"
He replied calmly without turning:
> "It's yours. Learn to use it for fighting… instead of failed assassination attempts."
Her expression stiffened; her mouth trembled slightly.
She found nothing to say, whispering to herself:
> "We died… yes, we died."
TO BE CONTINUED…
Important note: Chapters will be published every Thursday.