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

The candlelight flickered in the grand chamber, casting long shadows over the bloodstained table. The scent of roasted flesh still lingered, an unholy aroma that mixed with the sharp sting of vomit and fear.

Seraphis leaned back in her chair, her silver eyes gleaming with amusement as she watched the nobles squirm.

One of them, a broad-shouldered man with a jagged scar across his cheek, slammed his fist onto the table, his face contorted in rage and horror.

"You’re insane!" he spat, his voice shaking. "You— you fed us a man! You expect us to just sit here and—"

Seraphis grinned.

"A hot-tempered man," she mused, twirling a razor-sharp playing card between her fingers. "You may not be crazy, but I promise you… there are people in this world far crazier than me."

The noble stiffened.

She tilted her head.

"So," she continued, her voice smooth as silk, "tell me where Lord V is… or do I have to beat it out of you?"

The chamber was deathly silent.

The nobles exchanged glances, their fear barely contained.

Seraphis sighed.

"I’m a reasonable woman," she said, flipping the playing card into the air. "I can give you a slow, painful death… one beyond your darkest nightmares…"

The card whipped through the air—a silver blur—before embedding itself deep into the scarred noble’s right hand.

SHLKT!

He let out a bloodcurdling scream as the card sliced through flesh and bone, severing his hand clean off.

The detached hand hit the table with a sickening thud.

Blood gushed from the wound, pooling onto the elegant tablecloth.

The noble’s screams turned into ragged gasps as he clutched the bleeding stump, his eyes wide with shock and pain.

Seraphis smirked.

"Or," she mused, leaning forward, her voice almost teasing, "I can give you a nice, clean death."

She plucked another playing card from thin air, its edge glinting ominously.

"This is all up to you, pal. Or maybe… the rest of you want to make a decision?"

She let her gaze sweep across the trembling nobles.

Their faces were ashen, drenched in sweat.

One of them—a thin man with balding gray hair—was already shaking violently, his lips moving in silent prayer.

Another, a woman draped in velvet, had her nails digging into her palm, her eyes darting toward the door.

Seraphis chuckled.

"You’re thinking about running," she said, her tone almost playful.

The woman flinched.

Seraphis flicked her wrist.

A playing card whizzed through the air—

SPLCH!

It embedded itself right between the woman’s eyes.

She let out a soft, wet gasp, her body slumping forward onto the table.

The nobles froze.

Seraphis smiled sweetly.

"Oops," she said. "Guess you took too long to answer."

The remaining three nobles were pale as ghosts.

The scarred noble, still writhing from his severed hand, gasped out a desperate plea.

"P-please! I’ll talk! I’ll talk!"

Seraphis raised an eyebrow.

"See, now that wasn’t so hard, was it?"

The Truth Bleeds Out

The noble choked on his own breath, his skin slick with sweat.

"L-Lord V… h-he controls the capital’s underground… b-but he’s not just one man…"

Seraphis’s eyes narrowed.

"Explain."

The noble swallowed hard.

"L-Lord V isn’t a person… it’s a title," he stammered. "The real leader changes every few years. The current one… he’s more dangerous than the rest… they say he’s a monster in human skin."

Seraphis drummed her fingers on the table.

"And where is he now?"

The noble licked his lips, his breathing ragged.

"He—he has a hidden fortress under the ruins of the old cathedral in the slums. It’s protected by mercenaries, traps… and worse."

Seraphis smiled.

"See?" she said, standing up. "That wasn’t so hard, was it?"

She snapped her fingers.

The playing cards lifted into the air, hovering like silent executioners.

The nobles gasped in horror.

"Wait! Wait! We told you what you wanted!" one of them shrieked.

Seraphis tilted her head.

"And?"

The nobles’ faces contorted with realization.

"P-please!" the scarred noble sobbed. "We—we’ll do anything! Just let us live!"

Seraphis thought for a moment.

Then, she smiled.

"Alright."

Hope flashed across their faces.

Then her eyes gleamed.

"I’ll let you live in pieces."

The cards sliced through the air.

SHLK! SHLK! SHLK!

Heads rolled.

Limbs thudded onto the floor.

Blood splattered across the marble walls.

Seraphis sighed, stretching her arms as the last noble collapsed into a twitching heap.

"Now," she murmured, stepping over the bodies, "let’s pay this Lord V a visit."

She turned on her heel, her white hair whipping behind her as she vanished into the shadows.