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

The grand halls of the palace were eerily silent as King Lucius strode toward the Queen’s chambers, his heart pounding against his ribs.

It had been too quiet.

His Queen hadn’t left her room all morning, nor had she answered her attendants’ knocks.

He stopped in front of the heavy oak doors.

He raised his hand.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

No answer.

Lucius frowned.

A chill crept up his spine, but he shoved the feeling down.

With a sharp breath, he pushed the doors open.

A Scene of Horror

The moment he stepped inside, the stench of iron and death slammed into him.

His breath hitched.

The room was a disaster.

Shattered mirrors. Torn curtains. Splintered furniture.

And in the center of it all—

The Queen.

Her body lay crumpled on the marble floor, her fingers clawing at nothing, her mouth twisted in a silent scream.

Her once delicate hands were ruined, nails ripped out, blood staining her fingertips.

Her wide, lifeless eyes were frozen in sheer, unimaginable terror.

Lucius felt his stomach turn.

"No…"

He rushed to her side, pressing trembling fingers against her cold throat.

Nothing.

Her pale lips, her stiff body—she was long gone.

A sharp gasp tore from his throat.

"Guards!" he bellowed, his voice echoing through the corridors.

A Death with No Answers

The guards burst in, their armor clanking, followed swiftly by the palace physician.

The physician knelt beside the Queen’s body, his face grim.

"What happened to her?" Lucius demanded, his voice low and dangerous.

The physician hesitated before speaking.

"She… went mad, Your Majesty."

Lucius’s brows furrowed.

"Mad?"

The physician nodded, gesturing toward the ruined room.

"From the looks of it, she tore through everything in a fit of madness. She—" he swallowed, "—ripped her own nails out. She must have been hallucinating. She slammed her head against the table, likely in a desperate attempt to stop whatever torment was consuming her mind."

Lucius’s blood ran cold.

"That’s impossible." His voice was sharp. "She was fine yesterday."

The physician didn’t respond.

Because what could he say?

No poison. No visible injuries. No outside force.

The Queen had simply… gone insane.

And then died.

A Message from the Shadows

Lucius exhaled shakily, running a hand through his dark hair—and that’s when he saw it.

A note.

It was tucked neatly beneath her bare, bloodied feet, almost mocking him.

His pulse quickened.

Slowly, he reached down and unfolded the paper, his hands trembling.

And then he read:

"Oh dear, you’re cute.
How are you today? Today’s going to be a lovely day.
By the time you read this, there will already be rumors that the Queen went crazy.
Have fun.
Oh, wait! Was today your anniversary?
Well, she’s hee—"

Lucius’s fingers crushed the paper before he finished reading.

A low growl rumbled in his throat as he ripped it apart, his nails digging into the parchment until it was nothing but shreds.

He turned to the table, his mind racing—

And his stomach sank.

Stacked neatly in plain sight were dozens of documents.

Each one detailed every crime the Queen had ever committed.

Illegal kidnappings.
Framing nobles for murder.
Blackmail.
Silencing political enemies.

Everything was there. Signed with her name.

He reached for one of the pages, flipping through them quickly.

His breath grew shallow.

This wasn’t just damning evidence.

This was a death sentence.

If this information spread…

The Queen’s legacy would crumble.

The throne would be questioned.

And the royal family—his family—would be torn apart.

The Gag Order

Whispers filled the palace by the time Lucius emerged from the Queen’s chambers.

Servants exchanged furtive glances, guards spoke in hushed voices, and nobles murmured of a curse upon the King.

It spread like wildfire.

By noon, the entire capital was talking about it.

By evening, the taverns were flooded with speculation.

"The Queen went mad overnight!"
"They found her body in shambles!"
"Some say she screamed herself to death!"
"A curse! The royal family is cursed!"

Lucius slammed his fist against his throne.

"Issue a gag order," he snarled at his advisor. "Silence anyone who speaks of this."

The advisor bowed deeply, hurrying to carry out the command.

And yet—

It didn’t stop.

People whispered behind closed doors.

Messages were passed in alleyways.

Even the nobles, bound by strict etiquette, whispered about the "mad Queen’s death."

Lucius clenched his jaw.

He had power.

He had authority.

But he couldn’t control the rumors.

And worse—

He couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was watching him.

A Silent Presence

That night, Lucius sat in his study, staring at the flickering candlelight.

The Queen was dead.

Her secrets exposed.

The kingdom questioning his rule.

And yet—

That wasn’t what unsettled him the most.

It was the feeling.

That prickling sensation on the back of his neck.

Like he was being watched.

By something he couldn’t see.

He turned his head suddenly—

Nothing.

Only the flutter of a bird’s wing outside the window.

A white raven.

Watching.

Lucius swallowed hard.

Because in his gut, he knew—

This wasn’t over.

This was just the beginning.