This was when Alia had only been following her master for a few months. He would often take her on missions, using his disguise and shape-shifting techniques to blend in seamlessly. His ability to change his appearance meant that Alia had never once caught sight of his true face. After every mission, he would quickly change into different clothes, wear a new mask, alter his voice, and even adjust his breathing to perfection. She had long since grown accustomed to this seemingly omnipotent master and had never once thought to question what secrets were hidden behind it all.
But one time, her master used the "Bone Transformation Technique," and it was the first time Alia saw his true face—though at the time, she had no idea that this was, in fact, his real form.
That night, they infiltrated a luxurious noble's estate, aiming to steal a priceless treasure. The mission went as usual, with her master moving swiftly and precisely, keeping everything under control. Suddenly, he stopped in the shadows and quietly told Alia, "I need to make an adjustment." Alia nodded without a second thought, not suspecting anything.
Her master performed his mysterious Bone Transformation Technique. Before her eyes, his body began to twist and shrink, his skin paling, his eye sockets sinking deep, and his features contorting into something horrific. His face took on a corpse-like appearance, with the corners of his mouth stretching into a terrifying grin. In that moment, Alia nearly lost her sanity. She had never seen such a horrific face, and she was filled with fear and shock. She wanted to look away, but her body felt frozen, unable to move.
However, she didn't dwell on it for long. The urgency of the mission pushed her to continue following her master. But that horrifying face was forever etched in her memory, becoming an inescapable shadow in her mind.
Months passed, and Alia slowly grew accustomed to her master's various disguises. She even learned to recognize the emotions behind the different masks. His disguise technique no longer seemed mysterious to her, but he never allowed her to see his true face again.
That is, until one day, when the weather was overcast and the rain fell in torrents, turning the streets into a soggy mess of puddles. During a mission, her master once again performed the "Bone Transformation Technique." But this time, he performed it behind her back, deliberately concealing it and asking her to turn around. Yet, in that brief moment when she turned away, she accidentally glimpsed the reflection in a puddle at her feet.
In the water's surface, she saw that terrifying face she had never forgotten. The familiar face, with deep-set eyes, pale skin, and the corner of the mouth split into a grin that seemed to symbolize death. Her heart immediately seized with fear. She realized that this was the face revealed after her master's Bone Transformation, and she had never expected it to be almost identical to the one she had seen before.
Her heart raced, panic and unease flooding her chest. She finally understood that this wasn't just a special disguise technique—this was her master's true face, or rather, the face revealed after using the bone-shrinking technique. A jolt of realization hit her as she comprehended that this technique came at a cost, with an unavoidable condition: during the bone-shrinking process, her master had to reveal his true face. And this face… was his deepest secret.
However, Alia also knew that her master would never allow anyone to discover this secret. Her heart pounding, she quickly turned her head, pretending she hadn't seen anything. She casually surveyed the surroundings, glancing around furtively. She knew that if her master found out that she had learned anything, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Her master moved quickly out of her sight, and upon seeing that she had shown no signs of suspicion, he quickly slipped into a small hole, disappearing into the darkness. Before leaving, he coldly muttered, "We'll meet at the agreed location."
Only then did Alia allow herself to breathe a sigh of relief, though her back was drenched in cold sweat. She knew she had seen something she shouldn't have. That terrifying face was her master's true face, and for the first time, she felt the depth of the secrets her master had been hiding—far deeper and more unfathomable than she had ever imagined.
She looked down at the puddle, but the reflection in the water was no longer clear. Only a chill spread through her heart.