The scent of blood and betrayal hung thick in the air of the grandmaster's sanctum.it was a cloying perfume,one Alex Laurus is a Master Assassin of the Shadow Hand Sect, knew intimately.But tonight it was his own blood that stained in the stone floor, each drop a dark spreading rose against grey
Injured, Alex was running from the other assassin. After a time, a female assassin pursuing him used a quick footstep technique to close the distance. She lunged forward and stabbed him deep in the guts. The blade was coated with a poison called Dragon's Bane his own creation. This poison destroyed the central nervous system, causing brain damage or paralysis, and there was no known antidote.
"ARGHHH!!!!"
Blood gushed from his stomach and spilled from his mouth. He fell to his knees.
The weapon felt familiar in the worst way; it was one of his own designs, gifted to his comrades those he had ridden with and fought alongside. Elara, his lover, watched with a sinister smile. Kael, his brother-in-arms, stood beside her. Then, the others came to see the show. Moments later, everyone fell to their knees.
In unison, they screamed, "WE GREET THE GRANDMASTER!"
Grandmaster Vorian, the head of the Shadow Hand Sect and a master awakened to the 8th level of Aura, arrived. He looked down at the pitiful form of Alex, kneeling and on the verge of dying. Alex had only one question.
"Why?" The word was a ragged gasp, torn from a throat already filling with blood. It was a foolish question in their line of work; 'why' was a luxury for the dead and the dying. Vorian, the grandmaster he had trusted for his entire life, was betraying him. He couldn't accept the truth.
Then Vorian said, "The Hand must evolve, Alex. You are a relic a masterpiece, yes but you have betrayed the code of the assassin."
Alex screamed, "Master, I did not break any code! Why would I betray the Shadow Sect? The sect gave me shelter, food, clothes…"
Vorian spit on Alex's face, a murderous aura was imitaded"You steal our secret text of assassin martial arts"
Alex Exclaimed and then he say"No i dont steal any secret text or any other text you can check my pocket"
Then kael come forward then check pockets and then alex got shocked and cold sweat running from his face.Kael found a secret text of assassin called The Unseen Blade Technique.This technique Implies an attack that strikes directly at the aura or soul, unseen by the eye.
Alex get angry and then he said"whoever put this scroll i will KILL YOU!!!"roar was strong the other assassins get unconscious and kael and elara was standing protected by their aura and then
Kael said"brother you have done a heinous act you have to die"he gave secret scroll to grandmaster and then he give sinister smile.He use mind talking "i was the one who kept that scroll in your pocket hahahahaha".
Alex was so angry if he didnt got stabbed he would behead kael for good.Elara come and then she said in a mocking way"My love why would you betray our shadow sect"
Alex in angry way said"you bitch why,why would you do that to me i was your lover"the dragon bane was affect his body he was bleeding from eyes,nose and frome his ear.
Then elara said"lover? I was just using you.you fool you were this strong and you cant see a that i was using you"the see go in front of kael then kissed kael.
Alex was flabbergasted the tear running from his eyes.Those happy memories with elara and kael and respect and love for master and his colleague that broken into pieces and blood tear was showing in his eyes the rage, the agony,was showing from his face.
Alex with light Fading from his eyes tell "I aa…was fool think people around me genuinely care but….i got this.."
pain was next. A deep, throbbing agony at the back of his skull. And a profound weakness, a hollow emptiness in his limbs that was utterly foreign. His body, his true body, had been a honed weapon, capable of silent movement for days, of striking with the force of a thunderbolt. This… this felt like a sack of wet flour.
Consciousness returned not as a gentle dawn, but as a violent hammer blow.
A cacophony of sound assaulted him first raucous laughter, the clinking of glasses, a off-key lute being strummed badly. The smells were worse: cheap perfume, stale wine, and the underlying reek of sweat.
Alex with bloodshotted eyes said"I returned to guys i will remember and for kind information and then i destroy you bastards"
Legendary assassin Alex Laurus sitting on his knee died.
Then Alex opened his eyes, but he was different place in mind he says"what is this place,is this afterlife,shit got betrayed and this…"He was smiling.
It was pure empty white place the suddenly a Man come to his place his alex from upward.He says"Hi Middle aged man you died ha".
Alex got suprised and stand up"who are you".This Man look like he has blue ocean eyes and pale skin with athletic body his clothes are white long coat and he has long neck ornament
The Man said and laughed"dont need to be scared i just checked that someone has come to this place.Oh sorry i forgot to introduced my name is lushius and some call me 'GOD'
Alex exclaimed and says"god? Why "god" has to come to this place ,take me to your so called kingdom.
Lushius says"No i dont have kingdom or something but i can tell frem your face that you are angry and sad about something"
Alex signed and pause for second and tell"I had live my whole life as assassin i had father like figure vorian had beautiful lover elara and kael…"after alex face turned into angry his red eyes was shining with rage."he was my brother in arms and he and elara conspired against me because i was their obstacle and that kael put our secret text of assassin in my pocket i cant sense,and in two hours the whole shadow sect was in my room and they attack instantly and i surprised and one after another and elara used my created powerful poison and then i am here see"
Lushius says"what a tragic things happened to you so sad.but you want a revenge?"
Alex with rage "yes!! Want…want i will cut and tear everyone who involved specially and btich elera and that bastard kael and that old bum vorian"
Lushius with smiley face"hahaha that angry face of yours i am sorry so…i can give you a second chance i like your story"
Alex questioned"how?
Lushius put his hand up and strange light come from his eyes"see this light that is your second life and your destiny how you choose till bye bye"
Alex shout"WAIT!!!,AHHHHH!"
"He lives!" a portly young man slurred, raising a golden goblet. "By the gods, Magnus, we thought you'd finally drunk yourself to death!"
Magnus?
flood of foreign memories, fractured and chaotic, erupted in his mind. A name: Magnus Caldryn. A title: Young Master of House Caldryn. A face, pale and perpetually anxious, reflected in a mirror. Shame. Humiliation. Constant, grinding weakness. These were his tormentors: Varian, Silas, and their ringleader, Lord Theron of House Croft. This… this was a regular occurrence.
Memories that were not his own, fractured and blurred by what felt like a monumental hangover, trickled into his mind. Magnus Caldryn. Youngest son of Duke Everard Caldryn. The Black Sheep of the prestigious Caldryn family. The kingdom's most infamous wastrel.
This body, this weak, aching vessel, was his. Alex now magnus in mind"Laushius you bastard what weak body is it"
A wave of nausea, both physical and existential, washed over him. The ritual. It had worked. He, Alex Laurus, Master Assassin, had reincarnated. But into this? A spoiled, useless noble brat in what was clearly a less advanced world?
He tried to sit up, his movements clumsy and uncoordinated. A young woman with too much rouge on her cheeks giggled and tried to push a goblet into his hand. "Come on, Magnus! Another round! You lost the drinking contest to Lady Briar, you have to pay your forfeit!"
Magnus ignored her.His assassin mind,though trapped in a feeble shell,began to cut through the fog of pain and disorientation.assessment.threat evaluation.
The room was tavern's private upper floor,but one dressed in obscene luxury.his "friends"were no threat,merely parasites.the real danger was his whole damn body.it was just weak this "friend"was his gave a poison.but safe side this is not lethal toxin,but slow,and debilitating drain.someone had been systematically poisoning Magnus caldryn for long time.
This fool had probably just attributed the weakness and headaches to his constant debauchery.
Magnus looking toward them and said"leave me"he rasped a stranger's,softer tainted voice.
The nobleman laughed "dont be the sore loser magnus,your father's gold can buy a thousand of barrel for you.
In a flash,magnus's hand shot out.it was slow and pathetically so by his standards,but it was driven by a cowed kings.his fingers slender and soft,locked around the noble wrist.he didnt squeeze with muscle it was not that powerful but it was precision,hitting a pressure point.
The noblemans laughter was cut off with a startled yelp of pain.
The nobleman theron screaming in pain because magnus hit with pressure points"Shit,ARGHH!!! Leave my hand magnus you bastard"
I said," Alex repeated, his voice dropping into a low, chilling register that had once made hardened killers flinch, "leave me. All of you. Now."
The change in his demeanor was so sudden, so complete, that the merriment died instantly. The giggling woman recoiled. The lutenist's playing faltered. They saw Magnus's face, but red eyes that glared out from under his brow were not the eyes of a drunken fool. They were the eyes of a predator, cold and ancient and utterly merciless.
Mumbling excuses, they scrambled to leave, the party's atmosphere shattered. Within moments, the room was empty, save for the spilled wine and the new Magnus.
Alone, he collapsed back onto the chaise, sweating from the minimal exertion. He took stock. This body was a ruin. No martial training, no cultivation base, veins clogged with toxins and alcohol. He was weaker than he had been at ten years old in his previous life.
But he was alive.
The thought was a spark in the darkness. Vorian, Elara, Kael—they thought they had ended him. They had thrown away their masterpiece. Their mistake. An assassin's greatest weapon was not a blade or poison, but patience and the will to survive.
A slow, grim smile touched his lips. It felt strange on this new face.
"Very well," he whispered to the empty room, the words a vow. "The game is not over. It has simply changed venues."
He was no longer Alex Laurus, Master Assassin. He was Magnus Caldryn, the Withered Thorn of a Duke's house. A perfect disguise. Who would ever suspect the kingdom's greatest fool to be its most dangerous soul?
The first order of business was survival. He needed to purge the poison from his system and strengthen this pathetic body. He pushed himself upright and stumbled to the window, throwing it open to let the cold night air clear the stink of the room and his thoughts.
The city of Caldera spread out below him, lit by torch and lantern. It was a medieval sprawl of stone and timber, a far cry from the soaring spires and hidden magitech of his old world. But the principles of power were universal. They were written in the way the guards patrolled the wealthier districts, in the shadows where thieves lurked, in the subtle tensions he could already sense even from this body.
A commotion at the tavern door below caught his sharpened attention. His time in the Silent Hand had honed his senses to a razor's edge, and though this body was dull, the mind behind it was not. He could hear raised voices one of them belonging to the portly noble from earlier, and another, clearer, laced with authority and impatience.
"…drunken oaf, probably passed out in a pool of his own sick," a woman's voice snapped. "I don't have time for this."
Magnus's new memories supplied the name: Lyra. Lyra Blackwood. Captain of the City Watch. A woman known for her iron will and unwavering duty, and one who held a particular, well-founded disdain for Magnus Caldryn.
He heard heavy boots on the stairs. This was not a social call.
The door to the room flew open without ceremony. There she stood, framed in the doorway. She was tall and athletic, her form clad in practical, polished steel armor over a dark blue tunic. Her hair, the color of dark honey, was tied back in a severe braid. Her face was all sharp, handsome angles, with a scar bisecting her left eyebrow a testament to a life far removed from the decadence of this room. Her eyes, a flinty grey, swept over the disarray before landing on him with open contempt.
"Caldryn. On your feet," she commanded, her voice leaving no room for argument.
Magnus would have whined, or tried to flirt, or simply collapsed. Alex Laurus merely met her gaze, his own now a carefully constructed mirror of bleary confusion, layered over a core of icy calm.
"Captain Blackwood," he said, his voice rough. "To what do I owe the… pleasure?"
She strode into the room, her nose wrinkling in distaste. "Don't. Your little party has been disturbing the peace for hours. But that's the least of your problems." She stopped in front of him, looking down. "Where were you tonight?"
"Here. As you can see." He gestured weakly at the empty bottles.
"All night?" she pressed, her eyes narrowing. They were sharp, intelligent eyes. He'd have to be careful.
"I believe so. My recollection is… hazy." It was the perfect truth, from a certain point of view.
"Convenient," she said, her tone dripping with skepticism. "A member of the merchant's guild was murdered tonight. Throat slit. Professional job. His ledger, containing details of a significant trade agreement with your father's house, was stolen."
Magnus kept his expression carefully vacant, but inside, his mind was racing. An assassination. The style was familiar, though crude by his standards. The theft of the ledger pointed to political or economic motives, not just a simple kill.
"A tragedy," he murmured, injecting the right amount of drunken sorrow into his voice. "But what has that to do with me?"
"You were seen arguing with him just yesterday in the market square. Threatening him, some witnesses say, over gambling debts you owed."
The memories surfaced, ugly and embarrassing. The old Magnus, red-faced and spitting, being calmly dismissed by the merchant. He had indeed made threats, the foolish, blustering kind that a true assassin would never utter.
"I was drunk," he said, which was also true. "I say many things I don't mean when I'm drunk." He let his body sway slightly, playing the part.
Lyra's lip curled. "I'm sure. But it makes you a person of interest. Get your cloak. You're coming to the watch house for questioning."
This was a complication. The watch house meant time, delays. Time he needed to start detoxifying and planning. It also meant exposure. He was a newborn in this world, vulnerable.
He saw the unwavering resolve in her face. Resistance in his current state was impossible. Compliance was the only path.
"As you wish, Captain," he said, dipping his head in a shallow nod that made the room spin. "I am, of course, eager to assist the Watch in any way I can." The words were polite, but they felt alien in his mouth, so unlike the entitled rants the old Magnus would have launched into.
The shift was subtle, but Lyra caught it. A flicker of confusion in her steely eyes. The drunken fool was being… cooperative? Almost dignified? She dismissed it almost immediately, attributing it to fear or a new level of intoxication.
"Move," she said, turning on her heel.
As he followed her unsteady steps out of the tavern, the cold night air hit him like a physical blow. But it was clarifying. The game had begun far sooner than he had anticipated. He was a suspect in a murder, trapped in a weak body, surrounded by enemies he didn't know and a family that likely despised him.
But as he walked, his eyes, hidden under his brow, were no longer those of a victim. They were calculating, absorbing every detail of the street—the patterns of the patrols, the shadows, the escape routes. The mind of the assassin was awake, a diamond-hard core in a shell of clay.
The poisoner, the murderer, whoever they were, had made their move against Magnus Caldryn.
They had no idea who they were truly dealing with now.
The hunt was on. And Alex Laurus, reborn in fire and betrayal, was the hunter.