The forest began to thin, its suffocating embrace of twisted, blackened pines giving way to a wide, neglected dirt road. In the distance, the stone walls of Oakhaven loomed like a grey titan against the bleeding twilight sky. To most, those walls represented safety and civilization. To Shin, they were a monument to a world that had continued to turn while his own had stopped in a pool of blood ten years ago.
Shin stopped at the edge of the tree line. He took a slow, deliberate breath, feeling the air change. It was no longer the pure, crystalline oxygen of the frozen peaks; it was a heavy, stagnant cocktail of woodsmoke, cheap coal, and the crowded desperation of too many people living in fear.
「 "Filthy," 」 Shin whispered. His voice was a dry rasp, a sound that hadn't been used for conversation in a decade.
『 This is the world that chose to forget you, little shadow. 』 The Void stirred within his marrow, a sensation like liquid nitrogen crawling up his spine. 『 They feast in the light of the sun while you were forged in the silence of the dark. Remind them that the dark never truly leaves. 』
Shin adjusted his tattered cloak. The jagged hem was stained with the ash of the mercenaries he had just erased—a grim reminder of the power he now carried. He checked the hilt of his blade; the silver-steel was cold, hungry, and hummed with a low-frequency vibration that only he could feel.
As he approached the massive iron-studded gates, two guards in rusted chainmail stepped forward, their halberds crossing with a metallic clang to block his path.
「 "Halt, traveler," 」 the guard on the left grunted, scanning Shin's ragged appearance with a sneer. 「 "Entry fee is ten copper pieces. And lower that hood. No masked rats allowed in Oakhaven after the sun dips." 」
Shin didn't lower his hood. 「 "I have no copper," 」 he said. His voice was flat, lacking any human inflection.
The guards laughed harshly. 「 "No coin? Then turn around, boy. Maybe the wolves will find you more appetizing than we do." 」
The second guard stepped closer, his eyes glinting with greed. 「 "Wait... look at those boots. Fine leather. And that cloak... hand over the gear and the sword, and maybe I'll let you sleep in a stable tonight." 」
Shin finally shifted his gaze. Beneath the shadow of his hood, his eyes ignited with a faint, abyssal purple glow. The temperature around the gate dropped instantly.
「 "You have a choice," 」 Shin stated, the air becoming heavy like a physical weight. 「 "You can open that gate and live to see the dawn... or you can continue this conversation and find out why the forest stayed silent when I walked through it." 」
The guards froze. A cold sweat broke out on their brows. They didn't understand the power, but they understood the presence: this was a #KILLER standing before them.
Suddenly, a captain roared from the battlements above. 「 "Open the gates! Open them now! Let him through!" 」
The gates creaked open. Inside, Oakhaven was a labyrinth of shadows and flickering lanterns. People huddled in doorways, their eyes filled with a hollow fatigue that Shin recognized all too well. This wasn't a city of life; it was a city of survivors, waiting for a storm they couldn't name. The smell of stale ale and unwashed bodies hung heavy in the narrow alleys as Shin moved through them like a ghost, his presence causing the local strays to whine and retreat into the darkness.
He stopped in front of a dilapidated tavern: The Broken Anvil. The wood was rotting, and the windows were so thick with grime they barely let out any light.
Shin pushed the door open. The chatter stopped. The heat of the room vanished, replaced by the biting chill of the mountains. He walked directly to the counter. The bartender, a man with arms as thick as tree trunks, squinted at the hooded figure.
「 "We don't serve ghosts here, kid," 」 the bartender grunted. 「 "And we certainly don't serve those who bring a winter draft inside during July." 」
Shin didn't flinch. He reached into the folds of his cloak and pulled out a single, blackened coin—a relic of the Van Croft treasury. He slid it across the wood.
「 "Information," 」 Shin said. One word. Cold. Sharp.
The bartender's eyes widened as he saw the crest on the coin. His hands began to tremble. 「 "That... that's a dead man's coin. Where did you get this?" 」
「 "The grave," 」 Shin replied, leaning closer until the bartender could see the purple void swirling in his eyes. 「 "Now, tell me... who is the new 'Lord' of Oakhaven? And does he still sleep soundly at night?" 」