---
The moon hung low in the sky like a wounded eye, barely peeking through the drifting clouds that rolled across the night. Deep within the underbelly of the kingdom, in a wasteland of broken stone and forgotten ruins, a figure darted through the night, clothes soaked in royal blood and heart pounding with adrenaline.
Fin, barely seventeen, slipped into the darkness of a hollowed-out alley, breathing heavily. The taste of metal lingered on his tongue — not just from the blood, but from the fear.
"They were supposed to be asleep," he muttered under his breath, blood trickling from a gash on his upper arm. "Those guards weren't normal…"
As he limped into the hidden passageway near the old well, the rocks clicked in a rhythm only those of the guild would recognize. With a low creak, the stone gave way, revealing a narrow path descending into the depths.
Inside, torchlight flickered against the walls, illuminating the rough-hewn cave that now served as one of the many temporary safe houses for the Assassin's Guild. Several cloaked figures sat on crates and stones, whispering among themselves. The scent of oil, blood, and mold filled the air.
Tony, a slightly older boy with sharp eyes and a calculating mind, looked up as Fin entered. "You made it back."
"Barely." Fin dropped beside him with a thud. "That was my third job this week. Took out two guards and a queen. The one with the crimson eyes."
Tony whistled. "Queen Aria? That's going to spark hellfire. You're lucky to be alive."
"Lucky?" Fin scoffed. "Ever since the old leaders died… this guild's been spiraling into chaos."
Tony glanced around warily. "Keep your voice down."
Fin leaned closer, whispering, "You know it's true. Ever since that monster Korrin took over, we've been pushed to the brink. Everyone's dying. We've become pawns in someone else's game."
"That monster," Tony hissed, "is the only reason you and I are still alive."
At that moment, more assassins stumbled in, hooded and bloodied. Among them was Marshall — a tall, well-built man with a scar running across his mouth. His mere presence silenced the whispers in the room.
"Ahh, this job is getting out of hand we are being made to kill the royal family of all people after this am out." One of them said as he broke the silence while he removed his his hood
"Oh looks like someone is scared" a huge scary man said
"Of course am scared,after I get paid for this job am off to another country "
" Why do you need to be scared when we can just kill that so called Korrin "the huge man said but was imidiately stabbed his foot with a dagger.
"You think this job is a joke?" Marshall's voice boomed. "You think Korrin is a man you can mock behind his back?"
"He was just talking—" someone tried to defend the wounded man, but Marshall silenced them with a glare making everyone around quiet.
The large man on the ground — the one who had mocked Korrin earlier — screamed in pain as he held his blooded foot that was stuck to the ground by the dagger . "It was just a joke, man!"
Marshall crouched and stared him dead in the eye. "Mock the rock, and it'll crush you. Mock fire, and you'll burn. Mock Korrin, and you'll wish you were never born." He stood again and addressed the rest. "We're hiding here for seven days. That's the order from above. No one leaves. The imperial Top 10 are already tracking us. If even a spark of your energy is sensed outside, we're dead."
The room went quiet — too quiet. Fin swallowed and leaned toward Tony. "Why is everyone so afraid of korren? I get it, he's fast. He's strong. But there has to be a reason they call him the 'Shadow Runner' of the Guild."
Before Tony could answer, Marshall turned around slowly, his voice now calm, almost solemn.
"You want to know why?" he said. "You want to know why none of us dares disobey him?" His gaze locked on Fin's curious eyes. "Let me tell you a story."
Everyone was curious but we're still silent not wanting to provoke marshall.
---
"There used to be seven generals, one vice president, and one president who ran this guild," Marshall began, eyes distant, as if pulling memories from a well too deep.
"And Korrin?" Fin asked politely in a scared manner.
"Korrin wasn't even part of the original hierarchy," Marshall said. "He was… an outsider. A rogue creation. Rumors say he was made — not born. But let me tell you about the day everything changed."
"It was during the General Assembly. We were inside the Blood Chamber — a room where only the highest ranks met."
[Flashback begins]
The chamber was carved from black stone, glowing faintly with magic runes etched along the floor. At the center sat a large round table, and behind each chair stood an assassin of terrifying reputation.
Korrin stood near the entrance, arms folded, eyes glowing with cold defiance. His presence sucked the warmth from the room.
The first general, a woman named Nyxa, narrowed her eyes at him. "Who is this low-rank rogue that dares enter the Blood Chamber? How was he able to even get in here she said as she turned around looking for an answer from the audience.
Korrin stepped forward. "I'm not here to follow. I'm here to lead."his said in a calm yet aggressive looking manner.
Laughter echoed through the chamber.
"You. lead?" sneered General Varn, whose voice could crack stone. "You have yet to make a title for yourself !"
Korrin's eyes narrowed. "You cling to titles while bleeding power. The guild is weak. Lazy. Rotten. I'll purge you if I have to."
"You dare?" General Nyxa hissed, her fingers igniting with purple flame. "This chamber was never meant for filth like you!"
"The chamber,...." Korrin replied coldly, "will remember its new master."
Without warning, Nyxa unleashed a cloud of enchanted gas, plunging the center of the chamber into thick fog. Visibility dropped to nothing. Screams and metallic clashes rang out within.
No one could see what happened.
Then, silence.
Moments later, two figures emerged. Nyxa was staggering, her face pale, blood dripping from her arm and stomach while Korrin who stood posing was unharmed. She could not believe her eyes as she staggered in pain.
"What did you do to me?" she asked weakly. "Why can't I… heal…?"
Korrin didn't answer. With a flick of his hand, his anti-healing dagger sliced the air. Nyxa's body tore into fragments before she hit the ground.
Silence.
Then fury.
All the remaining 6 generals leapt from their seats.
Varn launched shards of explosive ice. Lyric summoned gravity wells to crush the air itself. Daze manipulated shadows, warping perception and distance. Their powers were on the level of gods and looked more terrifying with victor with his illusion manipulation.
But Korrin… Korrin moved like time itself bent around him.
He blurred between them, daggers flashing — slicing a tendon here, dislocating a jaw there, stabbing into pressure points that left muscles twitching and minds screaming as he finally stabes right on top of the skull of victor as blood gushed out like a popped wine bottle .
Blood sprayed in arcs. Magic collided in thunderous crashes. But Korrin never stopped moving.
Lyric tried to trap him in a reality fold, collapsing all directions at once.
Korrin phase-shifted through it.
Daze opened a rift into the void — Korrin broke it apart with a single swing that shattered reality and before she could counter, Korrin shoved three of his Dagger right into her face and eyes;That tears of blood flowed down to the ground.
Varn raised a wall of crystal to protect himself — Korrin ran up it, flipped over, and drove a dagger into Varn's neck.
As Varn collapsed, gurgling.
The Vice President screamed, "President! We have to do something if not he will kill the remaining three!"
The President of the Assassin Guild stood up — calm, focused, terrifying. His aura blanketed the room in pressure.
"You've had your fun," he told Korrin. "But it ends now."
He dashed to Korrin as both their weapons clashes and the president rodeus was over whelmed
He thought to himself that if he dragged on the battle it will be his lossso he decided to activated threeof his ultimate attacks at once.
'Shadow Swim' — phasing and move through walls and objects by diving into shadows.
'Ring of Gas' —create a gass domain that slows down time within him.
'Dimension Breaker Sword' — a blade that cuts not flesh, but reality itself.
Korrin and the rodeus fought simultaneously in both the blood chamber and in the Shadow Realm— an alternate domain where shadows surrounds them empowering only rodeus .
The President dodged slashes, turned into mist when stabbed, and tore the ground apart with reality rifts.
And yet…
Korrin's speed increased.
And increased.
Until he became lightning wrapped in blood.
He broke the Ring of Gas. Crushed the Dimension Breaker Sword.
With twin daggers, he slashed faster than sight.
The President, realizing defeat, tried to escape — melting into a shadow.
Korrin grabbed his fading form mid-transition, dragging him back.
Then — a stab through the chest.
A gasp.
Silence.
The President's body fell like a puppet without strings with no hope of survival.
Then the vice president and the rest of the generals surrendered and Korrin took over the assassin guild and that day he made a title for himself
And was named the 'Shadow Runner' a being so fast that he outruns shadows even his own.
---
Marshall's voice was almost a whisper now.
"That was the day Korrin took over. The Vice President and the three surviving generals all bent the knee. We all did. Because if we didn't… we'd be next."
Fin sat in stunned silence, his hands cold.
Tony broke the silence with a dry whisper. "That's why we follow him. Not because we want to… but because we have to."
The cave fell into quiet reflection.
Somewhere outside, a storm began to brew. But deeper, colder, and more terrifying than any storm… was the silent thought every assassin held in their heart.
Korrin isn't just our leader. He's our curse.