The darkness had long since filled the night but the smell of blood lingered in the air. A figure shrouded in black held a dagger as she slowly marched towards the cowering noble. 

 

“I hope you will be the one to tell me who gave the order that night.”

 

The figure drew closer, her dark purple hued hair shimmered in the silence of the night. The shadows seem to dance around her curvy figure as she continued forward. 

 

“I… I … Don't know anything!”

 

The noble cowardly backed up against a wall searching for some place to skurry off to but he was already cornered. 

“Shhh, shhh.”

 

The lady with the dagger had a voice as alluring as a siren, the noble instantly felt a calm aura surrounding him. 

 

“That’s okay. You don’t have to know anything. I’ve met my fair share of empty barrels.”

 

The woman played with the dagger as she traced it along his neck. 

 

“But I do have one question though… in fact, it’s one of your favorites to ask.”

The noble feeling the dagger stinging along his neck gulped.

 

“Do…you know who I am?”

 

The noble who was pinned against a wall finally overcame his fears and looked into the eyes of his huntress. Tears filled his eyes as he tried to plead for his life. 

 

The girl pressed the knife deeper and then repeated her question once again. 

 

“I asked… Do…you… know…who I am?”

 

The noble with crocodile tears filling his face and the whales of a child swallowed his pride and answered. 

 

“The Blackdeath”

 

The moment he whispered the name his own shadow consumed his body. His skin broke out in festering sores and blisters as he screamed in agony. His skin transformed into a black material as his screams echoed in his villa. 

 

By the time the shadows had finished consuming him his skin had turned pitch black along with his fingernails and teeth. The body of the noble was petrified with a look of pain as though he was trapped in that moment of agony for all of eternity.  

 

The moment the screams subsided two paladins burst into the room with swords in hand overflowing with mana. 

 

“It's the Blackdeath!”

 

One of them tried to alert whoever could hear but his shout was cut short when an electrified dagger pierced through his throat sending back his shout down. 

 

The other paladin slashed at the Blackdeath but she disappeared in a flash of lightning only to appear behind him. 

 

The paladin’s eyes bulged realizing she was already breathing down his neck. He tried to parry the incoming attack but the Blackdeath’s skills were a few leagues above his own. 

 

The moment their weapons clashed black tentacles erupted from her body attacking the paladin from all sides. 

 

He was still parrying her attack but her black tentacles had already dug deep into his skin. 

 

“You know what happens to people my shadow touches.”

 

The woman pulled back and spoke to the paladin using simple words. 

 

“You have been infected. You will be dead in three days. Go home. Spend some time with your family.

 

Your life is now as fleeting as the butterflies.”

 

The paladin coughed up blood as he began to feel weak. 

*Cough*

*Cough*

 

The paladin buckled over looking at his hand that was covered in his blood but it looked worse. He realized his blood was now pitch black. 

 

The paladin tried to get up by leaning on his sword ready to die with dignity but the Blackdeath had already disappeared. 

 

“It’s pointless! The entire villa is surrounded!”

 The paladin whose skin was already showing signs of the Blackdeath’s infection tried to shout but the woman had already vanished. 

-

In a poorly lit office somewhere. 

[Slam!]

“How dare you open the Royal Investigator’s Office without permission!”

The moment the door was slammed open the short middle-aged woman who was buried in a diagram she was sketching looked up. 

 

“I … I…I am sorry Ma’am, but you said if anything new comes up regarding the case I should let you know as soon as possible.”

 

The guard who opened the door tried to explain, before his actions were to put his name in disrepute. 

He knew this was a bad move but the last time they were even just a few minutes late quite a few soldiers got court martialed.  

 

The Royal Investigator had a very eruptive personality especially when it came to pieces of her puzzles. 

 

He would prefer to lose his dignity rather than his pay, worse in this economy. 

 

“Oh, you discovered something new at the prison?”

 

The Royal Investigator’s voice changed the moment she realized that another clue might be falling into her lap. Moreso since the last few days she had been a little stumped on this investigation. 

 

The guard gave an awkward smile before continuing.

 

“No Madam Grievous, It’s regarding the other investigation you were tasked with.”

 

Hearing these words the Investigator lost her look of eagerness and gave the guard a nonchalant expression. 

 

“Fine, spit it out already.”

 

Madam Grievous took out another map from a pile as the guard gave his report.

 

“This time it was the Manor of the Lionsgate Noble family. But it was the exact situation. 

 

The entire manor was massacred by a lone assailant.  

 

While the nobles… they were found in a black petrified state… the black death as it is called.”

 

The guard who had already seen the report shuddered with nervousness as he continued to read the report. 

 

The cruelty of the assassin was uncanny. Women, children, even the elderly were all on the chopping block for her. 

 

“Did you say the Lionsgate manor?”

 

Madam Grievous tried to clarify as she marked her map. 

 

“Yes Ma’am”

“Well this one is pretty straight forward then. She started by attacking three of the noble families in the outer region. 

 

Now there's only one left.”

 

Madam Grievous marked a bright red line on her map showing the path the assassin had taken so far. 

“If she is following the same main line the next target is…”

 

Madam Grievous lifted her brush and drew an X over a large villa. The guard who was looking over her shoulder looked with amazement. 

“The Braveheart household!”

Madam Grievous nodded in confirmation. 

 

“I had a hunch before but now it’s too obvious to ignore. Inform the guards immediately.”

 

The guard paid his compliment as he bowed in respect before leaving. 

 

“Now if only I could get one more piece of this puzzle…”

 

Madam looked back on her story board trying to make sense of the recent prison break incident.