Deep in the heart of the Dark Lands of the continent Aethera, a towering citadel stood as a bastion for warlocks and all who sought to sew corruption throughout the world. The Shadow Citadel was ruled by the Dark Prophet, a mysterious figure who served the Old Gods. The Dark Prophet's cult had allied with the Dark Lord in his scheme to conquer the lands of the living and feed those souls into his necrotic armies. To this end, the cult had been given missions to infiltrate neighboring kingdoms.

One cultist among the followers of the Dark Prophet was an undead woman named Lilith.

Lilith moved through the streets of the city below the looming citadel. She had been tasked with a mission by the Dark Prophet's envoy. A traitor had risen from among the ranks of her peers. A cultist who had refused the call of the cult.

Lilith turned down a street and came to a worn-down house in an obscure part of the city. The building looked much the same as the rest of the buildings in the area. It was a relic of a bygone time like the city itself.

Once, the city had been a thriving metropolis, a beacon of hope and commerce. Those days were long past.

Now, as with the rest of the Dark Lands, the people of the region lived as squatters. Their lives were impermanent and violent.

Such a place had become the refuge of the traitor and it was Lilith's task to eliminate him before he had the opportunity to flee.

Black shadows wrapped themselves around the undead woman. As a warlock, she had mastered the art of shadowcraft and possessed the ability to manifest the darkness in myriad ways. These powers could be used for offense or defense, but Lilith excelled in the utility field.

With the shadows wrapped around herself, she was all but invisible in the darkness of the nameless city.

At the door to the home of the traitor, Lilith's shadows expanded out from her and penetrated the lock on the door. In a moment, the flimsy lock was undone. Her shadows muffled the creaking hinges as she opened the door and entered.

The foyer of the building was decrepit and decayed. Furniture had long rotted into heaps and a smell of mold hung in the air.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

None of this concerned the silent shadow. No, she had seen it all before. Her own body had decayed long ago and such aesthetics were much familiar to her.

As the floorboards creaked beneath her feet, Lilith used her shadows to silence them.

Her transit carried on throughout the home until she found a stairway to the basement.

As she tread upon the stairs she suppressed all noise and soon saw the glimmer of light coming from below.

Lilith slowed in anticipation, priming herself for the attack.

But, what she saw caused her to hesitate.

In the room she'd entered numerous candles had been lit in a wasteful display by Dark Lands standards. At the center of the room was a magic circle and an altar. Before the altar a man with his head hung low, reciting penitent prayers.

The sight confused Lilith. But, then she realized the truth of the cultist's betrayal. It was deeper than abandoning the call of the Dark Prophet. This man had turned to the heresy of the light.

Her gaze hardened and she reached out with her shadows to bind the man.

In a moment, the praying traitor cried out in alarm as tangible shadows captured him.

"W-What?!" he managed as all but his face was covered in blackness.

Lilith let the shadows on her body fade and came to stand before the man. Though she had steeled herself to her task, an ember had ignited in her long-forsaken spirit.

"What are you doing, traitor?"

The man gulped audibly as he looked at the undead warlock before him.

"I-I… I…" he couldn't manage to spit out the words as fear had overcome him.

Her shadows tightened around him and blood could be seen dripping to the floor beneath him.

As the realization of his looming death came upon the man, he seemed to regain some of his integrity.

"You'll kill me anyways… Divine Light guide my soul." With that, the man began to recite a prayer that sounded like so much noise to Lilith's ears.

She cocked her head to the side as she looked at the man.

"What are you doing?"

The traitor gulped and looked at her with wide eyes. "I only hope that the light will guide me when you're done. Kill me."

Lilith had never hesitated to end a life before. But somehow, the situation had gotten away from her. The idea that the light would bring guidance.

It was heresy.

And yet…

Her lips twitched and her body shook.

It was all wrong. Why should this man have so much faith in that which is false?

A pang struck her frozen heart.

With a sigh, she released the man and turned back to the stairs.

"Leave. Leave now and never return."

With that, Lilith left the stunned man and vacated the house.

She knew she shouldn't have let him go as she left. Were the Dark Prophet to learn of her failure… It was not something she wanted to think about.

She returned to her taskmaster and stated her mission was complete.