The Wernglenn Forest was eerily quiet, the golden trees standing tall and proud, their brilliant leaves shimmering faintly in the waning sunlight. The air was crisp, tinged with the earthy scent of moss and pine, and the faint hum of life in the forest made the silence all the more unsettling. Xyenn, still dressed in his ridiculous feathered costume and mask, stood in the middle of a small clearing, his boots crunching against the forest floor as he paced nervously.
He let out another reluctant “Hoo! Hoo-Hoo!”, his voice echoing into the stillness.
Xyenn groaned, dragging a hand down his face. “This is so stupid,” he muttered under his breath.
His mind flickered back to Vektor’s explanation. The Owlgrudd Bird was an ancient predator that had once terrorized the ancestors of the assassins now hidden in the shadows of Svarthelm. The Owlgrudd was no ordinary bird—it was a massive, cunning creature known for its ability to stalk its prey in dead silence, often mimicking the sounds of its victims to lure them into a trap. The assassins revered the Owlgrudd as both a foe and a symbol of their own craft: unseen, deadly, and always watching. Dressing as the Owlgrudd was meant to provoke them, to insult their pride and force them to reveal themselves.
Xyenn sighed, straightening his stance. “Alright, featherbrain,” he muttered to himself, “if you’re gonna act like a stupid bird, at least do it right.”
He spread his arms, flapping them dramatically as he stomped around the clearing. “Hoo! Hoo-Hoo!” His voice carried into the trees, bouncing off the tall trunks as he forced his nervousness down.
The wind seemed to shift, and Xyenn stopped abruptly, his boots grinding into the dirt. A faint sound—a rustle, perhaps, or the creak of a branch—reached his ears. His heart skipped a beat, but he steadied himself, closing his eyes and focusing on his senses.
‘Something’s watching me…’
The forest held its breath.
Even the faintest sounds were amplified in the silence: the soft rustling of leaves, the distant chirp of a bird, the faint hum of wind weaving through the canopy. And then…
A gust of wind hit his cheek, sharp and unnatural, as though something—or someone—had passed by at an impossible speed. The golden leaves on a nearby branch shook violently, though no one was visible.
Another gust, this time behind him.
Then another.
‘Their fast! Moving so damn fast only the force of their wind is left behind…’
Xyenn’s breathing slowed as he forced himself not to move, his nerves screaming at him to run, but his mind holding him steady. “Focus,” he whispered to himself. “You’ve come too far to lose it now. You’ve faced worse than this.”
The rustling grew louder, now accompanied by faint, almost imperceptible footsteps, though their source remained invisible. Another sharp gust tore through the clearing, this time to his left. Xyenn clenched his fists, his senses sharpening. He could feel them—the assassins—darting through the trees, their movements so fast they were little more than whispers on the wind.
“Breathe,” he told himself. “Focus. Don’t let them rattle you.”
And then, all at once, silence.
Xyenn’s eyes snapped open, his sharp gaze darting around the clearing. He turned his head to the left, and in that instant, he moved.
In a blink, Xyenn closed the distance between himself and an assassin, appearing inches from their face. The assassin gasped, their breath catching in their throat as they stumbled back.
The assassin’s attire was entirely black, their face obscured by a sleek mask with angular designs etched in silver. A hood draped over their head, blending seamlessly with their fitted, leather-like armor. Tiny glowing runes ran along their bracers and boots, faintly pulsing with power. Sleek daggers hung at their hips, and a curved blade was strapped to their back.
The assassin recovered quickly, drawing a blade and slashing at Xyenn in one smooth motion. But Xyenn was faster. He bent backward, dodging the attack effortlessly before flipping into the air, his feet barely brushing a tree trunk as he launched himself higher.
The assassin’s blade struck the trunk instead, splitting it cleanly in half as the massive tree toppled to the ground with a deafening crash.
Xyenn landed lightly on another branch, his sharp gaze scanning the forest.
The air shifted again, and suddenly, a dozen assassins appeared, darting through the trees like shadows. Their movements were impossibly fast, their black armor blending with the golden light of the forest. Some wielded curved blades, others small crossbows, while a few carried chains that glimmered faintly with magical energy.
One assassin leapt forward, their body shrinking mid-air into the size of a sparrow before returning to normal just as they swung their blade at Xyenn. He sidestepped, grabbing the assassin’s wrist and using their momentum to throw them into another assassin who was rushing in from the right.
A third assassin flung a trio of throwing knives laced with shadow magic, the blades glowing with a sickly green light. Xyenn twisted in mid-air, narrowly dodging the knives as they embedded themselves into a tree, causing it to wither and rot instantly.
Another assassin, this one wielding a pair of curved daggers, closed the gap with incredible speed, slashing at Xyenn in a flurry of strikes. Xyenn flipped backward, landing on a nearby branch as the assassin’s blades carved deep gouges into the trunk he’d just left.
The forest was a rapid sanction of motion, assassins darting between the trees, their attacks coming from all directions. Xyenn didn’t attack—instead, he dodged, parried, and countered with fluid, almost effortless motion. He flipped, twisted, and spun through the chaos, his movements precise and graceful as he avoided every strike.
An assassin with a chain whip lashed out, the glowing weapon wrapping around Xyenn’s arm. The assassin smirked, tugging hard to pull him off balance. But Xyenn smirked back, using the momentum to swing himself upward and kick the assassin square in the chest, sending them flying into a tree.
Another assassin appeared behind him, their blade aimed for his back. Xyenn ducked at the last second, the blade slicing through the air above him. He spun on his heel, grabbing the assassin’s wrist and twisting it, forcing them to drop their weapon before shoving them into the dirt.
The chaos reached its peak as one assassin conjured a shadowy orb in their hand, hurling it toward Xyenn. The orb exploded against a tree, sending shards of wood flying in all directions. Xyenn flipped through the air, narrowly avoiding the blast as he landed in a low crouch.
The air was thick with tension, the forest now littered with fallen trees and scorch marks from the assassins’ relentless attacks.
And then, all at once, a massive explosion erupted behind Xyenn, the force of it sending a wave of dust and debris through the clearing. Xyenn twisted through the air, landing in a crouched stance on a nearby branch, his sharp eyes scanning the battlefield, his red eyes glowing behind the mask.
From a distance, hidden within the trees, an assassin with a large bow and arrow stood silently, their keen gaze locked on Xyenn. The assassin’s armor was sleek and angular, their mask obscured save for their piercing, silver eyes. They watched as Xyenn knelt on the branch, his stance steady, his breath calm.
The archer's eyes narrowed behind his concealed face, muttering to themselves. “Hmm..”
The forest of Wernglenn was alive with chaos, the golden trees trembling as the battle unfolded. Xyenn’s breathing was steady, but his heart thundered in his chest as he darted through the shadows, the faint glow of sunlight filtering through the canopy fractured by the relentless movement of his attackers.
From his high perch in the trees, the shadow-bound assassin, cloaked in inky blackness, notched an arrow in his massive bow. The assassin’s form seemed to flicker and dissolve, merging and reappearing seamlessly with the shadows of the forest. His silver eyes glinted from within his mask, watching Xyenn below like a predator stalking its prey.
Suddenly, the assassin fired, and the arrow screamed through the air—not a simple arrow, but one that split into three mid-flight, each piece spiraling toward Xyenn with deadly precision. The arrows hissed like serpents, their tips glowing faintly with a sickly green light.
Xyenn leapt to the side, narrowly avoiding the first arrow. The second grazed his shoulder, tearing through his feathered costume, while the third pierced a tree behind him, detonating on impact and sending a shockwave of splintered wood and dirt into the air.
“Seriously?!” Xyenn muttered, rolling to his feet. He darted forward, weaving through the trees as the assassin loosed another volley. This time, the arrows trailed tendrils of shadow, their tips expanding into jagged spikes as they streaked toward him.
Xyenn ducked under a low-hanging branch, then flipped sideways to avoid an arrow that passed so close it brushed his hair. He landed on the side of a tree trunk, using the momentum to spring upward and grab onto another branch. The moment his boots hit the wood, it shattered beneath him as another arrow struck, forcing him to leap again, twisting mid-air to avoid yet another projectile.
‘They’re relentless! You’re doing good, Xyenn! Just don’t die?’
The assassin moved like liquid shadow, his form flickering in and out of sight as he repositioned himself across the battlefield. Xyenn could feel the hunter’s presence, the oppressive magic tightening the air around him like a predator closing in on its kill.
A faint whistle in the air was his only warning. Xyenn dropped into a slide, his back skimming the forest floor as an arrow shot past him, embedding itself in the ground ahead. The arrow burst into a spray of dark tendrils*, each one writhing like serpents and clawing at the air around him.
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“Alright,” Xyenn muttered, narrowing his eyes as he sprang to his feet. “Two can play this game.”
He spotted a curved blade lying nearby—one of the assassins’ weapons, likely dropped in the earlier chaos. Grabbing it, he flung himself into a sprint, zigzagging through the forest as more arrows rained down around him. The ground exploded with shadowy bursts, but Xyenn used the momentum of each blast to propel himself forward, sliding under low branches and leaping off nearby tree trunks to avoid the hail of projectiles.
As another arrow came screaming toward him, Xyenn spun on his heel, slashing the curved blade upward in a precise arc. The arrow split in half, its magic diffusing into harmless wisps of shadow as he continued his charge.
The assassin above him snarled, his silver eyes narrowing as he pulled back on his bowstring. This time, the arrow he notched glowed with a faint purple hue, and when he released it, the weapon split into dozens of smaller shards, swirling in the air like deadly hornets.
“Are you kidding me?!” Xyenn shouted, diving behind a tree as the shards followed him, embedding themselves into the trunk and detonating. The force of the explosion sent him tumbling forward, but he rolled with the momentum, flipping back onto his feet and immediately sprinting toward the attacker.
He used the environment to his advantage—a fallen tree became a springboard, a low-hanging branch a makeshift swing as he launched himself higher into the canopy. The curved blade in his hand sliced through another arrow mid-flight, the weapon’s edge glowing faintly as it caught the light.
The assassin’s form flickered again, vanishing into the shadows as Xyenn drew closer. But before Xyenn could react, a sharp kick struck him in the back, sending him flying. He crashed through a tree, the trunk splintering beneath the impact, but he recovered instantly, twisting mid-air and landing in a crouch.
“Nice one,” Xyenn muttered, his lips quirking into a grin.
But his moment of reprieve was short-lived.
The forest came alive again as more assassins joined the fray, their movements faster, sharper, and more precise than before. They darted through the trees in synchronized patterns, their attacks coming from every direction. One assassin hurled a pair of daggers that whistled as they cut through the air, their edges glowing red-hot. Another conjured a swirling storm of shadowy blades, sending them forward in a deadly spiral.
Xyenn dodged, ducked, and parried with the curved blade, his movements fluid and calculated. He leapt from branch to branch, using the trees as cover, but the assassins adapted quickly, their attacks growing more relentless.
One assassin, smaller and faster than the rest, shrunk mid-air, disappearing into the shadows before reappearing at Xyenn’s side. The assassin swung a short blade at his ribs, but Xyenn spun around, using the momentum to deflect the strike and send the attacker flying into another tree.
Another assassin dropped from above, a chain whip glowing with dark magic snapping toward Xyenn. He caught the chain with the curved blade, twisting it around the hilt before yanking the assassin off balance.
Despite his skill, Xyenn could feel the pressure mounting. The assassins were faster now, their attacks more coordinated, and the relentless barrage of blades and magic left him with little room to breathe.
As he dodged another strike, he suddenly felt the ground beneath him shift. **Shadowy hands** erupted from the forest floor, wrapping around his legs and holding him in place.
“What the—?!” Xyenn struggled, but the shadows tightened, anchoring him to the ground.
Before he could react, a rope lashed out from above, binding his arms tightly to his sides. He looked up, spotting two assassins perched in the trees, their shadow magic weaving the ropes that now held him captive.
Xyenn gritted his teeth, his muscles straining against the bindings, but the magic was strong. He glanced around, his sharp eyes taking in the dozen or so assassins that now surrounded him, their forms flickering in and out of the shadows as they landed in the clearing.
One of the assassins stepped forward, their curved blade glinting in the faint light. They tilted their head, their voice cold and measured as they spoke. “Who are you?”
Xyenn’s mask, battered and loose from the relentless battle, slipped from his face and fell to the ground. He looked up at the assassin, his lips curling into a wide grin despite the bindings holding him in place.
“That…” he said, catching his breath, “was awesome!”
The air in the Wernglenn Forest grew impossibly still, as if the very world were holding its breath. The assassins stood in a wide circle around Xyenn, their sleek, shadow-cloaked forms radiating cold, calculating menace. Their weapons were sheathed for the moment, but their presence was a blade unto itself, their sharp gazes locked on the bound warrior before them.
Xyenn, however, wasn’t quite feeling the tension anymore as he was happy with himself.
A goofy grin broke across his face as he shifted slightly in his bindings, his adrenaline still pumping. “That… was AWESOME!” he exclaimed, his voice breaking the oppressive silence. “Did you see that?!” He looked around at the assassins, his excitement making him oblivious to their stunned silence. “I mean, oh shit, did you SEE me out there?! Dodging arrows, flipping off trees, outsmarting your little shadow tricks—!”
The assassins exchanged glances, their masked faces unreadable, though there was a faint ripple of confusion among them.
Xyenn continued, his voice rising with excitement as he tugged against the ropes binding him. “I mean, yeah, you caught me at the end, but still—look at me! I’ve gotten stronger! Like, stupid strong! I’ve fought gods and even demons and some fake ass evil radiant angels, and now—” He paused, flexing his arms against the ropes with a confident smirk, “—now I’m out here dodging a dozen assassins in the middle of a cursed forest and barely breaking a sweat. This feels good. Like, really good.”
One of the assassins finally stepped forward, their voice cold and monotone, as if spoken through layers of magic: “Who are you?”
Xyenn blinked, his grin faltering slightly. “Huh? Oh, right.” He chuckled nervously, realizing he hadn’t exactly answered the obvious question. “Well, uh, I’m Xyenn. Nice to meet you. Big fan of the whole creepy shadow thing you guys have going on. I always wanted to meet a real life assassin.”
The assassin tilted their head slightly, the motion unnatural and unnerving. “You’re still alive,” they said, their voice identical to the first. “No one who walks this forest survives. The Wernglenn is avoided by all who value their lives.”
Another assassin spoke, their tone equally cold and detached. “This forest is cursed. The shadows here devour all who enter. Even the beasts of Jörvaldr do not tread here. It is a place of death.”
“Cursed? By what?”
“Us. We are the curse.” A third assassin added, their voice blending seamlessly with the others. “The ignorant call it the Forest of No Return. For centuries, it has been our domain, a sanctuary for the unseen, a graveyard for the foolish.”
Xyenn raised an eyebrow, his nerves tingling slightly at their words. The sheer weight of the lore they’d just dropped wasn’t lost on him. “Huh,” he muttered, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. “Well, that’s….I don’t even know how to respond to that but I see why it should be avoided.”
The assassins collectively turned their attention back to him, their gazes sharp as blades. The first one spoke again, their monotone voice cutting through the air: “Why are you here? Why invoke the Owlgrudd? Why seek us out?”
“First things first, why don’t you just finish me off now?”
“…You didn’t come at us with hostile intentions. Nor did you kill any of us. When one faces adversity that overwhelms them, survival instincts kick in, making them formidable, even the strong. Such as yourself. Yet, you did not try to kill. Also..”
“Hm?”
“You could break out of the bondages we placed on you, yet you still stay there.”
“Whaaaat? No I can’t.” Xyenn lied.
‘I’m totally lying. But I can tell they’re not buying it. These bonds are strong, it could definitely hold a great majority of people or even magic users, but I can easily break out of it.’
Xyenn hesitated, glancing around at the circle of black-clad figures. Despite their cold, otherworldly demeanor, he couldn’t help but feel a little proud of himself. These were the legendary shadow assassins of Jörvaldr, and he’d driven them out of hiding. That was pretty badass. Even though he did what Vektor instructed him to, he succeeded nonetheless.
“Okay okay. I didn’t come here to kill anyone anyway. But about my situation..Well, uh…” he began, shifting slightly in his bindings. “The Owlgrudd thing was kind of a stunt, y’know? Figured if I could piss you guys off enough to attack me, I’d get a chance to show off my skills. Maybe earn your approval or something.” He shrugged, grinning sheepishly. “Guess it worked..?”
‘I can’t tell them Vektor put me up to this. Hopefully they don’t ask me—.’
“—Who sent you here?”
‘They ACTUALLY ASKED ME! Man they’re good..’
Xyenn responded with a nervous tone, “No one..? Just had heard some tales and stuff about you guys and I need your help.”
The assassins exchanged silent glances, their masked faces betraying nothing. Without a word, they each drew a small blade, slicing across their palms in unison. Blood dripped from their hands, dark and viscous, pooling on the ground beneath them.
Xyenn’s grin faded as the blood began to shift, turning into inky black shadows that writhed and pulsed like living things. The shadows spread outward, forming a massive, intricate sigil that glowed faintly with a deep purple hue.
The ground trembled beneath Xyenn’s feet as the shadow sigil carved into the forest floor pulsed with dark energy, each beat resonating like a drum in the silence of the Wernglenn Forest. The assassins stepped back in unison as the black and crimson blood they had spilled seeped into the sigil, sinking into the earth before rising again—no longer blood, but living, writhing shadows. The air grew heavy, the light dimming as if the entire forest was being swallowed whole by the oppressive darkness.
A massive form began to emerge from the void, twisting and coalescing into a shape that was both monstrous yet disturbingly elegant. The shadows pulled together into a towering, draconic humanoid, its body exuding an aura of ancient power and malice.
The creature’s skin was a deep black, like polished obsidian, layered with jagged, scale-like ridges that shimmered faintly with hues of dark purple. These scales seemed alive, shifting and morphing as if they were absorbing the ambient light of the forest. Its limbs were long and sinewy, built with a terrifying grace, and its hands ended in razor-sharp claws, each claw dripping with an oozing, shadowy substance that evaporated into the air like smoke.
Its wings were massive and jagged, stretched wide like the tattered sails of a ghostly ship. They weren’t simple bat-like wings but intricate, almost web-like constructs of shadow energy, with glowing purple veins running through them. The edges of the wings flickered like they were burning away, constantly shedding fragments of shadow that dissolved into nothingness.
Its head was a nightmare of draconic design, angular and sleek, with a crown of twisted, spiraling horns that jutted back like the branches of a blackened tree. The horns crackled faintly with arcs of dark purple lightning, adding to the creature's terrifying presence. Its eyes were glowing orbs of deep violet, with no visible pupils, just endless pits of light that seemed to pierce straight into Xyenn’s soul. Rows of jagged, uneven teeth lined its maw, and faint wisps of shadowy mist leaked from the corners of its mouth with every breath.
Its torso was adorned with pulsating, rune-like markings, glowing faintly with a deep purple light. These runes appeared to shift and rearrange themselves, whispering in an ancient, guttural language that echoed faintly in the back of Xyenn’s mind. Its chest seemed to house a faint core of swirling black and purple energy, as if the creature’s very existence was powered by some kind of living void.
Its tail was long and serpentine, tapering into sharp, jagged edges as it curled around the clearing like a serpent ready to strike. Along the tail’s length were spikes of pure shadow, some of them shifting into sharp, blade-like forms, others dripping with thick, tar-like darkness that hissed as it touched the forest floor.
Most unsettling of all was the weapon it held in one clawed hand. The weapon was unlike any mortal creation, a massive shadow-forged glaive, its blade jagged and uneven like a shard of pure darkness. The glaive’s handle was wrapped in serpentine forms, living shadow-snakes that slithered and coiled endlessly around the weapon. Their eyes glowed a faint red, and their fanged mouths hissed softly, spitting venomous mist into the air. The blade itself radiated a sickening aura, as if it could cut not just flesh, but the very essence of a soul.
The creature hovered above the assassins, its massive wings spreading wide, casting the entire clearing into near-total darkness. When it spoke, its voice was a rumble that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere, a deep, resonant growl that carried the weight of thousands of years.
“Human,” it rumbled, its glowing eyes locking onto Xyenn. Without hesitation, it raised its massive glaive and pointed the jagged blade directly at him. The serpentine shadows wrapped around the weapon hissed in unison, their glowing eyes narrowing as one of them slithered down the shaft of the glaive and reared back, its fanged maw hovering inches from Xyenn’s face.
The snake’s voice was sharp and cutting, its words dripping with venom: “You do not feel fear?”
Xyenn blinked, his gaze flicking between the massive dragon god and the serpent poised to strike. “Umm…?” he said, his voice tinged with nervousness but steady. “I do feel it. Now isn’t one of those moments.”
The snake tilted its head, its glowing eyes narrowing as it studied him. “Your heart races,” it hissed, leaning closer. “It beats like a war drum… yet you stand still. Why? You didn’t falter under my draconic pressure.”
Xyenn swallowed hard, his pulse hammering in his ears. The serpent lunged forward, its fangs stopping just short of his neck, but Xyenn didn’t flinch. He clenched his fists, forcing himself to meet the creature’s gaze.
The snake drew back slightly, its head tilting in faint amusement. “Commendable,” it hissed, before slithering back up the glaive.
The massive draconic figure, Nacht, lowered the glaive slightly, though his glowing eyes never left Xyenn. “What do you seek?” he rumbled, his voice reverberating through the clearing.
Xyenn exhaled slowly, steadying himself. “I know about the Delleren noble family,” he began, his voice firm despite the oppressive presence of the shadow dragon. “How they use magic to breed babies faster, just to sell them off to slavers. And now, they’ve sold one of their own babies’ souls to a demon. That baby’s soul is in Hell, and I’m here to stop them. I need your assassins’ help.”
Nacht tilted his head, his horns crackling faintly with energy. “You seek revenge for a child you do not know?”*
Xyenn nodded. “It’s not just about revenge. It’s about stopping them. They’ve gone too far. Someone has to put an end to this. And I have the power to do something about it, so I’m gonna do something.”
The shadow dragon let out a low growl, his tail lashing behind him. “This is a petty crusade, human. You have no ties to this child, no reason to involve yourself in this tragedy.”
Xyenn’s eyes hardened. “I’ve made up my mind. This involves a demon, and that makes it my business.”
Nacht’s glowing eyes narrowed. “Foolish,” he muttered, his voice carrying a faint edge of amusement. “You will find no peace in this path.”
“Save me the pity, please. The assassins under you have been having trouble finding holes in the Delleren family so they can infiltrate it. Whatever you guys are doing isn’t working, so think of me as an extra hand. I killed a god for goodness sake.”
The dragon god straightened, his massive wings spreading wide as he continued. “The dark magic in Jörvaldr grows stronger. Rituals are spreading. More souls fall to Hell’s grasp every day. The Delleren family is but one of many who have turned to demons for power. You cannot stop them all. Even the elder dragon gods have approached me trying to turn me into an experiment with dark rituals, and I have long then refused and they tried to kill me because of it.”
Xyenn thought, ‘What he’s saying just revealed something. The occurrence of people having made contracts with demons are growing. Before I had met Yuuna, no one had ever heard of this. Sure there may have been talks of demons, but not contracts. And the other thing he said, the elder dragon gods are seeking weaker draconic deities for their plans. Like the Sun-Drake, but fuck when he was reborn through Quinara he was insanely strong due to the dark magic coursing and merging with his soul and body.’
Nacht paused, his gaze sharpening. “I know who you are. Majority of the dragon deities do. The one called Xyenn, Yuuna’s vessels. You killed the Dragon God of the Sun alongside that devil girl, Yuuna. You are strong, but strength alone will not save you from the darkness that comes.”
“Don’t call her a devil girl. She’s not who you think she is anymore.”
“Tch.”
Xyenn smirked faintly, his thoughts briefly drifting. ‘Damn, I look badass right now. This is so awesome. But still, he can’t talk about Yuuna like that, is he gonna get mad about it? Am I gonna have to fight him? I know Yuuna would defend my name if I weren’t there, of course I’m gonna do the same for her, no matter who it is.’
Nacht’s tail lashed again, his voice growing colder. “You’ve made your choice. Let us see where it leads you.”