The office was dimly lit, a stark contrast to the morning light filtering through the narrow windows outside. Mare didn’t flinch as the door closed behind her; she was used to the silence, the thick tension that filled these rooms. Inside, her superior sat hunched over a desk, his face hidden beneath the shadow of his brow. Mare could feel his eyes on her, but she didn’t return the gaze. There was no need to.

“We have a problem,” he said, his voice cutting through the stillness.

Mare didn’t move, didn’t speak, simply waited for him to elaborate. She already knew what this was about. Belial had messed up again, letting something slip out of control.

“You’re going to Anstead,” the superior continued. “We need those old friends of ours dealt with. We can’t have them lingering in the woods, too close to the town. The last thing we need is another rumour spreading about us. And Belial... Well, we’ll leave him to his other duties for now.”

Mare’s jaw tightened imperceptibly, but she nodded. Andrius didn’t care about how she felt about the mission. Neither did Belial. No one did.

“You know what to do,” her superior added, the words final, a dismissal.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Mare didn’t need to be told twice. She turned on her heel, the weight of the task already settling over her. No words, no thoughts, just action.

Later...

The moon was high when she reached the edge of the forest near Anstead. The lantern she carried swayed in her gloved hands, casting long, eerie shadows over the underbrush. She’d tracked them here, the last remnants of the Kreatures that had once served a different purpose.

They had become weak. Too weak to survive, clinging to life in the way creatures who knew they were doomed often did—quietly, patiently. But tonight, Mare’s duty was clear.

The first burst of movement was quick, a flash of claws and teeth in the distance. Mare’s hand was steady as she swung the lantern, the flickering light pushing the Kreature back. She could see the fear in its eyes, the way it shrank away from the fire. It was almost pitiful, the desperation in its movements as it tried to retreat into the shadows.

Mare’s pulse quickened, her grip tightening around the lantern’s handle. The stench of the creature’s blood filled the air as she moved in close, slashing with precision. The kill was swift, efficient, just the way Andrius would have wanted it.

Still, something lingered.

She didn’t stop to look at the creature’s twisted body as it collapsed in the dirt. Instead, she turned her gaze toward the next shadow—another one. She knew there would be more. Always more.

Each time she struck down, their eyes screamed from behind their sockets. A creeping regret gnawed at her insides. She stilled her mind.

Mare inhaled sharply, forcing the feelings down as she moved to finish the job. Her eyes hardened, and her movements were methodical, a rhythm she’d perfected over the years. There was no room for hesitation. No room for sympathy.

The job was done. It always was.

Mare wiped the blade clean on the grass before turning her back to the dying light of the lantern. Her task was complete.