Episode 40 – The Rogue Who Walks in Shadows

The gate of obsidian loomed before them, its surface cracked with veins of light that pulsed like a heartbeat. The whispers of the labyrinth had risen to a fever pitch, names colliding in a storm of echoes that gnawed at their thoughts.

But none of them moved.

Their eyes were fixed on the broken statue at the far end of the hall.

On the figure who had perched there moments ago—her emerald eyes gleaming like a predator's in the dark.

Now she was gone. Swallowed into the shadows.

Akira's hand hovered near his katana, jaw clenched tight. "I don't like this. Whoever she is, she moves like smoke. Fast. Skilled."

Elira's frostfire flickered across her palms, but her gaze was more troubled than hostile. "…Not an echo. Not a monster. Someone alive. Someone who shouldn't be here."

Kuro's emberlight eyes narrowed on the shadows that lingered in the corners of the chamber. He could still feel it—the faint pull of presence. A heartbeat not belonging to any of them.

"…She hasn't left," he said softly.

The torches sputtered, as if in answer.

Then the shadows moved.

---

A whisper of air. A blur.

Akira's blade was already flashing free of its sheath, sparks bursting as steel met steel.

A curved dagger.

The intruder had struck from above, silent as death. Her second blade swept low in the same breath, forcing Akira to twist aside or be gutted on the spot.

Her movements weren't just fast—they were precise. Ruthless.

"Damn it—!" Akira snarled, slashing back in a lightning arc.

But she was already gone. Her form melted into the darkness, vanishing into nothing.

Kuro's emberblade roared to life. He raised it just in time, flame colliding with a second strike aimed for Elira's neck. Sparks exploded, shadows flaring into twisted light as their blades locked.

For the first time, Kuro saw her clearly.

A woman clad in dark rogue armor, leather straps fitted for speed, her torn knight's scarf trailing behind like a ghost of her past. Auburn hair streaked with silver fell across one side of her sharp face, framing eyes of piercing emerald that glowed faintly in the blue firelight.

Her lips curled into a faint, knowing smirk.

"Not bad." Her voice was low, edged with challenge.

Then she vanished again.

---

[System Alert: Unknown Combatant Identified]

[Threat Level: High – Class Unknown]

[Skill Detected: Shadow Step]

Elira's voice was sharp. "Shadow Step… That's forbidden knight magic."

Akira's eyes widened. "She's no ordinary rogue."

Kuro's flame swept outward, searing through the darkness, forcing her to retreat back into the open. She landed lightly on the broken statue, twin daggers glinting at her sides.

And now—she didn't hide.

Instead, she tilted her head slightly, studying them as if they were prey.

"Three against one," she murmured. "Unfair odds. For you."

---

Akira's temper flared. His blade snapped up, his voice harsh. "Who the hell are you?!"

The woman's emerald eyes locked on him, sharp as blades. For a heartbeat, silence. Then she answered—calm, clear.

"Reina. Reina Ashthorne."

The name struck like a blade.

Elira inhaled sharply. "Ashthorne… the disgraced house. The rogue knight who defied her king."

Reina's smirk widened slightly. "So my reputation lingers even in these drowned ruins. Good. Saves me the introductions."

She twirled one dagger idly, her gaze sweeping over the three of them. "Now tell me—why are you here? These halls don't forgive the uninvited."

---

Kuro stepped forward, emberlight eyes unwavering. "The same reason you are. The Seals."

Her gaze flicked to him. Sharp. Measuring. And for a flicker of a second, something in her expression changed.

Recognition? Interest? She masked it quickly with a half-laugh.

"Bold," she said softly. "And foolish."

Akira's katana gleamed, his voice tight. "We don't have time for games. If you're in our way, we cut through."

Reina's eyes sharpened, her smirk vanishing. "Then try."

---

The battle ignited.

Reina moved like a phantom, her body dissolving into shadow, reappearing with blades striking from impossible angles. Akira countered with steel, each clash ringing like thunder, sparks scattering in deadly arcs.

Her speed was unlike anything he had faced. Every strike carried precision, her daggers angled not for show but for kill.

Kuro lunged in, emberblade sweeping. Reina twisted, her dagger catching his strike with an audible hiss, firelight glinting in her emerald eyes.

"Strong," she said, her voice steady even under the clash. "But your flame burns too predictably."

She shoved off, spinning into Elira's range. Frostfire erupted, lancing across the hall—yet Reina slipped through the cracks, her form blurring with Shadow Step.

Elira gasped, frost exploding as her own magic was redirected by the rogue's feint.

Kuro's instincts screamed. This wasn't just skill. This was mastery.

---

[System Alert: Opponent's Power Source Detected]

[Shadow Core – Fragment Resonance Similarity: 14%]

Kuro's grip tightened. "…She's connected to Norvahel."

Reina's eyes flicked to him again at those words. This time, her smirk was gone.

Akira's frustration peaked. "Enough hiding!" His katana blazed with spirit light, his strike surging in an arc that would cleave stone.

Reina met it head-on.

Steel rang. Sparks blazed. The impact cracked the floor beneath their feet.

And for the first time, her eyes narrowed, the calm mask straining just slightly.

"Not bad," she admitted. "You're stronger than the stories said."

Akira's jaw clenched. "What stories?"

Reina only smirked faintly again. "Later."

---

The clash broke apart, both sides breathing heavy but unyielding. The hall was scarred, stone shattered, torches sputtering in the wake of their storm.

Elira's frostfire dimmed slightly as she stepped forward, her voice edged with steel. "Stop this. You're not an echo, not a monster. That means you want something. Speak it, before we end this fight."

Reina's eyes lingered on her. For a moment, silence.

Then she twirled her daggers once more, sheathing them with a smooth motion.

"…You're right. I didn't come here to fight you."

Akira snapped, "Could've fooled me!"

Her emerald gaze turned back to him, sharp and unflinching. "I had to know if you were worth walking beside. Or if you'd die like the others who entered these halls."

Kuro's emberlight flared. "…Others?"

Reina's voice softened, barely a whisper. "They all fell. To the city. To themselves. Norvahel remembers… but it does not forgive."

Her smirk returned faintly, but her eyes—those cold emerald flames—held weight now.

"I'm alive because I don't trust. But maybe…" Her gaze lingered on Kuro. "…maybe you're different."

---

The obsidian gate behind them groaned, chains rattling as whispers rose again, louder, more violent. The labyrinth stirred, impatient.

Reina glanced at it, then back at the trio. Her tone shifted, sharp. "You want to survive this place? Then you'll need me. And I'll decide if I need you."

Akira bristled instantly. "Tch—like hell I'm letting some rogue decide anything for us."

But Kuro lifted a hand, steady. His gaze met Reina's, emberlight against emerald.

"…Then walk with us. For now."

Reina smirked, faint and sharp. "For now.

---

The chains of the gate shattered, stone grinding open into a yawning darkness. The whispers surged, a thousand voices screaming in forgotten names.

The four of them stood at the threshold.

And for the first time, they weren't just three.

---

[System Update: Party Member Added – Reina Ashthorne]

[Warning: Alignment Unstable]

Akira's mutter was low, tense. "…This is going to be hell."

Elira's frostfire flickered as her eyes studied Reina carefully. "We'll see if she's worth the risk."

Reina only smirked, daggers gleaming faintly in the shadows.

And Kuro… his emberlight eyes lingered on her a moment longer. The labyrinth had just changed again.

Not because of Norvahel.

But because of her.

---

[To Be Continued…]

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