Chapter 6: The Serpent's Fall

Lira staggered backward, her breath coming in shallow gasps as she clutched her side. Blood poured through her fingers, dark and viscous, staining her leather armor. The moonlight bathed the courtyard in an eerie silver glow, illuminating the two assassins—locked in a deadly dance that was nearing its end.

Cassian remained still, his blade held ready, his breath coming in slow, controlled inhales despite the burn of poison still coursing through his veins. His gaze never left Lira, who now stared at him with a mixture of pain, fury, and—perhaps—just a sliver of respect.

"You…" she whispered, her voice ragged but defiant. "You’re better than they said."

Cassian said nothing, keeping his expression unreadable. His instincts told him to stay cautious. Lira was not a normal assassin; even now, bleeding and weakened, she was dangerous. He couldn’t afford to underestimate her, not when the margin between life and death was so thin.

Lira’s grip tightened on the wound at her side, her lips curling into a small, bitter smile. "You think… you’ve won?"

Cassian’s eyes narrowed.

Lira chuckled darkly, though it quickly turned into a cough, flecks of blood appearing on her lips. "The Circle… they always win. You’ve only slowed them down." She stepped forward, her movements more measured, more calculated. "You… are still just a tool in their grand design. A piece on the board… to be sacrificed when the time comes."

Cassian remained silent, but her words dug at him. He had heard this before—the Circle’s agents often spoke of the grander scheme, of the unseen puppet masters controlling every move. It was the reason they were feared, and the reason their influence was so widespread. No one could ever truly see the full extent of their power.

But Cassian refused to let himself be drawn into her mind games. His focus sharpened, his grip on the hilt of his blade tightening. “The Circle will fall,” he said, his voice cold, resolute. “One by one. Starting with you.”

Lira laughed softly, the sound hollow. “You think killing me will stop them?” Her eyes gleamed with a dangerous light. “You don’t understand what’s coming, Cassian. This is bigger than your family. Bigger than you.”

Her words struck a nerve, but Cassian didn’t flinch. He had always known his quest for revenge wasn’t simple. It had never been just about one family, or one betrayal. The Circle’s reach extended far beyond that, and Lira’s presence here was proof of that.

She took another step toward him, staggering slightly. “You may kill me tonight,” she rasped, “but I am just one serpent in the nest. And when the others come for you, you will regret ever thinking you could fight them.”

Cassian’s patience wore thin. He surged forward, blade ready to finish the job, but as he moved, Lira's hand shot out, revealing a small glass orb in her palm. Before Cassian could react, she smashed it to the ground.

A blinding flash of light erupted, flooding the courtyard and burning into Cassian’s vision. He staggered back, his eyes reflexively squeezing shut as the intense brightness disoriented him. He lashed out with his blade blindly, but felt only empty air.

By the time his vision cleared, Lira was gone—vanished into the shadows like the ghost she had been rumored to be.

Cassian’s pulse raced as he scanned the area, his eyes darting to every shadowed corner, every possible escape route. She had fled. But how far could she get with that wound? His instincts told him to chase, to finish the job before she could slip too far, but the poison still dragged at his muscles, slowing his every move.

He cursed under his breath, sheathing his blade. Chasing Lira now would be reckless—she was too skilled at disappearing when the odds were against her. If he followed her blindly, he could fall into another trap. He needed to be smarter.

An hour later, Cassian returned to the small, hidden safe house where he had been recovering for the past few days. It was a simple, nondescript room nestled between two derelict buildings in the Lower Quarter, far away from prying eyes.

Cassian sat at the edge of the worn bed, breathing deeply as he focused on clearing his mind. His body was still reeling from the effects of the poison, but the antidote he’d taken had stemmed the worst of it. What worried him more was Lira’s escape.

He knew she was weakened, and likely wouldn’t survive long without medical attention. But she had escaped all the same—and that meant she would report back to the Circle. They would know that Cassian had survived their first attempt to eliminate him. Worse still, Lira’s taunting words haunted him.

"You don’t understand what’s coming, Cassian."

What had she meant by that? What more could the Circle have planned?

As he sat there, the shadows in the room seemed to deepen, the silence pressing in on him from all sides. He had thought killing Voss would send a clear message to the Circle that he wouldn’t be hunted so easily. But now, he realized, he had only escalated the game.

The Circle wouldn’t stop with just one assassin. Lira was formidable, but if she failed, they would send someone worse. The deeper he went into this war, the darker it would become.

Cassian's thoughts were interrupted by a sudden, sharp knock on the door.

His hand instinctively went to his dagger as he rose to his feet, moving silently toward the entrance. The knock came again, louder this time, more insistent.

He pulled the door open, his dagger hidden behind his back, ready to strike.

Standing in the doorway was Seren.

For a moment, they simply stared at each other. Seren’s face was unreadable as usual, but there was something in his eyes that Cassian couldn’t quite place.

"You’re alive," Seren said, stepping inside without waiting for an invitation. "Good. I wasn’t sure you’d make it through your encounter with Lira."

Cassian closed the door behind him, watching Seren carefully. "She’s still alive."

Seren turned, his expression not betraying any surprise. "That’s unfortunate. But not unexpected. Lira has a habit of slipping away when things get dangerous."

Cassian frowned, his grip tightening on his hidden blade. "How did you know she was coming after me?"

Seren’s gaze was steady, but there was a flicker of something in his eyes—something Cassian had never seen before. "I know more than I let on, Cassian. I’ve always known the Circle would come for you. They’ve been watching your family for years. When you killed Voss, it accelerated their plans."

"Why didn’t you warn me?" Cassian’s voice was calm, but there was a dangerous edge to it.

Seren shrugged slightly, his expression as inscrutable as ever. "Because you needed to face her on your own. You needed to see what they’re capable of. You’re not fighting ordinary enemies, Cassian. You’re fighting a machine that’s been in motion for centuries. If you don’t learn to outthink them, you’ll die—just like your family."

The mention of his family struck a chord deep within Cassian. He had spent so long thinking about the enemies outside, but what if the betrayal that had killed his family had come from within?

He took a step closer, his voice low and cold. "What aren’t you telling me, Seren?"

For the first time, Seren hesitated. His eyes flicked away, just for a moment, but it was enough to confirm what Cassian had already begun to suspect. There was more to Seren’s role in all of this. There had always been something… off. The way Seren always seemed to know more than he let on. The way he had pushed Cassian into the shadows, training him to become a killer instead of a leader.

The silence between them grew thick with unspoken tension.

"You trained me," Cassian said quietly, his voice laced with accusation. "But you never told me why."

Seren’s jaw tightened. He took a step back, his hands clasped behind his back as if contemplating his next words. "Because the truth, Cassian, is something you weren’t ready for. And I wasn’t sure you ever would be."

Cassian’s pulse quickened. "What truth?"

Seren’s eyes met his, and for the first time, Cassian saw something there—regret. "The truth about your family’s fall. The truth about why the Circle destroyed them. It wasn’t just power or greed, Cassian. There was something deeper. Something that ties back to your bloodline."

Cassian’s breath caught in his throat, the weight of Seren’s words settling heavily on his shoulders. His mind raced, trying to piece together the fragmented puzzle that had been haunting him for so long.

"You need to leave the city," Seren said, his voice quiet but firm. "There are forces moving against you that you can’t fight here. Lira was just the beginning. The Circle has more assassins, more powerful agents. And they know you’re coming for them."

Cassian’s grip tightened on his dagger, the blade trembling slightly in his hand. But he didn’t strike. Not yet.

"I’m not running," he said, his voice cold and steady. "Not until I have the answers I need."

Seren nodded slowly, his expression unreadable once again. "Then you need to follow the trail of your family’s history. Your father was involved in something far more dangerous than you realize. The Circle didn’t destroy your family for political reasons. They did it because your father discovered something. Something that could destroy them."

Cassian’s heart pounded in his chest. He had always believed his family’s downfall had been the result of a political coup, a betrayal from within. But this—this was something far more dangerous.

"What did my father discover?" Cassian asked, his voice barely a whisper.

Seren’s eyes darkened. "A secret buried deep within the empire. A secret that the Circle has been trying to keep hidden for centuries. If you want to bring them down, Cassian, you need to find it."

Cassian’s mind spun with questions, but one thing was clear—the path ahead was far more treacherous than he had ever imagined. The Circle’s reach extended far beyond simple politics, and their true motive for destroying his family was still shrouded in mystery.

But now, he had a new goal. A new purpose.

He would uncover the secret that had led to his family’s destruction. He would tear down the Circle from within.

And when it was all over, they would pay for everything they had taken from him.