Chapter 1

Walking down the street, her icy blue eyes flickered as she glanced around her. The lack of emotions set her face to a stone-frigid expression.

She headed toward the enormous church called House of Valor, seeing people stepping aside from her path, afraid.

Ryiah's clothes were black, wearing tight but flexible pants and the knee-high boots with straps hit the cobblestone as she moved forward with confidence, not interested in the surrounding people that stopped and stared at her demeanor.

The top tank left her shoulders bare, the hood attached to it covered Ryiah's head. She wore gloves that reached to her elbows. A corset supported her middle. On her hips hung a pair of Sai, one on each side. On the lower back, she had double short swords.

Approaching the wide stairs, Ryiah's unnatural quietness as she advanced, alerted the citizens of what they all presumed was about to take place. Their concerned shouts and cries which were meant to warn the clergy inside the church fell silent on Ryiah's ears. They were not going to withhold her from her mission. No matter how she was to achieve it. Some of them took out their phones and filmed her, some took photos, but the dangerous aura in Ryiah´s demeanor and her weapons stopped them from rushing inside to warn them. They were scared she would attack them too if they tried. She didn't hesitate, didn't stop, didn't even look their way. Her mind was set, and no one could change her decision on the path she was about to take.

Climbing the stairs, Ryiah saw two priests glancing at her, their faces growing pale. They took an unsure step back when she walked past them, reaching for the handle of the wooden door and opening it. The priests debated if they should stop her, or call someone for help but the way she shot a glare in their way just before stepping inside made them both scramble down the stairs to safety, kissing their knuckles and taking a bow muttering an ancient prayer for protection.

Cool air washed over her as she stepped in. A quiet, almost serene environment greeting her. Endless rows of benches reached from the back to the shrine, and above it hung the star of eight horns shining down on her as Ryiah walked down the aisle. Behind it, a beautifully painted glass window illuminated the entire hall.

In the past, she would have taken two bows and kissed her left hand's knuckles, showing respect for the God Cian.

But now, Ryiah merely scoffed.

Losing faith in her profession was a horrible thing to happen. It turned a human being into a monster without a moral. That was what happened to Ryiah, her supervisors could predict it, they knew it would happen because the head of the guild secretly ordered someone's execution... and she was there to witness it.

Normally, it wouldn't have affected her as much. Ryiah had witnessed more than once that the House of Valor could do so. The history was full of it. But it never affected her so deeply, because it didn't happen to her personally.

Until that one fateful night...

Her fellow assassin. Her beloved.

They killed him one rainy night, and Ryiah was too late to save him. He died in her arms, causing her heart to shatter into million pieces, as Ryiah screamed her pain and agony into the pouring rain.

When she found out exactly who was behind the order, everything she once knew in her world came crashing down. Everyone she knew was expendable, even herself.

Once they had done their job long enough filling their purpose, they signed their death warrant because they knew too much. They had seen too much. And that was what happened to him.

It was a cruel reality of being an assassin but it was still a reality, but it didn't mean she would have to accept it without a fight.

Vengeance filled Ryiah's mind like a poison. She wanted blood; she craved for it and she would have it.

Ryiah became a rogue. Abandoning her guild, she vanished completely.

Every assassin in Kyrre was after her, for Ryiah's foreman was afraid of what she might do. They needed to stop her.

They had a suspicion who Ryiah would target; they warned them, but she stayed hidden for months.

And now, after staying in the shadows for three years, Ryiah had accomplished the one thing she wanted her enemy to do.

After being afraid for years, they finally lulled themselves into a false peace, thinking they were safe.

Ryiah hadn't come after them, so they thought her fellow assassins had hunted her down, and she was finally dead.

Oh, how very wrong they were.

For the past three years, Ryiah had been following this priest's every step, learning his routine, what he ate, what time he took a bath and who he met, what time he met them. She knew every little detail and now, it would pay off to her being so patient for months.

Sitting in the booth, Ryiah waited patiently until she heard someone sitting on the other side. Their deep inhale told her they were getting ready to hear the confession of a penitent.

"Good evening," the priest greeted her.

Ryiah had done a lot of research and asked around about him from citizens who knew him best. She had learned that the priest she was after was meeting people who wanted to confess their sins to him on particular days. This was one of those days.

" Sacred Father, a beacon of my life, I wandered from your path and came to confess my sins. I went astray, I passed judgment where it wasn't my right to do so. I cursed your name in a moment of anger. Forgive me for my mistakes, allow me to prove myself once more." Ryiah hummed hollowly, not bothering to kiss her knuckles. She had sold her soul to the devil a long time ago.

"May the God Cian help you guide your way and offer you forgiveness," the priest spoke, kissing the knuckles and touching his forehead as he prepared to listen to Ryiah's confession. She could picture the warm smile on the man's face as the voice was a soft hum.

"Cleanse my spirit so I might overcome my obstacles. I request this of you in your almighty name, o almighty God. Anoint me with your hallowed love." Ryiah spoke, quietly pulling out the Sai on her right thigh.

"I have killed countless lives in the past, and I sometimes regret it. All but one life, I won't be regretting when it ends. I want to torture them, kill them, watch them choke on their blood and the mere thought of it, it's a most pleasurable one, with no measure." She lifted the Sai in front of her face, looking at it menacingly, slowly turning the blade horizontally, pointing the tip at the wall between her and the priest.

Ryiah's gaze followed the blade, eyes growing cold and her lips formed a tight line, a flash of a memory of her beloved face as he coughed up blood caused her grip on the handle to tighten ever so slightly, her head lowering while her glacial glare pierced the wall.

The priest glanced at the wall, confusion visible on his face, then he heard her muttering something under her breath, he didn't hear what, but the icy tone of it chilled him to the bone.

"What was that, my child?" he asked, leaning closer, nearly pressing his ear against the wooden wall.

"You killed him,"

Words dragged from Ryiah's mouth as if they hurt her. Pain and grief clouded her mind, anger pumping blood through her veins faster, and her heart was pounding against her chest so hard it hurt. But Ryiah ignored all of that as she pulled her hand away from the wall and suddenly thrust it forward, shoving the blade through the wooden wall, right into the priest's neck, just barely missing the jugular.

A cry of pain echoed in the halls the second the blade sunk through the skin, a grim smirk growing on Ryiah's face as she yanked the blade back.

A gush of blood painted the wall with red and the man gurgled, pressing his hand over the wound, trying to stop the bleeding as he hauled himself further away from the wall, blood trickling slowly down forming a pool onto the floor.

Stepping outside from the booth, Ryiah's gaze roamed across the hall looking for anyone who might have come inside after hearing the cry. But seeing no one, she opened the little door, coming face to face with the dying man. His eyes widened with horror when his wavering gaze landed on her figure standing there, Sai in her hand, blood dripping from the blade.

"Father Aelric," Ryiah looked down at him, a faint smile flickering on her face but then it faded when Aelric pointed at her as Ryiah slowly pushed the hood back revealing her face.

"You....how..." he tried to speak but blood was filling his throat, causing him to cough. Slowly choking on the blood.

"Did you really think you were safe? That I wouldn't come after you? By ordering Griffin's execution, you signed your death warrant." Ryiah's monotonous voice made him shiver.

All this time she had hunted him down when he thought he was safe because there were no signs of her anywhere. She had vanished from the face of the Earth, and everyone assumed she was dead.

Aelric now realized, a little too late, that was exactly what she wanted him to believe.

"You will pay for this," Aelric said, closing his eyes for a moment, gathering the strength merely to speak up.

"People will hunt you down... it is treason to kill a man with my status..."

"I am fully aware and yet, here I am." Ryiah smiled a little softer, watching as life gradually dimmed from his eyes.

"You... knew..?" Aelric breathed, slithering downward, not able to hold himself upright anymore.

"Yes, but I don't care. My only mission was to make you pay for what you did. I know I will die because of it, eventually. I never assumed I wouldn't pay the price. When the time comes, I accept it." Ryiah sighed, glancing over her shoulder, seeing they were still alone.

"I have made peace with my demons, now it's your turn. I'll see you in the Realm of River Vimuer." She leaned down, whispering in his ear, and wiped the blood from the blade into Aelric´s robes.

Withdrawing, she saw the light dying in his eyes, his last gurgling breath leaving him.

The hand on Aelric's neck dropped to the side and Ryiah turned away, closing the door and putting the Sai back on its place on her thigh.

Pulling the hood back over her head, Ryiah walked between two bench rows, stepping on the aisle and headed toward the door.

Shouting from behind one door, on the right side of the shrine alerted her. Aelric's fellow-men had heard his screams, and they headed down to see what was going on.

At the same time as Ryiah reached the door and opened it, the back door opened and three altar boys rushed through the staircase, passing the shrine. One of them spotted Ryiah stepping out the door. The sunlight hitting her skin; she relished in it.

Ryiah glanced over her shoulder, a shadow of a smirk showing on her lips. Then she turned away, walking down the stairs, ignoring the people yelling inside to call the ambulance when they found Father Aelric. The crowd outside was whispering to each other, pointing at the doors. They hastily stepped out of her way, scared as Ryiah approached them, glaring at them. A few of them made a hesitant step toward Ryiah, wanting to stop her, but one look and hand on the hilt of her sword convinced them not to even try. She wouldn´t hesitate to use her sword.

Making her way on the side of the major street where she had parked her black motorcycle, Ryiah felt nothing. No satisfaction, no peace. She was dead inside and nothing could fill the void inside of her heart.

Mounting the bike, she looked over the square of the House, people rushing forward, yells filling the air. News of Father Aelric's murder travelled fast. Everyone adored him, he was a very important person, but no one knew the real him. No one in the country knew what he was capable of. In their eyes, Father Aelric died as a martyr, but Ryiah couldn't care less.

He was dead.

That was all that mattered to her.

Pulling out a photo of her companion, a faint, genuine smile flashed on Ryiah's face as she stroked the picture with her thumb.

"I have avenged your death, you can rest now..."

Placing the photo back into her pocket, Ryiah started the bike kicking the pedestal back steering it in the traffic disappearing in the middle of it while Aelric's helpers were desperate to keep the man alive but it was useless.

The community had lost their most loved man, and the manhunt for his murderer was about to start.