Under The Crimstone Moon

The midnight air in the capital was thick with the scent of upcoming rain, but inside the walls of the Right State Councillor’s private estate, the only scent was blood. Yeon-Hee adjusted the black fabric masking her face, her breaths coming in slow, calculated rhythms. She stood perfectly still on the tiled roof, blending seamlessly into the shadows cast by the massive pine trees. Tonight, the moon was stained a deep, unnatural amber—the street dwellers called it a crimson moon, an omen of death. For Yeon-Hee, it was simply a deadline. Below her, the courtyard was heavily patrolled. Ten guards, all wearing the official silk uniforms of the Councillor’s private army, paced back and forth with swords drawn. They were expecting trouble, but they weren't expecting a ghost. With a silent leap, Yeon-Hee dropped from the roof, her feet landing soundlessly on the dirt. Moving like a whisper, she slipped past the first two guards, her twin daggers gleaming faintly in the moonlight. *One swift strike.* The first guard crumpled without a sound. Before the second could turn, her blade found its mark. She wasn't here for the guards, though. Her target was inside the main pavilion. But just as she reached for the sliding wooden door, a sudden clash of steel echoed from the western garden. *An alarm? No, a fight was already happening.* Curiosity—a dangerous trait for an assassin—pulled her toward the noise. Peeking through the bamboo grove, she froze. A lone man was surrounded by six assassins wearing the robes of the rival faction. He wore the expensive, indigo silk of a nobleman, but his posture was far from aristocratic. He was fighting for his life, swinging a heavy iron sword with brutal, unrefined power. His hair was slightly disheveled, and a deep cut bled on his cheek, yet there was a terrifying amusement in his sharp eyes. It was Prince Lee Shin. The exiled Crown Prince. The man the court called "The Carefree Drunkard." He wasn't drunk tonight. "Is this all the Councillor sent?" Lee Shin mocked, spitting blood onto the grass as three more blades rushed toward him. He blocked two, but the third assassin was moving directly for his blind spot. Yeon-Hee didn't think. Her mission was to kill the Councillor, but letting the Prince die here would ruin the rebel alliance's long-term plans. With a flick of her wrist, she threw her dagger. It whistled through the dark, burying itself deeply into the neck of the attacking assassin just inches before his blade touched the Prince. Lee Shin spun around, his sharp gaze locking onto Yeon-Hee’s masked figure standing in the bamboo shadows. Instead of panicking, a slow, dangerous smirk spread across his lips. "Well, well," the Prince whispered, gripping his sword tighter as the remaining guards turned their attention to her. "It seems the crimson moon brought me a guardian angel."