𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐒𝐲𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐞

𝐓 𝐖 𝐄 𝐍 𝐓 𝐘

𝐕𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐦

Kelrose looked just the same as when she had left it, only now vines had begun to crawl their way through the ruin. The roof collapsed, walls brought to nothing but rubble, she passed the remains of the courtyard fountain. Once there were statues that proudly stood tall. At some point that night they were wrenched away. The head of one lies not ten paces away.

A year later, yet it remains untouched.

Briéa expected Kelrose to be pillaged and desecrated. But whether the common folk were unaware of the devastation that occurred or were too frightened to approach the place, she didn't care. She'd rather it be left as it was.

From dawn until dusk she roamed the grounds. Wandered the broken courtyard, roamed through her old classrooms, sat in the ruin of what once was Ennell's office for hours.

The previous week had marked a year since Kelrose burned. For the rest of that week she grappled with herself on avoiding any sort of return. But while her mind fought with itself, her feet took to her the truest home she'd ever known. A year of slaughtering those responsible and she still felt a gaping hole, one not even the Crimson reaper could fill. Maybe there was a hope returning to Kelrose would finally take away the pain that hadn't left her since that night.

That day was the first time she had cried since she found Sira dead. Briéa wasn't able to bring herself to go up to the dormitories. She didn't want to see the stain Aesira's blood had left on their dormitory floor.

As the sun set, Briéa left Kelrose with only one purpose. She didn't know where the Syndicate was hiding now, she stopped bothering to keep track of their movements six months ago. But she would find them. And when she did she would do whatever needed to be done to satisfy the debt.

Then, she would leave and never return.

---

Two years since Briéa has even come close to the Kethan border. But now she leans against the wall of a pub, a hundred steps forward and she'd be back in Ketha.

A week ago she left the Makorov château in Kastos searching for Davengard. Finding his home was easy enough, but he was away on business. So until he returns, Briéa's been biding her time and getting a better understanding of Davengard's property and security measures.

He returned earlier today. Rather quietly. Only a single carriage, and not even Edgar himself rode in it. He mounted a horse and followed closely besides the carriage. She didn't care who was actually in the carriage as long as they didn't get in her way tonight.

Night is nearing, the sun close to the horizon. Briéa brings her hood up to coat her face in shadows. She's eager to get this over with. It's been boring twiddling her thumbs for the most part. Briéa finalized her plans days ago, even deciding on taking a Ywethese decorative bowl Davengard keeps in his office as a souvenir. All that was missing was her prey.

At the center of the town, a bell tower rings out through the dark.

Seven, eight, nine, ten.

Briéa pushes off the pub wall and treads through the empty streets to the other side of town. The people rest their heads early here. No drunken men and women stumbling in and out of brothels or gambling dens, not like they would in Grasite. Instead they wake early to work, go back to their families in the evenings, and then repeat when the sun rises.

A simple life.

No one wandering around means no chance of someone seeing her. Tonight she is nothing but a shadow. A reaper.