The veil of the night covered the entire city in its darkness.

The city was silent, with only the few workers coming back home after a long day roaming the streets.

Mira stood atop the tallest building, her gaze cold and precise.

In her hand was the rifle Silas had given her earlier.

She looked down into the bar where her target drank with other people.

Her eyes were sharp.

She noticed every twitch of his muscles, every blink.

Mira noted all of it.

The wind blew through her short black hair.

’His guard spotted me,’ Mira thought as the door behind her clicked open.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" The voice suddenly came from behind.

Mira did not reply.

The rifle in her hand transformed into a pistol.

She tucked it into her belt.

"Can’t you hear me?" The person asked again, already drawing his sword.

He walked closer to Mira slowly with a focused gaze.

A flicker.

He blinked as Mira’s form disappeared from sight.

A piercing sound caught his attention from behind.

He ducked, barely avoiding the attack aimed at his throat.

Mira was already moving.

Her dagger thrust downwards in the same motion, driving towards the man’s exposed head.

The man rolled away again.

Mira’s grip changed instantly, her body bolting forward at the man with mechanical precision.

The man sidestepped once again, the tip of the blade grazing his cheek.

A thin line of red tore through the cheek.

Instinctively, his hand touched the mark.

He looked at Mira again, like she was a monster.

Mira did not give him the chance to catch his breath.

She moved again, switching dagger hands with skill.

She slashed across his chest, switched hands again, and drove her dagger towards his head.

The man leapt back to avoid the slash, then caught the pierce with the flat of his blade.

A loud chime spread through the silence as metal kissed metal.

Mira did not linger.

She pulled her dagger back, stabbing in the same motion.

The man pushed the dagger to the side and countered with a horizontal slash at Mira’s neck.

Her neck whipped backwards slightly, just enough to avoid the attack.

The sword cleaved through the space her head had once occupied.

Without wasting time, Mira drove her dagger forward again, at his neck this time.

The man ducked beneath it and came in with a rising slash.

Mira leapt back, then lunged again.

Each of her attacks fed into the last, flowing seamlessly and faster.

They were all aimed to kill her enemy in a single strike.

The man matched her strike for strike, blocking her attacks with minimal movements.

Mira bent, dodging the man’s thrust.

Her dagger arced upward, cutting through the air.

The man blocked with his blade and kicked forward.

Mira sidestepped, avoiding the kick by the skin of her teeth.

The man, as if expecting that maneuver, slashed at her new position.

Mira narrowed her eyes at the man’s attack.

Her body dropped instantly, hitting the floor in a low crouch as the blade passed over her head.

She drove her dagger up into his thigh in the same motion.

The man twisted at the last second, the blade slicing the outer part of his leg instead of sinking deep.

He grunted and stepped back, creating distance between them.

But Mira was already moving before the distance could even widen.

Her dagger lashed forward, this time towards his right side.

The man stepped back and pushed forward into Mira’s opening.

Mira shifted lightly, then her leg whipped forward, destabilizing the man before he could press forward.

The man blocked the kick with his elbow.

The force made him skid to the left, but he caught himself.

They stopped, looking at each other with quiet scrutiny.

The man exhaled slowly, his eyes dropping once to his injured leg before returning to Mira.

He adjusted his grip on the sword.

Mira watched his weight shift and came forward without warning, low and fast, her dagger slashing towards his torso.

He brought his blade down to intercept.

A feint.

Mira pulled the attack at the last second and went high instead, her dagger driving toward his throat.

The man’s eyes widened as his head jerked back on instinct.

The tip of the dagger caught his jaw, cutting a small opening there.

The man moved immediately.

He shoved her back with his forearm and swung at her side.

Mira ducked, her legs splitting under the attack.

She rose smoothly in the same instant, her dagger driving into his shoulder.

The man blocked with the flat of his blade, but Mira did not wait. She withdrew immediately, following with a slash at his wrist before he could even register it.

Blood splattered as his palm fell to the floor with a thud.

His eyes widened as he looked at Mira, who was already thrusting at his neck again.

He moved in desperation, blocking the attack with his blade.

The force sent him skidding.

He lashed at Mira violently, swinging in erratic slashes just to keep her away.

But Mira did not even move from her position.

She watched, calculating the perfect moment to strike.

Clang.

Sparks flew through the air as Mira slashed up at the man’s sword.

The sword was thrown away from his palm, landing flat beside Mira.

Before the man could even reach for it, Mira’s dagger plunged into his throat.

He raised his hand in an attempt to hold Mira’s wrist, but he was too weak.

The hand fell to the floor and the light in his eyes died.

Mira looked at the corpse for a moment before she walked towards the roof’s edge again.

She brought the pistol out and transformed it back into a sniper rifle.

She looked through the scope at her target.

He still drank, unbothered.

Mira’s breath steadied. Her scope locked onto his head.

Her aether began to move, condensing into a bullet.

She took one final breath and pulled the trigger.