Viktor drifted through weird glowing stuff that felt like liquid starlight. Warm but weightless. His mind was still sharp, still working, even though he knew he was dead.
'Dead. Killed by some amateur with daddy issues.'
The thought pissed him off. Not sad, not regretful. Just pure, cold rage. In thirty-seven years of killing people, he'd never screwed up a job. Never missed. Never got outplayed.
Until tonight.
'Sloppy. Arrogant. Stupid.'
Each word fed his anger. While other people might cry about their life being cut short, Viktor's brain was locked on one thing: payback. Not really against Jane. She was just a problem to solve. But against himself for being so damn careless.
The light around him twisted, then squeezed tight. Reality folded in on itself before exploding outward again. Viktor found himself standing on nothing. Under his feet was black mirror that went on forever. Above, stars and galaxies spun in silence.
"Well, well. You're handling this better than most."
A woman's voice came from everywhere. Viktor turned to find where it came from.
She appeared out of concentrated starlight, like atoms were building her from scratch. Her hair kept shifting between white and blue, falling down her back in ways that hurt to look at. Her skin glowed softly, like moonlight was trapped underneath. Two glowing balls floated next to her shoulders, and inside each one, tiny worlds spun around with cities and oceans.
Her smile was the creepy part. Too wide, too knowing, and her teeth sometimes turned into black fangs before going back to normal.
"Most people scream when they get here," she said, walking around him. Her feet didn't touch the ground. "Some cry. Some refuse to believe it's real. You just look annoyed."
Viktor kept his face blank. "I'm dead. This is what happens next."
The goddess stopped in front of him, tilting her head like a curious cat. "Straight to the point! I like that." She clapped her hands, and the sound echoed like thunder. "Yep, Viktor Thorne. Master of killing people."
She waved her hand dismissively. "You're definitely dead. Polonium poisoning. Nasty way to go. Right now, hotel staff is finding your body in Zermatt. Your killer's already in Milan."
Her smile got wider. "But who cares about that now?"
"Where am I?" Viktor asked.
"The space between worlds. The crossroads. The waiting room." She shrugged. "Names don't really matter. Think of it as the place between what was and what's coming next."
Her face lit up with excitement. "And about what's coming next..." She snapped her fingers, and everything changed.
The void turned into a huge floating picture of a world. Blue and green, with white clouds and two moons, one silver, one gold.
"Meet Aethermoor," the goddess said, spreading her arms wide. The glowing balls by her shoulders pulsed brighter. "Magic, monsters, heroes, bad guys. Way more fun than your boring Earth."
Viktor studied the floating world. "Why am I still here?"
"Because I need you!" The goddess laughed, a sound like breaking glass. She started pacing, her dress rippling. "I've been watching you, Viktor. How precise you are. How dedicated. How you never, ever give up on a job."
She waved her hand, and the picture zoomed in to show continents, mountains, cities with big stone walls.
"I need someone killed," she said, suddenly serious. "Not just anyone. The best killer your world ever made."
"You're a goddess," Viktor said flatly. "You could kill anyone just by thinking about it."
The floating balls dimmed a little. She sighed, sounding tired. "Divine intervention has rules. Lots of stupid rules. Paperwork, basically." She rolled her eyes. "I need someone who doesn't have to follow those rules. Someone from outside this reality."
The picture changed again, focusing on one person. A young woman with red hair and green eyes. She was walking through a market, laughing, completely unaware she was being watched.
"This is Seraphina Dragonheart," the goddess explained, getting serious again. "Not now, though. This is twenty years from now. Right now, she's a crying baby, born yesterday during something called the Celestial Convergence."
Viktor watched the woman help an old merchant pick up his scattered stuff. "She looks harmless."
"They always do." The goddess's voice went cold. Her playful attitude vanished. "Seraphina is supposed to save Aethermoor from something called the Shadow Blight. She'll unite kingdoms, bring back lost magic, defeat the Void Emperor who's gathering his armies."
She gestured, and the image changed. Same woman, but older, her eyes blazing with unnatural light, her hands weaving patterns that actually tore holes in reality.
"And then," the goddess continued, "drunk on power and thinking she's saving everyone, she'll break the barriers between dimensions. In trying to save everyone, she'll doom everything. Not just Aethermoor, but countless other worlds. Including yours."
The picture disappeared.
"Your job, Viktor Thorne, is simple: Kill Seraphina Dragonheart before she destroys everything."
Viktor's eyes narrowed slightly. "The hero becomes the villain."
"Old story," the goddess agreed, throwing her hands up. "Power corrupts, good intentions lead to hell, blah blah blah. You'd think they'd learn by now."
"If she's powerful enough to threaten everything," Viktor said, already thinking about angles and methods, "killing her won't be easy. Back home, I had tools. Weapons. Information networks."
He looked directly at her. "What do I get to work with against someone who can use magic?"
The goddess grinned, showing those shifting teeth. She rubbed her hands together eagerly. "I hoped you'd ask that."
She snapped her fingers, and a glowing web of symbols appeared between them. Runes and emblems arranged in rows, connected by threads of light.
"The Ability Matrix of Aethermoor," she said proudly. "Every reincarnated soul gets to choose. Most get one, maybe two. You, my deadly friend, get way more."
Viktor examined the glowing web like he used to study building blueprints. The symbols pulsed with different colored energy. Platinum for SS-rank, gold for S-rank, silver for A-rank, bronze for B-rank, copper for C-rank, iron for D-rank, gray for E-rank.
"Choose carefully," the goddess said, floating cross-legged beside him. "These determine what you can do."
Viktor's eyes moved systematically, evaluating each option.
'Enhanced Perception, SS-rank.' He touched the platinum rune, which blazed in response. 'Need this for finding targets and staying aware.'
'Arcane Manipulation, S-rank.' Another selection. The golden symbol pulsed. 'Have to be able to use magic in a magic world.'
'Toxin Mastery, A-rank.' A silver emblem glowed. 'Know this already. Lots of ways to kill with poison.'
'Weapon Affinity, B-rank.' Bronze light flared. 'Basic requirement for staying alive.'
'Killing Intent Concealment, C-rank.' The copper symbol glowed softly. 'Need to hide murderous thoughts from magical detection.'
'Perfect Memory, D-rank.' An iron rune pulsed dimly. 'Remember everything, spot patterns.'
'Rapid Mana Recovery, E-rank.' The gray sigil flickered. 'Keep going during long operations.'
The goddess watched, tapping her chin. "Interesting picks. Most people go for flashy combat magic or healing."
"I'm not most people," Viktor replied. "I'm an assassin. My job isn't to overpower anyone. It's to kill them before power matters."
"What about elemental affinities?" she asked, making four symbols appear. Fire, water, earth, and air.
"All four," Viktor said firmly.
The goddess raised an eyebrow, both floating orbs flickering with surprise. "Ambitious. Most people can only handle one, maybe two without their magic circuits exploding." She leaned forward, interested. "But you're not from here. Different rules might apply."
She studied him for a long moment, then laughed, the sound sending ripples across the void. "Oh, I picked the perfect person! Fine. Fire for destruction, Earth for strength and endurance, Air for stealth, Water for adaptability."
The elemental symbols merged with Viktor's essence, sinking into him in a brief light show.
"Now here's what makes the heroine special," the goddess said, getting serious again. She started pacing, looking nervous. "Seraphina has all six elemental affinities, including light and darkness. But more importantly, she has twice as many ranked abilities as you do."
The floating orbs pulsed with dark light. "That's why she can break dimensional barriers. Her power doesn't just beat mortal limits. It challenges divine ones."
"Got it," Viktor replied, his tone unchanged. "She's stronger. I'll adapt."
"Now," the goddess said, suddenly businesslike, "about logistics. You'll be reborn into House Steinfeld, a noble family with good connections but not much money. They operate from a remote fortress."
Images flashed before Viktor. A stone fortress surrounded by dark forests; a stern man with silver in his hair and a battle scar on his cheek; a woman with black hair and amber eyes.
"Lord Damien and Lady Evangeline Steinfeld," the goddess explained. "Your new parents. They've been trying to have a child for nine years. You'll be quite the miracle."
"And the target?" Viktor asked.
"Seraphina was born to House Dragonheart. Your future family's allies, ironically. During yesterday's Celestial Convergence." The goddess's face grew grave. "She has to die before her twentieth birthday. Once she reaches full power during the next convergence, even I can't predict what happens."
Viktor nodded once. "Timeline set. Target identified. Parameters clear."
"Excellent!" The goddess clapped her hands, reality cracking at the edges. "One last thing. You'll keep your memories and abilities, but they'll show up gradually as your new body grows. Can't have a baby demonstrating combat moves in the nursery. That would raise questions."
She leaned forward until her face was inches from his, the floating orbs drifting closer. "Do we have a deal, Assassin?"
"We do," Viktor confirmed without hesitation.
"Perfect!" The goddess straightened, her form starting to blur. She grinned mischievously. "Oh, and try to enjoy your second life a little, okay? Aethermoor has beautiful sights. Shame to miss them while planning to kill a baby."
Before Viktor could respond, she snapped her fingers one last time. The void collapsed around him, compressing into a single point of light that expanded into blinding radiance.
[House Steinfeld Fortress, Kingdom of Valenhall. Winter Solstice.]
The first thing he felt was cold. Way different from the void's warmth. Then pressure from all sides as muscles he couldn't control pushed and contracted. Then sound. Voices, distant but clear, urging and directing.
"Push, my lady! The child's crowning!"
"There's too much bleeding!"
"Hold on, Lady Evangeline! One more push!"
Pain shot through his new, undeveloped consciousness. Not his pain, but his mother's. His awareness flickered between before and after.
Then light. Harsh and blinding. Cold air against wet skin. Rough hands handling his fragile form. The humiliating reality of being completely helpless.
"A son, my lord! The Steinfelds have an heir!"
Through blurred vision, Viktor saw them. The faces from the goddess's projection. The stern man, now pale with worry and relief. The dark-haired woman, exhausted and covered in sweat, reaching with shaking hands.
"Bring him to me," Lady Evangeline whispered, her voice hoarse. "Let me see my son."
Viktor felt himself moved from the midwife's weathered hands to the gentle embrace of the woman who would be his mother. Her amber eyes, bright with tears, studied his face with pure love.
"Look at him, Damien," she breathed. "He has your jawline and your white hair. And such intense eyes, even now."
Lord Steinfeld approached, his hand, massive from this baby perspective, resting on his wife's shoulder. "What should we name him, beloved?"
Lady Evangeline smiled, tracing a finger along Viktor's cheek. "Lore," she said softly. "Lore Steinfeld."
'Lore,' Viktor thought, his baby brain struggling to contain his adult consciousness. 'New name. New body. New world.'
But the same mission. The same abilities. The same cold determination.
Somewhere beyond mortal sight, a goddess with floating orbs watched and smiled.
Seraphina Dragonheart was already dead. She just didn't know it yet.
Twenty years to perfect divine assassination.
The Shadow's hunt had begun again.