A damp smell, the cold touch of iron, the skittering of a rat. These are the sensations that register for Isamu as he stirs in the darkness. A quick shift of his limbs confirms his suspicion: He has been captured. A lifetime working his way up the ranks of the Twilight Clan has taught him to recognize the inside of a cell. He had once ruled the streets of the underwater metropolis of New York with strategic cruelty and swift retribution for any who dared cross his path. Who could have managed to capture this elusive ninja, Utgar’s favorite assassin?

His thoughts are interrupted by footsteps echoing from the passage beyond the dark cell. He relaxes his body and feigns unconsciousness. The sound of a key in a heavy lock is followed by a flood of torchlight.

“You can stop pretending, ninja. I know whether a mortal is sleeping.”

Isamu lifts his head and grins. “Good evening, Sonya.”

The Esenwein matriarch is flanked by two skeletal guards clad in red armor bearing her family’s crest. Her eyes are fixed on Isamu’s. Her hands trace the handle of a wooden dagger.

“Hawthorne wood, clever. But you should have known you couldn’t hide this from me.”

“I was following orders. If you’ve got a problem, bring it up with Utg—”

“Lord Utgar is dead, as you are well aware!” In an instant, Sonya is only a foot from Isamu’s face, her visage twisting to something truly horrifying.

“Well, how does his usurper feel about you imprisoning her best assassin?”

A smile curls Sonya’s lips.

“Who do you think told me where to find you?”

“I didn’t think your loyalty could be so easily bought.”

“Don’t speak to me of loyalty, ninja. My husband was many things. Strong, ruthless, cunning, but also arrogant, maybe too ambitious. Still…” Sonya pauses, looking at the dagger. “...I wouldn’t expect you to understand the loyalty it takes to hold a dynasty together for centuries.” A dark look passes over the vampire as she grips the dagger tighter. “However, I know how to teach you.”

A necrotic light fills Sonya’s eyes as a sinister laugh escapes her lips. Isamu looks at the vacant stares of the skeletons, and a sickening realization dawns on him as pain shoots between his ribs. A realization and, for the first time, fear.

Isamu is available for free with any Secrets of the Citadel preorder for July 2026!