A quick gasp for breath snapped Black Shadow back into reality. He did not know what was used every time he went in for a new job, but he did know that it always messed with his head. Horrifying dreams would always fill his mind as he slept from the substance that knocked him out, and this time was no exception. The dreams seemed to be reminders of past events, but rather than what happened, they would contain situations that could have happened, alternate endings.

When Black Shadow’s daughter, Espoir, was kidnapped, Black shadow saved her and she was unharmed. This dream was different though. When Black Shadow drew his bow and fired his arrow, hitting the kidnapper between the eyes, killing him instantly, the dream changed this to him hitting Espoir instead. He had to watch his beautiful daughter, the love of his life, fall lifeless to the floor.

Black Shadow show his head quickly, trying to forget what he saw, he knew it was a dream, he went through this every week each time with a different situation. He was used to the dreams, the nightmares by now, but he could never forget any that involved Espoir.

Black Shadow took a look at his surroundings, the familiar sight of a small wooden shack filled his vision. He lay on a makeshift bed constructed from bays or hay with a black cloth on top, and a worn down and bloody pillow under his head. There was a small chest in the corner filled with Black Shadow’s belongings. He was no allowed to take any weapons with him as he received each mission. Black Shadow’s eyes shifted through the room at the bookshelf with three worn down books on it, a small table with one chair, and a countertop. He has spent countless hours in this building waiting to be taken away.

Black Shadow stood, his head still throbbing from being knocked out. He took one step towards the chest and almost fell over. He took a few deep breaths and the stood again. Gathering his composure, Black Shadow walked slowly to the chest, stopping every few steps. This was always the worst part of the job.

He opened the chest and took a look at his belongings. He always enjoyed opening the chest to see his most prized possession. Inside the chest lay his bladesinger bow, shining from the candle above the chest. The beautiful weapon had killed thousands of people by this point, and was a true killer. The power behind every shot was enough to make any archer feel a rush whenever fired. An ordinary steel arrow would shred through targets, leaving a devastating amount of damage to the target.

Black Shadow put on his equipment, his bow on his back and his arrows in his quiver. He then picked up his Demon Lord arrow from the chest, looking at it intently. The arrow was a gift along with the bow, and when paired together, the two are an unstoppable force. The arrow was adamantium, enchanted to return to the user. This weapon would devastate anything that came in its path, and it was Black Shadow’s to use.