The voice drawed out in a long and terrifying manner.
Suddenly, the boy to the far left threw himself onto his knees and begged.
"Master! I was wrong!
"Please… I will do better! Please! I can't die here…
"I have something I need to do!
"Give me a second chance. Any chance! I will do anything!"
Tapper gave the begging boy a sad glance. Himself being a good speaker knows very well…
'I have something I need to do…'
That the boy shouldn't have said something like that in front of the Master. It basically sealed his fate.
'Master is looking for undying loyalty to himself… if you say that, you will—'
"Okay. Sure."
Tapper was surprised. This was unexpected. This did not fit with the Wayde that he knew.
"Convince me. What is that something you need to do?"
The boy was even more surprised. He looked down a bit. In a hesitant manner he mumbled.
"Love."
Outwardly, Tapper stood stiffly and straight with no emotions. But inwardly, he sighed. Love meant loyalty away from the Master as well as weakness.
Sure enough…
"Denied. Your loyalty to me is the only love you need to feel.
"This goes for all of you." Tapper imagined Wayde looking coldly at all the dark cloaked figures present.
"You three…
"Kill him."
The Master's words were gospel and his orders were commandments.
*Slash*
Unhesitatingly, the girl that was on the right of the boy who was in love, stabbed at him the instant the order was given.
Horrified and shocked, the boy sprang backwards and dodged the fatal blow.
Tapper, who had been expecting it, moved behind the boy and intercepted him. He grabbed his shoulder and yanked him backwards making the already panicking boy lose his balance.
The boy with a bad arm injury on the right side had reacted a bit slower but shot projectiles at the boy.
Overwhelmed, the boy did not last long. He was quickly subdued in an instant. In his last moments, he had looked to the girl who stabbed him and questioned.
"...Lina… how could you...?"
But "Lina" only scowled and viciously pulled her dagger out of his chest. And out with it, pieces of flesh from his heart. Then she jumped on him and gave him a few more stabs for good measure.
The boy fell face down to the floor. A pool of blood slowly seeped out. Tapper and the two others quickly retreated back to their original positions.
None of them even gave the boy a second glance.
"Very good." Wayde's voice had rang out again.
"But you, the love interest. Do you have anything to say?"
"Lina" shook her head hastily. Her face had instantly been drained of color.
"No Master. It was only one sided! I wasn't interested in him at all."
"But you are quite similar to him… he had only killed one. I had said: kill two. But you had gone after three."
"That's one more than what you were supposed to."
"Lina"'s face turned even more pale. She collapsed to her knees but unlike the boy, she did not beg. "Lina" just mumbled. "I'm sorry. It's my mistake. Punish me."
"In normal times, I would have punished you for disobeying my orders… but… it's your first day… and I do like overachievers…" Wayde's tone turned gentle.
"Do not forget again."
"Lina" who had been awaiting her own death looked up in a daze. Gratitude flooded her face. She continuously said. "Thank you thank you."
Suddenly, the ground rumbled and swallowed up the dead body of the boy. A red tube also appeared out of the ground.
The three survivors walked to the tube and activated it.
Tapper's coldness which had momentarily gone away, returned upon the ground stomp.
He frowned a little but the mystery about the weird coldness provided a relief from the traumatic actions that Tapper had been forced to commit during the past half hour. For now, the coldness has no noticeable side effects. It doesn't even bring about any addition of fatigue. How queer.
The red tubes popped the three kids out and Tapper became aware of his surroundings.
'No surprise. It's another underground hall. I bet Master had defeated some giant termites and this was their nest…'
Wayde sat on a wooden seat on a platform. He leaned backwards in a comfortable position with one hand supporting his chin.
Lined up around the sides of the platform were the dark cloaked figures. When the three kids arrived, they had all turned around to stare at them.
Together, this scene reminded Tapper of the images of the ocean. Soft ripples of black cloaks. Head turning in a wave. Peaceful and calm exterior that covers the dangerous and dark abyss below.
The dark cloaked figures slowly parted, allowing the three kids to pass through. The three of them reached the edge of the platform.
"Lina" knelt on one knee. Her head lowered.
"Greetings Master…" she said softly.
Tapper remembered his basic etiquette training and knelt as well.
Of course, as per his own unique personality that he would usually display…
"Greetings Master~~!"
His voice contained a hint of excitement and reverence at the same time.
Wayde just cocked an eyebrow and snorted. He didn't seem to be offended.
The other boy seeing "Lina" and Tapper's actions also hastily knelt.
But compared to his clumsy actions, his greeting was very steady and neutral.
Wayde gestured to a few dark cloaked figures.
"Restrain them."
"M-Master…?" Lina stuttered but she let herself be pinned down.
Tapper also didn't resist but he was quite terrified as well. Restraining in such a situation… only meant great pain.
The other boy did not react at all. He also just turned stiff like Tapper.
Wayde rose from his seat. He approached the three of them and held his hand.
Suddenly, Tapper felt a strange wisp of energy flow into his body.
It was warm and gentle. Nice and soothing. How wonderful!
Heck no.
It was not gentle or warm or "flowy" in the slightest! A great force suddenly rammed itself into Tapper's chest. It was gloomy and oppressive, overpowering and heavy. It rampaged widely throughout Tapper's body.
"Ahhhh!!!!"
"Aaarrrggghhh!!!!"
From his barely aware brain, Tapper heard screams of agony coming from his sides. He was semi aware that he was screaming too but he was too preoccupied by the head splitting headache wracking his head right now.
'Oh my wretched life… it huuurrrrrttsssss~~~!
'I heard girls get something called period cramps… This must be where it comes from… aaarrrggggghhhhh…' Tapper thought in pain.
Suddenly, the coldness that had been receding surged up again and wrapped itself around the violently rampaging energy.
Immediate relief overcame Tapper. All of the violent energy of Lord Wayde had almost entirely been soothed. He sucked in a deep breath.
But Tapper didn't feel much better. He might not feel the horrible pain anymore but the energy was still there. It moved up and down his body before it stopped and lay dormant.
Tapper laid limp still pinned down under the hands of a dark cloaked man. He gasped for air and wet his dry mouth. Screaming was bad for health.
Seeing that Tapper no longer struggled violently, the dark cloak was surprised. The other two were still writhing about and howling in pain.
Did this one pass out?
Or…
Something malfunctioned?
Lord Wayde who had also noticed, only had an unreadable look in his eyes and didn't say anything.
Soon, the other two had settled down. But now, there was an expression of amazement and wonder on their faces. They looked at their own body in astonishment.
Tapper had no clue what they were feeling so amazed about. He was still worried about the strange energy within him that was surrounded by the coldness.
"Congratulations. On passing the trial of selection for a place in the team of my team of Executors."
Wayde spoke after silence had once more resumed.
The dark figured people slowly released the children and returned to their original positions.
'..... Executors? Huh?' Tapper thought.
His brain was still muddled from the intense pain.
"I shall not explain what exactly it is that Executors do but one thing is clear.
" You obey my orders to the letter.
"You will grow to learn the various methods for completing certain tasks with some time and help from your seniors. Keep in mind, that all of my Executors on my team are equal. No. It should be said that all Executors are of one will. And that is… My will.
"Of course, my will needs strength. The energy you received should be the unlocking factor that will elevate you past the level of ordinary commoners."
Tapper suddenly remembered the things that Maple had mentioned. Could this be the so-called secret energy… something exclusive to the nobles?
"Now, you are reborn. As my elites. My Executors. You will be bestowed a new identity. Your new true identity. This identity is your existence as my Executor that will take precedence over any previous identity you have had."
It was the second naming.
When it came to Tapper, Wayde smirked. He stared at Tapper intently with a strange gaze in his eyes.
"You are the unseen response, the destined retaliation for obstructions to my will.
"You will be…
"Hollow Echo.
"Or just Echo for short."
"Thank you Master~!" Tapper smiled and said happily.
'Unseen response? Destined retaliation?? Uhhh… what does that mean???'
Only, he wondered what the 'Hollow' part of his name meant.
Lina became Unwanted Amore.
The boy with the injured arm became Narrow Slash.
'Amore? Slash?
'It sure sounds like their specific issues! I see how it is… Master, what part of my circumstances made me "Echo"? Surely… It means my fighting style and definitely does not mean… my mouth?'
Tapper had realized at this point that Roman's terrible naming sense… didn't just appear out of nowhere. He had most likely gotten it from his father!
The Master began to speak again.
"These are your Executor names and your true selves! Do not disclose this name when off duty."
Then his hand flashed. It disappeared for a moment before reappearing again.
But Tapper was shocked. He looked down at his wrist and the thing that had suddenly appeared on it.
A matte black colored wristband.
***
"Servant… "
"Servant."
Poke poke.
"Tapper!"
Tapper blinked and saw that it was Roman who had called him.
"Are you going to get that?" Roman snickered.
Apparently, Tapper had been staring at the same pencil for a few minutes.
Tapper smiled warmly at Roman and said, "Yes, Young Master. I had simply been lost in thought."
"Well… get lost in thought at home. And get me one as well… Not that that green one!
"The blue one. The blue one!"
Tapper focused his mind away from the events of last night. He shoved away the memory of a certain boy's final look of horror.
That's right. He was now preparing for school!
He was even given some allowance to purchase school supplies at a store. How amazing is that? This would also mark the first time he would ever enter a shop with the intent to buy things for himself.
It made him a little nervous. Also a bit sentimental.
He chose a greyish linen crossbody messenger bag. The grey color matched his own unusual ash colored hair.
Tapper found a mirror and slung his bag over his shoulder. He gave his own reflection a smirk.
Hmm… he looked very dashing.
After the supplies shopping, Roman and Tapper had to go get tailored uniforms.
Wayde was doing some side shopping like what he was doing in the Market Area when Tapper and George had first met him. But once in a while he would glance back to see what the two kids were doing.
His son looked perfectly bored throughout the entire uniform process.
His Executor, Hollow Echo— or just Echo— was standing in front of a mirror and mumbling something about "Ink" and holding back tears.
'Today's weather is nice.'
Wayde thought while looking out the window.
'I should deal with the issue with the Mikken family. The Matriarch still expects a report…'
Tapper held all of Roman's bags and things. He was strong and it wasn't hard. In fact, after the events of last night, he felt as if he had gotten a bit stronger.
He smiled up at the sky as they left the shop. Shopping for school is such a nice way to take his mind off matters.
'It's only such a pity it's cloudy today. Sigh.'