"This is unexpected, young one."
Amidst the chaos shrouding the entirety of the island and the ringing of alarm bells reverberating through the air were the words of astonishment of a fallen legend. He found it flabbergasting for an intruder to reveal their identity in mere seconds.
"The immediate reveal of your identity is peculiar. Especially for an old man like me, I have rarely seen people like you before. Obviously, all of them ended up six feet underground." The old man squinted his eyes while giving a warning to the intruder.
The one that penetrated through the Maximum Prison of Pandemonium was a gorgeous young lady wearing a jet-black cloak. He couldn't believe it at first, but after sensing the same bloodthirst from the lady in front of him. He decided to suspend his disbelief.
The old man, or Thomas, also didn't dare to underestimate the beautiful lady before him. Even though she seemed like a slender and harmless girl that hasn't seen the cold reality of the world, the atmosphere of her body was telling something else.
Thomas's instincts were screaming at him to never let his guard down. Otherwise, he would die. It was a rare feeling to have, and those that managed to trigger it were the ones that stood at the very top of this world.
"When my boots broke along with my barely concealed voice. It was no use to hide myself from you. Besides, I have no reason to conceal my identity to someone like you."
The young alluring lady responded with nonchalance. She introduced herself as Mercedes Reed, which was a name that the old man had no information about. Because of this, thoughts were raging through the old man's mind.
'Does she belong to some old and ancient family? A hidden syndicate perhaps? Or does she belong to a new assassin program?' Thomas gazes at Mercedes's eyes which resembled a luster of sapphire-like gemstone. It was still surprising for someone of her age to have so much bloodlust.
Has the modern world fallen and become an apocalyptic world? Or were his previous thoughts, right? Some organizations were trying to create new super soldiers again. The old man had numerous questions, and they could only be answered through the following conversation.
"Young one... Where did you come from and what are you doing here in my cell? Did someone send you to silence me once and for all?" Thomas sternly questioned since he understood that he had dozens of enemies who wanted him dead.
Especially with the secrets embedded within his mind. To them, Thomas was too dangerous to continue living in this world. It was something to expect and Thomas had been waiting for the execution.
"There's no need to worry about anyone silencing you, old man. I'm here for another reason." Mercedes uttered with a smirk on his face. She leaned beside a wall covered in cracks before continuing her words.
"I heard that you were a legend, old man. Amongst the greatest agents of espionage and assassination, you were a treasure to behold. Whether it be information gathering, termination, and counter-intelligence. Your skills were one of the best."
"It makes me wonder how someone like you could be trapped in this prison for over a decade."
Mercedes was curious about the intentions of the old man. Thomas was a skilled individual and breaking out of some prison should be easy for someone like him. But she understood that it was also the safest place to dwell.
While the prison was protecting society from Thomas, it was also protecting Thomas from society.
A perfect spot to live in.
"Praises will lead you nowhere, young one. Believe me, many others have tried the same thing. Besides, there are many individuals with greater skills than myself and are smarter than me. Those guys hide in the shadows instead of displaying their prowess in the open."
"The darkness gives them the chance to freely manipulate in the background rather than in the spotlight. They're rather dangerous people."
Thomas denied the praise of the young lady since many others had said the same thing in the past. There was also his legacy which was nothing more but a pretentious one.
He wasn't a legendary secret agent who had fought against an entire country but was a prisoner locked in a prison cell. He was no one and nothing. The legacy of a legend was worth nothing in the annals of time.
Thomas also felt inferior.
Especially after discovering the dangerous individuals hidden in darkness throughout the world. It was something he discovered during his time as an intelligence gatherer and assassin. Such a fact made him feel like a frog in a well.
They were behemoths and dragons carefully concealing themselves while preparing for the perfect time to emerge from their pits. The real elites were controlling the world through the strings of connections, wealth, and authority.
No government would dare to offend them. Even the so-called strongest nation in the world, the Federation, wouldn't do so. The Pandemonium Maximum Prison was created because of that.
Mercedes furrowed her eyebrows after hearing the words of the old man. It was straightforwardly telling her to not dare step into the abyss of society, which wasn't wrong. But the feeling of powerlessness was something she'd rather avoid.
She disliked the feeling of living in a world where some people could flick their fingers and have her family disappear in thin air. Just thinking of it was already enough to force Mercedes into thinking of some 'necessary' activities.
His words also reminded Mercedes of her former self which left a bad taste in her mouth. She wasn't in a good mood now and the old man could feel the air around him changing. A cold smile emerged on her face as she expressed with bloodlust.
"I already know that, old man. There's no need for you to remind me of them. I can handle them when the time comes but for now. I'll be talking about you alone."
"There's something I want and that is you. I don't accept any rejection since I need someone like yourself to build and train something for me."
Mercedes didn't hesitate to tell her intentions and reasoning for breaking into some maximum prison in the form of an island. There was no use in hiding something from a future subordinate of hers.
Thomas raised an eyebrow as he finally understood the intentions of the gorgeous young lady in front of him. It was a dangerous intention and it was a thing he'd rather not do.
"Young one... You want me to train your assassins?" Thomas would rather reject the application offer, but sadly he couldn't. With the bloodthirst emanating from her body, he understood that she wasn't taking no for an answer.
Besides, he found it strange for someone to take a criminal as a teacher of their assassins. It made him curious as to what kind of organization the gorgeous lady belonged to.
Mercedes tilted her head in confusion after hearing Thomas. She was bewildered at first before correcting him for his misunderstanding words. What she wanted wasn't assassins of some sort.
"Calling them assassins would be a bit too much. Consider them as my hounds and they need training to be useful to me."
"Hounds... So you want to train guard dogs." Thomas nodded to himself in understanding while Mercedes also nodded with a thumbs up. It looks like the two of them were finally on the same page. So she decided to tell him the big news.
"And your son is one of them. He's also the leader."
Thomas was deeply shocked to his very core. He couldn't believe what he had heard. The son he had never met for a long time was actually a guard dog of this gorgeous lady? How could his son be more lucky than him?
"That kid actually became a dog, huh? I don't know what to feel about it. Should I feel disappointed? Delighted? Well, that would be strange."
"Hahaha, there's no need to worry about it. He's waiting outside. How about we get out first and talk later?" Mercedes chuckled and walked out of the cell with a satisfied expression.
Thomas raised an eyebrow and questioned. "You seemed to be confident that I would be coming with you. What makes you think that I would agree with your terms?"
"Well... No father would be not curious about their son after decades."
"I'm sure you want to know how he's doing." Mercedes was manipulative at heart. Exceptionally in the ways of communication. The results of their conversation ended in a note that was more or less within her calculations.
"*Sigh...* You defeated me young one. It's tough for a father to not be curious. I wonder what he looks like, right now." Thomas wondered while getting out of the cell. He followed behind the young lady while Mercedes remarked. "Hmm... You could call him a giant man, perhaps?"
"Let's not bother. You can see him in a few seconds anyway." Mercedes followed her previous paths and saw the vents she had entered through the interior of the facility. She went through with no hesitation as Thomas followed behind.
It didn't take time before the two of them got out of the facility and sprinted through the dark forest. Thomas had difficult emotions swelling within his heart about the escape.
Freedom was within his grasp, yet it wasn't the main thought inside his head at the moment. He couldn't believe it, but the young lady had the potential to become a dragon. It made him look forward to whatever future he had.
'Looks like it's time to return.'
At that moment, the fallen legend had been revived and a new organization was about to rise.