It was the day after I'd encountered Seris. I was in my bed, reading the letter for my next target from Ian.
{ It has come to my attention that you've chosen to proceed with these targets without your accomplice.
Good thinking, Klyson.
Without any distractions in the way, I expect to see more of your Fractless potential shine through in these upcoming executions. So, without further ado, this brings us to your 74th target.
NAME: Kassandra Watson
FRACTAL: Projection
- able to create visual projections in any medium, similar to holograms
- can project still forms, or animated forms
- her projection forms are hyper-realistic
- her projection forms cannot physically harm you—they are intangible
In the photo provided, you'll see that she actually works alongside the rows of vendors on Whittenburg street. She works as a fortune teller, but rather than using a traditional orb to display people's futures, she instead presents them in real-time as still or animated projections. Although she resides in an area with plenty of witnesses, her execution is crucial. In the case of a Fractal Activation, I could only assume her projection to exceed that of our realm, possibly even becoming physical.
I can count on you to prevent this, right, Klyson? }
I sighed upon reading the note. The way I'd felt stumped coming up with my method to eliminate Harold, I felt the same thinking now about Kassandra. There were numerous ways I'd counted that Soho could aid me in a target like this, but again, I'd chosen to stray from that path for now.
I realized that I'd become dependent on Soho for help.
Even until now I've followed in your footsteps, haven't I, Kyra?
The idea of surrounding oneself with people to trust was beaming through my head. It made me feel like a hypocrite all over again.
Even after telling myself I wouldn't do exactly that…
I felt stupid, thinking I'd stand by Enzo's ways.
I thought that power was found in solitude, but she proved me wrong…
The woman who saved my life.
Soho.
The woman I wanted to protect, even if she was one of Ian's proxies. And the only way I could do that was to continue my responsibilities without her.
I would not risk losing anyone all over again.
I set out for Whittenburg street, deciding I'd prove my worth as an executioner to Heathen once more by performing the mission without any aid. As soon as I'd turned the corner on route, I could see rows upon rows of vendors. The majority of them sold varieties of street foods, while others sold nick-nacks, collectibles, and the like. Although unofficial, the place was deemed a market by the locals, and with the busy bustling nature of the road during day and night, I couldn't help but feel entranced by all the merchandise.
I need to look for a fortune teller stand.
As I walked around cluelessly, I picked up notice on a peculiar stand that didn't sell anything. Rather, it was a man sitting cross legged in a chair, surrounded by buckets of water. At the forefront was a bucket with a few bills of cash inside.
They have performers here too?
I watched as the man repeated his little show as a small circle of people gathered around to watch. He raised the both of his arms, pointing his palms at two separate buckets, then began simultaneously pulling water out of their containers into the air over his head.
A Fractal for water manipulation...
Although I'd seen my fair share of jaw-dropping Fractals throughout my life, I'd never seen someone manipulate an element the way he did. He began to rise water from all the buckets surrounding him, gathering them into a growing ball above his head through a spiral, forming the image of a whirlpool in front of us. People watched in amazement, while others cheered. I saw some begin to drop their tips in his bucket full of cash, so I felt compelled to do the same.
"Thank you, thank you!" He said to everyone as he finished his spectacle. I went over and dropped a $100 bill in his bucket.
"Whoa! What's this?" He was suddenly frantic upon seeing my tip. "Sir, do you need any change?"
I shook my head. "No, it's fine. That one's all for you." With the money I was earning at Heathen, $100 was negligible.
He smiled brightly in response, grabbing my hand and shaking it excitedly. "Thank you so much! You're such a great person!"
I laughed it off, though receiving a compliment like that right before what I was about to do made my stomach churn.
I need to get this over with and go find Kassandra.
I left the man to his spectacles and began looking everywhere. At first it was difficult to find. Even with a reference photo in hand, it was hard to make out Kassandra's dark purple tent among all the colors in the market. That was, until, I'd finally tracked it dressed among the crowd. I immediately approached. Unlike the vendor stations surrounding it, her fortune teller stand had no line up. It was a small, yet tall-standing tent that had a curtain-like entry point, with purple drapes covering every side.
I took a deep breath before entering, ensuring I was blended-in with the crowd.
"Welcome…" She immediately greeted me upon entering. The interior was dim with candle lighting, layered by rug flooring, and littered with golden trinkets. Although the street outside was busy with locals, all the sound had somehow been tuned-out when stepping foot inside her tent.
"Hi," I said, sitting down on a pillow in front of her and her table. Where I'd normally expect to see the typical fortune teller's orb was instead nothing at all. She had a plain workspace with a tidy stack of cash in the corner.
"Are you here to have your future foretold?"
I nodded, unsure of how scenarios like these usually went. "Yes…"
"$25, please."
I placed a $20 and $5 bill on her table. She immediately swept it aside and added it to her little stack in the corner. She looked at me and held a finger to her mouth.
"Shh…"
She was telling me to remain quiet, for the next process I supposed.
"Come to me, All-Knowing Eye…" She closed her eyes. She twirled her hands and fingers in an intricate way that surrounded her forehead, as if highlighting a third eye that wasn't there. While she did all this performance, I peaked around the tent, noticing a flat mattress situated behind her, resembling a makeshift bed.
Does she sleep here…?
With that point of connection in my head, it made the outcome to my scheme a lot more reasonable. In my pocket, I had a little spray bottle with a sleep-inducing solution that slowed the heart-rate in proportion to how much was consumed or inhaled. Seeing as her eyes were closed, I saw it as an opportunity to pull out the bottle and spritz her while undetected. But just as I was about to, she began to speak.
"Your future is bright. Very, very bright. It will be bright from the inferno you've brought upon the world with your actions. It will be something of your doing, a doing that has already been done."
Before I could process what she'd said, she placed her hands, palm-sides up, on the table in front of me. Then suddenly, she began to project visuals before my very eye. There was fire, everywhere, in the air and in the sky. It were as if as I was looking at hell itself, and floating among the embers that burned everything was a dark-robed individual. I immediately recognized the vague yet iconic look.
The Sin of Discrimination…?
I immediately felt alarmed.
This can't be a coincidence, right? How the hell is Kassandra forming projections of something I recognize?
"You will be both praised and condemned for everything you have done, and will do. You will bring downfall to many who know your name, and to whose names you know. You will struggle, you will hurt, you will feel pain, you will…"
As she continued to blurt at me these condescending premonitions, the projections she displayed only became rougher. The flames in the images I saw began to burn stronger and stronger, until there was nothing left. The projection had become such a blinding and blurry orange flare that I could hardly even comprehend any of it anymore. I couldn't fathom trying to understand what was being shown to me, so instead, I withdrew the item from my pocket to initiate what I was here for in the first place.
Spritz!
I sprayed the solution towards her face, immediately covering my own with my free hand. I held my breath tightly, as I continued to spray the solution at her mouth and nose. As she inhaled it, her projections suddenly stopped, and she opened her eyes, looking at me with confusion.
"What is this…?"
She wiped the wetness from her face, but by then it was too late. She'd already inhaled a great deal of the solution. I watched as her eyes rolled-up, and her eyes shut down. She slumped forwards onto the table, but I knew it would look suspicious. Still covering my mouth and nose, holding my breath, I gave her a little push backwards so she would fall into her bed and appear as if she'd just fallen asleep. This way, no one would suspect malintent, and instead authorities would look into a case of death in her slumber. Nonetheless, I ruthlessly sprayed more of the solution over her face until nothing was left inside the bottle. I watched as her chest rising with breathing became more and more shallow, until it raised no more. Holding my palm above her face, I could no longer feel her breath either.
She's dead.
The solution worked quicker than I'd expected, which meant that I had to be out of there quickly too. I wiped the wet remnants of the solution off of her face before making my way to the exit. I stood by the entry curtains, listening for when a lot of people were right outside, and made sure to exit and blend into the crowd immediately to avoid suspicion or witnesses of my exit from the tent.
What the hell was that…?
Although I had just executed my target, all I could think of were the odd words she'd said, and the mysterious images she'd shown me in her projections.
It must have just been a coincidence, right?
I left the scene immediately.