Tip-tap-tip-tap…
A tall silhouette of a man glided past an alleyway. Only the discret sound of his steps could be heard, echoing in the ghost-like city and although it was daytime, the sky was draped in dark clouds that made it hard to tell it was even morning. Rather, it gave the impression of an everlasting-night. A faux sky that lacked stars, covered in simple bleakness.
The man had to hurry, every second counted and not one should be lost. Time was trickling away like a time-bomb. He had an important meeting held right down the alley and if he happened to be late, nobody knew what would happen to him . Such a fate was not his wish, he thought, swiftly maneuvering himself past the long alleyway and turned right into another one, which was poorly lit by old, rusting lampposts.
In his fast pace, the man came upon an abandoned factory, surrounded in the decombres of the old city. Contrary to popular belief, his arrival to some run-down factory in the middle of nowhere wasn't the work of an unexpected occurrence. In fact, this was exactly the place he needed to be. A man stood within the shadows, or perhaps, there were more. It was hard to make out just how many people there were- As he approached a little closer, it seemed there was a group of five people who all awaited his arrival.
When the man met them for the first time, he was speechless. They seemed to be rather.. all-knowing, almost. Not only that, there were three tall creatures next to them; skin as white as death, lurking in the dark, and bone-shivering creaking sounds that emitted from such creatures. They called those 'Brillante.' The man in red knew nothing of those strange people, but taming the monsters allowed him to come to the conclusion that they must've had some sort of power, at least compared to him, significantly more. It was then that he had no choice but to join them. He was given two choices, to join or to die. Any reasonable person would've picked the latter. It's been a little more than a month since he had met them, and he still didn't know their identity, nonetheless gotten a glimpse of their appearances.
Back to the factory in the current context… it was old and ravaged by time, incredibly messy. In a way it was, stereotypically, a perfect role for a private meeting base. The outside was less than appealing and was hidden in a pretty niche place. The chances of an unwanted individual finding this place would be rare. The inside wasn't exactly the most welcoming either. Huge wooden boxes were scattered all around the spacious place, offering the role of a chair for the group in the building. The windows on the wall were all open, or rather- the glasses on the window were gone, no longer offering protection from the outside's weather. And the ground, old and covered in a sea of glass shards, was sticky and home to a variety of bugs and insects.
Considering the circumstances, almost all of them were sitting on the boxes, except for one man. This one man, standing in the dark, was looking at his fellow friends. Once the man in red approached the doors, the person turned his head towards him.
Luckily, the red clothed man's eyes were now used to the dark and could see despite the dim light surrounding the place. As soon as he entered the spacious place, he kneeled down. As the scattered pieces of glass scratched his knee, a cold sting spread within the nerves of his knee. But this lame pain was nothing compared to the Being in front of him.
'The all-mighty Being who saw it all', 'the man who transcended time itself'. Such were the titles given to this one man. He didn't know his name, identity, nor did he dare look at his face. Just the mere aura set off signals that he was a Superior Being. The Superior Being spoke to him, his deep calm voice putting the kneeling man at peace, while also emerging him in a state of continuous fear. It was a strange feeling, the man in red was still unused to this despite having met him many other times before.
"Edmund. Is my request fulfilled?"
The man named Edmund nodded, his eyes glued to the ground.
"It's done. I rescued the girl and the boy, and made sure his mother was safe. I also made sure not to be noticed, and they are unable to question their survival."
'Unable to question their survival.' It was a skill proper to the man, something he had always been able to do. It was like controlling their mind to a certain extent, like a marionette or such. He never knew why he had this ability, but after years he normalized it, thought kept it as a secret until recently.
"Great. I would like you to keep an eye on them. Stand up."
As Edmund got up, he saw a glimpse of the man. It was then that something in him, his heart perhaps, immediately began to ache ferociously. Though it was only for a second or two, the mere sight of his face made Edmund feel all sorts of emotions.
Hair as white as snow, scars in his face traversing like a lightning struck in time, the sadness in his eyes… Those were the eyes of someone who had suffered, truly saw it all. The fear remained a lingering poltergeist. Rather than it dispersing- it was stronger than ever. Despite that, he felt a sort of sympathy, a sense of compassion for him. He didn't know his story. He didn't know his name. But in those two seconds, he had felt all the deepest and hidden secrets in this world were exposed in those eyes drowned in tragedy.
Once Edmund regained his 'consciousness', he nodded and gave his farewell. But just as he was about to leave by the door, barely hanging on its hinges, a voice was heard, coming from behind.
"Wait. I have a question."
Edmund turned his head toward the voice. Behind him, a woman was looking at him. Her long black hair held in a ponytail, her dark skin smooth like silk and her lashes waving in an angelic way, her beauty could easily be compared to Aphrodite's. Under her eye, a beauty mark could be seen, giving the final touch to this piece of art. Her appearance was tall and slim and based on his observations, he assumed she was in her twenties.
The woman spoke again.
"Please make sure my brother is safe."
Pain was prominent in her voice. Maybe something happened in the past, but he had no idea. Perhaps she thought that something could be avoided this time, something could be changed. With that in mind, Edmund nodded once again. He knew who that brother was and he believed he was competent enough to protect him. Seeing his acceptance of her request, she sighed in relief.
Seeing as she had nothing else to request, Edmund turned for the door, finally leaving for good, a new task pressing on his shoulders.
.
I fastly walked past the door of the coffee shop, next to the men in black and my companion. Only Eli stayed with me, following my route to our final destination. Though I was silent and seemed calm, many thoughts were swarming in my head, as always. I mean, it's not really a big deal- maybe it is. Am I overthinking this?
I had to do it quickly, and with precision, otherwise the death may not be as painless. I didn't want the old man to suffer more than he already did. Mistakes or hesitations were forbidden. Along with keeping myself composed, not only do I have to trust myself, but I also must trust my weapon.
As expected, I received a specific 'instrument' for my task. Back when I met Eli after he had called me back, he gave me a western-style sword. I could see my reflection upon the sharp blade. Well damn, color me impressed, it was almost more effective than a mirror. The grip of the handle was of a crimson red tint and a white crystal resembling purity itself was carved into the guard. Even without hearing his story, I knew it was not just any sword. And I was right. It was his grandfather's favorite, one he got as a departure gift when he left his family. He held many precious memories with it, and although it served decorative purposes, it was still a real sword with a sharp blade. The tale of the sword was unknown, but in this instance, it didn't matter much. I would kill its owner today.
After a few minutes, we finally arrived in the room. The rancid smell immediately filled my nostrils, crowding my mind with disgust. It was way worse than last time. A rotting, putrid scent. Clearly this was an indicator that there was no time left.
The state of the old man was still terrible. Long, harsh breaths paired with weak minor movements. He held no resemblance to a human any longer, only a vessel to a disfigured and deformed beast. There wasn't any sense of humanity left. From time to time, he would shiver and whine out painful noises, like a cry for help from a newborn. Under all the pained cries, I took a glimpse at Eli and saw him clenching his fists. He was looking at him right in the eye, like he was forcing himself not to look away or take back his decision. I couldn't fathom what he felt like, all the pain he felt in the current moment. Regret, humiliation, remorse or perhaps a deep raging wrath from within… I didn't know, I could only guess.
I looked at him, and as a sort of final acceptance, he nodded despite his body trembling uncontrollably. In a ceremonial way, I lifted the sword. I wanted to end it as swiftly as possible, but with respect. The feeling of guilt still devoured me, but at least I could release him from his infernal hell.
It all happened so fast. The sword, swinging at his head, slashed his eyes in from right to left. Blood splattered everywhere, a tragically beautiful crimson shade, similar to the grip of the sword, stained my old rashed clothes. A long and painful cry escaped out of its mouth. It was like a pitiful puppy, its cries filled with distress and agony. I couldn't even explain what I felt at the moment, and even less comprehend just how devastating it was for my companion.
What did I feel? Do I feel anything? Is this normal? Why can't I feel anything? Is there something wrong with me?
I blinked, snapping back into the moment. Eli was now on his knees, he looked like a man who had lost everything. Although they weren't on good terms, I guess the bond they shared was too strong not even death could destroy it. It wasn't something the end of the world could cut.
.
.
.
That day, Eli didn't cry. In fact, Eli never cried. I still remember it well, it was the beginning of our alliance, a long and beautiful friendship with him. When our alliance officially began, he only did one thing. He uttered two words; "Thank you."