Lily woke up to a nauseating buzzing sound. She slowly opened her eyes, only to see red. A red ceiling. Red floor. She looked down. Red hands.
She touched her face, feeling the sticky texture of blood. Even her mouth carried that characteristic metallic taste.
"Ha… haha…" She started laughing, so bewildered she couldn't find the words. She looked around — the bodies on the floor, open, mutilated, destroyed. On the stretchers, all were lifeless.
She was the only one alive there. Why?
But Lily dared not dwell on it. She feared the truth.
The mere smell, which permeated the entire room, made her want to leave immediately.
Yet, as she turned, she saw a girl with an iron collar around her neck—the same one who had brought her food.
At that moment, the girl was holding a pulsating heart in her hand, smiling.
"Look, I did the same as you."
…
Lily didn't remember how she got out of there. When she opened her eyes again, she realized she was in another unfamiliar place. This one, at least, seemed safe.
The tension in her body eased as she began to observe her surroundings. It appeared to be a normal bedroom with a nightstand and wardrobe. While she was distracted, the door opened.
Mikha entered, carrying a steaming bowl of soup.
"Oh, you're awake!" he said cheerfully, showing no trace of the man who had sent her to the slaughterhouse.
Lily stared in disbelief. Looking at his innocent face, she remembered everything she had endured.
"Ha!" She laughed sarcastically.
He ignored her reaction, saying, "Just as I expected, you passed the test. Congratulations."
He offered a small smile. "You're as extraordinary as I thought."
At that moment, Lily exploded. "Oh, yeah? Then why did you have to leave me to die to prove your little theory?!"
Tears began streaming down her face as she clasped her hands together in front of her. "You… you don't know what I went through in there."
"I'm fully aware," Mikha replied seriously. He sat on the bed beside her.
"That demon turned me into an abomination, hic…" Lily sobbed in pain.
A gentle hand stroked her back.
"This is who you are now. Just as that demon is now dead, so is your former self."
"I allowed Cielle to take you to any testing ground because I was confident in your survival skills."
'Besides, if I'm right, *He* wouldn't let you die,' Mikha thought ominously.
Lily didn't respond, continuing to release her accumulated frustration and sorrow in the form of tears. It went on for nearly an hour, and Mikha patiently waited for her to calm down.
After the teenager finally stopped crying, he handed her a handkerchief and urged her to drink the soup.
"Are you feeling better?" he asked as soon as she finished.
"Hm."
"Right now, you're in the largest contract-killing guild in the Imperial Capital: Akira."
He stood up. "You passed the test with flying colors, so you'll have the privilege of being trained by an elder. That person is Cielle."
"Let's go meet her, Lily." Mikha extended his hand.
Lily, her eyes still swollen, hesitated briefly before taking it.
Together, they walked down the corridor of what seemed to be a dormitory. Several people were outside their rooms, engaging in various activities. Noticing the strange little girl, they looked at her with curiosity, dissatisfaction, and even disdain.
Intimidated by their stares, Lily kept following Mikha. Finally, they exited the building. Looking up, Lily saw the sky seemed bluer than ever, as if the massacre that had taken place meant nothing to it.
Outside, she realized they were in the middle of a forest; the dormitory building stood at its edge. The territory was vast, with several buildings and a training field to the east. The dormitory was to the south, and they were heading north.
"If you're curious, we're going to the operations center, where meetings and decisions are made."
"Hm." Lily seemed a bit uninterested. "Is that where they decide which missions to accept?"
"Yes. Akira is very selective about its contracts. Even mine have to be carefully reviewed, and I've been a loyal client for years," Mikha laughed.
He turned his face toward Lily. "Want to know something interesting?"
"Sure."
"We're inside an illusion. To outsiders, this place looks like nothing more than a lush forest."
"What?" Lily was surprised, her interest piqued.
"All thanks to Master Sullivan's magical formation, which turned this place into a pocket dimension."
Momentarily forgetting her concerns, Lily's eyes sparkled with curiosity.
The conversation continued until they arrived at the operations center. The guards verified their identities, and after a few words from Mikha, let them pass.
They walked through the building until they reached a room. Mikha opened the door without knocking, clearly familiar with the place.
"Hey, I had to interrupt my mission just because of you. Can't you at least pretend to be polite?" Cielle joked, lounging lazily in her chair. She wore her usual low-cut dress and was surrounded by piles of unfinished paperwork.
"Hello, Miss Cielle." Lily felt resentment toward Cielle, a sense of unease washing over her every time she looked at the woman's seductive face. But she was powerless before the facts—she needed to prove her strength to survive. Until she was strong enough, she had no choice but to be manipulated by the more powerful.
"Hello, little girl," Cielle greeted her back. "So! Let's skip the paperwork. Congratulations, Lily; you're officially an assassin now!"
Lily felt a bit stunned but nodded.
Cielle stepped out from behind her desk, grabbed a key, and took Lily's hand familiarly.
"Come on, I'll give you a tour of Akira's HQ."
Mikha, meanwhile, crossed his arms, watching their casual interaction. He shook his head and followed them.
The first stop was the training field.
"This is the primary training field for recruits. You'll spend most of your day here when you're not on a mission."
The second stop was the cafeteria.
"During breaks, you can eat to your heart's content. We don't skimp when it comes to keeping our members well-fed."
The third stop was the dormitory.
"This is where you'll rest and live during mission breaks. However, don't get too comfortable—your free time will be brief."
Seeing Cielle's malicious smile, Lily shivered. Mikha gave a faint smile.
"There are other places, but I want to explain more about our guild. There are several organizations focused on assassination in the Sirius Empire, and Akira is one of them.
Specializing in the assassination of important figures and cultivators, we also handle espionage, infiltration, protection, tracking, intelligence gathering and trading, mass killings, and item recovery."
"I know it's a lot, but you can choose what you want to specialize in. Or better saying, I'll help you decide."
In other words, Lily had no real choice. She smiled bitterly but had no option but to accept.
Seeing it was time to leave, Mikha placed a hand on her shoulder, bidding farewell: "I have to go. Good luck, Lily."
"This isn't a goodbye."
"Bye, Mikha..." Lily said, feeling conflicted.
She hoped to survive until their next meeting.