In the world of Altania, there are three continents: the land of humans, the land of the Auris, and the Isle of Ancestors. The latter is a massive island located right between the two continents (the land of humans and the land of the Auris) and serves as a connecting link between them.
The island is covered with mountains, rivers, and forests. Although it is called an island, it could be considered a third continent due to its vast size.
The Auris and their allied races call it the Isle of Ancestors, believing that the spirits of their ancestors reside in the giant oak tree, the sacred tree which is also the key to revealing the path to the hidden tomb of the founding kings.
On the other hand, humans refer to it as the Black Wall Island, named after the black mountain on its borders.
Due to its enormous size, the island holds a vast amount of natural resources, such as herbs and minerals, in addition to hidden ruins, making it a constant target for humans.
When beliefs clash with interests, conflict is inevitable, and conflicts lead to wars, and wars breed grudges. Thus, the cycle of war for control of the island continues; neither the Auris' beliefs waver nor do the humans' desires cease.
Amid all this chaos, there is a mystery that has never been unraveled. In every war that broke out, the Auris always had the upper hand. However, they were always the first to seek a truce, even offering significant concessions despite being the winning side. Naturally, humans never miss such an opportunity and fail to learn from their lessons, making peace only to betray it later.
But for the first time in decades, the situation changed. The humans managed to win and occupy the entire island, showing no mercy that the Auris had shown them.
They unleashed their beast, the Master of Poisons known as the Plague, who spread destruction and corruption, killing everything in his path. Even children and the elderly were not spared from his madness, as he killed for sheer pleasure.
In the end, the tables turned, and the monster created by humans turned against its masters, making them taste the toxic haze they once praised.
Once the field was cleared, the Plague, a fitting title for someone who leaves nothing but corpses and destruction in his wake, appointed himself as the King of the Isle of Ancestors.
Days passed, and neither the humans forgot the betrayal of the butcher who seized the island from their grasp, nor did the Auris forget their victims. Amidst this host of enemies, the new king decided to establish his special assassins' squad. The best defense is a good offense.
He gathered the strongest and smartest orphans around him and personally oversaw their development. Through his previous experiments on humans, he managed to enhance their abilities, forming a squad of six youths who became his eyes for espionage and his arms for striking down his adversaries and anyone who dared oppose him.
These youths, despite their exceptional skills, were not the strongest in the world of Altania, but they made a name for themselves. Their work focused on infiltrating enemy lands, causing strife, and killing through poison or assassination while others slept. In short, they excelled in dirty work.
Among the six, there was a hybrid.
Half Auris, half human, he was born with an enviable physique, endured all the surgeries to enhance his body, and carried out every task assigned to him. He and his master, the Plague, were considered two sides of the same coin. His name was The Sixth.
At the western port of the island, a young man in his twenties with pointed ears stood, dressed in black, eyeing the passengers disembarking from the newly arrived ship. As soon as he spotted whom he was looking for, he called out,
"Hey, little one, over here!"
A young man with slightly red skin and black hair responded, waving his hand. The moment he set foot on the dock, he disappeared, reappearing in front of the pointed-eared man with a smile on his face.
"Brother Second, you came to welcome me yourself. How delightful."
The young man with pointed ears gave him a cold stare.
"Sixth, cut the nonsense and move ahead. I'm here to ensure you reach the headquarters on time. And don't call me 'brother.'"
The young man with red skin pouted like a child expressing sadness and walked forward with heavy steps, muttering,
"And here I thought you missed me and came to welcome me. You're so mean. Why do you all refuse to be a family? Doesn't it bother you to be called by numbers?"
Before Sixth could finish his words, he felt a killing aura behind him. Before he could even turn, a sword pierced his back, and he heard a mocking laugh in his ear.
"All these years, I've wondered if you're stupid or pretending. Calling me 'brother,' bringing me gifts, asking for advice, no matter how much I rebuked and cursed you, you stuck to me like glue."
A red line emerged from the young man's mouth as he weakly said,
"It was the only way..."
Before the killer could ask what he meant, his eyes widened as he saw the body he stabbed turn into a black shadow and disappear.
"An illusion? Impossible, when did I fall under its influence?"
He felt something sharp pierce his back and heard a whisper in his ear,
"The gifts were the only way to keep you under my illusion. They all contained hidden magic circles. I mean, look, the moment you lost sight of me, you stabbed me with my own gift. At least you could have chosen a different sword."
Sixth finished his sentence and pushed the knife, embedding it deeper. The elf felt the blade cutting into his flesh, activating the body hardening technique to stop the knife from reaching his spinal cord. He jumped away, cursing and swearing.
"You bastard, you've been casting your magic on me all this time. I know all your tricks. Your legendary missions and killing Auris leaders are all nonsense. They're all alive. You've betrayed us and our master."
"Betrayal? Among us, that word means nothing. We are a group of killers meant to protect our mad butcher leader.
Betrayal is relative. Take, for example, when I told First that his lover was killed by Third. He thanked me, while Third called me a traitor."
While Sixth was elaborating, the young man with pointed ears smiled slyly, saying,
"You planned to kill Third too. My instincts didn't fail me; I never trusted you. But do you know what your flaw as a killer is? You love to hear yourself talk and philosophize. Thanks for giving me time to recover and gather my energy."
Second released a manic aura, enough to terrify any opponent, but Sixth's expressions didn't change, not even a blink.
"Did you recover that quickly? I wanted to prolong the conversation since I won't see you again. Give my regards to Third."
Second's body had turned entirely bronze, and a sarcastic smile appeared on his face.
"Do you think you stand a chance against me? Or that your poisoned dagger will affect me..."
Before he could finish his sentence, his vision became blurry, and he felt weakness in his knees. His eyes widened in disbelief at what was happening to his body.
"Poisoned? Impossible. Among the six of us, I'm the most resistant to poisons."
"Impurities..." came Sixth's voice, explaining,
"It's the impurities accumulated in your body over the years. As you can see, magic circles aren't the only thing on the sword. The hilt also contains a poison that prevented your body from eliminating the impurities of the energy pills you constantly consume."
In front of his eyes, Sixth waved the dagger he had previously stabbed him with, continuing his explanation,
"This dagger doesn't contain poison but rather an antidote for the poison in your body, which will release all the impurities at once. What irony, the most poison-resistant body will die from an antidote."
Second's eyes glared with hatred at his killer, wondering how long he had been planning his demise and poisoning him. His killer, knowing exactly what he was thinking, answered,
"Don't look at me like that. The poison in the sword's hilt wouldn't have killed you, nor even hindered your training. I was just taking precautions.
I know well the boss wouldn't have sent you; you volunteered for this, so bear the consequences."
The light dimmed in Second's eyes, and his breaths began to fade. He knew these were his last breaths, but he remained smiling.
"It doesn't matter. I'll wait for you in hell, you little bastard. That's our fate in the end."
"Yes, it is. Wait for me a little longer. I know you don't like Third's company, so I won't keep you waiting to send the others."
At that moment, black shadows arrived and surrounded the place.