Two days isn't a lot

But for someone who has been hunted by the organization they escaped from, two days have been pure hell

Mary is an apprentice-rank assassin from Festand. Former assassin to be exact. She'd decided a career change was needed when they encounter the enigmatic horror known as Johann Brown.

The young woman was the closest personnel to Kane when the bastard made a move at taking his life. She had stayed back and observe the fallout, thinking it'd be safe to gather more information on Johann Brown. Yet, he didn't even lift a finger in return

Instead, the butler behind him had already moved. In the blink of an eye, Kane's headless corpse hit the ground, perfectly concealed in the shadow he used to hid in. Johann Brown never needed to do anything. It was as if he had anticipated that attack. What would happen if she, a weak assassin, were in her superior's place?

"I will die. I will seriously die"

Such an experience broke the girl's mind

"Ah...he is waiting for me. He knows when I will strike, when I will move. His eyes can see everything. There's no escaping..."

Kane is many times her senior. He has been in the assassination work for decades with a bodycount over three digits. And yet Johann Brown did not register him as a threat to be personally dealt with. Mary began to visualize what comes next. The day after that failed hit, a letter from Festand's higher up came, demanding her cooperation on another assassination attempt

Her shattered mentality can't accept such a task

Mary is an assassin that has been trained to follow orders. If she were given a poison pill and told to consume it, there would have been no hesitation. But the thought of going against that man is worse than committing suicide

So she fled from Festand. And consequently, she was hunted down

"There she is. Catch her!"

A strong gust of wind blew out the midnight lamp. As everything is submerged in darkness multiple shadows flickered under the moonlight. Like her, they are assassins from the same organization. To them, taking care of a colleague isn't a hurdle 

Their black daggers slashed out, attacking the fleeing Mary from multiple angles. Within the darkness, there are no way to see the trajectory of motion. Their movements were swift and vicious as they aimed to kill the girl in one strike

The daggers pierced through with no resistance. The short lapse in the assassin's judgement assured them that would be the end. Until their weapon went through completely, showing what they pierced was nothing but Mary's cloak

"She went that way" The leader's head snapped up as he looked at the figure rounding the corner "Damn, that bitch used her cloak as a decoy. She's a crafty one"

 

---

 

She blitzed through the streets with all her strength.

There is only one destination in mind. Unfortunately, Festand seem to have predicted her path of movement and sent their hit force accordingly. For all their meticulousness, their efficiency in operating only allowed a small group of assassin to take on the job

They will struggle against someone with many years their experience

"But their teamwork is uncommon. Even in the dark, those guys were able to allocate their attack and position with perfect clarity" She clutched her bleeding arm where a lone dagger had grazed, Juding from the slowness of her limb, the blade is coated with paralysis poison

Mary stopped moving, having sensed the prolonging silence

At the end of the road, one assassin was standing before her. His dagger is held ready. As she look behind, there was another one. And the last one is standing on the rooftop looking down at her

The three of them had split off and corner her on this street, blocking any potential escape route

There was no needless dialogue. All three jumped at her. Without Mary's cloak, there was nothing to conceal their vision. The redhead clutch her own blade, tensing up for the eventual clash

It was at this moment, a fire spell the size of a bullet impact one of the assassin's head

"What...?"

He was knocked out midair. But the light spark from the spell provides enough illumination for Mary to pinpoint the position of the other two assassins. With a sudden burst of motion, she dash forward and sliced through both of them 

As the two corpses fell to the ground, she caught the unconscious third assassin and jam her knife into his throat. He let out a dying gurgle, before going silent. She let out a breath in relief as the man's blood trickle down her knife

'...Who'd cast that spell just now?'

Mary looked toward the direction from which the fire burst came from. 

"Johann Brown..."

 

---

 

A blood stained figure made its way to the front foor of his shop. William, awakened by the noise, came down to see her barely standing figure. He didn't say anything, but kick a chair by his side toward the girl

Lately, he felt like nothing can surprise him anymore

The old man plob down the sofa, while she slumped on her seat opposite in front of him. The room was silent as he allowed her to take a breather after noticing the wound on her body

"Two days ago you defected from Festand. And now I found you at my doorstep. It seems like little miss assassin brings trouble wherever she goes" 

"That's just the fate of those who goes against Festand. I would expect no less" 

"I won't say it's a smart thing to do, but we've both witnessed Johann Brown's existence" William sighed, leaning back on the recliner "Especially with how chaotic our group has been these days...running might have been a better choice"

"What happened?" She wasn't keen on intel during her escape. Mary wondered what transpired during that time

"The Imperial Investigation Unit force were spotted near Festand's territory recently. There were whispers from the higher-ups about information leakage" A scowl crossed his wrinkled face "If things went uncheck, that princess may conduct another purge"

"That...are you kidding me?" She blinked

The princess is a revered figure to the citizen of the Elysium. But to the different Underworld organizations, she is no less than a demon. That is because of her ruthless efficiency in tracking down criminals and persecute them to the law

The infamous purge that resulted in widespread devastation within the community. That day, the three largest gangs in the Capital were attacked in an unprecedented assault from the imperial knights, causing a power vacuum that has yet to be filled

"It's been three years since then. You don't think she is still interested, do you?"

"Never show complacency in the face of danger, no matter how far-fetched" The old man's face hardened "Besides, I have an inkling this is all related to that Johann fellow"

The mention of that name cause their conversation to fell into silence. Mary's grip on her knife tightened as she glance around cautiously

Johann Brown. Such a name would mean nothing for her a month ago. Now, it has haunt her sleep. It wasn't the fact his omniscient nature that had her on edge. No, it was the fact that he is a complete "unknown"

Human beings braved themselves against those more powerful than them since the start of time. Bravery triumphs challenges seemingly impossible odds. She was raised to embrace that ruthless nature, and had killed ones stronger than her

But human were also brave as they were stupid. What they cannot stand to face, is the "unknown" that encapsulates and dominate their senses. That which they can't comprehend makes them weak to their influence, and so they sought knowledge

The man can not said to have the same sense of danger as those who actively hunted her. His presence is mild, and every actions he took is unassuming to the point of appearing innocent. No tracks can be trace to him. That unnerve her

"What are you saying?"

"It appears Festans is insistent on eliminating that man. With you running away, questions about your loyalty is inevitable" William tap his head "Think, just a day after your escape, the organizations detect the princess's spy in their territory. Is is only a coincidence, or are there deeper connections we have yet to know about?"

"So, that would mean he has ties to the Princess"

William wasn't sure of this conjecture at first. However, given that the timeframe between Johann Brown visiting his shop and Mary escaping is only a day apart, such an outcome could have been within his anticipation. In fact, he most likely encouraged it given how smoothly everything had gone for them

Mary shivered as she remembered the fire spell that came from nowhere. She was surrounded with no way out, but that one distraction had allowed her to shake off the pursuer. How much calculations were placed within to achieve that perfect timing? There is only one person capable of that inconspicuous interception

"I don't know what to do" She mumble to herself "The only reason I join this organization is to find my father"

"And I want the kingdom to let me live in peace" William smile "But we both know there are consequences to our actions"

His eyes then turned serious

"Since you're a fugitive with no current affiliation, you will need someone to back you up" He didn't want to do this, but the man cared about Mary like his daughter with the amount of time they've worked together. "We'll have to ally ourselves with Johann Brown"

 

---

 

Today is the second month since I've went to the Capital

Somehow, I am still unemployed. Those are my thoughts as I stare at the ceiling of my apartment. Rent day is coming soon. I can hold off the rent for another month, but until then I have to find a way to make money

Today, the feeling of desperation had forced me to write a letter to Lockley

It wasn't like the answer would come immediately of course. I'm sure they'd find a better teacher, and my message can be inferred as a man shamefully clawing his way back to money after turning his nose at the initial offer. Even though I'd said I need time to consider, it is unlikely for them to accept a second time

But what choice do I have?

While lamenting the ridiculous situation I found myself in, there was a knock at my door

I open the door. Standing outside is a young girl in a black hooded cloak, she has red hair tied into a pony tail. The girl look around nervously before her eyes moved back to me. She immediately bowed as our gaze touched

Have I met her before?

"Mr Brown. I come here to pay you my respect" The girl began, still bowing to me "I declare my loyalty to you, one with the foresight and wisdom beyond human mind. Please instruct me on what to do"

Instruct? I shook my head to clear off the confusion

"Of course. Please come in"

Mary hesitates a little, as though not willing to enter my room. She mustered up the courage and took the first step. Soon we were both sitting on opposite sides of the table

"Now, could you elborate on who you are? After that, a little more details on your purpose here would be appreciated"

The girl look at Johann who is smiling in front of her. He should have known all those information if he was as dangerous as she think. No, most likely he saw her hesitation at the door and is trying to ease her into his pace

"Do you happen to know William the shopkeeper to the magic store?" At his nod, she continued "It is at his recommendation that I seek your help. I was...in a bad situation currently, and the place I work at hasn't been kind to me"

"I understand. There are companies that will abuse the power they have on their employees" I cross my legs "Such workplaces promises big payout for first time job-getter, but will slowly consume and use them until they have been vexed of any will"

"Yes. It is indeed so" Mary nodded quickly. Poor girl. I concluded she must have worked at one of those pseudo legal corporation who place overbearing workloads on her. It came to a point where she has to submit a notice of resignation

For a person who experience such situations, all hope will seems lost. After all, the future is bleak for them. They will feel frustrated, despairing, and angry at the lack of purpose. Where shall they get their next job? How will they pay their bills?

"Do you want my advice on what to do?"

"Please, sir. It feels like my action doesn't matter. Everything has been chaotic lately" She look out the window "William said you're the only one who can help me. He said...you're the key to guiding me out of this mess"

I sympathize with her. We are both in the same situation. The only difference is that I'm an adult with the memory of two lifetime's. As a person who had withstood life's hardship, it is up to me to solve this girl's early life crisis

"The first step is to not panic" I smile

"Everything will come to pass. Your life is still a long way ahead, so much that what happens will be nothing but a pinprick" Mulling on what to say next, I continue "Of course, restrospection is a necessary thing. However, deal with your problems separately, and you will see how easy they are to solve"

"My best advice is to look at things from an objective viewpoint. You do not have to play by anyone's rule, much less become a slave to it. In the first place, there are no obligations to your employer aside from what is stated in the contract"

"I...see. Festand is already on its last leg. They are desperate to clutch on to any semblance of power they can have" Mary appear thoughtful "Are you saying, the problem will soon be resolved?"

"That's right" I don't know what the fuck kind of company Festand is, but I'll play along "So for the time being, let's put them out of the picture. Let's focus on you instead. What do you want to do after this?"

For the first time, she appears apprehensive 

"Me? Why would you care?" The girl stuttered, though it appears she does not know the answer herself. I only sigh

"Because there exists a future for you. This is not the end, you know?" I point out to the clueless teenager. "Whatever your decision may be, I have no say. However, it is my duty to guide those who are lost in life toward a future with no regrets"

Looking at the redhead, I could only see someone who sees no purpose in front of them. If I let her take her life down its natural course, it's likely she will lose herself unless a solution was given. 

Then an idea came to me, as sudden as it is enlightening. 

"Do you want to become my student, miss Mary?"