"Daddy! Daddy! Wake up!" A child was shaking a lifeless body in the middle of a rainy night. The storm hid his tears of pain and torment. The little boy's innocence disappeared as his father did not respond, slowly beginning to understand that he had been left alone in this world. "No, please... Don't leave me... Dad..."
Fear drove him to run through the empty streets of a city he didn't know. He carried a dirty, torn teddy bear in his right hand, which he had no intention of letting go of. Despair was slowly consuming him. The prostitutes and beggars in his path only terrified him.
"Please help! My daddy is not moving! Somebody help him! I don't want him to die!" The boy crashed and dropped his teddy bear. A slender, stocky man picked it up, but with a grim face. "That hurt... Sir, please! Could you help me? My dad is very sick! I can't let him die!"
"What? What are you talking about, brat? What's such a little boy doing alone in such a dangerous city?" The stranger pulled the arms and head off his teddy bear with great ease. The boy began to notice that something wasn't right and tried to walk away the way he had come. "Come on, come on... Didn't you want help? I can do anything you want if you do me a little favour..." The man began to laugh and a knife fell from his sleeve. "You don't know how long it's been since I felt human warmth... I'll do anything for your old man if you let me play with you! I promise!"
"No! Get away!" The boy tried to run away, but the stranger grabbed him to prevent that from happening. His reeking breath of alcohol and rotten teeth came with evil intent to the boy's face, who was thrashing with arms and legs, trying to get away.
Another man, smaller but more mysterious than the first, walked towards the scene of the incident, still not knowing what was happening. His leather hood protected him from the storm, but his cold breath still left a trail. His pace was fast and determined, he didn't know where to go but he was angry enough to ignore everything around him.
"Another month I won't be able to pay the bills. I barely have enough money for some meat. And they just had to take away my adventurer's license today... Is nothing going to work out for me?! I guess I'll have to ask Amelia to let me sleep in the guild for a few days." After passing an alleyway, the boy's cries for help reached his ears immediately. His instincts told him he should go help, but something else was holding him back. "I'm not allowed to do that anymore... Why should I still care? I'm not going to take a pound for it, anyway."
The desperate cries continued to be heard. Some of the braver neighbours dared to stick their heads out to see what was going on, and others just listened. It was not the first time it had happened, nor the last. Everyone in the street looked the other way and went on their way. No one wanted to risk death for a worthless boy.
"It's not the first time either. I should be used to it. I'll just ignore that and go on my... On my... Way!" The mysterious man leapt to the rooftops to avoid the attack, his instinct getting the better of him. He ran nimbly across the high rooftops of the gothic realm, dropping tiles in his wake and darting down between balconies and windows until he reached ground level. "Hold on, whoever you are, I'm going to help you!"
"Stop resisting, you damn kid! It'll be easier for both of us!" The knife sliced through the boy's rags to expose his chest, but the drunk had no chance to appreciate more. A blade impacted on his right side, and a river of blood ran down his leg until it spilled into a puddle. He turned around gasping only to find a crossbow pointing at his forehead. "Who the hell are you!? Do you see what you've done to me, you fucking bastard!? You have to help me stop the bleeding!"
"Help you? Yes, of course. I'll put you out of your misery in a moment." With his free hand he pointed towards a dark, littered alley. "Walk slowly over there. I don't want the boy to see how I humiliate you before I kill you. Come on!"
"This doesn't make any sense. Why do you care so much about the life of an orphan? He has no owner, I can do with him as I please! In this city the strongest always survives!" The adventurer grew tired of listening to him, and wedged a bolt into his crotch. To avoid further scandal, he covered his mouth and dragged him into the alley.
"You're damn right. It's survival of the fittest here. And it's your turn to become the prey." He left him leaning next to some debris. Unlike other adventurers who let their victims talk, he shot the stalker between the eyebrows in cold blood, and left his body lying right there. "How I hate to do this. I'm up to no good."
The boy only listened to what was going on in the alley because he didn't want to watch any more violence. The killer left the dark corner and approached the little boy, now hoodless and with the most honest smile he could give. "No! Don't hurt me! Leave me alone!"
"Easy, boy! I'm not going to hurt you - didn't you see I saved your life?" He looked at the boy's ruined clothes, and the mutilated teddy bear. His smile soon disappeared. "You must have been through hell. Why are you alone? Where are your parents?"
The boy wiped his face before speaking. "My dad is in the street below... He's very sick. You have to save his life. Please..." He couldn't take the pain any longer, and lay down on the dirty ground to continue crying. The assassin went to the end of the street to check on the father's condition, which was not good at all. He knew that the boy was only denying his death, and instead of digging deeper into that wound, he decided to take another path.
"I'm afraid there's nothing I can do. He's... very bad. Tell me, what's your name?" The boy didn't answer, he still didn't trust him. "Okay... my name is Wayne Rockburst. I'm twenty-six years old. I have a beautiful girlfriend named Amelia and well, I used to work as an adventurer... until today. Do you want to get to know each other better? I've already told you who I am."
The boy looked at him still with some insecurity, but without the fear he felt before. "My name is Noir... I'm eight years old. I came from far away with my dad. I like plants and... I have nowhere to go..."
The young man named Wayne paused for a moment to think about what he would do. He couldn't take him with him, but he couldn't abandon him to his fate after gaining his trust. "I'll be honest with you, Noir. You have no chance of survival out here. You have to choose whether you want to keep crying for your father or get ahead. I could take you with me, but... I'm not much luckier than you either." Doubt came over him even more. He hesitated for a good while, but Noir's vulnerability made him send everything else to hell. "Yeah, whatever. I can't kill anyone without a license either, and here I am. Come with me, kid. I'm gonna help you out of this hellhole. We'll help each other out, okay?"
A hand of hope Noir never had appeared in front of him at that moment. He clung to it like nothing else. Looking back hurt too much, he just wanted to follow the one who would become his father and mentor to forget the past and get to have a different life. But Wayne looked back one last time as they ran. Something about the whole situation didn't sit right with him.
In a tavern.
"Hey, kid. Wake up. In the clouds again?"
Noir's eyes were fixed on nothing. He took a long time to return to normal. Remembering Castiel brought back other memories he thought he had forgotten. Unintentionally, tears rolled down his cheeks. "I'm sorry, I don't know what's gotten into me lately. I have remembered that day..." His companion put a hand on his shoulder.
"Relax, son. It's over now. I'll order some beers, so you'll feel better." Wayne got up from the table and walked over to the bar. He left his jacket hanging on the chair, a peculiar portrait peeking out of one of the pockets. Noir thought he'd thrown it away, but he hadn't. "Here, they're quite cold. Well, what did you want to tell me?"
Before continuing the conversation, the boy pointed to the portrait. "You told me you'd thrown it away. Why do you still have it? After all this time... You still miss her, don't you?"
Wayne looked at the portrait, and in an instant he remembered twelve years of regrets and hardship. Though he was older and more tired, the experience told him he couldn't shake that memory. "There are some things you can't forget. I guess you know that well. She is no longer with us, but she doesn't deserve to be forgotten. Amelia lived and died for me... And for you too. It wouldn't be fair for her."
"Some memories hurt, but they're part of us... I understand." The young man dragged his beer towards him. Uneasy about his father's possible response, he changed the subject. "Well, about what I was going to tell you... It's about the guild. This morning Wolf showed up at the construction site of the manor to offer me something. It was about... an assassination mission. A big one."
Wayne was further saddened by the news. He clasped his hands together and placed them on the table, his eyes fixed on Noir's. "Not again, Noir. You know very well how I feel about it. What did you tell him this time?"
Noir hesitated to answer. "I told him yes." Wayne reacted by shaking his head and bringing both hands to his face. "I didn't have a choice, Wayne! You may not like it, but it's the best option I have right now. My partners are professionals, the target is an old man who can barely defend himself. This is what I need to do to keep my promise, Wayne. It's what I must do."
"The life of an adventurer does not correspond to you, Noir. It doesn't correspond to anyone. Seriously, what makes you think that's a nice and comfortable way to go? You may escape the misery of the city, but you'll have to sleep with one eye open for the rest of your days. That's something a young, healthy boy like you should never have to go through. Take it from me, son, I say that from my own sad experience."
Noir was noticeably annoyed, he looked at other people in the tavern instead to his father. "I'm just as capable, if not more so, than you were. I am strong, I can deal with it. I don't understand why you're so worried."
"Because the issue isn't whether you're capable or not. It's just not worth it. I wasn't an adventurer for fun, I was forced to do it to survive. I was just as stubborn as you are now, and it took Amelia's life... You have a decent, honest job, and a girl who really loves you by your side. Don't waste your life dispensing justice that is not yours, my son. Please." Wayne was teary-eyed. Although he was a tough and reserved man, the pain of seeing another person go through the same thing was unbearable for him, and even more so when it was his son. "You'll hate me now because I'm trying to separate you from your chance to get ahead and prosper, but I'm not. I'm trying to save you from a terrible mistake that will haunt you forever."
Frowning, Noir set aside his beer and leaned closer to hear a response to his father and teacher's contradiction of ideas. "Several years ago you taught me how to fight with a sword, and Castiel finished that job. From that I was able to enter Wolf's guild and do some justice for the realm. But if you now refuse to let me use my skills, why did you teach me to fight in the first place? It makes no sense to have that knowledge and not use it."
"Boy... How difficult you make things for me. I taught you how to wield a sword so that tomorrow you wouldn't have to turn the other cheek. But I see what you want to use my teachings for: to kill an old bastard who's already in enough trouble. That's all I can do. It's your choice, son." After picking up his jacket and dropping off payment for the beers, Wayne hugged him and gave him one last piece of advice to keep him from going down an even darker path. "The mission Castiel left you was not an obligation, he himself trusted you to choose with your heart and not because you felt pressured. But if you truly have no choice, wield your weapon with mercy, not hatred. Never forget what your motivation is."
"My motivation..." His master nodded, and Noir nodded with him. Deep in his heart he made himself promise not to fail him, more so now that his determination had been questioned. "I will prove to you that it is right. The power that resides within me must be used to deliver justice, that is what Castiel wanted. I will not fail you."
"All right. I believe you. By the way, didn't you say you have dinner with Evie tonight? It's already getting dark, you're going to be late. And no one wants to piss her off, right?" Noir noticed the clock at the end of the tavern, turned his head a couple of times and waved goodbye as he ran towards the exit. "Send my regards! Oh, this boy... Sometimes I wonder if it was the right thing to uncover his nature, Castiel. He's a very clever boy, he would have gone very far if it weren't for his legacy."
Elsewhere, after dark.
"If it's not here Evie's going to kill me!"
Noir opened the doors of the most decent restaurant in the district looking rather peculiar: his hair was dishevelled, his jacket was unbuttoned and his face was covered in sweat from the long run he'd had to make to find the right place. It took him a while to recognise anyone in the restaurant, until a girl at the back of the establishment stood up to greet him euphorically. Noir went up to her with much embarrassment, he had an innate ability to always be late.
"I'm sorry I'm late... I don't know where my head is. How are you, darling?" Though confused, Evie accepted his apology and kissed him on the lips and then hugged him. Noir sat on the other side of the table, still embarrassed. "I'm really sorry about that. I was talking with Wayne about some things and I lost track of time."
"It's okay, it's only been a few minutes. I haven't ordered anything yet, so don't worry about it." As Noir continued to be elated, Evie watched him with a sweet smile and serene eyes that betrayed her love for the boy. "Well... How was work today? I haven't seen you all week, and I've missed you so much..."
Noir grabbed his girlfriend's hand on the side of the table. "I've missed you too, honey. But if I tell you the truth, it hasn't been going very well for me. I'm tired of working at that place. The boss is getting crueler and crueler with us, plus he's cutting our salaries to finance the rest of the work. I plan to work with Wolf more often."
"Mmm... That's a real shame. I don't like people who don't appreciate the efforts of others. Those people don't deserve you, honey. You do what you think is best. You have my support." The waiter came to their table to take the order, but Evie asked for a moment before that. "Though if you leave there, you'll have a harder time paying the bills... and I doubt your project with Wolf will be anything fast. Have you thought about where you're going to stay?"
Noir glanced at the menu before answering her. He dragged his index finger across the menu, choosing dishes for himself and his girlfriend. "A chicken stir-fry with vegetables, roast potatoes and an assortment of dips, please. For the lady, a Greek salad with the house specialty. Don't forget the red wine. That's all." Noir raised an eyebrow at Evie's question. "Where do I plan to stay? Well, I haven't decided yet... The Greek was your favourite, wasn't it? And you were also going to propose to start living together... Weren't you?"
"How well you know me, my love..." Evie was suddenly thrilled by the proposal. "Well, it's about time we take the plunge! We've been dating for over two years now, don't you think we should start planning our future better? I'm excited just thinking about it!"
"Yes, that's true... But I don't know if I'll be able to bring my stuff to your place these days. I'm going to be busy with Wolf's business and won't be able to stop by. Since tomorrow is Saturday, could you do me a huge favour and start the move? I'll give you a big surprise if you do." Said the boy with a naughty tone. Evie smiled even wider and gently bit her lower lip.
"That's not even a question, sweetheart... Leave it to me."
Dinner continued as normal. The food tasted even better than other times, the taste of triumph and hope filling their palates. They were both happy, but Evie was more anxious for the change to begin. Despite life's adversities, she loved and supported Noir to the end of the world, no matter what it took. That was her chance to give Noir the life she so desired for him. A life of peace and love.
After dinner, both were noticeably exhausted but satisfied. Night had fallen, the atmosphere was just right for a romantic moment. Evie was blushing and casting suggestive glances at Noir. "Well, it's getting late now... Do you want to go home and continue with...?" She tried to stroke his hand, but he pulled it away.
"I'd really love to, but I have to meet Wolf now. We'll celebrate tomorrow, I promise." Evie looked saddened, so Noir gave her a passionate kiss to hold off the wait. He took his leave eager to spend a beautiful evening with the love of his life, but a greater duty called. The mission Castiel had left him four years before was closer than ever to being fulfilled.
In an old abandoned brothel, a few minutes later.
Gathered around a round table were the three founding members of the mercenary guild. Wolf, seated in a throne-like chair, waited with his legs crossed and his rapier resting in his lap. The other two members, known as Cerberus Urahal and Jane Mist, watched the movement of the clock hands, anxious to welcome a new member after a long time.
"It's been ten minutes already. Anyway... It's been three years since we've done something like this. It must be exciting to have another official member after so long, huh, Jane?" asked the pyromancer Cerberus, rough-looking and with features typical of the extinct vampire-descended people. Jane nodded with little emotion and poured herself another beer.
"Yeah, well, it would be better if it wasn't. I like Noir, he's a good kid, but the fate of everyone who has passed this table has not been good. Eleven members have died since the guild was founded seven years ago. It would be a shame if the same thing happened to Wolf's boy." Mentioned the girl, who was a little younger than the others. Unlike Wolf, who always hid behind a wolf mask, and Cerberus, who had fire-red eyes and tufts and snow-white hair, she was quite normal. The brown hue dominated her eyes and hair, but still her charm was remarkable.
"There's nothing to worry about, Jane. Noir is not like any other human. Death won't be able to get its hands on him so easily. When you see him you will understand." Replied the boss before he heard someone knocking on the door. Since the brothel was underground and quite hidden, Wolf concluded that it was Noir. "Well, there's our wonder boy. Cerberus, Jane, on your feet. Let's greet him properly."
Wolf walked to the door and welcomed him by pointing his arm at the meeting table. The boy carried a pair of swords hidden under the scabbards of his father and master. His eyes showed great determination to do what had to be done. Wolf noticed that, and brought him face to face with the other members.
"We founders welcome you, Noir. We are glad to have you here, even more so on an occasion such as this. This mission is a before and after for all of us, but especially for you. If we succeed, you will officially be a Recon guild mercenary. Are you ready, my friend?"
