Chapter 6 – Practice

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God. I wished I was happy doing this. It was dark, and I had trouble navigating through the alleys. I had almost forgotten about this, only this place had little to no light despite being ‘modern’ everywhere. I am already used to riches and comfort, and thus, this dirty corner made me feel disgusted. Garbage and feces painted the entire ground black. There was even a vagrant lying beside the trash bin.

Exhaling, I had to calm my nerves by the act I’m about to do. Actually, I’ve almost forgotten a step ‘in order’ to assassinate someone.

And that was practice!

I learned through experience that ‘if you wanted to do something, then do it big’. Wasn’t it the reason why I wanted to get big by inviting Daimon? Thus, here I am, wanting to gain skills by using humans as my target practice. What was worse than killing the nation’s treasure? So, why not use the available resources in front of me, right?

First, a woman passed by me. Short-haired, tight-lipped, and oval face. She got a brand-new bag, probably just released. She wasn’t an ideal target because from the way she moved, it screamed wealthy. Maybe just one touch on her would make you sleep in jail.

But I didn’t buckle from this dilemma. My target was more high profile. So, I needed this kind of tension.

First, I moved behind her, and covered her lips, before dragging her into the alley. I pressed my body on her, and with a whoosh, my knife swiped right over her neck. It was so clean that I doubted myself a little. I might say being a thug or killer suited me.

With one last look at the bloody scene, I clicked my tongue and stormed away. It was a very eventful evening.

“…”

I regretted my action a little in the morning. Waking up, I thought I could still feel the blood-drench-twitching body of the woman. So vivid. She might as well be with me, getting killed over and over again.

That was a life. The same precious life that my wife had once.

Did she have a baby? Of course, she had a family. But maybe someone was expecting her. A husband. Or a boyfriend.

But at the same time, I was feeling euphoric. Were these how powerful men felt? The feeling of abuse you could do to someone else and how powerless they were to fight back. They said it was bad, but perhaps it wasn’t.

This experience became alarming yet addicting to me. Tonight, I should practice more. ‘Practice makes perfect’. I had a nick in this business judging from last night. Maybe I finally had a chance? If so, killing Daimon may not be hard at all. In fact, I could even make a ‘killing’ from this set of skills. My losses, I could rack more than it.

Ah, I looked up, and the sky was blue. If I didn’t put my wife into the equation, things weren’t bad after all, wasn’t it?

Am I turning into something else? Yes, maybe. And I’m going to change into a new identity anyway, so why not used this God-given opportunity!

“…”

The means justified the end. Truly it did as I slit another victim’s throat. Before, I even had trouble handling a gun, much less shooting with it. But the knife was a perfect match. As if every nerve in my body shouting to pull such intricate and artistic moves.

Yes, I considered it an art form. I barely knew how to handle a knife aside from slicing ingredients. But now, I wield it like a true chef! Maybe this was my strong point! From birth, I struggled to understand what should I do, knowing my lack of talent. All along, I thought I didn’t have a talent. But as I fixed my bearings, I couldn’t help but look at my steady fist—bloody yet firm.

“Finally…”

Killing as a talent-I didn’t doubt this one bit. Only this could quench my ego, like a lone desert traveler finding an oasis.

I knew many people understood where I’m coming from. You saw people overtaking you, trampling at your hard work, making you eat their dust, and having the life that you wanted.

While you, on the other hand, were desperately trying to survive. Just surviving was hard enough. The same as a boat sailing through stormy seas. Knowing the outcome yet still hoping for such hardship to end.

While rain would eventually stop, life won’t.

So, it wasn’t a surprise when the rate of people committing suicide continued to rise as modernization and quality of living increased. Life was a never-ending tragedy for people like us. We had to endure the storm whilst fearing we would capsize any minute.

Now you see, my wife gave me hope. She was my lucky star. I won’t even see the sun the next morning if I didn’t have her. Thus, my life diverged from my supposed path of mine. I wanted to get revenge for her. At least, for what she had done for me.

…