The morning breeze was as soft as the waning sunlight caressing her skin. It was an invisible touch, something she could never feel again after her turn into the state of undead. That was something to be truly thankful for. She always hated the sunlight and the day’s warm embrace. She never knew why. It was one of her more minuscule and irrational dislikes that she never bothered to put much effort into understanding. She always thought it was because the sunlit days were a dishonest attempt to hide how ugly the world was. However, now that she was an undead and could not feel its warmth, she wondered if there was more to it.

In the end, it didn’t matter. Rana simply disliked the sunlight, still do, and that was it.

She continued to lean her back against a pile of rubble and stared at the sky. Waiting was always the worst part of wrapping up a hunt. She knew where her target was and when they would arrive. There were no more leads that needed investigating, no more mysteries that needed to be solved, and there was nothing left to do but wait for the target to arrive and end their existence, their corruption upon the world. There was nothing left to do but let her mind wander, to go over the many possibilities once again, and for a chance for doubt to set in.

The name of the woman marked one was Trisha, a sell-sword that originated from Shield City. She was initially a marked one part of their elite fighting force, with missions involving the guarding supply routes towards High Tower from bandits and undercover fiends, or reinforcements to crucial areas that needed guarding. High Tower was the stronghold of the northern frontline, but it was not the only location that saw heavy fighting. There were many choke points and key locations that needed bolstering, whether, through manpower or supplies, and when High Tower fell they became much more crucial than ever. Trisha had seen many battles, which included a major campaign that saw humanity seeking to retake their fallen stronghold. It failed. That was when Trisha left the doomed city and sought mercenary work. That was what eventually lead her to become a guard dog for the vile and corrupt.

Rana held out her palm and invoked the unspoken words, and within formed a transparent pearl white orb. When she heard the dying words of Trisha, she knew that the woman had her mind set and would not consider any more discussion on the matter. If she had wasted any more time, she had no doubt there would be another fight on her hands. So, she ended the woman’s suffering then and there. There were still some unresolved issues that needed to be dealt with. She searched the place for helpful clues and then torched the place. Those inscriptions on the walls, the unpacked documents, and the residue of evil all needed to be cleansed. It was at this time she wished she had the Rose Order inquisitor ring. It would make burning the place much easier.

When she had finished the deed, there was only one thing left to do. She found herself a hiding place and waited, to see if Trisha’s regret, her dying wish, was strong enough to be heard. Rana wanted to give up after waiting for hours. The enemy soldiers were cautious, but with the fire dying out and the perimeter secured, they were planning to enter the research facility soon. That was when she heard it. It was not an audible sound, but she could tell what it was. It was Trisha’s dying breath and the birth of a new Quest. The area was still covered in residue smog and would be quite hazardous for humans to enter, however, the tainting blackness was of no consequence for a zombie. She went in, claimed the Quest, and made it out without being detected, or so she hoped. Whatever the case, no one followed her back to the village.

That was when she found him. He was sitting alone, huddled in a crowd, but not part of any group. His eyes downcast and without light, but they were not snuffed out because of desperation and the fatigue resulted from the trod down the war-torn paths. His eyes had no light to begin with and no traces of life were found in him. It was far more accurate to call the man an 'it' rather than a human. That was the truth anyway.

She heard small shuffling footsteps, hurried and energetic as if to make it to an appointment. Edward appeared around the corner with a small smile. He did not smile often, and when he did it was usually soft and shy. Whatever spirit the world has cruelly stamped out of him was slowly returning. Was it a joy to see a boy whose eyes were muddied and dark regain the light in which he lost? In some small part of her, it was a yes, but she knew that was not the right answer. Seeing this one boy smile once again was nothing but a distraction of the many that could no longer even open their eyes. His joy was like the sun, a lie that covered the ugliness of reality. Still, there was no reason to direct her irritation at a young child. She returned a small smile and handed the boy her bowl of food.

“Thank you, miss. I never asked what your name was,” Edward said after finishing the food. It was rare for him to start a conversation. It was usually more of him fiddling around and needed to be prompted by Rana. “I know you didn’t have to help me, but you did. I want to thank you properly.”

“You don’t need to. I am just a stranger passing by, and will remain so until we part.”

“So you are leaving,” Edward said after a long moment of pondering. It was not a question but a statement. There was a tone of disappointment, some anger even, but somehow the child did not lash out. “Why? Where are you going?”

“There is something I need to do.”

“What is it?”

Rana wondered. What was it? She knew what she needed to do at the moment, but what was her actual mission? She already had no more loyalty to the Church, yet she used their laws as an excuse for her deeds. When she killed the three ruffians she didn’t have to. She was more powerful than them and was not like they had any say in the matter. Did it matter she had to do it in the name of the Church? They had no monopoly on what should be done to protect the innocent. There should've been nothing wrong with protecting the innocent.

However, nonetheless, she needed an excuse for her whims. In her own heart, she already knew she did not care for humanity’s survival or the war against monsters. She did not know why they even had to fight. Monsters killed humans, fighting back was normal. It was self-preservation. The war itself, however, was lead by the Church. If the village were to be wiped out this instant, she knew that only some part of her would weep.

That was what she feared.

Whether as an inquisitor or even now, the idea of innocents sacrificed for the greater good did not bother her. When faced with seemingly insurmountable evil and daunting corruption, there could be no weakness. It would take only one misstep and there might be the possibility of having to face doom for all. She would never inflict harm onto the innocent deliberately, but between her and her goal, she would not allow anything to stop her. Now, her kindness was a whim, an act of pretending to be who she was not. She was not human anymore and her heart was not hers alone.

“Goodbye, Edward. Stay strong. The world is without mercy and kindness is nothing but a fleeting lie. I wish you the best of luck.”

"Can you still tell me your name?"

"Rana," she said after pondering for a moment. There was no harm in it.

Rana turned around and walked away. The child wanted to chase after her, but he was a sensible lad. He knew that they would not meet again. Will her kindness prove to be worthwhile, or would it simply doom him to a later grave? That was a question only time could answer. However, she also knew they would never cross paths again.

She continued to walk and finally, it was an empty alley where she found him. The man without the smell of life, the man who was an 'it', an imposter. Trisha’s Quest did not reveal the exact details of the experiments being conducted as there was far greater information within, but she still needed to conclude this investigation. The man sensed her, but he was far too late. With a dazzling blue light shooting out of her arms, Rana slew the monster. She had not seen or heard of such a monster before. Of course. It was somehow created by man. There were shape-shifting monsters that could take the face of a human, but none could follow orders and kill specific targets. They killed indiscriminately and possessed an aggro. This monster didn’t. That was the research being conducted within the facility. They were trying to create man-made monsters that could hunt for them with deliberation. The woman killed was selected because of that. She had identifiable traits, clues that could be gathered about, and that was also why Rana did not sense the monster on the day it killed the woman. Its hostility was not directed at Rana.

Rana watched as the body faded until only clothes tainted in dark purple liquid remained. To think her existence was now no different than that monster. They both pretended to be human when they were in fact the enemies of humanity.

What was she?

Rana was an inquisitor. That was her identity. The entity known as the Church might’ve changed and the people in charge were different, but her creed and the reason for becoming who she was did not. She sought the truth and her duty was simple. She protected the Church from traitors and corruption all in the name of the truth. However, now she was not so sure if that reason wasn’t only a self-serving reason parroted by the manipulative. Even then, she was not completely lost. The creed and duty of the inquisitors dated back before the order or Church was even established.

She looked at her Foundation Ring. It was the proof of who she was, the power that she wielded and the reason why her role existed. The One Deity protected the world from an ancient evil, one that continued to corrupt the kingdom. The evil was dead but not defeated, for the weakness of the heart of man could never be remedied. The Boundary Forest and Dungeons were part of that, and one person was starting to revive them. She was the dark paladin and Rana’s sister.

She looked into the Quest that Trisha left. It had information, a favor, and a penalty that she would suffer if not fulfilled, but there was one thing that affirmed her task. The name of ‘Mara Mertis’ was mentioned as the employer of Trisha.

Rana did not know what her ultimate path was, but she knew of one single truth. Mara killed her and sought to unleash evil upon the world. So what was her decision? She knew she had a duty and the sins of her kin would be judged by her own hands.