Riley First Person POV

I looked at what I had just done. I killed a man. Well that wasn’t all that shocking, killing came with the job after a while. I was in a lavish looking room. It was a office with everything in order. Why in order? He never saw it coming. I was looking at the corpse of Earl Zeon. His blood was flowing quickly out of his neck. The only look left on his face was surprise.

This is for my wife and daughter you bastard.

Count Zeon. A man who was loved by all, even me. At least, that was before I found out what happened. This monster of a man who kidnapped and killed commoners just for the heck of it. This bastard who took everything from me. I felt tears well up in my eyes.

I avenged you Arianna, Catherine.

I pulled out a round object from my pocket. It was the one thing that man left me. I wonder how he got such a object.

I clenched my hand and felt the sphere crumple. The scene around me shifted and I was back in my office. Piles of papers in front of me. I went back to my chair and began working on some more documents. I’ve been behind for a while now. Without glancing upwards I said.

“You can come in Leroy.”

A guard walked in he was young with a handsome face that was marred by a scar.

“So how did it go?” he asked.

“Dead.”

“Good.” Leroy said with a happy tone in his voice. He was in the same predicament as me, his wife was brutally murdered and left in his house with bloody words written above her body. Welcome home. He was the only other one that was with me when I met him. I was the luckier one though. I got to end the sick bastard’s life.

“We're gonna need a scapegoat” I said.

It would be nearly impossible to get away with murdering a noble, unless you could vanish like a phantom after the deed is done.

“I found someone a little while ago. It’s a young man wearing strange clothes. I think we can use him”

I felt a pang of guilt. We were using another to fulfil our goal. With a voice tinged with guilt I said the word.

“Use him”

I could hear his footsteps leaving the room. I lowered my head and went back to the paperwork. Salaries. Guard reports. Monster sightings. Rubbing my forehead to relieve the stress I glanced at the door and noticed a hand and part of a head pop over the edge of the doorway. Then I heard the voice that reminded me so much about my daughter.

“I finished my shift chief!”, her voice as cheerful as always. It lifted my spirits.

“Ah! Good work Alice. Any troubles?”, I asked.

”Mostly just being mobbed by the kids when I walked through the slums area.”

I could see her smiling face and a tinge of pain went through me. It was so similar to Catherine’s smile, but I held it in.

”You are popular, I believe that at least half the kids there have declared marriage already. You won’t have trouble finding a husband”

I watched Alice blush a little before hurriedly turning and walking away. I smiled to myself.

Back to my work.

I looked back down on the papers. This one was a report about the increase in monster sightings away from the dungeons. This was rather worrying. I read halfway through before I heard footsteps again. I would have never expected it would have been Alice.

“What’s wrong Alice?”,I asked, her usually cheerful disposition seemed to be gone. In its place was just a cold and emotionless eyes.

”He’s dead isn’t he?”,I reacted to this, maybe a little too much since a look in Alice’s eyes seemed to be confirming it.

She will know sooner or later. Might as well do it now.

“Yes, Earl Zeon is dead”

She seemed to lose some part of her soul as she fell to the ground.

“Alice? Alice!”,I yelled while jumping over the office desk, papers flew everywhere.

I checked her pulse, still beating. I sighed in relief. Then I realized there was someone standing at the doorway. It was Leroy. On his shoulder was a black cloaked bundle and in his other hand was a bloody dagger.

“You told her?”,I asked with anger in my voice.

“I’m sorry.”,Leroy said apologetically,”She might as well know early on. After the shock is over she should be fine.”

I looked at him and said,”Just go and put him in the cell”

He nodded to me and then walked off. I picked up Alice by the knees and neck. Walking towards the infirmary.

I’ll fix up my office later.

I decided to stay and accompany Alice. Least I could do after what I had done. Even if I knew the earl was a monster Alice didn’t. She still held the same ideas of the kind and benevolent noble. I laid her out on the bed and then grabbed a chair. Sitting down I waited, staring at Alice’s face, being reminded about the child I had lost. The wife that I had loved even now. Without realizing it a few hours had passed. I saw Alice begin to stir. I saw confusion in her eyes, then tears began to leak out.

Almost on instinct I patted her, then she hugged me crying loudly into my chest. I felt a familiar warmth that I thought was lost. Trying to comfort my daughter.. No Alice. She continued crying for a couple more minutes. Then the tears tapered off. She pulled away eyes still red from crying, but underneath that redness was a frosty cold that seemed to freeze me for a second.

“Where is he”,she asked me. I didn’t want to answer. It wasn’t that person who killed the earl. It was me.

”Where is who?”, I said in an attempt to avoid the question.

“You know who I’m talking about. Where is he? Where is the killer!”,she was almost screaming at this point. I felt a bloodthirsty aura being released. What caused me pain during that moment wasn’t the aura, but the idea that I had made her like this. My actions. My revenge. I took this and took away a girl’s happiness. Her joyful thoughts. I looked her in the eyes then calmly said.

“Go home Alice. Take the week off”

I could see she was reluctant and her struggle to find an excuse to stay. Then I watched as she stood up and shakily walked from the room. I yelled out to her.

“Take care of yourself!”

And I’m sorry.

I saw her pause for a single moment, before walking out of view. After a minute of just sitting there looking at the spot where she laid only seconds before. I stood up. I walked out of the infirmary making my way back to my office. I had papers to clean up. What I saw wasn’t a messed up office with papers everywhere however. I saw a orderly room with papers stacks on my desk again.

I guess Leroy cleaned this up.

I walked towards my desk and sat back down, I began working on more documents. After another hour or so of working someone walked in. It was Leroy.

“The assassination is known to all the nobles. They demand the perpetrator’s execution.”

I nodded and then replied,”Alright. Let’s see this through to the end.”

Standing up I strided out the doorway and turned. I headed towards the doors leading down to the cells. Walking down the corridor I checked the cells one by one.

Where did Leroy put him?

I continued looked until my eyes landed on a cell door. Which was wide open. I walked in to see Alice, she had snuck back in and the prisoner. A boy with black hair the cloak and shadows hid the rest of his features. I just said the words that would end it all.

“We are going to execute this man for killing a noble.”

I saw Alice showing a conflicted expression. Her intent to kill the kid was obvious.

“What! No! I’m innocent I tell you!”,shouted the boy. He was panicking and struggling against the chains. Then suddenly went quiet. It was so sudden that I looked at him. He seemed to be mumbling something. Not taking any chances I strided forward while saying.

“What are you mumbling about!,"

I kicked him hard in the chest and hear the air leaving his lungs. I raised my foot again to make sure that he couldn’t do anything for a short while when a set of footsteps was heard. I moved towards the door. It was Leroy who came running in. He whispered into my ear.

“Its him! That man! He wants to talk to us!”

I forgot all about the boy behind me as I chased Leroy backup the stairs. We burst through the door and instead of the hallways leading to different rooms such as the infirmary or my office. Instead I was in a dark space. There was nothing here only me and Leroy.

“Whats going on!”,I yelled.

“Calm down”,said a voice. I turned and saw the man. The man who gave me the ability to take revenge.

“It’s you.”, Leroy said almost to calmly.

“You know who this man is?”,I asked.

“Yes,”Leroy said,”This is Ceratais God Of Judgement.”

When Leroy said the words a golden scale appeared in the man’s hand, no, God’s hand. There were two feathers on the scales. One on each side. One such a bright white that it could only be interpreted as holy and a black feather as dark as the void. The only way I could see it was the faint outline of its edges.

“As you said”,the man said with a grin on his face,”I am Ceratais God Of Judgement and I’m here to congratulate you for passing my test. You will be my champions. One with a good heart that will kill for justice, but understand the pain of others. And one with a heart blackened by hatred. You both shall do nicely.”

Then two lights shot from the scales. The holy light hit me while the dark one hit Leroy. Then two objects appeared in my hands. It was the orbs from before! The ones that allowed me to kill without a trace. I felt the background fade and heard a couple more words.

“Go my twin champions of justice. I expect great things from you.”