Julius walked into the alleyway while holding the severed head in his arms. He fell to his knees on the stone ground while facing a wall. The snow had not collected on the ground here due to the high buildings. Despite this, however, he felt more cold than he had in a long time. His body was unmoving as he stared into the open eyes of the girl. She had clearly been tortured before death in an attempt to get information, but had refused to give in considering he was not found. Tears rolled out of his eyes like a waterfall. Even though he was crying, he wasn’t sobbing and remained completely still. He spoke.

“Hey… Stella… tell me… must they take everything? My family, my home, my history. Now they take people that remind me of my family…”

“I told you to take care of yourself… why didn’t you turn me in?! You could have lived!”

Julius was yelling while tears still poured out of his eyes.

“I told the old hag… that I’d take care of you… that I wouldn’t make the same mistake twice…”

“It hasn’t even been a day since I made the promise… So why?! Why was I unable to protect you again?!”

“Stella… I’m sorry… forgive me…”

Julius was not an emotional man anymore. For years, he had abandoned any emotions that he considered pathetic, such as despair or fear. However, at the root of him as a human being, he was an incredibly passionate person. For the first time in years, he remembered what despair felt like.

He moved his hand over her eyes and slowly shut them. Tears dropped from his face to hers. Her deathly pale skin that was still freckled looked as if it were crying from dying such a merciless death. Julius set her head down gently. He closed his eyes in an attempt to calm down. He sat for a few more moments before a highpitched, wicked voice echoed from behind him.

“Imagine crying tears for the death of a whore’s daughter.”

A cold breeze rolled through the alleyway. The breeze brought snow along with it, traveling at a horizontal yet unlinear pathway. The man that had spoken to Julius stood behind the kneeling man with other people behind him. Two women and four men were in the shadow of the alleyway, while the speaker stood in front of the others. The wind blew the hood on Julius’s face down, completely exposing the back of his head to the group. One of the women raised her eyes at the unique hair color. He remained completely still as he was in complete shock of the words.

“Titus. Why offend him?” One of the men, who appeared to be more beast than man, asked.

“It doesn’t matter. Oy, brat. Today’s your lucky day. Nightfallen has chosen you to be a member. We’ll protect you from-”

“Shut your filthy mouth.”

Julius turned and released his bloodlust towards the man. The group behind Titus felt the intense hate and dark aura that was being emitted. Titus slightly widened his eyes in anger as Julius locked eyes with him. Blood flowed out of his left eye as it widened.

Before anyone had time to react, a sword had pierced the frozen Titus through the chest. He coughed blood as the others drew their weapons in preparation to kill.

“Titus!” One of the women in the group hollered in a cry.

“She’s not a whore’s child. I’ll cleanse the world of any that would call her such.”

Titus looked into the crazed eyes before him as the life slipped from his body. His arms went limp and fell to his sides. Julius looked up at the others and spoke in an incredibly disturbed voice.

“Does anyone else… have anything to say?”

The appearance given off from the man was truly a sight to behold. His lavender-red eyes that had blood leaking out of them combined with his swaying purple and black hair left the onlookers with a sense of fear in their hearts. They were well aware that, as some of the most powerful people across Stormfell, they were on par with the man before them. They knew that together, there wasn’t a single individual alive that could beat them. However, they still felt fear in the deepest corner of their hearts. Perhaps a cornered dog is more dangerous than a prince gone mad.

“That is quiet enough.”

Another man walked into the alleyway. The old man gave off an aura of extensive wisdom, yet was hunched over and frail. The wrinkles on his eyes showed years of hard-earned experience and respect. The men and women, who claimed to be in Nightfallen, dropped to their knees after a moment of surprise. The brunette woman that had yelled earlier spoke.

“Inner… why have you come to a place like this? I thought the Inner Court had ordered us in order to remain untraceable?”

The old man, who had an extremely long, white beard stroked it gently. He looked back and forth between the group and the man known as The Dreamer. He closed his eyes and spoke.

“I have been watching you, Julius. Ever since you met that child in the alleyways of the slums.”

“… Do I look like somebody who wants to speak to an expired geezer right now?”

“You fool! Watch your tongue in the presence of an Inner!” The girl that been particularly upset at Titus’s death lashed out.

“Hahaha!” The old man laughed.

“Join me, Julius Payne. I will work you to the edge of death, and you will perform loyally.”

Julius grimaced at the insane words being uttered before him.

“And why… would I do that?”

“I have some information that will change your destiny.”

“He is alive. And I know where he is.”

The group, lost and confused, looked at each other in hopes of someone knowing what was happening. Only the silver-haired girl that had reacted to both The Dreamer’s unique appearance and the name ‘Payne’ watched on in interest.

“… I heard that he had died. I saw his corpse with my own eyes.”

“A farce.” The old man immediately shut him down.

“You know better than anyone the things that he is capable of. He is in a position of prestige, so it will be hard… but the question remains. Will you join Nightfallen, the Justice of Stormfell?”

Julius looked at the ground in thought. Blood continuously flowed out of his eyes. His left eye bled at an exceedingly fast pace. He ran his fingers through his hair before speaking in a cold yet determined tone.

“I’ll join you.”

This answer brought a smile onto the old man’s face. The rest of the group’s face’s filled with tension, as the murderer of their friend was now a comrade. The silver-haired girl exhaled a cloud of fog into the cold air from relief. The group heard the clanking of armor and guards yelling about the missing head nearby. The brunette girl, who wore her hair in a long braid over her golden armor, chanted phrases from an ancient language. After a moment, a green portal opened on the wall of the alleyway. She stepped through the portal and disappeared as the rest of the men in Nightfallen followed. The silver-haired girl, who was the last to enter the portal besides the Inner and Julius, looked back before stepping through. She locked her green eyes with Julius and gave a respectful smile before turning her head and entering the portal. The Inner, who had a satisfied smile on his face, started to walk toward the spinning fog. Just before entering, he heard Julius speak from behind him.

“Don’t forget to tell your Inner phonies that I know the truth.”

Julius staggered past the still old man and disappeared into the portal. The old man’s face showed an incredibly sinister look while he pondered on the man called The Dreamer. He whispered to himself before walking through the portal and leaving the city of Norkfell behind.

“Julius Payne… You shouldn’t have said that.”

The snow came down harder. It piled into the alley, quickly covering the ground in white. The severed head of the once bright-eyed youth laid on the cold ground with a thin layer of ice on her eyelashes. Her eyes finally being shut and laid down to rest, she could finally meet her mother. A cold breeze rolled through the alleyway once more.