The vortex tears at my body, slicing my cloak as I venture through it. The swirling distortion pulses, stopping me in my tracks. When I finally breach the other side, I fall out as a tattered mess.

“Piece it back together. Just back off if it gets hostile.”

I sense forms and hear sound but I’m too disoriented to make anything out.

When the figures get too close, I turn my skin into blades and flail them around.

“Back off! It’s attacking.”

How was I captured? What am I even doing here?

I dive into my memory but just uncover misery and cries of agony.

“Old Dude sent you here. We’re on your side. Welcome to the Interdimensional Standardized Education Killer Assassin’s Incorporated Earth Branch Alpha. Whew, what a mouthful. Let’s go with ISEKAI Branch Alpha from now on, ‘kay? Great.”

Words come from him but they mean nothing.

Wait…Old Dude. I know him. ISEKAI…that’s…enemy or friend?

“Friends?” I ask.

“Well we only just met, but sure. I’m an assassin, just like you. Work for the same side, just in a different realm. My name is Python. Look, you got really torn up by the dime jump, that’s short for dimensional jump, catch up on the lingo quick ‘kay? We’re probably going to be working together a lot in the future.”

“Mission.”

“Right to the point, I like that. Information gathering has been revolutionized by social media, making finding heroes easier than ever.”

“Who is my target?”

“Well, from the intel I’ve been sent, you’re not really a one target kinda killing machine. But that’s no problem. It will be super easy. Barely an inconvenience. There has been a huge surplus in potential heroes. The third spidey movie is coming out in just a week so lots of kids are dressing up and getting excited. Hard to determine which ones really have what it takes to be a hero though, so your job is to, well, kill them all. No biggie. Just kill everyone in the building and we’ll be poppin’!”

“No! I can do it! I can kill just one. Nobody else, has to die.”

“Well, good luck with that. All we have is a location.” He hands me a picture. “Just go to this Middle School and kill the students.”

“If they die…how can they be heroes?”

“Weapons shouldn’t ask questions. Just have faith in us smarter people and do your damn job, sir.” Python emits joyful energy despite his harsh words.

I absorb the picture. As it dissolves inside me, I see different sections of the school.

I grab Python’s arm with my tendril.

“Release him now!” yells one of the guards, raising a small silver weapon.

“Relax, everyone. Guns won’t do shit to this thing. Do you have something to say RR? That’s short for RiftRipper. Aren’t acronyms fun?”

“When there is danger, the hero will stay to protect. It’s simple. That’s the one I kill.”

“Well, then I’ll let you do your job. But the more that die, the better the payment, so just keep that in mind.”

If I do as they say, then I’ll lose what remains of my focus. I’ll just be a weapon of death.

One of the assassins takes me in a metal vehicle to my destination. “May your misery carry you to victory. Glory to the guild. Glory to ISEKAI.”

I slide out of the vehicle and approach the structure, quickly sliding from shadow to shadow to avoid detection.

The buildings here are so different. Is this really the world I was born in?

I slide my way into the school and slide into a hole in the wall.

When the coast clears, I slide down the hall to the auditorium.

Big room, full of students, this is the place. If ISEKAI never existed, would I be among this class?

A human is on the stage, talking about courage and future and other meaningless words.

How to create a panic? Oh, simple.

I delve into my inner armory and pull out a throwing dagger.

Some of the students notice a black puddle in the corner, but by the time they do, the man on the stage is screaming in agony with knives in his legs.

Perfect shot! Yay me!

As the students run for the door, I throw more daggers at legs, slinking around the room so nobody gets a good look at me.

Many of the students flee, but a few stay behind to help their classmates.

Targets located.

I slide across the ground and sharpen my body.

One of the student’s shield’s himself with a hefty bag. Or at least, that was his intention.

My blade slices open his stomach.

“Get away from my Richie!”

I’m sprayed by some foamy substance which slightly disorients me but causes no harm.

The boy then heaves the big metal canister at me.

My tendril comes out and crushes the canister before slamming it into the boy.

“Yuki is the best of us! No way am I letting you kill him!” The third student takes out a knife and slashes me.

His blade cuts me before it’s absorbed. I then bring out the same blade and pierce it into his throat.

I feel the blade pierce my flesh and I feel the potent anger as my target dies.

The more they suffer, the stronger they’ll become.

More figures enter the room and attack me with metal pellets.

My body absorbs the bullets and pulls them through before firing them back at my attackers.

My mind splinters into the attackers but I quickly call it back.

Why is it the world only has color when I’m dying from someone else’s perspective?

Yuki is holding his dying friend. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

My blades quiver. My body distorts.

Why…am I doing this?

“Take my life you damn monster but don’t you dare kill anyone else!” yells Yuki.

That conviction! I must have it!

My cloak sharpens and cuts off the boy’s head. My body devours all three bodies.

The misery suddenly overcomes me.

My body expands as it lashes out.

My tendrils slice through the walls of the room, claiming more victims.

I feel death over and over. Blades cutting my body to pieces. Before I can focus myself and stop the slaughter, I’m pulled to the perspective of another victim.

When I finally come to, everything is red.

How many lives did I take? Why can’t I focus!? It isn’t fair!

As my mind screams, I devour the bodies and the blood, but the marks I left on the building can’t be absorbed.

I meet up just beyond the school and get taken back to Branch Alpha.

“I made a real mess,” I say, scratching in embarrassment.

“Just as we expected. Now hurry on back. Gotta turn that meat back into heroes on the other side.” Python leads me to the rift where I entered from.

“Will their families miss them?” I ask.

Maybe it’s best to kill the parents after all. That way they won’t worry and give me more tasty screams.

“It’s not about them. These kids are given a chance to make a real difference. Nothing else matters.”

“Wait!” My body bends around. “Forgetting something…fruit! Yes fruit!”

“Umm, I wasn’t aware you things eat.”

“Name fruits.”

“Apples, oranges, bananas.”

That’s the one!

My body bounces like a spring. “Need to bring bananas back!”

“Sure thing. Hey Wolf, go get him a bushel,” says Python.

“Your word is law.” The muscle man leaves the room.

Wolf. That makes me think of her. Every day I carve her name into myself. I will never forget my darling.

I embrace myself.

“Yo, kitchen rag. I got you a bag of bananas.” Python opens my cloak and pushes them in.

“Why do you work for ISEKAI?” I ask, my head bobbing back and forth.

“We work for a brighter future for both worlds. Can’t say anything more, cuz confidentiality rules. You best be on your way. Sometimes those rifts close early and staying here just a few hours can kill you. Best of luck out there.” Python opens the special barrier and the vortex pulls me in.

Is ISEKAI enemy? And how can I kill a rotten tree whose roots cross between worlds?

Once inside the void, I shift my form to protect it from the spatial chaos.

Old Dude greets me with overwhelming positive energy after closing the rift. “Well done! Now spit out the bodies. Cinnamon Roll will take it from here.”

I spit out the devoured students, all sixty of them.

Cinnamon Roll uses her angel powers to mend their wounds and resurrects them one by one.

Angel’s heal. Assassin’s kill. I guess it’s just how things are.

I loom over Cinnamon Roll.

Such determination and focus. She’s aware that every second is the difference between life and death, yet she is without tension.

“Yay! Big brother is waking from nap time!” She hops in the air after the first hero awakens.

Her innocence shields her. How fortunate. Nothing protects me.

Old Dude appears in front of me and emits pride and happiness. “You’ve brought back quite the bounty. Any in particular I should be paying attention to?”

I point to the three boys who stayed behind and fought against me.

“Cinna Bun, those heroes need to get wakey wakey first, okay?” Old Dude ruffles her hair.

“Sure thing, grandpa.”

Tears flow from Old Dude’s eyes. “Angels truly are a blessing. But enough about that. You survived the Cross Over. That means you’ve achieved step one for acquiring your special power.”

“How do I awaken it?” I ask.

“All in good time. For now just keep completing missions. The first of which will be escorting these heroes to the edge of the village for a trade.”

“Wait. They aren’t going to work for our village?”

“At the moment we need supplies more than heroes. We’ll take one of them just to fill the gap. Sunny Village needs them more than us anyway. They have a severe monster problem.”

Pain suddenly seizes me. My body feels like it’s on fire. I scream out and my form melts.

“Oh, that’s just a bit of dime lag. Happens when you travel between worlds alive. Get some rest. We’ll discuss the details of the mission when you wake up.”

As my mind fades, I suddenly remember something.

Bananas.

I open my cloak and pull out weapons and fleshy chunks until I find the Bananas. “Give to the Fruit man.”

Old Dude molds space between his hands and then coats me in it like a blanket. “Give it to him when you wake up. It will mean more to him coming from you. The Produce Pirate is a friend to ISEKAI. The lives of everyone in this village depends on your success. Truth is your weapon, but loyalty must be your wet stone. Don’t overthink things. Use chaos but don’t be controlled by it. Think upon these words as my Time Blanket gives you rest.”