They arrived early in the morning while it’s still dark outside. Still shaken from when they witnessed the cold judgement of the King, John has declared his plans. As he walked into the main office of John, Aaron and Matt still had their qualms about the idea.

“John, are you sure that you aren’t just jumping to assumptions?” Aaron said, not looking at him. Matt gently tucked at his sleeve and nods toward John, who still stood in the door frame, now bowing to both of them.

“I understand that this must be confusing. But whatever your choice is, I will be doing this. Even if it means I’ll be on my own,” John paused, biting his lip. “Seeing that just now, made me feel like a puzzle has finally been solved in my head. It all makes sense now. That man, the King, is the one who ordered my father to go on a mission. Now, he has all the power he needs to make the actual killer of my father be fully equipped to hunt me down. Iron fist Gregor’s execution from the newspaper was a coverup on his part. He needed Gregor’s hatred for me and knew he’d be a great asset for him. And now…”

“And now?” Matt asked silently.

“And now I feel like I will be asked to go on the mission that he wanted my father to go to all those years ago. That’s why he wants me to come to him,” John added.

Aaron sat down on the desk while Matt just leaned against it.

“The reason I decided to come with you back then,” Aaron said, scratching his beard while he stared at the ceiling. “Was to aid you and to make sure you didn’t do something reckless. However, now, after having seen you fight battle after battle, I know that no matter what I say, it won’t matter to you. So if this is truly what you want to do, then so be it. I will still be your friend and comrade.”

“I too will continue to follow you,” Matt added, raising his hand high. “You took me in back then, you trusted in me and now I have to do the same for you.”

John looked up and stood tall, his eyes watering up. “Thanks you two, but I need you to know that if you decide to come with me, that you will likely be risking your life.”

Matt chuckled, “Since when’s that not been the case before?”

Dumbfounded, John smiled in joy and continues. “Aaron, I need you to scratch up every last penny of ours. We will need it.”

“Roger that,” Aaron said enthusiastically, his hand in military greeting motion.

“Matt, I will need you to take a bunch of letters that I’ll hand you tomorrow. Take them to the people they are addressed to,” John added.

“Letters?” Matt quickly realized what John meant. “So you mean to leave me behind? But I-”

“You are a bright boy Matt. I will never regret having taken you in and that is exactly why I am giving you this important mission. We can still join up later again, but the letters need to reach their addressers quickly and out of all of us, you are the most nimble and swift person,” John interrupted Matt. Both with tears welling up at their eyes as John took off Matt’s wig and stroked his fingers through the white hair.

Their discussions finished, they went to bed and used the next day to prepare everything for the day after. John tinkered around on a small box, like a ring case, while Aaron emptied all the money they had in the bank. Matt was sulking, cleaning his claws and oiling them, waiting for John to hand him the letters.

The night before they would go to the castle, John snuck over to Aaron and whispered, “You asleep yet?”

“Of course not,” Aaron replied, lighting the candle next to his bed. “I can’t even really close my eyes with that pressure.”

“Do you have the money stored here?” John asked quickly, glancing around the room.

“Wha- yes, over there,” Aaron pointed next to John, by the door. “In that case is all the money we have, why?”

John held up about a dozen letters. “Help me fill these up.”

The next morning, the three dressed themselves in that house for the last time. Brushed their teeth at the bathroom sink, for the last time. Had breakfast together around the kitchen table for the last time. And walked out of the house, locking the door, for one last time.

Waiting for them outside was a steamworks car. Reinforced in black alloy, the inside decorated in dark brown leather and the many brass pipes coming out the hub of the car through which steam left the motor.

The steps into the car were heavy, and nearly lifeless. They knew what was to await them soon and that entering this car would mark possibly the last time that they look at their office. An office which was more to them than just an office, but a house.

The next hours of travel felt like torture to them. John in his regular brown cloak, his sword at his hip and his long blonde hair tied at at the back. Aaron wearing a white shirt and a black waistcoat, his medicine and equipment case held tightly. Matt dressed with wig and contacts, in his favorite baggy trousers, black shirt and warm black scarf.

When the castle was in their sight, every breath of theirs felt viscous, heavy and dry as they looked up to the large whitestone castle covered in wonderful green ivy.

“We have arrived Mister Sterling,” said the driver with a cough.

John jumped out of the car, turning around with a smile to his friends before straightening his face and going inside.

“Do you perhaps need something to clear up your throat? I am a doctor you see,” Aaron said to the driver who accepted a few pills which Aaron handed him gladly.

Walking through the cold halls of the castle, John was being lead by one of the secretaries. Step by step, they went up a stairway until they arrived at a steel door and being gestured to go inside. He knocked, and entered slowly, taking a deep breath.

“Hello there Jonathan Sterling,” greeted the King, already sitting at a large metal desk. “Have a seat.”

A look around, John saw the room was made out of fabric which seemed to dim the sounds inside.

“Let’s not waste time on formalities shall we?” John asked in a rush. “Why did you invite me here, your majesty?”

The King leaned back in his chair and made a face of stone. Seriosity was almost literally carved into it. “I like your attitude and you are right, time is of the essence. As we speak, the Kingdom is reaching its limits,” he handed a newspaper to John.

Wednesday the third of October, it was today. John hadn’t read the newspaper the last two days and was looking through it quickly until he halted in shock. His mouth opening in a gasp. “Diplomatic discussion in north between White and Grey Kingdom has been voided. Enemy General murders two Grey Kingdom Generals and retreats.”

John couldn’t believe his eyes and at the same time, wasn’t surprised. “But this is a lie, you know-”

“I am fully aware that it’s a lie, a necessary one however,” the King interrupted John. “Let me ask you a question, how much money do you think a country makes through war?”

“How much money?” John wondered and began to think but he quickly gave up on his calculations.

“It is about seventy percent of our income. Manufacturing weapons, selling supplies, gaining land and making new leaps in science. These are all part of war. All of these and more make money, Sterling. You see, I was a great friend of your late father. He was a kind man who devoted his life to justice and to the safety of his people. However, he was naive and overlooked some of the aspects of safety,” the King said.

The young detective had to control every inch of his body in that moment to not make a scene, although every last fibre of his muscles wanted to strangle that man in front of him. With his struggle to not break his character, he simply continued to listen.

“You see, wealth brings people houses and security. If the Kingdom is rich, then so are its people. This is also what I told your old man all those years ago but he stubbornly refused and decided against a mission I wanted to give him. I felt even more sad when I heard that he tried to attack the escort I sent out for him, and that Sterling was thereby shot in self defense,” he continues in a sad tone, although for John, it was was obviously a lie.

The scars of John’s past began to burn again, reliving the moment he was guarded by the Father who defended him with his body. Remembering the moment with every detail. Every single blood drop that impacted on his face when the Father was shot.

“You see, I wanted you to come here today since you have become somewhat known and trusted by many. If you were to clear up a murder and explain that it was an assassination attempt by someone from the Eastern Country of Baal, then the people would be willed to believe you. We would step in honour to avenge our fallen countrymen and go to war against them in an instant. Do you understand? I would like you to stage that very scene, allowing us to bring money and thus safety to this country of ours,” the King smiled, revealing several golden teeth.

John glanced over at the hands of the King, cluttered in rings and jewelry. He knew this wasn’t an attempt to bring safety to the country and the people. It was a way for the King to become richer by sacrificing mindless pawns.

“If that is all you wish of me,” the young man paused. “Then I will come up with an idea for you. Does that sum up this meeting?”

The King laughed, almost falling off of his chair and said answered. “Yes, you may leave. I will be waiting for your ideas during this month.”

“I don’t think you will need to wait all that long, your majesty,” John said, placing down a little present box onto the table. “This a gift from me to you, please have a look while I’m gone. I am sure you’ll be surprised.”

The old man took hold of the present in an instant, like an impatient child. “Yes, yes, now go.”

“Farewell, your majesty,” John said and left the room. Quickly running down the stairs and leaving the castle in swift steps, he jumped into the steamworks car, now with Aaron behind the steering. The original driver now lying hidden in a bush nearby, drugged by the pills from earlier.

“Are you done?” Aaron asked as drove off.

“Yes, I think we might be able to hear it soon,” John grinned.

Inside the closed room, the King eagerly unwrapped the present, revealing the little metal box with a small sentence engraved. “May we meet again,” he read and opened up the small box. A clicking noise sounded and following it, a loud explosion could be heard outside the castle. Alarms were immediately sounded and guards rushed inside the room where the King was, finding it filled in black smoke. Rushing in, they pulled out the King, whose face was burnt half a crisp, not moving a muscle.

“That’s our queue!” John said out loud.

“Was that your doing?” Aaron asked concerned.

“Yes, I wanted our departure to go out in a bang after all!” the detective said proudly.

“Did you kill him?” Matt leaned forward between John and Aaron, with a worried look.

“No, it’s unlikely that it was enough to kill him. I might’ve prettied up his face a bit though,” he laughed.

“So what did he want to talk to you about?” Aaron asked, driving rather quickly along the main road.

“He wanted me to stage a murder to give him reason for a war against Baal. He’s wants to make money through it and he is also the one who ordered my father to be killed back then!”

“Now what do you want to do?” Matt wondered. “Where will we go?”

“To the country of Baal. Without a doubt he will use my stunt back there to declare war, so I’d like to help them fight,” John answered and then quickly remembered. “Right, Aaron hold quickly somewhere.”

Parking on the side of the street, John turned around to hand over a dozen letters to Matt.

“Please take these to the addresser;” he said with his chin quivering as he saw the tears swell up on Matt’s face.

“Will you really be okay?” Matt asked.

Swiping the tears from Matt’s face, John said then stroked his hand through Matt’s hair one last time. “We’ll be alright, and you will be too.”

“John, are you sure?” Aaron reconfirmed, with tears even leaving his eyes as he looked at Matt.

Replying in a nod, John continues. “Matt, you’ve certainly made a mistake in life, but guess what? Everyone makes mistakes. Ever since you joined us, you made up for what you did that day. I may not be able to speak for the lord or even for the law, but from my own point of view, you have been more than amended for your crime. You are a bright young man and you must not let your appearance get into your way of life.”

“John, I don’t understand,” Matt was overwhelmed by what John told him.

“Please make sure to bring those letters to the addressers and make sure to never forget us, understood?” Aaron said, leaning over to hug Matt, both their tears soaking into the other’s clothes. Almost immediately, John joined in and hugged both of them in cries.

“Now go Matt, we trust you can do this!” John said, patting on Matt’s shoulder right before the boy jumps out of the car.

“Now go,” John whispered to Aaron who still had to fight the blurriness in his eyes.

Quickly, wheels overturning, they drove off. “Farewell, Matt!” “Have a good life, my boy!”

Running after the car for a bit, Matt fell onto his knees, tears running like a waterfall, his lower lip quivering and his heart in pain. Kneeling down in the middle of nowhere, with nobody around, the boy swept off his tears and pain with his sleeve and looked at the letters with a stuffy nose. “To Matthew Sterling.”

His eyes opening wide, he checked the other letters, all of them addressed to him. He hurried, opening the letters. Each of them had banknotes within them, worth all of their wealth while only one of them had an actual letter alongside it. Having trouble understanding the meaning behind this, he cleared up his eyes again and read the letter.

“Dear Matthew, thank you for your hard work. As you’ve likely noticed, these letters were meant to be given to yourself. Well done, you fulfilled your very last mission. Now please use this money to live out your life to the fullest. Get to know the world and do what your heart desires. Both of us wish you the best of luck and success.

Your eyes are red, just like the blood that flows through our veins, blood pumped by our very heart. Whenever you looked at us, we knew you did so with love and gratitude, so please, never let anybody tell you otherwise, for you are the most kind person we’ve ever met.

Love,

Johnathan Sterling - xxx, Aaron Barford -xxx”

Closing up the soaked letter, Matt took hold of the soil beneath him. Compressing it in his hand in pain, crying and coughing with every bit of his soul. Only hours later, he stood up, calm and collected hiding the letters in his pockets and walking down the street with eyes, red like fire. Determined by his new goal, his free choice given by both John and Aaron. “I have to find her,” he said, moving back toward the city they came from.

Arriving at the border to the East, John and Aaron were halted by the border control who wanted their IDs. “Oh boy, it’s detective Sterling,” the guard said in enthusiasm, worrying the two of them as they didn’t know if word had made it here already. “What brings you to this place?”

The two men in the car looked at each other in concern until John answered. “We are here on a mission, may we pass?”

The man handed over the IDs to them and with whistling sounds of steam, the gates were opened up for them. “Have a safe travel!”

“Thank you sir,” John said, waving his hand as Aaron drove ahead.

Several days later, in a small dark room within an Inn, a young man with long black hair, tied at the back and an unshaven man, sat in the old chairs, reading through the newspaper. “Seems like he’s really going to wage war because of us, just look at this!” the younger one said. “Young detective Sterling. His assassination attempt on the King, and his connection to the country of Baal.”

“My, my,” said the unshaven man. “John, you really are famous now, aren’t you?”

The young man with dyed black hair leaned back in his squeaky chair and grinned. “Now onto the real case, catching the mastermind of the murder on my father and humiliating him in front of his own people!”