Chapter 5: Ending

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"So you were able to make it this far?..." (???)

An old man dressed in an attire that commanded respect from even the most prideful of figures sat in an armchair that was turned away from the only door to the room, positioned at the very end of a conference table. Multiple monitors adorned the wall that he was facing towards. Expensive ornaments and decorations covered the walls of the room while the floors seemed to be made from flawless marble. This would have been a very majestic sight if it weren't for the fact that pools of blood were slowly expanding from the dead bodies strewn across the floor. Upon further inspection, the monitors were used to display footage of the many different sections of the multistoried building, but only countless bodies greeted the old man's sight.

A man dressed in full body armor silently stood in front of the door. Not a single trace of blood could be found on him.

"Don't you realize that what you are doing is a mistake? What happened to your desire to protect others? How could you bring harm to us, the protectors of the people?" (Old Man)

The old man finally peeled his eyes away from the monitors and slowly swiveled the chair towards the man, sternly gazing at him.

"Did you not think that I would eventually find out?" (Man)

"What are you sa-" (Old Man)

The man's figure disappeared as the old man suddenly heard a cold voice right next to him, feeling something directly pointed next to his head,

"I don't like people who play dumb." (Man)

Chills went down the old man's spine as he calmly addressed the man,

"What do you want?..." (Old Man)

"Where is the ring?" (Man)

"Are you insa-" (Old Man)

The old man felt a sudden impact as he collided with the floor, unseated from the armchair.

Cold, depthless eyes greeted the old man as he stared down the barrel of a gun.

"Remember what your current position is. I won't say this again." (Man)

Slowly nodding, the old man quietly responded to the man, making sure that he wasn't moving from his position,

"It is behind the painting." (Old Man)

"I see..." (Man)

CRACK!

A scream of agony resounded throughout the room as the man forcefully stomped on the old man's arm, fracturing it. He grabbed the old man's collar and lifted him up with a single hand, bringing the old man's face closer to his.

"Lie after lie, I'm getting tired of these games. Protectors of the people?... That's a nice excuse for what you've done behind everyone's backs." (Man)

The old man grunted, hatred evident in his tone,

"You monster..." (Old Man)

An ominous smile was painted on the man's face,

"I'm just doing what I was created to do." (Man)

BANG!

Another piercing screaming echoed throughout the room as a bullet pierced through the old man's right leg, disabling him.

"Collaborating with other organizations to hide the rings away, knowing full well that it'd be the end for all of you if they ended up in the wrong hands. Purposefully starting wars so that you all can secretly profit from them while using that as an excuse to dispose of troublesome officials. Willingly participating in banned human experiments to create tools and weapons that would protect your authority. Blackmailing and kidnapping families so that you could use them to your heart's content, just for your 'fun'. You're a very interesting man..." (Man)

The man threw him into the conference table, crushing it in the process as splinters flew across the room.

Feeling his ribs becoming fractured, the old man coughed out blood. He painfully tried to catch his breath as he struggled to voice out his words,

"Fool...You Won't...Get away with this...The other...Organizations will stop...You..." (Old man)

The man casually walked towards the old man with an uninterested expression on his face,

"What other organizations?" (Man)

The old man paled as his voice shook from the sinister response, fear evident on his face,

"I-Impossible...What did...You do?..." (Old Man)

The man stopped just in front of the old man's fallen figure and crouched,

"I'm just taking out the trash." (Man)

"You're going...To go...To hell...For thi-" (Old Man)

The old man suddenly felt a hand lodged into his mouth, grabbing onto one of the molars,

"We're both going to hell, Chairman...But the one difference that separates you and me is the fact that I know when to make amends to both the deceased and the people that I have done wrong."(Man)

"D-Dawnt!" (Old Man)

"Sorry, you're going to need to speak a little louder..." (Man)

The man mercilessly ripped out the molar, tearing out a partial chunk of the old man's gums.

A blood-chilling scream, one that was at a higher pitch than the ones previous, resounded throughout the room before it gradually stopped, the old man passing out from the pain as blood continuously leaked from his mouth.

"As I expected, he implanted the ring into his molars." (Man)

The man took something out from the molar. It was a ring that had a sapphire gemstone on it.

"And with this...It has been a pleasure meeting you again, Chairman..." (Man)

Taking out a small terminal unit from his pocket, he released the safety device built into it.

"I will see you again, maybe in the next life. Farewell." (Man)

The man pressed the switch on the device.

Faint explosions reverberated throughout the entire building, slowly growing louder and louder as the explosions climbed up, finally reaching them and putting to a close on an organization that had underestimated its once loyal follower.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bonus:

A couple hours before the encounter with the Chairman

A man wearing full body armor was cautiously walking through the hallways of the multi-storied building, slowly making his way up to the Chairman's office. Bodies littered the floor as he continued on, observing his surroundings. The walls were well decorated and furnished, not a single living being could be seen or heard within the area. It was eerily quiet except...

The man quickly peeked the corner of the hallway, grabbing a figure who was hiding around it by the arms and swiftly throwing the figure headfirst to the ground, back into the cover of the corner.

Sounds of gunfire resounded throughout the area as bullets flew past them.

Making sure that the thrown figure didn't have the opportunity to react, the man instantaneously drew a handgun and aimed it at the figure's face. He suddenly froze, unable to pull the trigger.

Why can't I pull it?...

The figure was a man wearing a black suit with an emblem on his chest, an identifier that shows that he is an agent of Arya, the organization that owns this building. He was well-statured with a dark skin tone and a chiseled face. Slight wrinkles could be seen on his face while sprinkles of white adorned his dark, shortly cropped hair.

"Who are you?..." (Man)

Footsteps subtly came closer and closer to them from the hallway.

"Tch..." (Man)

The man grabbed something from his side pocket, pulling a pin and threw it into the hallway.

"Get back!" (???)

Immediately using that opportunity, the man quickly peeked out of cover and fired at the three retreating figures, accurately hitting their unprotected vitals as smoke began to rise.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

The figures slowly crumpled to the ground as the man pulled back into cover and sighed,

"Haa...Why would you turn your back to an enemy?..." (Man)

"You look just like that kid..." (Agent)

The agent was staring at the man, surprise evident in his voice.

"Explain..." (Man)

"May I sit up at least?..." (Agent)

The man nodded his head.

Curiosity and eagerness were mysteriously floating around the man's mind. He had always felt like something was missing, an answer that was just a little out of his reach. Something told him that this familiar man would have the pieces to the puzzle, something that he had been trying to solve for years.

The agent groaned, still feeling the amount of force that he was thrown with as he moved to sit up against the wall,

"I was contracted to escort a child who was deemed as a V.I.P by the organization along with one other agent. We encountered Devillian agents but managed to dispatch them and we finally arrived at the dropoff point later that night." (Agent)

The man seemed to be in deep thought as he racked his brain for those memories,

"What are their names?..." (Man)

"Agent Gaiden Rosette and Vella Stormheart, I was given permission to visit the child but I decided not to, so I've never seen him again after the escort mission...Although..." (Agent)

The agent momentarily paused, staring at the man in front of him with observing eyes before sighing,

"Haa...I have been wondering how the boy has grown, maybe I'm starting to become soft-hearted because of my children..." (Agent)

The man slowly shook his head, sadness lingering in his eyes,

"I don't remember...Maybe you have the wrong person..." (Man)

The names...I've heard them before...I feel like I should remember...But I just can't...

Shaking away his thoughts, he continued in a politer tone,

"What is your name? Maybe that'll help." (Man)

A small smile rested on the agent's face,

"My name is Jayden Russell, shouldn't the person asking give their name first?" (Agent)

That name's familiar too...

The man apologetically bowed his head,

"Sorry, you're right. I don't currently have a real name, but people know me by my handle name, Black Death." (Black Death)

Jayden's eyes were wide open in shock,

"Black Death?...We received reports that we had an intruder entering the grounds, but I didn't know it would be our best agent...Most of us have never even seen your face before. If I knew what we were going against, I would have just abandoned my post...Oy...Wait, why are you even doing this?" (Jayden)

"To make amends by turning the world into a better place." (Black Death)

Black Death immediately responded, no hesitation could be heard in his voice filled with conviction.

"Aren't we the protectors of the people?..." (Jayden)

Doubt and worry were clearly evident from Jayden's expression.

"That's what I'd like to think so as well..." (Black Death)

A dark expression slowly grew on Black Death's face as unspoken questions came to their minds, a solemn silence enveloping them.

I don't sense any malicious intent from him anymore...Should I let him go?...Ah...I really did change huh?...

"Throw away your life as an Aryan agent, leave the area and go back to your family. I still have things to do, it's dangerous here. It was nice talking to you." (Black Death)

Jayden blankly stared at him as a mystified voice involuntarily leaked out from his mouth,

"What?..." (Jayden)

Standing up, Black Death politely bowed towards Jayden and took a moment to peek around the corner, making sure that no one else was down the hallway before cautiously continuing onwards.

"Oy...Be careful alright?..." (Jayden)

Black Death raised his arm in response as their paths slowly diverged from one another, pulling their fated encounter to a close.