“ Russ clan master”

A man with a cocky smile walk towards me. Filth!

He is the clan master of a clan we are allies with but I hope he dies a painful death. Despite being a fake he does nothing positive for society. All he does is reveal in his most basic instinct… fear.

The value of humanity is driven from our ability to do evil but the choice to do right. This is what I honestly believe.

Desire exists to test us as some would say however I believe that evil is a necessary step in the birth of good.

I find it odd. That our society has a word for evil to begin with. Why do ‘evil’ acts get classified as evil and not simply bad? While good actions are simply good.

I suppose that one could use the word justice but justice is a reaction to wrong and can not be done without evil but evil does not require justice to exist.

I often question this. I find it quite sad that it is not the other way around. I can’t even imagine or at least not properly a world where that is the case.

But I do know this. The person before me is someone without value to the world. Be it to me or others. He is not worthy of my time.

This is actually a sad thing because he often has many interesting perspectives on things I try am copy. Training of the mind is just as important as training of the body or at least it is to me.

All around me are the whispers of the sheep. The cattle… the fakes. Or at least most of them.

I see but glimpses of one or two real people.

Take that woman… she runs a bank on the surface but in truth leads all criminal activity in this city. I believe her name was Cas.

Or over there the mister named Sadara a wealthy industrialist from a far away land. Honestly I know most of these people are here for me. Even if they are not they have no choice by the come at my word.

I just can’t. I just cannot ask help but asked myself whenever I see the fear in the eyes of the fakes oh what great power I must hold over their lives for them to fear me so.

My clan was once something much greater than it was before one of the great families but it challenged something that could not be killed and was all but slane. Or at least that's what father told me but I don’t believe it… someone who can’t be killed.

That… would be to sad a fate for the goddess to allow.

If there is no end to there time then… would that time have value? Would there love? There anger? Their hate? The answer is no it wouldn’t and no one is human enough to suffer ever onwards or at least not truly.

But I am losing myself in through although it's probably fine I could just speed up my perspective of time so I could be left alone to my own throughs for a few hours before that clan leader makes it to me.

But I wish to end this party as quickly as possible so that I may embrace my wife who has gone to ‘socialise’ as she considers it but in my mind she is simply truly wonderful as I would offend be lost on the events outside my own house if not for her information gathering skills. I do truly love her.

Oh god is that sweat? He is truly a coward too afraid to ever be human. Although at first glance you wouldn’t be able to tell as he like me must maintain an image.

Ahhh to return my clan to its former glory is, in truth the last thing I want. I fully intent on destroying and taking this city for my clan but I don’t want to interfere with the wider world if possible.

“ Mark my friend it is good to see you.”

He may not be a person but even lying to my reflection can put a sour taste in my mouth so I disliked making eye contact in case I see my own reflection because of this I don’t move my head to face him as he approaches and continue to scan the ‘party’ with my eyes counting and watching the people. The real people not the fakes although I do see a few that I find to be unknown to me.

Unless I am to enforce great pain or struggle upon them and watch their reactions closely I will accept that I can not truly tell if they are not people. I have been surprised before in the past.

“ Russ Titas have you heard?”

“ Heard what?”

“ So you haven’t yet? Very well come with me we should talk in private.”

Ahh truly disappointing I fear this man may take more of my time away from me. But I follow after my wife shots me a look as if to say I am watching.

She is quite the perfectionist but that is one of the qualities I find pleasing about her.

We enter a room to ourselves and he drops the fake smile and frowns walking back and forth.

“ Two clans were destroyed last night. They were hunting to the last man and rob blind.”

Unexpected.

“ Did they angry anyone recently?”

“ My agents believe that the one responsible was from the graveyard.”

“ The… elves perhaps?”

He words are spoken faster now.

“ No it was two individuals. Each were human. One may be an undead.”

“ The only necromancy that is active around here is the witch in her tower. Madam Bight are you saying?”

“ No she says she has nothing to do with it. And my information concedes. ”

“ Then do we know there reasons? Revenge to say we have no enemies would be a lie.”

“ Yes we know there object they wrote it on the wall with the blood of that two clan heads.”

“ Oh please tell me.”

“ Pay me to stop killing you and I might consider it. That was what was written.”

“ Oh quite brave to challenge all the clans at once no? And so they were hunted down to the last man were they. The individuals responsible are not playing around. Did an outside power request anything of us recently? Is this a power play? Why do you think he came from the graveyard?”

“ He didn’t actually try and hide it even wrote a letter to my clan telling us where he lives and that we should come to him tonight to pay him.”

“ Hmm then let's just kill him… or is there a problem?”

“ It was the Ge and Kh clans he destroyed…”

Oh that's bad… those clans are powerful for clans. Hmmm well the Kh clan is but the Ge clan is quite weak. Actually compared to me both clans are weak.

Their view on strength is quite small minded. Low heightened grunts with mid class leaders and a few ability uses at the top and there clan head was a high class heightened but nothing over the top.

“ Which one was destroyed first?”

“ It was the Ge clan we believe.”

So he tested the waters did he. Not sure if he could destroy the stronger one so he wanted to see if he could take the weaker one did he.

“ No letter was sent to my clan… I can’t quite say its my problem now is it? Or do you wish to out your clan under my protection… you should know what that means right?”

“ The clans are building something of a task force we want to know if you will be participating. .”

Failure is certain. The clans will most likely be destroyed. Hmm I feel like this is what the individual intends. He kills in a very overwhelming way then sits back and waits for the counter attack. It's a show of domination. He truly desires the privileges gained by standing at the top but doesn't want to rule the city and believes he has the ability to do so.

Or an outside power is acting to spread its influence and take the city but desires us to remain so it can be properly managed I suppose. So they will push a threat we cannot deal with then step in to help as at a cost but if that's the case they will contact us after the counter attack fails.

This is my take on the matter. Seems interesting and I might be able to get some benefits out of it.

“ Sure I will take part.”

*****

A man in a white lab coat span around on a wheelchair but oddly enough his body wasn’t moving at all. But even more weirder was that the wheelchair was floating. Another person a few steps back and partially hidden by the shadows was rotating his hand and the wheelchair mover as if it was affected by his will alone.

A person with no details sat in the corner of the room. It was difficult to watch her as simply looking at her face would lead to extreme pain and it was possible for someone to lose consciousness if they were to lock eyes.

“ So we don’t know where the target is and she pulled out of her match and has been accepted into another one a month later.” The man in the wheelchair with the white lab coat spoke but didn’t break his abnormal lack of movement as his mouth didn’t move.

“ That's correct.” The featureless one spoke second.

“ Well doll this sucks.”

“ She’s not a doll call her one again and I will put you in orbit.” The one hiding in the shadows spoke second.

“ Sorry boss!” The other two said in unison.

“ We know she is somewhere in the city and is probably responsible for the most recent attack on the local clans. We simply should watch for know.”

Then a man steps into the room. He looks around the room. It hasn’t been touched for years and the passing of time is clear as day in here. His appearance is normal. His hair is normal. He feels like he could blend into the background anywhere. He walks off to a different corner and begins to strip but other than the one hiding in the shadows called boss who followed his movements with his eyes none of the others noticed he was even here until he speaks.

“ So the head of the Titas clan is also a freak. It was like my ability didn’t exist for him at all but I was able to learn mo-“

The man in the white lab coat stoped him “ Hold up… HOW LONG!”

“ Oh like half a minute.”

“ Dam it that’s scary how I didn’t notice you.”

“ Yeah its kind of is… sorry I to wish I could control my blessing.”

“ Well Sadara What could you find out.”

“ The target is waiting for the clans to counter attack in a building found in the graveyard dead zone.”

“ Ahh a dead zone. So this one is the graveyard is it?”

“ No actually only part of the city is the dead zone. You could walk through it on your way to work for years and never know. But people vanish and even the enforcers get scared there although there hasn’t been an incident in a while… oh I guess there was one last night.”

“ Yeah two low level clans were destroyed.”

“ Correct.”

“ So Bossebo!-“ The man in the wheelchair turn the ‘boss’

“ Never EVER CALL ME THAT AGAIN!”

“ Right, so why didn’t people want to take this job? Was assassins are not picky eaters so to say?”

“ Apparently the targets last name is Bight.”

“... no nothing what does that have to do with anything.”

“ Well originally this contract was taken to the Qu family and they rejected it as soon as they found out her last name.”

“ WAIT A SECOND! those are the guys that assassinated an elder of the council isn’t it there thing that they can get everyone? Not to mention they are a family of assassins that are considered the peak and have been for the last 1300 years. They are literally feared by everyone you mean to tell me there is someone in this city that they won’t act against AND THAT YOU WERE STUPID ENOUGH TO ACCEPT!”

“ They said no and nothing more. Also this isn’t a request it's an order. Kick the beehive.”

“ Well we are fucked.”

“ Don’t be so negative you don’t know that… smile.”

The wheelchair guy smiled.

Then a man wearing a pink dress opened the same door that Sadara used but this time everyone in the room looked at him as he had ripped the door of its frame. He started crying.

The one the ground referred to as boss walk towards the pink man saying. “ Its ok Ben it was an old door even I nearly destroyed it on the way in.”

While the wheelchair man slowly wheeled himself away from what was in front on him until he was pressed uncomfortably against a wall. He breathed out then stood up and move his chair so it was acting as a wall between the pink man and himself who was huddled up in the corner.

Sadara now completely naked walk and sat next to the faceless person who didn’t notice this at all.

The assassination on Vex had begun.

********

“Oh it feels good to workout all the bloods pumping to my head and the unnatural high acquired from taking the lives of others is truly a blessing in disguise isn’t that right Vex.”

“ Yes father.”

I didn’t not fail there deaths were not in vain. I Vex Bight have been remember by my own father this would require him taking interest in me to a high level.

I have studied my own father for a long time there are only three things her brothers or is capable of remembering.

The first is extremely painful situations which for him are extremely rare as he lives every waking moment in extreme suffering both physically and mentally. Amd even this is only remembered until the problem is solved.

The second is direct orders from the one named Sef who I have not meet. Whenever I ask grandpa Noah or ‘sister’ Zoe they both doge the question and Zen even clams that person isn’t real and that he has no idea what I am talking about.

The third is anything that sparks sexual or mental curiosity. I don’t believe I have sexually excited my own father but mentally he is probably accepting of my abilities although this is fant and will fade when we part ways so… it is imperative that I leave the biggest possible impression in my father.

Which is why we can not have a repeat of last night. Where I was powerless to assist at the end without using my trump card that still failed to end the target.

First it was exactly as Father stated that we would stand miles above the weakest individuals but would be equals to the mid level agents. So when we got them out on there own since it was two on one it was an easy victory.

I had never realised how much numbers could effects a battlefield until now.

Then father challenged 7 of those guys on his own. And all I could say was… I am truly the child of a monster.

He simply surpassed them like a novel protagonist like he was relearning how to kill. By the time we were fighting the clan head of the weakest guild he was already a high class Heightened and was combining martial arts and his alteration magic to act at a level higher.

I was simply left behind. Although I understand why he came to me after and told me the kill count. At first I didn’t understand but then he revealed that it was his kill count. As in the number of times he was killed. 406 times. He then revealed that 127 of those times was due to his improper use of magic.

I have noticed why fighting is different for him. There is no risk of defeat.

There is no risk of death.

To him it's a game played for fun.

To me these injuries sustained are quite a serious problem. But what does this mean! It means I am to weak.

That is all. If I was so strong that all threats were but games to me than… if I was the strongest would my daddy come back to me? Ues he would have to choice in the matter.

Think Vex why did you become this. Why did you start on this path. It was that you would never be powerless in the face of adversity again.

I will show them that I am more than someone. The strongest ever born that I will be.

Still father is not the only one who grows in the face of adversity. I too am stronger now.

I look over at father he is sitting on top a pliers of wealth that would have been indescribable to me just yesterday. If only I had but the will to take it is that what you want me to learn father. Well I have leaned.

Never again shall I fail to take what is in my power to take.

*****

Money! Gold! Valuable artifacts! We should burn them.

No they are necessary. We can spend wilfully later but for now they are needed for my objective.

On another note how is the connection?

Proceeding well no problems detected so far as expected. Are you sure you want this power available?

Yeah I am much weaker than I expected but there is more… my mind is failing me isn’t it…

Mason? Yes sir.

I have grown much weaker than I expected it time for me to stop being lazy we should reattach the connection and being preparation for the

A.A.T.F.L.20 technique.

You will need a certain level of strength to do so… also your martial arts have become rusty recently so we should train some more.

I see then we should hurry along even faster. Let's start by looking over the events of last night first there were many mistakes made by me in it.

Clan master Ge

Clan master Kh

They were both stronger than me.

And yet they died.