Milo walked along the narrow paths that crisscrossed through the slums of Bankor, not yet inside the city walls. The huts surrounding him were small and low enough that he wouldn't be able to stand straight inside, their roofs tattered, walls crumbling. It was a sad sight, the filth, the obvious struggle. These people were on their own, no one cared, no one bothered to save souls already lost. Yet despite the heavy taste of despair in the air, the walk through the night soothed his soul. He was a night creature and he had spent too much time in the daylight recently, or else hadn't been able to cherish the dark. Now, he was enjoying his last night alive, and that gave him a reason to soak it in.

The slums were quieter than during daytime, but still held a concerto of intermingling sounds. In it he heard the soft cries of a baby, halting his step, filled with confusion and a variety of unknown feelings. A baby? He had not heard of a baby being born in a very long time because who would want to bring yet another soul into a dying world. Why, and why here, in the slums?

He felt compelled to follow the sound, his steps now filled with a new purpose. As he got closer he heard small little hums together with excited cries. In the background he heard a soft voice, singing. He hid himself in the dark shadows and closed in, froze, and stood mesmerized at the scene in front of him. A young mother cradled her child with a breathtaking expression of love written across in her face. He saw a tiny little hand reach up towards the mother's hair, gripping it with chubby fingers. The display was so serene, and he felt something stir inside, something warm. He realized that he was happy for them, happy for their mutual love.

He stood there a long time, brooding, and when he finally walked away, the scene remained vivid in his mind. It was such a brave opposition to the horrors around, bringing this beautiful, innocent baby into a world like this one.

He continued until the wall loomed above him. He had scaled it before but the perilous climb still spiked his adrenaline. He was grateful for the awareness it gave, but it also made the rough texture beneath his fingers feel like broken glass, and the murky smell of mosses coming from the crevices was overwhelming.

When he was close to the top he listened for the sounds of guards on patrol. A set of footsteps passed by, and after another few heartbeats he swung himself over the ledge. The city spread out before him, and he took a moment to enjoy the view. He hated this city, but seeing it like this, from away and above, allowed him to appreciate its beauty. Also, something lingered inside of him, something new and unexpected brought forward by the mother and her child, something that made him see things differently.

Well, he was here for a reason, and it was time to find his death.

-----

Vigilante approached the safe house, hidden in plain sight along a row of identical houses. To anyone else it would look like an ordinary home, but to her it was something else. It was her check point in Bankor, and her best shot at finding Milo even if she couldn't be sure that this safe house was used by any other of Spider's protégées.

She slowed her horse and jumped off, tying the animal to a pole out front. She looked up at the dark brick building, its height and austere decorations stating the status of those in residence. A ruse, and it worked. It had been used for several years and it still remained "safe". Candles flickered visibly behind the darkened windows, so someone was definitely home. Since she knew that all available entrances would alert those inside, she decided to walk in through the main door. After all, she had been hired by its owner to kill the person who was most likely on the inside already.

She heard muffled voices as she held her ear against the front door, two of them. She took a deep breath, and knocked.

"Well, I must say this was rather unexpected dear," Spider's soothing voice said, almost allowing her to forget why she was here.

"I'm looking for my target," she answered, trying to sound as normal as possible, which meant totally devoid of emotion.

"Ah, yes he just arrived. Please come in," he said, waving her inside. She thought that she glimpsed something in his eyes she hadn't seen before, but she wasn't sure. It made her uneasy, and she had to force herself not to cringe away.

She walked past him, and almost gulped as she felt his presence behind her, sending shivers of fear down her spine. She had never been afraid of him before, but everything she thought she knew about him felt off at the moment.

When she entered the next room she saw Milo, standing by the window, looking out over the dark street. He turned around.

"Vigilante?"

He seemed truly surprised to see her, but a second later he shot her a pissed look before his eyes turned cold and uncaring.

"Happy to see me again? Well perhaps you shouldn't, I'm here to take care of business after all..." she taunted, and searched his face for a reaction, but it wasn't there. Strange. He gave nothing away, nothing at all.

He took a defensive stance, waiting for her to attack. She lunged forward, knives drawn. He reacted slower than he had the last time, like his heart wasn't in it. Her anger flared, knowing exactly what this was. He had given up, what a complete coward.

She looked into his eyes and saw nothing. Damn. She hadn't counted on this: he was obviously ready to die this night.

They circled, ferociously trying to find a way past the other's defense, but again he wasn't really trying. She knew she wouldn't have stood a chance if he had. She glanced to her side, and finally, he was distracted. She would only get this one chance. She threw her knife, hitting Spider right in his dark heart. His vicious eyes screamed in pure anger at her betrayal as he fell to the floor, his life vanquished.

The eerie feeling when the Destroyer collected his soul was over in an instant, and she turned towards the Nyx again. He seethed. For what, she had just saved his life?

"What the hell are you doing?" Milo's angry voice boomed over her.

"What the hell are you doing? When did you decide to return to the Destroyer? Idiot!"

"I thought you were going to kill me so what do you care?" he snapped.

"Men, or Gaians, or whatever, you are just useless, can't tell your ass from your elbow."

He looked curiously at her, and seemed to be assessing this new development.

"So you're not here to kill me?" His voice had lost that initial edge, instead he seemed a little surprised.

"What does it look like?" she answered irritably.

He started laughing, and it was such an astonishing sound. She got the feeling that it washed over her, washing away her irritation. She couldn't be irritated while hearing this. Laughter... no one had laughed with her for so long. A warm buzz started to grow inside of her, and she began to feel an approaching smile but forced it down immediately.

"You are such a coward Milo, I should have killed you when I had the chance," she said instead, determined to bury the awkward feelings his laughter produced.

"You bark a lot, don't you?" he said, smiling. She had never heard him laugh, but this smile, no she had never seen him smile either.

"I bite too," she replied, glaring at him, not at all pleased with being mocked. However, his contagious smile made it really hard to hold the stare.

"I know you do, but not tonight as it would seem. Care to tell me what changed your mind?"

"Well, it wasn't you. I might change it again if you don't stop acting like a child. Running away when things get a little rough."

He looked at her, peering into her depths. She could feel it, and she didn't like it. He was undressing her thoughts and intentions with that look.

"Why were you supposed to kill me?" he asked, avoiding to comment on her last statement.

"Do you usually know why you're targeting someone?" she asked him in return.

"No, I usually don't, but you must have been aware of whom you were supposed to kill. Weren't you at least a little bit curious?"

She didn't want to admit it, yes she had been curious, and she had asked. The answer she had received was: rogue assassin, which of course wasn't all that much. She decided to stay silent.

"Okay, then who ordered the hit? You said The Council, are you still sticking with that one?"

She wasn't sure. The Spider had said that the rogue assassin has caused havoc within The Council, and they want him gone, but she couldn't really be sure that he had told her the truth.

"Does it matter?" she asked instead of answering.

"I'm not sure."

"You wanted to die anyway, so I guess it doesn't matter. So, what's up with that, running away to your own death? Strange way to react to this whole Io thing."

She saw his eyes grow distant, as if thinking of something.

"I saw something tonight... Perhaps there is something worth fighting for. Perhaps there is hope to be found out there..."

He didn't look at her. He stared out into emptiness, talking with a voice that held emotion, not anger, not hate, not resignation: but something else, something warm. He abruptly snapped out of it.

"A bit stupid to kill him off right away, we could definitely use some of the information he had," he said, looking thoughtful, as if wondering what secrets that mind had held.

"Do you really think he would have shared that information? I don't even think torture would have helped" she replied, shivering as she looked at the body on the floor. He was the closest thing to a family she had, and she had killed him so easily. Had she no conscience left?

"Perhaps you're right..." he said, looking up at her again with those startling green eyes of his. He didn't look so menacing right now, something had changed, and it made her feel a bit queasy. Like her nerves were restless, sizzling. She wanted to break away from his stare but it suddenly felt impossible. Her nerves seemed to scream and tingle at the same time and she didn't know what to do. She'd never felt like this. Was it fear?

In the end she was saved by the bell, or in this case the front door, which opened and then closed.