I scurried through the dark, cracked sidewalks following the cobblestone roads, waiting for Earl’s command.

Important to become your successor...

My feet pelted the slush snow as I walked at a fast pace, keeping my head down in my dark, rough cloak.

Will I go as far to killing someone if it were to complete your mission?

I reiterated Earl’s words to me the night before.

Induction?! Bullshit!

‘You don’t have to do it.’

But it’s the only thing I can do!

My pants turned into soft, transparent clouds passing by my cheeks and inside the hood of my cloak. My face was very tense. I was furious.

I bit my lip and turned a corner at Earl’s command.

‘Right.’

Ahead of me in a thin, dark alleyway filled with cold mist was a homeless man sitting against the wall of a pub filled with the sound of cheers and brawls.

The man’s face was covered by his torn, gray hat. He wore long, rough, hand-me-down robes varying between brown and dark purple.

My feet pattered small puddles and wet stone.

*step*

*step*

I hesitated the moment the man’s head tilted. His gray cap titled off his chunky beard and fell down his chest and onto his lap.

‘Go.’

Earl-

I wanted to change my mind, but my thoughts were soon interjected by Earl’s sincere and demanding voice.

‘Go.’

I approached the man ever so slowly, picking up a shard from pieces of sharp, shattered glass from a bottle of ale.

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‘Kill him.’ Earl urged.

I felt pressured and violent.

Mission…

It was for the mission I thought.

It has to be done…

‘Kill him.’ Earl’s urging voice made my feet move faster and lighter until I was standing over the man.

I clenched my hand tighter, hard enough to just cut my own skin with the shard.

I got to one knee and stared at the man, jumping at his every movement.

Hey Earl…

‘Hm?’

I raised my hand and pressed the shard of glass to the man’s neck.

This is best for my goal, right?

‘Yes.’

I gave an empty chuckle

Goal… what is my goal anymore?

‘Do it.’

My eyes were placed on the man’s wrinkly, harsh red face, and my hands were shaking to the point where the shard was tickling the man’s neck.

‘KILL HIM!’ Earl’s shouting rang in my head, and I acted under pressure.

I thrusted the shard into the man's neck and reeled it towards me.

Blood gushed out of the cut, and his eyes shot open.

He began flailing, and I jumped backwards, slipping off my heel and falling on my back.

“Guuh!” The man cried while reaching for his neck. His blood stained and disfigured his robes, splattered on the walls and created a small pool beneath him.

He fell to the ground and began rolling around, still reaching for his neck.

This looked too familiar to me as I started getting flashbacks from Ceday’s death. My eyes were as open, strained, and as dark as they could be, watching the man rolling around, letting out startling shrieks and screams and “Guuhs.”

Things didn’t get any better when the man crawled to me and grasped my ankle.

“WHYYY!?!?” The man cried before giving out. His hand was still grasped around my ankle.

‘Drink his blood’ Earl had demanded, but I hadn’t listened. I was still going through flashbacks and regrets. The man’s voice pained me and made me regret the very journey I had decided to venture upon.

‘DRINK!’ Earl shouted, while pausing. ‘HIS!’ Pausing yet again. ‘BLOOD!’

I let out a scream. I knew I was attracting attention, and I felt even more flustered. I subconsciously reached for my wooden, chipped cup and placed it under his neck by raising the man’s head by his wavy, gray hair.

Why… Oh no… WHY?!

I had killed someone for the very first time, and I hated every moment of it. I had the choice to back away, but I still killed him. I smacked my head repeatedly.

‘Drink the cup, Alaric. You’ve already done it.’

I pulled the cup from under the man’s neck and let go of the man’s hair.

*splash*

The man’s face fell into the puddle of water again, except this time, it was dark red.

I placed the cup to my lips and tilted it, and I gulped the slimy blood. My body was moving on it’s own, I was afraid of getting caught. I knew I couldn’t stand there and wait to be arrested, or even worse, executed.

As soon as I finished drinking the blood, I scurried away down the other end of the alleyway, vanishing in the mist as a few people came to investigate. I could hear the screams and call for help echo in the alleyway before I left.