The handler was there.

He was wearing a black suit with a red tie. His sunglasses were covering his malicious gray eyes. His completely bald head was hidden under a black cowboy hat. He was carrying a briefcase on one hand. On the chest of his suit was a brooch made of a red gemstone, a hexagram with the letter “V” can be seen inside. That brooch was the symbol that represents the members of the assassins’ guild, Vicious. Master and I also had this brooch but we did not show it in the open, unlike the handlers.

“Good afternoon, Khali.” His devious smile was still creepy. I let him in. “It seems that you overslept. I do not fault you though.”

“Pardon me,” I answered while kicking the trash aside. “Master is still passed out over there.”

He did not take his sunglasses off despite the dim interior.

“It’s fine. My business with you today is something quick and simple.” The curve of the smile he wore was quite intimidating to see from a lower angle. He passed by me ignoring the empty bottles on the side. He put the briefcase on the small table. He opened it and an envelope was neatly placed inside. “Inside this box are your documents and living expenses for this month.”

“I see. I’ll receive them.”

He took the black box out and handed it to me. He closed his briefcase and stood still while looking around. He then smiled while patting me on the head. “You should get something nice for yourself once in a while, sweetheart.”

“Something nice? You mean a new knife?”

“Well… that’s not what I mean.” His smile dropped slightly. “You can only use weapons that are supplied by the guild. Anything else may be traceable.”

“Okay.”

“Hmm…” He stared at me. “How about you come with me for a bit?”

“But Master is still-”

“It will be okay.” He said while opening the door on his own. He turned towards me expecting me to follow. “You already turned fourteen but you have not celebrated yet, have you?”

“Fourteen?..”

“Yes, let me treat you this time.”

Something bothered the handler. I should take his invitation.

“I understand. I’ll change into cleaner clothes first.”

The handler took me to a food street close to the market place. The street was full of food stands and small eateries that the common people went to. It was a place where people gave the least concern as to who were around them. However, with the handler’s suit, I think we were kind of standing out. He was not the only one wearing a suit here but the way he carries himself was always on a different standard compared to us or other normal people. It was like he got this ominous aura around him that became more apparent when a lot of ordinary people surrounded him. He had that aura that made the passers-by instinctively back off while we walk in front of them.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

We sat at the corner table of one of the eateries. He ordered coffee for himself and a serving of soup for me.

“I heard you took care of someone you know in this last job.” He said after taking a sip of his black coffee.

“Yes.”

“You’ve grown to be a fine one.” He settled his hands on the table while staring at me. “Senza is doing a great job… Considering you did not come from the same place as everyone else.”

Master never talked about that. Is it something I should know?

He paused as if he was observing my reaction. He fixed his sunglasses. “It seems that he doesn’t want you to commit the same failure as he did. You know he used to be called Datark. Do you want to know the reason why his name was changed?”

“Am I allowed to hear that?”

“I am letting you.”

“I will hear it.”

“Admirable response.” He relaxed his posture. “Datark is an excellent assassin, though he liked to go a little overboard. He took much enthusiasm in executing his targets. He never failed any of his jobs. However…” He purposely lowered his tone as he drew closer to me. “His methods often included disembowelment while the victims were still alive.” He moved back again. “Even when some jobs required specific methods to be done, he would always at least take one and did his usual. It was difficult to clean up and the clients’ complaints were quite difficult to deal with. However, he was very useful... He. Was. Very. Useful... so we let him have his share of fun. Ah- but that was only until he made a bad decision.”

This conversation is a warning.

“Datark defied the guild.” He continued without averting his grim gaze from mine. “So he needed to be punished. Normally, it would cost him his life. But the guild decided to forgive him just once.” He chuckled. “He stopped being Datark and became the Senza you know now. Aren’t we quite merciful?”

“Now that I have been allowed to venture farther into the city on my own, I will keep that in mind.”

His smile grew wider. “Very intelligent… just like your mother.” He said in a soft chilling tone.

This is one reason why I am not fond of this handler.

“Right-… Since that incident, Senza has become easier to control. We also let him keep you as his successor. I think we are spoiling him a bit too much. We are not going to tolerate any more misconduct. That’s why… I’m going to let you know.”

He took out a small box; it looks like the ones that hold jewelries inside. He opened it making sure I can see clearly what was inside. It was a small device I have never seen before.

“We implanted a small transmitter in your body.” He said and then quickly closed the box.

“This small thing can track your whereabouts. It’s still a new invention, so there are very few of you who have it. Senza does not know about it either. We did it on our own for insurance.”

He does not want me to let master know about it either.

“You think I’ll run away?”

“We had cases.”

“I guess I can’t blame you. But I am very well aware of Master's circumstances now. He took care of me and I have only known this kind of life. I killed a friend and I did not feel bad about it. I was never taught to feel bad taking lives. Do you think someone like me could run away and live like a good citizen? Beyond the life of an assassin, there is no other place for me... You should be the one who knows it best. I'm going to make the same mistakes Master did.”

“You have a point.” He hid the box back in his pocket and then stood up. “Still, we’ll keep you as insurance… and maybe something like an experiment too.” He bowed and whispered, “For the guild’s future.” He turned his back and started to walk away. “I’ll be going first. You may take your time, sweetheart.”