Chapter 11- Shadows of the past

"Grandpa?"

"I'm here, Keith."

Keith climbed up to the rooftop of the house. His grandfather appeared to be drinking some of his homemade tea. Though every time Keith asked for it, his grandfather said he could have some when he was older. Keith was always confused by that. How could he be too young to drink tea?

"Come and sit with me for a few seconds."

Keith sat next to his grandfather. The view from the rooftop was a breathtaking spectacle. Upon first glance, the town was just like any other. People smiled and greeted each other on the streets, bars and restaurants bustled as businesses closed down for the day. Children ran around with carefree smiles on their faces.

"Keith, one day, this will all be yours," Shujin said.

"Everything the light touches?" Keith asked, with awe in his voice.

Shujin looked at Keith with horror on his face. "Good God, no! Do you realize just how preposterously huge that town would be? That's way too much work for one person to lead!"

Sighing, the old man sat down. He no longer had that fiery look in his eyes. Instead, he looked tired. Shujin gave Keith a medium-sized package that was gift-wrapped in red and black wrapping paper with a ribbon tied into a red bow on the top.

"The bow took me forever to make," Shujin grumbled.

"Thank you, Grandpa," Keith said, taking the present and hugging him.

"Alright, enough sappy stuff. Open the present already, squirt." Shujin said, trying to suppress a warm smile.

Keith ripped open the present, not bothering to take it apart from the sides. He couldn't wait to see what his grandfather had got him for his 12th birthday.

The box was empty except for a note inside. "Gotcha."

Keith groaned. "Grandpaaaa!"

Shujin was rolling on the tiles of the rooftop, cackling with laughter and clutching his stomach as he wheezed at his…hilarious…prank on Keith.

"Ok, ok. Hold on. Let me get your actual present." Shujin said, putting his hand through his shadow and pulling out another box, not covered in gift wrapping, most likely since Shujin got frustrated and gave up.

Keith opened the box, half expecting it to be empty once again. To his surprise, he found a bunch of items, with a black jacket on top.

Keith put on the jacket, the material reacting with his body, creating a cloud of shadows that clung onto him. Once he buttoned it up, the shadows went away.

"I made it myself. Do you want to know what the best part is? Since it's made out of shadow magic, it can automatically adjust its physical properties to match yours. Which means it'll never be too short as you grow older and you'll never need to go to that sleazy tailor down the street." Shujin said with a frown.

Keith tugged on the jacket as it adjusted itself to fit him. "I like it. It's cool!"

"I was planning to give it to your mom, but heaven knows where your parents are. Typical of them. Leaving their kid with me and making me take all the responsibility. Even though they know how much I hate responsibility." Shujin said.

"Mom was your daughter after all. Like father, like daughter." Keith said, attempting to cheer the old man up.

Shujin laughed, the smile returning to his face once more. "That's fair."

Keith felt his heartbeat in his throat as he rummaged through the other contents of the package.

A porcelain mask and a pair of gauntlets laid at the bottom. Keith immediately gave it back to his grandfather without another word.

"Keith…" Shujin sighed.

"I'm not ready yet. Please, grandpa."

"I know. I know."

The two sat in silence. The sun began to set on the town as Keith was anxious to hear what his grandfather would say next.

"Why do you want me to become the next leader? You're doing a pretty good job so far."

"I know you're not ready yet. The reason why I called you up here was to see if you changed your mind, not to make you the next leader immediately. You're only 12, for god's sake." Shujin said, standing up and dusting off his clothes.

"I don't think I'll ever change my mind, Grandpa. Leading them…it's a lot of work. I'll never be able to handle it." Keith said, scratching his arm.

Shujin looked at Keith with a very hesitant look, as if he was unsure if it was a good idea to tell the child at this point. He then took a deep breath and folded his arms as he stared at the beautiful bright flare of the sunset.

"I'm planning to disband the Assassins."

Keith looked up at his grandfather with disbelief. The fire had returned in the old man's eyes, who looked more determined than ever as half of his face was covered with the final rays of the sunset while the other half was covered in dark shadows as the night began to set in.

"Grandpa, I know I'm not going to change your mind. But why?" Keith asked.

The old man seemed surprised at first that Keith wanted to know more and didn't threaten to lock him up in some asylum for what he just said. After a brief pause, Shujin took Keith's hand and pointed towards the town below.

"What do you see, Keith?"

Keith looked at the town below. A man was greeting someone with a present hidden behind his back. A couple was sitting on a bench, both of them extremely happy as the girl gave a piece of pie to the man. A butcher came out from his shop, his vest and cleaver with red stains.

"I see our people," Keith said.

"Look closer and tell me what you see. The truth." Shujin said.

Keith watched as the man with the present opened it and pulled out a decapitated head, the eyes stuck in a lifeless stare. The other man accepted the head with glee and paid the man who gave the head a large sum of Bitma, thanking him for his services.

The girl jumped with glee as she had finally managed to trick her significant other into letting his guard down. Now, all she had to do was prepare for her wedding. She eagerly tied up the unconscious man, drugged by the piece of pie he had eaten.

The butcher headed back inside his shop after wiping his blade clean of the blood. Once he got inside, Keith could hear screaming and pleading before the butcher shop's windows were splattered with blood.

The rest of the townspeople were aware of all these incidents but walked by as if simply witnessing something that was a common occurrence.

Keith said nothing while his grandfather took another sip of his "tea".

"Somewhere along the line, we forgot that killing and death aren't things that people are supposed to get used to. Somewhere along the line, the Assassins forgot that we were supposed to be protectors. Not judge, jury and executioner."

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The old man knelt down, looking at Keith directly as he put his hand on the boy's shoulder. "Somewhere along the line, our people stopped being people."

"Why haven't you disbanded them already then? You should be able to. You're a part of the council." Keith said.

Shujin chuckled. "The council would rather sell every single grandmother in the town to the Elite Nobelists than give up on their outdated and idiotic teachings. Plus, the Assassins are Assassins. They won't give up their main source of income so easily."

Keith remembered Francy asking his grandfather what was the best and most useful lesson that the class could be taught.

"To decide when killing is necessary."

"I can't finish this on my own, Keith. I have laid out the foundation, but you must be the one to finish this, so our people can go back to living the way they want, without being subjugated to these traditions. You must be the one to make the final push." Shujin said, turning around. He thought he heard a noise.

Keith was lost in thought for a few minutes before he looked at his grandfather with a smile. "It would make me look bad if I didn't help an old grumpy grandpa, so I guess I'll help out."

Shujin patted Keith on the back with a laugh. "That's the spirit."

He gathered the porcelain mask and the gauntlets, dropping them into his shadow. They vanished without a trace. Shujin left the jacket, however, as it seemed the boy had taken a liking to it.

"When you're ready, you know where they are," Shujin said.

Keith nodded and hugged his grandfather. He climbed down the ladder and saw Francy awake in the kitchen.

"Hey," Keith said.

"Hey," Francy replied.

The two boys said nothing as Keith headed towards his room.

"What did you and Shujin talk about?" Francy asked, finally breaking the silence.

Keith didn't answer for a while. "About what's going to happen when I become the new leader of the Assassins."

"Oh," Francy said.

Keith opened the door to his room, about to close the door.

"Will we…will I lose my family?"

Keith looked at the brown-haired boy who looked so lost and unsure of what the future held. He had the same look on his face when Shujin brought him to the house for the first time as well.

"You won't. I promise." Keith said.

Francy looked at Keith, nodding with a weak smile. "Ok, I trust you."

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Psoli was not having a good day.

The Omada Platoon had spotted a group of Assassins chasing the fleeing villagers before the second wave had attacked. They were all experienced adventurers and fighters. So, while the Assassins were challenging to fight, the Omada Platoon emerged victorious in the end.

Until Drexler showed up.

The Assassin had swatted the armored knight aside like he was a fly, emerging from below Psoli and delivering an uppercut with terrifying force. Psoli managed to block the attack with his greatsword, but it still blew him off his feet.

"Psoli, are you ok?!" Liliana asked, holding a regen potion to the knight's lips.

Psoli coughed out blood and forced the potion down his throat. He couldn't feel his legs.

"Goldi, look out!"

Psoli heard a woman yell a warning at Felix before the blacksmith was flung through the air by Drexler. The Assassin was not holding back.

Yokubo shot her projectile towards Drexler, but the Assassin was able to deflect it with his claws easily. He disappeared into his shadow, reappearing behind Yokubo. She clashed with his claws at the last second using her knives. The metal between the two weapons collided, sparking in bright orange.

Enteico attempted to attack the Assassin from behind, but the Assassin did a back kick right into Enteico's chest before he could reach Drexler. It was just one man, but fighting against him was tougher than fighting 50 Assassins at once.

Drexler suddenly jerked his head sideways as Yokubo's projectile came back in an arc, aimed for Drexler's head.

Enteico grunted as he got back up to see Yokubo and Drexler fighting against each other, evenly matched in skill. The only problem was, Yokubo was exhausted. She could barely track Drexler's movements after fighting off the Assassins for nearly an entire night.

Enteico looked down at his sword. The weapon was emitting a bright cyan glow.

There was only one surefire way to stop Drexler. Enteico had to use the sword's Breakpoint.

But if he did that, he would lose his final chance at being able to fight for himself. He would lose the sword, along with his only chance at being able to pay off the debt, getting the shop rebuilt, or any chance of a good life later.

So, he had to choose between losing his life now or living one that was absolutely crap.

Well, at least I'll still be alive.

Enteico clutched his sword tighter as Drexler walked towards him, having knocked Yokubo unconscious. She had a bruise on her forehead and some cuts across her arm.

I need to get close so that I can use the sword's Breakpoint.

Enteico charged towards Drexler, but the Assassin sidestepped and tripped Enteico, laughing as the merchant fell into the mud beside Psoli.

"You want me? Come and get me!" Enteico said, his hands shaking as he held his sword tighter.

Drexler laughed maniacally. "You're really trying to play the hero, eh? Fine. I'll fulfill your dying wish. But I will warn you. I'm not like the other Assassins. I'm not here for the sword. I'm here to bring the traitor to his knees."

Enteico gulped as he heard those words. At least now he knew why they wanted him instead of Keith. They were after the mythical sword that he had.

Shame that they'll never get it.

If it were any other Assassin, Enteico knew he could have been able to negotiate with them. But not this one. Because Drexler was after Keith. He could just kill Enteico and Keith, then take the sword afterwards.

Drexler walked slowly towards him, his long claws scraping against the ground with an eerie screech. He seemed to be having fun toying with the merchant.

Enteico thrust his sword as Drexler came within his range but to no avail. The Assassin stepped aside and lightly cut Enteico on his arm.

He could have cleaved me in half! This asshole is totally messing with me!

Enteico tried again and again, but there was no point. Drexler was too fast to catch off-guard. The Assassin jumped out from behind Enteico, about to cross-slash the merchant, but Enteico managed to avoid the worst of the attack by transforming the sword into a shield.

"A fancy weapon you have there. I'll add it as a nice trophy on my wall." Drexler said, sharpening his claws.

"You can try! My arm's attached to it and it can never come off, sucker!" Enteico taunted.

Drexler paused before he chuckled darkly.

"Then I guess I'll have to take your arm off too."

Enteico dodged back as Drexler slashed out again, landing next to Psoli. None of his weapons were sturdy or strong enough to beat the Assassin. Unless…

The merchant saw Psoli's Villain Vanquisher greatsword next to a wounded Psoli on the ground. "Psoli, give me your sword," Enteico said, desperately.

"What? Are you insane? You're not even good enough to use it!" Liliana said, holding a cloth against Psoli's head.

"GIVE IT TO ME! NOW!" Enteico yelled as Drexler started to run towards Enteico with his claws scraping on the ground.

"Give it to him, Liliana!" Psoli commanded, his voice strained.

Liliana huffed angrily and threw the greatsword at Enteico. The merchant caught it by the blade instead of the handle, the metal cutting into his hands and drawing blood.

Enteico used the sword's hilt to slam aside Drexler's claws. His arms felt like they were about to rip themselves into shreds as he swung the sword awkwardly once more, missing Drexler completely.

Drexler laughed as he saw Enteico's feeble attempt to attack him.

"It's hilarious that you're the last one I have to fight. You're so weak."

Enteico dropped the sword to the ground with a clang. He couldn't hold it anymore. The mythical sword he had reappeared in his hand, glowing once more with a distorted light blue aura.

"Give up? I'm not surprised, considering…"

Drexler's words were cut short as he felt cold steel cut across his right cheek, barely missing his face. The Assassin immediately escaped by retreating into a nearby shadow, away from Enteico's attack range.

Enteico stood panting as the sword turned into a version similar to Psoli's Villain Vanquisher, now emanating a bright amount of distorted blue aura. The merchant had cut the porcelain mask's strap. The Assassin hadn't anticipated that the sword would change its length and properties.

It was hard for Enteico not to grin like a maniac. His hunch had paid off. The sword could transform into any weapon or item that he dealt damage with, even if the damage was to himself.

The sword began to slowly heal Enteico's cut hands with its blue aura. Taking a deep breath, Enteico charged at Drexler once again, the greatsword raised above his head.

Drexler swiped at Enteico's stomach but was blocked by the glowing blue shield that Enteico had, deflecting the claws downwards. The merchant rapidly kept changing weapons to keep the Assassin off-guard and hesitant to commit to any attack.

Enteico turned the sword into a broom and swept it across the ground, the sand getting into Drexler's eyes, stinging them and blurring his vision. All he could see was a flash of metal and heard the merchant's voice.

"Breakpoint!"

Drexler struck blindly towards the sound of Enteico's weapon near his head, successfully blocking it. Taking a moment to recover, he angrily blinked away the tears from his stinging eyes and walked towards Enteico.

Meanwhile, Enteico was surprised that the sword didn't do anything. His Breakpoint command didn't work. No matter how many times the command was said.

"Breakpoint! Breakpoint! Come on, WORK!"

Enteico yelled the command repeatedly and furiously, unaware of the claws about to puncture his back.

________________________________________________________________

Keith ran as fast as he could.

I should have known. I should have fucking known. Even Enteico with his three functioning brain cells could have put it together.

The Assassins weren't here for him, or the blades. They were here for an item.

Enteico's mythical weapon.

It should have clicked that up until a few days ago, the Assassins had no knowledge of Keith's presence in Spiti. There was no way they could have known he was at the shop, so the dead Assassin whose shadow they chased should have been there for a different reason.

Keith flung his briefcase at an Assassin about to kick him. The briefcase soared through the air and connected in the area between his legs with a crunch. The Assassin clutched the area where his testicles were, vomiting and groaning.

Jumping through shadows to quickly reach the area where the Moonlighter shop was while knocking out Assassins along the way trying to slow him down, he finally reached the area, though he was exhausted and running on fumes.

Keith saw dead and decapitated adventurers. He saw Yokubo and Felix knocked out. The Omada Platoon was nowhere to be seen.

Keith saw an Assassin with his claw blades through Enteico's chest, blood dripping from the merchant's body. The Assassin kicked Enteico off the blades and sharpened his claws against each other. The merchant didn't move or make a sound. His body laid still, motionless on the ground.

"Keith, so glad you could finally join your friends. In death." Drexler laughed.