The morning in Edesa was nothing to be underestimated; despite it being September, the air was still boiling. The bright, harsh rays of sunlight burned all that dared to be underneath it. The only aid to the sweltering heat was the scattered shade from a few trees.

It was like the air itself was superheated. Gusts of hot wind blew past, leaving no mercy for those who wished to be cool.

Miyuki, unable to cope with this intense heat, opted to dove under a roof, this roof being the entrance to the Edesa farmer’s market.

“Thank god.” She sighed while looking around. She noticed a crate of glass cups filled with water. As she stared at the cups, her thirst only increased by the second. To her, the water looked as if a goddess had descended on her.

Underneath, the shade provided great relief from the sunrays, thus making it a great choice for many people taking a much-needed break. Two of these people taking a break from the sun were Miyuki and Itzozu.

Her lips parted with the glass cup; the refreshing cooling of water was now only a feeling. A small trickle of water fell from her lip down to the floor with a small splash.

Itzozu came running beneath the shade, holding a weird beige ball. This ball had dotted holes around it; there was a small slit that revealed a bright, orange interior.

“The hell is that?” Miyuki questioned it, giving it a small poke and realising how rough it was.

“Some kind of fruit. It looks like it’s been battle-hardened.” Itzozu started giving it a small twirl.

He grabbed a battle axe; its handle was made from dark wood and complimented the black steel for the blade. At the end of each was blue. Mimicking the spray of blood.

With a single, clean swing. The fruit fell into pieces. Revealing its shiny, orange nature. He carefully used his axe to cut a piece of flesh off and pop it into his mouth. Itzozu’s expressions turned from normal to a delighted face; his eyes closed, and a large smile creeped up. "Dee-lish,” beamed Itzozu while giving a massive smile.

“The taste is kind of sweet, like a hint of vanilla.” Itzozu explained.

Upon hearing those words, Miyuki jumped at the opportunity to take a bite, shoving her entire face into a piece of fruit. After a few satisfying chews, she had finished the fruit off. “Yeah. That’s good,” she confirmed, as if she didn’t just eat the entire fruit in a few seconds.

With a couple more sips of water, the both of them decided to venture out of the shade and into the burning outside.

“Tomorrow’s the day, huh?” mused Miyuki as she looked down, looking at each step she made. She let out a long sigh while melting in the sun. She shifted her gaze from the stone floor to the familiar red-haired guy.

Itzozu let out a small chuckle and looked back at her. His mind raced for a way to tease her, and after a second or two, he had found the perfect solution.

“You scared?” Itzozu asked, holding back a mountain of laughs.

Upon hearing Itzozu say that, Miyuki jumped back, her eyebrows furrowed as she let out a sigh of pure anger.

“Fuck no! I hope they trap us so I can off their heads!” She hissed, giving a maniacal laugh that invoked a slight fear in Itzozu.

“You’re insane,” stated Itzozu.

“Haha! I know, right?” revelled Miyuki. Believing that her borderline insanity was in fact a good thing. She looked as if she was crazy.

“That wasn’t a compliment,” muttered Itzozu.

“Fuck you.” Miyuki muttered back.

The two of them kept walking slowly through the street. As they made a left turn, they were relieved to realise that the tall buildings provided a great amount of shade. They both looked at each other and gave a thumbs up.

“Hm?” Itzozu wondered as they both walked past a weapons store. Inside the glass was an arsenal of various weapons, such as maces, rapiers, and greatswords. Itzozu wondered why Miyuki didn’t jump at the opportunity.

“They sell swords there, y'know?” Itzozu told Miyuki, thinking maybe Miyuki suddenly forgot halfway through walking.

“I know. I know. I’m not that dumb to buy more with... How little money we have” Miyuki articulated. She refused to look in the direction of the weapons store so as not to be tempted.

“Huh, I guess people can grow.” Itzozu laughed it off: Plus, I like this sword anyway.” Miyuki smiled.

She grips her sword sheath and unsheathes her sword. In an instant, she threw her sword out of the sheath and brought her sword to her eye level. Miyuki examined it, taking a look at its gold and blue hilt. With the deep silver metal blade.

As she examined each part of her blade, she noticed her own reflection in the blade. She looked away for a moment before putting it back into the sheath in one swift move.

“Well, anyway, I have my first mission; see you." Miyuki waved Itzozu off.

Itzozu watched as Miyuki began walking away; she continued walking down until she took a right turn and disappeared from his view.

2.

“Are you getting this, Miyuki?" A mysterious person was on the other side of the phone line. Their voice sounded like that of a female officer worker who was on their seventh cup of coffee.

"Yeah, yeah, you’re way too loud!.” Miyuki shouted while rubbing her ear.

Inside her ear was an earbud; it was matte black and had a red light that beeped every now and again.

“Well… Anyway!, I’m Phi. You're a contract provider! Your agent name is Serpent.” Phi informed Miyuki.

“And is there any reason you chose Serpent?” Miyuki asked, irritated by the fact her agent's name was Serpent.

“Not much I can say about the name now, sorry. Also, the pay. It depends; major jobs get paid out extremely well.” Phi ignored Miyuki’s request about the name.

“Alrightttyy, your target is Magnus Ørsen on the accounts of bribing officials, selling illegal guns, narcotics, and even selling company information. This guy’s done a lot. The contractors don’t want him spared.” Phi detailed the mission.

“We’ve pinpointed the target at the Elso Tavern, located three miles from the city centre; the map will be sent to you shortly. Good luck!”

She heard the beeps of the call disconnecting.

“So where’s this tavern then?” She wondered to herself.

Upon a quick examination of her surroundings, she was suddenly caught off guard by her phone buzzing. Quickly, she pulled it out of her pocket.

On the front screen was a notification from an anonymous contact; after she opened the message, it revealed the location of the tavern and also the live location of Magnus. “Saves me the trouble,” Miyuki muttered.

After a brief moment of walking, she reached the location of the tavern. It was made from wood and stone, with a massive difference between the wood and stone compared to the surrounding buildings made from glass and metal.

Above the entrance door was a large sign that was lit up; it displayed “Elso Tavern, the best place to stay!” Miyuki slowly steps into the tavern.

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The door gave a loud chime as she pushed it open. She felt a cold sweat drip as everyone’s gaze darted straight towards her, like it was a Wild West movie. Miyuki clutched her sheath as she stepped inside.

Each step that was made creaked against the old wooden floor; the ceiling was quite low, considering how short Miyuki was. After a few more steps, she made it to the bartender. Intending to see if she can get some information from him.

“Looking for someone; their name is Magnus,” Miyuki asks the bartender.

The bartender was a tall man with tattoos darted across his face. They gave him a menacing look before averting their gaze. "I, uh, have no clue who that is.” The bartender stated, though from the lack of eye contact, Miyuki realised he was hiding something.

“Goddamn it,” she thought while looking around. Her thirst from walking in the sun had caught up to her. She hesitated for a moment before grabbing the attention of the bartender.

“One beer, sir.” She asked the bartender. The bartender looked at her for a moment, as if to judge whether he was going to ask for an ID.

The bartender gave a little nod before turning around and flicking the tap on, filling the cup with a dandelion-like colour with a thick layer of foam on top. “...Do I look old…?” Miyuki wondered, and her worries quickly dissipated when the bartender slid the jug of beer to her.

She handed him a couple of silver coins, and he happily accepted them.

She held the jug of beer up to her head, comparing the massive jug of beer to the size of her head. It was, in fact, bigger than her head. She took a deep breath before putting the jug up to her lips and lifting it up. Within a few seconds, the entire jug was empty. She slammed into the table and then stood up, continuing her mission.

“So Magnus-” Someone in the back of the tavern had loudly mentioned Magnus and caught the attention of Miyuki.

She rushed towards the location of the person; they were behind a locked door. Miyuki held her ear to the old wooden door.

“-the deal with Sectaris?”

“Yeah. It was 500 star coins. It took a while to negotiate.”

Miyuki ran her fingers up the door and realised this door was flimsy. She rested her foot on the door and then, with all her strength, kicked it. The door flew open, revealing a back room filled with shelves and another door that led to a couple of offices. The people inside were someone who fit the description of Magnus and another person who quickly fled.

“There you are, Magnus.” She smiled as she held her sword directly in front of him, her stern expression sent shivers down his spine, wondering who this woman was and why she was so angry.

He called security, and they came rushing over, with a quick unsheath of her sword, the moment they were about to grab her. They were sliced into two.

Then she threw her sword into the chest of Magnus, and he screamed in horror as he desperately clawed away while Miyuki approached him, dragging him as she punched his head in, killing him.

She got off of him, her hands coated in a thin layer of blood that dripped down from her hands, and a sadistic smile crossed her face. “Mission Complete.” quickly, she ran out of the building, not before passing the bar one last time and swiping a drink from the cabinet.

"Ah, congratulations! Your first mission went quickly and smoothly, a perfect core principle. We’ll be in touch soon. Oh yeah, and your payment is directly added to your account.” Phi giggled.

After a long day, it was now 9 p.m. Miyuki arrived back at the terrible apartment and sat down on a dirty couch, not caring about filth or dirt. She struggled to keep her eyes open, and she slowly dozed off.

3.

Asher and Elijah were walking down the streets at night. The vibrant city life was unlike what they had seen. The bright neon lights on every building and the dozens of people that surrounded them. The nightlife of the capital was not to be underestimated.

Each step they took echoed around as they looked at each passing shop. They passed by all different types, such as weapon shops, book stores, and convenience stores.

They passed by a restaurant and were captured by the aromas. It was a combination of meat, garlic, and onions. For a moment, they stopped walking to look at the restaurant.

The restaurant had a purple and silver exterior with two large pillars that spiralled by the entrance like a Greek monument. The outside of the restaurant was also dotted with several large windows that had stained glass images of noble people from Edessa.

Elijah heard his stomach growl and looked down. He pondered for a moment before deciding to ask Asher.

“Want to eat here?” Elijah asked.

“Do we even have the money for a fancy restaurant??” Asher wondered.

“Do you want to or not?” Elijah sighed.

"Well, if you want a date with me so badly!” Asher laughed while walking forward. Leaving Elijah irritated.

“I swear.” He muttered to himself before stepping inside.

The interior of the restaurant was grandiose; the floor was made from marble, and massive chandeliers of gold were hanging from the roof.

As they sat down at one of the fine wooden tables, Elijah was quick to open the menu. His eyes darted between each of the menu items written in cursive. “How the hell do I read any of this?” Elijah complained.

Without giving much time for Asher and Elijah to decide what to order, the waitress came towards the table with a notepad and pencil in her hands. The waitress wore a long black dress with a white ribbon tied around it.

“How may I take your order?” She asked it with a gleeful smile.

“Uh. I’ll have a burger.” Elijah hesitated, not knowing if a burger was even on the menu. The waiter gave a look of slight disapproval before looking at Asher.

“I’ll just have the same.” Asher replied.

“Tomorrow’s the big day! We either get to eat tasty food with the richest people in the world or...

“We have a fucking bullet put through our skull,” Elijah added.

“I guess you’re right!” Asher played it off.

After some time of waiting, the waitress came back out and gave them both a plate. On the plate was a giant burger without the bun; it had onions, garlic, and mushrooms garnished on top. Elijah grabbed his fork and dug in.

Their conversations fell silent while they enjoyed their meals; they only started talking again after paying and leaving the restaurant.

“Six GOLD COINS for two burgers is ridiculous. AND WITHOUT the buns!” Elijah huffed, resorting to kicking a piece of trash onto the road and watching it be run over by a car.

“Yeah! That place SUCKS." Asher agreed with Elijah.

The two of them kept walking down the street when it started raining. It went from a slight drizzle to a downpour, soaking both Asher and Elijah. “Great.” Elijah sighed.

Quickly, they started running down the streets in an attempt to quickly get home, but they quickly came to terms that this rain would not relent and their apartment was still far away. Instead, they took refuge underneath a roof.

It was quiet. The only noise was the drumming of rain splashing against the cold floor. It clattered against the steel roofs and rocks. The warm breaths of Elijah and Asher. The roaring rain gave an earthy smell to the streets and was combined with the smells of restaurants and street food.

“It’s cold.” Asher shivered.

Elijah brought a cigarette to his mouth and lit it up, feeling the warmth sweep over him like the heat was embracing him. He looked out to the street,

Dozens of cars beeped their horns as traffic moved throughout the city. The bright lights of the nightscape reflected on the cars and puddles that formed below. Inside one of them, he could see his reflection.

“This is city life, huh?” He muttered out loud, catching the attention of Asher.

“Much more busy than our town!” Asher laughed.

“Sure is. More scams too!” Elijah bantered.

“I still think life in our old town was better.” Asher confided. It looked like he was about to add something else, but he chose not to. Instead, he just remained looking at the night sky. It was pitch black, with stars and galaxies dotted all around. It was a beautiful sight to see.

“Hey, Asher, wait out here for a second,” Elijah told Asher. Not giving him a single second to respond, Asher watched as the brown-haired guy ran in the opposite direction of the apartment. “It’s still raining,” he muttered.

Asher waited for what felt like ages, so long that the rain had eventually cleared up, now returning to a light drizzle. He looked up as he heard the pitter-patter of raindrops hitting the roof.

“Oh?” Asher muttered while seeing Elijah turn a sharp corner and run back.

Elijah’s clothes were drenched. His blue and gold jacket had formed a tight bond around his skin. His brown hair had fallen into what could be summed up as ‘looking like a mop’

After a brief moment of running, Elijah eventually came back under the shelter of the roof, taking a breather. His breaths slowly slowed and returned to normal.

“Where were you??” Asher questioned Elijah while poking his chest.

“Somewhere… Unimportant?” Elijah hesitated.

Asher and Elijah continue walking down the street. They look up at the night sky with all the stars.

“Asher.” Elijah firmly stated.

“Hmm?” Asher inquired.

“It’s your birthday today.” Elijah gave a subtle hint.

“Oh yeah! I forgot it was September 22nd!” Asher chirped.

“I spent a while thinking of what to get you. And your hairclips look pretty old.” Elijah faltered with his words. He took a long sigh and then held out a small yellow bag.

“So here.”

“HUUH??” Asher shouted in shock.

Elijah hands the bag to Asher; he happily accepts the bag, holding it with both of his hands. Asher took a peek inside; his eyes looked as if they were shining.

He pulled out a pair of shiny, gold hair clips.

“Heh. I love them.” Asher resounded.

Asher smiled as he undid his current hairclips, letting his long hair flow down, which left Elijah shocked.

“Let’s do our best tomorrow!”

“Let’s do it.”