"You're not going to get away with this."

Noir quickly got up from the chair and pulled back the curtains of the only window in the room to get a full view of the city. The clinic was located in the same area as the kingdom's castle, so he could see every district and neighbourhood from there. The skies were black as usual, and the cold was bone-chilling. The city was engulfed in an eternal rain that seemed to herald an era of death and desolation.

"You cannot hide. William DeLoire's death is only the beginning. No criminal will be safe as long as I'm alive."

"What are you saying, Noir?" Evie wanted to get up and watch the same gloomy landscape Noir was watching, but her limited mobility only allowed her to appreciate his stoic face. Noir didn't respond and closed the windows once he made the decision to go to the Recon guild. To bid farewell, he walked over to Evie and caressed her hair. "Noir...?"

"I'll be back in a couple of days. Wayne will take care of you and take you home when you're better. I love you, Evie."

Noir snatched a kiss from her. Seeing that he was leaving, Evie reached out an arm and exclaimed the boy's name, but he didn't look back. The young man left the room as quickly as possible so that his feelings for Evie wouldn't hinder his mission. All he could think of was revenge. The person he loved most had been hurt. He hadn't sacrificed his youth, his comfort and his sanity to have his family trampled on by strangers. He would not allow it.

"You've seen what that lifestyle does to your loved ones. Don't you think it's a good time to leave that damn guild and go back to your old life?"

Wayne sat with his arms crossed on the same bench Noir had been waiting on. His droopy lips and somber gaze made it very clear that he was not happy with the situation. The boy stopped and said nothing, just took a seat next to him. Anything he said would be used against him, so he preferred to remain silent.

"You haven't answered me. What do you plan to do now?"

"What anyone would do. Even what you would do. I'm going to find those bastards and I'm going to kill them. I'm sure Wolf and the others will help me." Wayne maintained his look of indifference. He didn't need to speak for Noir to realise that he disagreed. "You judge me with your silence and question me with your stare, but deep down you know it's the right thing to do."

"My wife died because I took the law into my own hands. Do you really think I'm going to agree?" Wayne couldn't stand to be close to Noir. He abandoned the bench and left Amelia's portrait on it for Noir to remember. "There's my biggest mistake. Ever since I lost Amelia you were my only reason for living. I tried hard to make an honest and kind man out of you. I managed to keep you free of bad influences for a while, but Castiel came along and... you were too special to be an ordinary boy. Since then, I haven't been able to do anything. It's been four years that I've had to watch your smile fade, your innocence die, and you become a completely different person. Is this a good thing, Noir? Is this whole situation good for us? Are you really happy with the decisions you've made?"

Try as he might, the words would not come out of Noir's mouth. There was no reason enough to justify everything that had happened. Evie's wounds were caused by thugs, but he was the one primarily responsible. "I... I know things will go back to the way they were. I just have to finish what I started. Killing those criminals will solve everything."

A silence that stretched on for far too long distanced father and son even more. Wayne picked up the portrait and headed for Evie's room. Noir was tired of those ambiguous silences and being constantly questioned, so he stood up and stopped the arm his father was gripping the doorknob with. Instead of the sigh and smile he usually gave him, Wayne shoved him and sent him to the floor.

"Wayne..." Noir leaned on the bench to get to his feet. "Why did you do that?"

"You're asking me? You made a decision. Accept the consequences and stand up. You said you would finish those criminals, didn't you? Go forward to the end of this and destroy your life, if that's what you want. I'll take care of Evie."

Wayne closed the door aggressively, leaving Noir behind. The boy's eyes stared into nothingness. No matter how hard he tried to understand his father's attitude, his emotions overshadowed his reasoning. Anger, sadness, uncertainty, disappointment, fear... No emotion predominated over the other. But lying on the floor wouldn't solve anything. He got up again, even if the pain of being rejected by his own father weakened him. He walked towards the exit and headed for the mercenary guild, where he would look for the only ones he could trust now.

"I will not forgive you... Damned nobles... I'm not the one who should be punished! The criminals crawling beneath us are the root of all our troubles! I'll crush those cockroaches myself!"

Stolen novel; please report.

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In the present. They are all seated at the round table.

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"She said they looked like nobles. They wore expensive clothes and hid under paper masks. Also, because of their strong accents, it is possible that they come from Laffrith. They were five people, one of whom was a woman. They are extremely violent, and it is obvious that this attack was to get my attention. Wolf, listen to this. Those thugs wore the badges of William's organisation. They showed it to Evie so she could remember it. It's clear they've found us and want revenge for DeLoire's death."

"Yes, it would seem so..." Wolf wiped the sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief. His eyebrows kept twitching. His eyes were teary and his heart was pounding so hard that it barely resisted inside his chest. Cerberus and Jane looked at each other as they saw that Wolf, the most serene man they had ever known, was visibly frightened. Most worrying of all, they didn't know why.

"Are you all right, brother? Has the illness worsened?" Cerberus asked. Wolf came to when the pyromancer spoke to him, but he was so disoriented that it took him a while to understand what he had said.

"Yes, yes... I'm fine."

A breath of air was enough to calm Wolf's fear temporarily. He managed to reach the scarlet letter that had given him so many headaches over the past few days. He carefully broke the wax that sealed the letter and pulled out the small piece of paper it contained. He dared not read a word of what was written, and instead left it on the round table next to the contract. His hands rested on the table and his back bowed slightly to put more emphasis on what he was about to say.

"Continuing with the details Noir has given us about the incident, this is the description of the third mission. It says that the sawmill of the city has been suffering from constant attacks by a gang of thugs of no more than five members. They are mostly engaged in burning the lumber reserves, but they have also claimed the lives of some people by burning down houses in the area. They think it's an organised gang, because of their distinctive features never seen in other criminals." Wolf swallowed and looked the other founders straight in the eye. "This means we were wrong! We are not being pursued by them, but by William's organisation. I'm more than sure that the red letters are just a resemblance. The person who left this mission wanted to make sure the problem would be solved as soon as possible and that's why they distributed the same mission throughout the kingdoms. It makes sense, William's organisation can destroy a population very quickly. But it's not something we should run away from. On the contrary, we should wipe out William's followers once and for all. Don't you see? We are more clever than they are."

"But that is only a hypothesis. Besides, it doesn't explain how they knew Evie is the girlfriend of one of our members. Wolf... You should read the letter." Cerberus demanded, more serious than usual. Wolf let out a nervous laugh and nodded with some hesitation.

"I will, but first we should finish what we were discussing. This mission might be a good opportunity!" Wolf walked over to where Noir was sitting to put both hands on his shoulders and show him a friendly smile. "I don't mean to scare you with what I'm about to say, but it's something all of us founding members agree on. Your actions have not been the most correct lately, and you have neglected your anonymity when it comes to killing your targets. I have no complaints against you, you are the best when it comes to killing someone, but your carelessness puts us all in danger. This is the first proof I have."

Wolf showed him the anaesthetic darts. Noir couldn't let the air out of his lungs as he remembered the mission Jane had given him some time ago. "Yes... Jane tasked me with carrying those darts. I probably dropped them when I lost control of my powers and went after Regin. I... I'm sorry, Wolf. I swear it won't happen again. It was a very big mistake on my part."

"We're not done yet." Cerberus placed his elbows on the table with his arms crossed. His sharp eyes were able to see the fear Noir had for him. "You are a demon, Noir. Your greatest fear has come true. You are a threat to us. You do not know how to control your powers and every mission ends with more blood than necessary. The traces your powers leave behind will one day be our ruin."

Noir's heart sped up in a few seconds. Wolf pulled his hands away and stepped away from the table. The young man sought Jane's support with his desperate eyes, but she looked away. Cerberus' words were everyone's words. "I... What can I do to fix it...? Please, I don't want it to end like this. There should be something I can do."

Wolf turned his back to the mercenaries and passed his right hand over one of the armrests of his throne. "Jane, Cerberus, I want to speak to our companion alone. I have a proposition for him. It will only take a few minutes."

The pyromancer narrowed his eyes, thinking carefully about what Wolf was planning. Jane, on the other hand, didn't think twice and retreated to the next room. Cerberus eventually did the same, but not before giving the leader a warning glance. Now the only ones left in the meeting room were Wolf and Noir, each sitting at one end of the table.

"They don't trust you as much as I do. Cerberus thought it would be a good idea to kill you, while Jane proposed expelling you from the guild. But I have another idea." His index finger pointed to the contract of the last mission. "You and I will carry out that mission to prove you are worthy of staying with us and to destroy William's legacy once and for all. The thugs who beat up Evie are the same ones who are attacking that sawmill, I have no doubt about it. This is our chance to exact revenge on those who have poisoned this precious city, Noir! All our struggles make more sense now. Believe me, I am as afflicted as you are. Those bastards have underestimated the power of true justice. This is as personal for you as it is for me."

"Wolf..." Noir cried like he hadn't in a long time. Wolf smiled slightly and gave him a hug. "Thank you for believing in me... I swear I won't fail you."

"I know you won't. You're my greatest hope." Wolf turned his head quickly as he heard the door connecting to the other room open. Jane and Cerberus peeked their faces out slightly to check that all was well. "Don't worry, we've fixed it. You can take the day off, Noir and I will take care of the mission."

Jane raised an eyebrow at such a statement. "Just two people? We've always done missions with four or more members. Besides, in your condition... Wolf, what are you even thinking about?"

"Nothing, Jane! Noir is capable of doing the work of three people. As for me..." Wolf unsheathed his rapier before Jane's eyes even saw it. The leader's weapon hung suspended near the woman's face. "I'm much better than before. I've regained my speed, I just lack some strength. But for that I already have Noir."

"That's right, I'll take care of everything. I'll prove that I can be a good mercenary." While saying that, Noir's gaze shifted to Cerberus. For some reason, the pyromancer felt a great current of hatred going towards him. "Well, I think we should leave now. Wolf?"

"You first, my dear friend." Jane blocked their path to stop Noir from leaving the guild, but Wolf stepped between them and grabbed her kindly by the chin. "I am the leader, Jane, and therefore you must obey my orders. Believe me, you could use some rest. You've been... soft lately."

"What...?" Noir and Wolf left her behind without her being able to do or say anything. Wolf smiled at her one last time before closing the door behind them, but that smile was different from others. Beneath the beauty of his lips was a silent voice that sang out victory. Jane and Cerberus looked at each other without understanding anything at all. "What are we going to do?"

Cerberus frowned and picked up two swords for both himself and the young woman. "We're going to follow them closely. I know Abraham very well, and I know he's not telling the whole truth."