Cherese stood motionless behind Pata, her target and one of the reasons she had come to this desolate village. The small dagger she concealed in her sleeve slid down her arm. Just another contract like so many before it, another Seedling from that organization, a criminal, a villain just like the rest. It was Cherese's duty to rid the world of such villains; that was the promise she made. She took a deep breath and steadied her nerves, knowing this was just another mission, another criminal to be taken down. The blade moved to her target's neck, but her shaking hands could not move to pierce the skin.

"I was wondering when you would get here," Pata said

Cherese stayed silent but tightened her grip when she saw her target's hand move toward the dagger, but to her surprise, instead of pulling the blade away, he pushed the blade into his neck, piercing the skin and letting the tiny green wisp of light float into the air around him.

"Are you having second thoughts now, Mother?" Pata asked

"... I am not your mother..."

"I know. You are just the one who gave me life, nothing else."

"..."

"Is it not funny how we ended like this 'Mother'? Who could have guessed that this is where our fates would bring us? Yet here we are! A dagger in hand and two crossing paths coming to a culmination where one lives and the other perishes. Ha! Honestly, I thought the roles would have been reversed, but I guess this is fate. This makes everything I have done feel vain. Is this really where everything ends? All I needed... wanted was to know why, but..."

***

Irmin sprinted tirelessly through the grasslands that surrounded the burning outpost. His chest heaved with exhaustion, and his clothes were torn and tattered. The heat of the rapidly spreading flames singed his skin, but he pressed on, determined to escape. His eyes darted frantically around, scanning for any signs of pursuit from the mad Shadow Race assassin. Despite his exhaustion and panic, Irmin knew that he had to keep moving if he wanted to survive.

Morin rose and set in a never-ending cycle, and the days stretched out before him like an endless spectrum, each one blurring into the next as he silently made his way on the secluded paths he had to take. His footsteps echoed in his ears as he walked, lost in thought. Despite his solitude, he remained resolute, determined to press on until he made his way to the Alchemic Territory, where he knew he would be safe. The closer he got, and with every challenge he faced, the more he would curse the Shadow Race assassin Strev with his entire being. Irmin thought of nothing more than the revenge he would get once he found them.

***

Alim sat comfortably under the shade of a small tree outside his new home. He fiddled with a stick, flicking it through his fingers - a habit he had developed from training with small blades and a nervous tick he now had. He could see Clover and Theo through the open window, and it seemed she was reading to the young boy again. It had been almost three years since he had been forced to leave his race after his assassination of Gran, and he had been living in Pilosophis for less than two months, and throughout that whole time, Theo still hated him.

Alim had put in his best effort to get closer to this child during their several months of travel to Pilosophis. However, the more he tried, the more the child turned away. He was unsure if it was due to stubbornness or childish pride. But that wasn't the worst part. The mother of that child kept laughing at his failure, which made the situation even more embarrassing.

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"Alim."

Alim turned when he heard his name called to see a figure wearing a plain white mask; his mood instantly deflated.

"You seem upset?"

"You're here."

"Ah, yes, I am. Here it is your next task."

"What is it."

The figure shrugged as they left.

Alim opened the letter and began to decipher its contents.

"Oh! Ooooohhhh! Well, I do not like this. And I need to leave immediately."

Alim entered the house quietly, not wanting to disturb the mother and son. He gathered his things and left without them noticing.

"Are you not going to say anything?" Clover asked as she spoke from behind Alim.

"Um, Do I need to?"

"Yes, although it may not be real, you are my husband and Theo's father. At least, that is the part that needs to be portrayed."

"And is, uh, a husband supposed to do something like that?"

Clover smoothed the collar of Alim's clothes as she shook her head at his disheveled appearance.

"Yes, just like it's the wife's job to make sure her husband does not look like this when he leaves."

"Oh..."

"Come back inside and change your clothes. There should be decent clothes in the trunk of your room, along with some light under armor that should help. You should bring some food; I made some jerky just in case something like this happened."

"You sound more like a mother than a wife."

Clover turned around and gave a sly smile to Theo, who was standing behind her. Theo, in turn, was glaring at Alim, who seemed to be the reason for Clover's smile.

"There is not much difference between a mother and a wife, just like a father and a husband. If you learn one, then you can do both. Keep that in mind, darling." Clover said, herding an angry Theo away.

Alim glanced at the angry child's glare before running upstairs to gather his belongings. This time, he said goodbye to the pair, but the child screamed as he pushed him out of the door.

"Sigh, I do not like being a father. When I return to the Shadow Race, I'm refusing to have children no matter what the lords say."

***

Desperate screams for help echoed through the cliffs as Alim sat by his campfire, seemingly oblivious to the commotion. He idly played with the flames, his gaze locked on the dancing embers. The screams grew louder, more urgent, but Alim continued to stare at the fire.

"HELP!"

Alim let out a sigh as he stood up, feeling frustrated. It seemed like the person he was sent to deal with was in a difficult situation. Although he had wished for this person to be dead, but the irony of his situation did not escape him.

"Annoying," Alim said

He walked to the cliff's edge, looking down at a man running from a small group of Asmurn. It seemed like the man had gotten lucky as the small group was made of Seven-colored Asmurn.

Asmurns are a common type of zero-star beast found all over Genisis. They all share one characteristic in common, which is their large hind legs that they use for running. However, the Seven Colored Asmurns that were chasing the man were a mutant breed only found near the Alchemic Race, and their strengths started around two-star, with the strongest recorded being five-star. These Asmurns were not named after their scales being myriad colors but because they could be born in seven different colors: red, yellow, blue, green, black, white, and brown. Each color created a different alchemic concoction from the sac located under their tongue that could be projected with high pressure using their tongues. One common trait that most who interact with these Seven Colored Asmurns document is that they are obnoxious and so territorial that if they notice something in their territory, they will chase it until it dies.

"Tedious! Why can this idiot not stay out of trouble? Sigh, Looks like there is only red, white, and green in the herd chasing him," Alim said