Deep in the folds of night, inside a lavish brothel, a man moaned to the sounds of flesh being whipped.

“You like that don’t you?” cooed a pretty, semi-nude girl wearing only a garter belt and black felt stockings. At first glance, one could tell the red-haired girl was no more than sixteen, hardly the age to be working in such an occupation. But what a first glance couldn’t tell you was that Yuna was a trained assassin, the product of a flourishing underground criminal society at the heart of Jandar, the royal capital.

“Ahh, yes, please mistress, some more,” the man panted, a look of euphoria plastered on his face. There was brief look of disgust on Yuna’s face, but remembering her job, she quickly licked her lips and dropped the feather whip in her hands. The man was lost too far in the moment to catch the pretense behind her facade.

In all honesty, Yuna could hardly believe her luck. The man kneeling on the ground, fully nude and in bondage, was one of the eight great Maladars, criminal bosses of the highest order in Jandar. Who would've thought he had a fetish for dominatrices and young redheads. When Yuna had first been given her mark, she despaired since the man would have been impossible to approach by normal means.

“How would you like a taste of this…?”

Yuna sensually reached down her crotch and traced a finger up her heavenly crevice, prompting the crime lord to salivate with glee.

“Yes, mistress. Please…”

There was a primal look in his eyes, a type of lust that couldn’t quite be explained in words. Yuna rolled her eyes. Most men were stupid, thinking only with their dicks. But thank god for them, or she’d be out of job fairly quickly.

Even though she was pretty sure she had him in the palm of her hands, Yuna knew better than to relax her guard at this crucial moment, lest she ruin six months of preparation. He was a Maladar after all, and people like him reached that position of power by being wary of everything. To make matters more complicated, there was a bodyguard in the same room, albeit he was likely too distracted by her naked torso to realize just how much danger his boss was in.

She let the Maladar lick her feet and work his way up. A small calculated moan escaped her as she caressed his hair. The man’s fate was sealed the moment he buried his face between her thighs.

In one swift motion she released a hairpin and stabbed it into the man’s nape. He stiffened and tried to struggle, but the ropes binding his arms and the toxin on the hairpin prevented him from doing anything. To muffle any excess sound, she pressed his head against her crotch.

“Quite a romantic death, I daresay,” the wicked thought crossed Yuna’s mind. She pursed her lips, a look that would have melted many hearts.

When the Maladar stopped fidgeting, she let him slump onto the ground. Knowing time was of the essence, Yuna whipped around just as the bodyguard noticed something was wrong.

“Hey, wha…” The bodyguard stopped mid sentence, surprise written all over his face when he noticed a thin dart protruding from his forehead. He dropped to the ground with a thud that was much louder than Yuna anticipated, prompting the guards outside to begin banging on the door and asking if everything was alright.

Yuna had only enough time to don her dominatrix costume before the doors were busted open with magic.

“Aww, fuck,” Yuna thought, recognizing that a direct fight was disadvantageous. She didn’t have her weapons on her, save for a few darts that wouldn’t work without the element of surprise.

“What’s going on?” a particularly menacing man questioned her. Yuna knew him by the nasty scar running down his left cheek, Dimitraus the Brutalizer, who had single handedly massacred a squadron of mage-warriors protecting the late crown princess. This man was dangerous.

It didn’t take Dimitraus long to piece together what had happened.

“You’ve got a lot of guts for murdering Maladar Febbuci. By tonight’s end you’ll regret every moment of your existence,” he growled. Dimitraus signaled the others to surround Yuna.

Not giving them the opportunity to cut off her escape, she crashed through the nearest window, falling from the height of four stories along with shattered glass. It was a desperate attempt and not one of Yuna’s finest moments. From this height, she’d likely break a leg or even snap her neck. Incredibly, it seemed Lady Luck was on her side. She managed to land onto the awning of a nearby stall, which broke most of her fall.

Yuna forced herself up, grimacing in pain. Right now adrenaline was the only thing that would keep her alive. From her peripheral vision, she noticed Dimitraus had jumped down as well with relative ease.

“Shit, he knows body enhancement magic,” cursed Yuna. Just when she thought luck was favoring her tonight.

Yuna ran for her life, hoping to find refuge in the winding alleys and nooks of Jandar’s slums where the brothel was situated. Left, right, right, left - a sequence of turns through the narrow streets in an attempt to throw Dimitraus off her trail. She hadn’t felt the need to run like this since she was seven, working the slums as a pocket thief. However, despite Yuna’s intimate knowledge of the neighborhood, she could barely maintain distance from her pursuer. Instead, she had the feeling he was slowly gaining on her.

“When your opponent thinks he has the upper hand he is actually at his most vulnerable.” Yuna recalled a quote from one of Master Icarus’ lessons. Her training kicked into gear, calming her down. As she sped through familiar territory in the dead of night, she racked her brain for a solution.

“Play to your strengths, girl. I’m more knowledgeable about the surrounding area, and I operate best in the dark. Now where should I go?” Yuna deliberated. “Wait, isn’t there an abandoned warehouse nearby. Maybe I can set up an ambush there.”

In that split moment, Yuna made a decision that changed her future in ways she could’ve never foreseen. Had she simply chosen to prolong the chase, Dimitraus would have called it quits not long after. He owed a debt of servitude to Maladar Febbuci, but once the man had died, Dimitraus was effectively freed and had no obligations to avenge his former master. He simply put on a show for the others to avoid ruining his reputation and future job prospects.

Unbeknownst to Yuna and Dimitraus, a figure stood high above in the air observing their game of cat and mouse. The mysterious individual wore large spectacles and a rusty coat, which fluttered gently in the wind. When Yuna made a turn towards the abandoned warehouse, Ren grinned. It seemed Lady Fate had brought them together whether she knew it or not.

A second figure, bald and wearing a fashionable suit, apparated besides the levitating Ren.

“Andaleus, what’s for dinner tonight?”

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

The bald man, named Andaleus, bowed his head and replied, “Your favorite, my Lord. Hand pulled noodle soup, compliments of Chef Kai.”

“Excellent, tonight’s just getting better and better. Thank you, Andaleus.” The middle-aged man bowed his head again and blinked out of view.

Ren weaved his fingers together and cracked his knuckles. “Time to make my entrance soon.”

“Steady girl, steady,” Yuna told herself as she began regulating her breathing. She was hanging from one of the iron beams above, waiting for the right time to get a jump on Dimitraus. There was only one chance to incapacitate him, and if she failed, it would likely spell her demise. In a head-to-head confrontation, Yuna had no assurance she’d come out on top.

Dimitraus carefully stepped inside the dim-lighted warehouse.

“Typical of an assassin to hide in the shadows,” he scoffed, sniffing at his distaste for the occupation. They were weaklings who could only kill using tricks and deception. If he wanted to get this done and over with, he needed to spring whatever trap the girl had in store.

“Incendar,” Dimitraus muttered. A ball of fire burned above his left hand, providing a measurable amount of light for him to see.

“Come out kitty, kitty. Come out, wherever you are. I promise I’ll make it quick and painless,” Dimitraus taunted. As he maneuvered past dusty shelves and rusted equipment, he made sure to strengthen his body with magic and protect his vital organs. As long as he could survive the initial attack, he could easily subdue the girl.

Yuna held her breath, waiting for the perfect moment. “Just a little bit more, just a little bit more.”

When Dimitraus walked into her desired spot, she lashed out like a panther going in for the kill, deadly and efficient. Two darts pierced downwards through the darkness and towards Dimitraus, who instinctively looked up and tried to shield himself. One bounced harmlessly off his enhanced arm, but the other was true and found its mark. A one in a million shot.

“Arghhh,” Dimitraus screamed and knelt to the ground. It was an ugly sight - blood oozed out of his right pupil where Yuna’s second dart had inserted itself. Taking no chances, Yuna dropped down and rushed towards the man, kicking him in the chest and sending him sprawling across the floor. It was actually unnecessary since the toxin in the dart would soon overtake his nervous system and send him into shock. However, fuck necessity. Yuna wanted to make a statement.

“I dare you call me ‘kitty’ one more time,” Yuna retorted. After hearing a muffled response from Dimitraus, she laughed. “Hmm? I didn’t hear you? This kitty’s got your tongue?” she mocked.

“I said shut the fuck up, bitch!” Dimitraus yelled, getting up on one knee.

“Fuck, what!?? How are you able to move?” she gasped. The tips of her darts were soaked in a concentrated solution of Nitonian just this morning. A drip of the toxin was enough to kill a fully grown man.

“You’re gonna fucking pay for taking out my eye. Shit, it was my good one too.”

What happened next was outside of Yuna’s expectations. Had she known how Dimitraus managed to slay dozens of royal mage-warriors, she would’ve thought twice about vexing the man.

Lifting his palm towards the girl, Dimitraus began uttering an ancient language. His hand glowed, sending forth a concussive shockblast that sent Yuna rocking off her feet and into an empty shelf.

The spell instantly shattered half of her ribs. It was too fast, unlike any offensive spell she’d ever seen.

“I hope you didn’t die yet. I made sure to limit the damage,” said Dimitraus who walked over to inspect Yuna’s condition. “Good still alive.”

“You basta…,” Yuna coughed. Her body hurt like hell. Not only did she have broken ribs, her right collar bone had snapped from the impact. The situation was looking pretty grim.

Dimitraus roared with laughter.

“You got spirit girl, I’ll give you that. It’ll make breaking you all the more pleasant.”

With a single hand Dimitraus lifted Yuna off the floor by the neck. Yuna’s limbs flailed about helplessly in response to the constriction of air. Noticing that she was about to lose consciousness after some time, Dimitraus relaxed his grip and slammed her back into the ground like an angry toddler abusing a toy doll. A normal human, subject to such torment, would have already fainted; however, Yuna was a trained assassin and had a much higher tolerance for pain, which made this ordeal all the worse.

He sat on top of Yuna and pinned both of her hands above her head, fully aware that doing so would inflict tremendous pain due to her fractured clavicle.

Dimitraus hovered near Yuna’s ear and whispered, “Do you know why they call me the Brutalizer? That’s because I excel at causing maximum pain, so I hope you survive long enough to appreciate my art.”

Yuna, not giving him the satisfaction of seeing her fear, spat in his face, which she soon regretted as the act caused pain from her broken ribs to radiate throughout her body.

Dimitraus slowly wiped off the spit that had mixed with blood leaking from his injured eye. He then placed his hand on the girl’s toned belly, causing her to recoil from the touch.

“Normally with pretty girls, I fuck them raw before I kill them, but you’re gonna be an exception. You’ve royally pissed me off tonight.”

He began punching her in the abdomen - once, twice, thrice...each time a little harder than the last. The ancient Mavelians called the torture method ‘death by repeat trauma.’ It involved using a type of punching technique that radiated the damage into an opponent's internal organs. After enough successive punches, the opponent’s innards would turn into mush.

Yuna screamed and screamed. The pain was too much, yet she forced herself to stay conscious. Given her injuries, if she fainted now, there was a good chance she’d never wake up again.

“I can’t die here, not now. I made a promise to her. Please God, please anyone…,” Yuna prayed silently, tears rolling down her eyes.

“Yes, I love tears. They’re delicious, absolutely delicious,” Dimitraus roared maniacally. He was far too preoccupied to notice a man approaching from behind.

“Alright I’ve had enough, you sick fuck,” said Ren, spooking Dimitraus.

Dimitraus swung around and looked blankly at the intruder. He was half-expecting another assassin to arrive, but the newcomer looked more ready to crack open a book than to crack open skulls.

“Who the fu…” Before Dimitraus could finish question, he was flung across the whole length of the warehouse, leaving behind a trail of wreckage as he flew through shelves and equipment and walls. The man was unconscious long before he finally barreled through one of the warehouse’s exterior walls.

“Dimitraus is alive, my Lord,” commented Andaleus. “Allow me to end him. You needn’t dirty your hands with such trivial tasks.”

“No. He still has a part to play before the end,” replied Ren, his eyes looking a bit distant.

Ren knelt beside the dying girl and held her hand.

“It’s going to be okay,” he whispered gently.

Due to the extent of her wounds, the life in Yuna’s body was quickly extinguishing. Blood gushed profusely out of her mouth. The girl was only alive because of her sheer unwillingness to die. Unfortunately, no amount willpower could save her from the gravity of her injuries, so after a moment of struggle, Yuna breathed her last, ending the pain she had been enduring.

It seemed to Ren that the fate of mortals was rather tragic. Their existences were brittle, easily broken under the weight of inevitability. At the same time though, he admired them for their ability to hang on to hope despite the crappy hands they were dealt.

“May I ask, my Lord, why you allowed the girl to suffer if you were planning to save her all along?” inquired Andaleus.

“Haven’t you heard of the saying, ‘what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger’? This experience will change her for the better.”

Andaleus declined to press further. Having followed his master for eons, he had learned that Ren saw the bigger picture, perhaps a picture no one else in the multiverse could see.

Ren placed a hand on Yuna’s cheek. The moment his fingers made contact with her skin, the girl’s lifeless body miraculously regained its vigor. All the visible wounds on her body disappeared, replaced with unblemished skin. In fact, there was something different about Yuna - she now possessed a certain divine aura that was not present before. Ren carried the girl in his arms as if she weighed nothing and walked out of the warehouse and into the moonlight.

“What’s her role in all of this?” Andaleus asked, curious at the way his master treated this girl. He had never seen Ren bridal carry a female. He could only imagine how many people would seethe with jealousy if they saw this sight - goddesses, angels, empresses, and even Lady Fate.

“A very important one, Andaleus, a very important one.” With that said, Ren disappeared into thin air with Yuna in his arms, leaving Andaleus standing there stunned. His master’s answer was cryptic as always.

Andaleus looked up at the full moon, suddenly reminded of a distant memory of when he was still a Paragon Emperor of countless universes. On that fateful night, under a similar full moon, he had asked his master about his identity.

At that time, Ren, who was in the form of a child with bright silver hair and a lunar crescent mark on his forehead, grinned in a way that made Andaleus feel like a child again. His reply was something that Andaleus would never forget.

“Imagine the most powerful being in the multiverse. Now multiply that magnificence by the number of stars in the sky, and you’ll have not yet begun to understand the beginning of my limits.”