Chapter 18: The Shard of Metal

Zack

11 Years ago

Year: 860

The plaza of the city had changed completely overnight. It changed from a bustling market with a good atmosphere, to a quiet, eerie city square that only a few passed through, only to get from one place to another. That was all Zack had observed as he sat there on a bench. Two weeks had passed since the king's death. The country was in chaos. The chancellors and royals rushed to recover the country politically and arrange the affairs needed. The prince was to be crowned the next ruler, despite the fact he was close to Zack’s age and may not have the capacity to act as a ruler. He was the only line however so there was no chance of someone else taking the throne. Not only the powers of Atlus needed to be rebuilt and rearranged but also the people's trust in the kingdom. King Helel was adored by his people, they now had to place their trust in someone who was unproven. The country and more specifically the chancellors were now worried about invasions from Ash or Vholeria now they lacked a proper ruler and were in disarray, about whether this assassin was from those countries and when he might act next. As an Atlus Captain, Zack should have been worried about all of these things the most. However, they barely entered his mind. He should have been pleased, his ankle had healed with no permanent damage, but he couldn't, he remained in a state of anger, anger directed at himself and at the assassin. He sat there in silence as birds chirped and flew by. The memories of Matthew dying in his arms kept playing in his mind, they haunted him. All he could think about was how helpless he felt, how he did nothing to help and let Matthew die. Still, this wasn't all his blame. The Dark Slayer as they now called him, was the one to blame. The cloaked man whose allegiance was unknown, wielded a Devil Relic, murdered the king, and left The Sword of Knight and Flame. This man took the last thing he cherished, the last purpose he had, his best friend of three years…gone, just like that. Zack wasn’t sure how he should process his feelings - Matthew was usually the one who helped with that - but he didn’t need Matthew to help him find a new purpose, he had found that easily on his own. “I will kill The Dark Slayer,” Zack said under his breath as leaned down on the bench. His new purpose would be to hunt down The Dark Slayer. A purpose he had already engaged. The castle was in absolute chaos. A mess of different people with different jobs rushed around and attempting to regain the peace the city once held. He heard a lot as stood guard in the castle, a few things may have not been intended to be heard.

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Zack sat in the metal chair, His hands and legs bound to the back and legs respectively, this was all arranged willingly, however. He sat within a metalwork that was hidden within the castle. He wondered how many more areas like this were hidden in the castle, but, now wasn't the time for that. Zack’s eyes blinked as the blacksmith entered the room, the metal door clanking against the wall before sealing shut again. The room was only lit by two torches that flickered against the metal. The blacksmith’s face was hardly visible, it was as if his beard started at his eyes. He approached Zack

“Are you sure you want this son” His voice was barely understandable from his age and beard that obscured his voice. Zack gave him a confident nod, his brow furrowed from his commitment to the decision he made. Within the castle, Zack had heard of a unit of men that Atlus had been building. Not kept secret but considered taboo to talk about among the general public. Simply known as the assassins. They were Atlus’s tool against foreign threats. Used to eliminate threats that may pose serious outside of the kingdom. Political targets and creating fear were handled by these men. Only highly skilled soldiers were given permission to join which would rule out Zack. However, his position as captain allowed him to bypass this by pure rank. The fact the force was given the opportunity to travel outside the country was the appeal for Zack. He would have the opportunity to gather more information about The Dark Slayer and eventually hunt him down. As the Blacksmith acknowledged Zack’s approval, he approached a long chain that suspended a piece of black metal that glowed brightly from being recently forged and taken from the kiln. There was a cost to joining the assassins however, the reason why there were few members and why it was considered taboo to talk about them among the citizens. Every member of the assassins would have to be branded with a mask. Permanently seared to their face and acting as a binding contract. This would act as a measure to prevent assassins from discarding their allegiance. If an assassin deserted from the empire to give information to other countries or betray the country in any way. The mask would act as a bounty placed on their head.

“I’ll ask again son, Once you become an assassin for Atlus theirs no going back. Are you sure you-”

“DO IT!” Zack cut the old man off, his yell echoed through the room. He didn't care about losing half his face to the mask, he didn't care that he was bound to the Atlus Kingdom. This opportunity would give him the resources and opportunity he needed. The old man hesitantly did as he said and reeled the chain quickly from behind him. He heard the links slink quickly as they ran through the steel slots. The piece of metal fell onto Zack’s face, only held up by the chain it was attached to as it bonded to his face. The white-hot metal seared his skin and burned his left eye. Zack screamed in agony, he wriggled and squirmed in his chair as much as the restraints let him, it didn't matter. He was now an Atlus assassin. An Atlus assassin who would use his position to venture outside of Atlus and hunt down The Dark Slayer and avenge Matthew.