Geoff was a lonely old man. Every night after he got off from the shop he ran, he’d sit at The Headless Horse in the little village of Skele and spend the earnings from his admittedly successful shop on the strongest liquors that would be granted to him. During this time, he’d silently glare at the other people along the bar but never respond to conversation. He may have become drunk, but he never showed it. He did not speak like a drunkard because he did not speak at all, and he did not act like a drunkard because he did not act at all. Despite only being a middle-aged man, the wrinkles on his reddened face, the slouched-over and rotund body he carried, and his graying hair made him look much more elderly. This old alcoholic was such a fixture of the bar that, were you to visit The Headless Horse to this day, you would find the one legacy that he left behind on this Earth: a plaque installed beneath the seat of his usual stool, put there by a young bartender who appreciated the man’s simple orders and lack of communication, which reads ‘To Geoff, the bitter old man.’
The last night he was seen alive, a young man with jet-black hair and a sharp pale face sat next to him and uttered a set of words that chilled him so severely that not even the warmth of alcohol could fix him. “Let’s talk about your kids, Geoff.”
The old man twitched but didn’t reply. He had nothing to say. There were a few moments before the young man spoke again.
“I believe you killed the other one, and you haven’t seen the other in a while. Is that right?”
“What do you want?”
“I want to talk.” Another few moments pass before the young man speaks again. “I knew David. He’s dead now. I wondered what you’d do if you knew.”
Geoff took another sip from the bottle he was nursing and looked away from the young man as if to leave. In response, the young man slapped a hand down on the older man’s shoulder. The message was clear, and Geoff sat down.
“Unfortunate…”
“Is that what you really think, Geoff? I don’t think it is.”
Geoff took another long sip from his bottle as if he was hiding behind it. When he finally set it back down, he had to catch his breath before he spoke again. “Fine, you want to know what I really think? A couple of brats is what they were. Killed their mother. Never listened. Nothing lost when they left.”
“Even when you killed your daughter?”
Geoff turned and looked hard at the stranger. His thick eyebrows furrowed deeply, and his eye twitched as he tried to glare into the stranger’s eyes, who remained fixated on a spot on the counter. “And what do you know about that?”
“That you haven’t denied it.”
“Misbehaving little brat, I only choked her a little. It’s not my fault she was dying all the while,” he spat before he drank the rest of his bottle. “Little bitch killed her mother too, during the birth. I knew they’d be problems from that very moment. The both of them came out at once like they couldn’t wait to do the old bitch in! I knew they’d do something rotten someday, and I didn’t want any part of it! You hear me, none of it! The only reason I tried to keep ‘em from leaving was to keep them from doing something stupid to someone else, but when that damned little girl died, her brother just ran. He didn’t even cry, I saw it in his eyes! His damned eyes! I bet he did something awful, didn’t he?”
The stranger tapped the counter. “Maybe he did. Would you say that justifies the abuse?”
“I don’t particularly care,” Geoff concluded. “And if you’re some kind of avenging angel, then feel free to pass your judgment. You people were never good for anything anyways.”
“Take a walk with me,” the stranger said as he stood up.
“And why would I do that?”
“Wouldn’t you rather die somewhere peaceful?”
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Geoff’s bravado melted in the face of such a bold question. He shook his head. “No, I’d rather not die. I’ll stay right here, where everyone can see you.”
The stranger finally looked directly at Geoff, their eyes meeting. “That won’t save you.”
Precious few moments passed, and Geoff sighed and stood up. “I guess not many men get to know the time they pass. It’s a blessing you’re giving me, whether you want to or not.”
Geoff left a few coins on the table, his usual tip minus the amount of the drinks. If he was going to die, he might as well skimp on the bill. The stranger was gracious enough to open the door of The Headless Horse to let him outside.
“I can’t say that I hate you, Geoff.”
Geoff looked at the stranger as they closed the door and stepped outside themselves. “It’s not a matter of love and hate, is it? You’re some kind of angel, after all. You just do as the Gods command.”
“Not quite,” the stranger began to speak as they walked, beckoning Geoff to follow. The stranger slowed their pace greatly to match the waddle of the older man.
“I wouldn’t suppose you’re a demon then?”
“Neither. What I am is irrelevant. What I meant to say is that I pity you, old man.”
Geoff scoffed even as he walked towards his doom. “I don’t need your damn pity.”
“And I don’t believe that you want it. Nevertheless, I pity you. You were right; David made a very bad decision that hurt a lot of people. But I believe he wouldn’t have done that were it not for you. And you wouldn’t have hurt him were it not for your wife dying, I assume. And even if she did, maybe if you were raised differently, you would have acted differently. The point I’m making is that I’m not sure you’re fully responsible for your actions, and so I find it irrational to hate you. How much can one hate nature, after all?”
“I said that I don’t need pity.”
“And I won’t pity you. You earned what happens here. But I suppose I have a head to clear, if you’ll let me. There’s a God out there, Adonai. It’s supposed to lord over Family. Adonai is supposed to protect people like David and Ayata from you.”
“Never was a fan of prayer.”
“And I don’t blame you. Someday, I intend to slay that God. People like you are why I intend to. Either Adonai is a negligent God who cares nothing for what his people suffer, or it’s an evil God that orchestrates these very scenarios. Either way is unacceptable to me.”
“I see,” Geoff replied. “You’re some kind of crazy man.”
“Crazy? Perhaps. Man? Certainly not. Either way, I suppose the use of telling you this is assuring you that your death will be avenged in some way. I intend to spare every family of Humanity the same stresses that you’ve suffered.”
“Certainly crazy.”
By the time Geoff finished that last thought, he realized where they were. The front door of his house.
“How do you-”
“I’ve been watching you, Geoff. For a set few weeks. You work, you drink until the pain goes away, and you lay to rest. I could set a clock by the routine.”
“And you intended to kill me the whole time?”
“Since the moment I learned of who you are.”
“Did David send you?”
The stranger nodded. “No. But I’m sure he’d appreciate this.”
Geoff couldn't help but chuckle. “I’m sure he would, the brat.”
“Let’s step inside, Geoff. This will be quick.”
A few days later, Jiajun was filing paperwork. His job as a student was administrative in nature, but it was mostly doing whatever Dean Anders required of him. He was just in the middle of stamping a revenue report when a tap came on his shoulder. He turned around to see Emily, of all people.
“Hello.”
“Emily! What the hell are you doing in here?”
“I walked in here.”
“But this is the-”
“I wish to attend this University.”
Jiajun shrugged. “I guess you can. I mean, if you managed to get in here without the proper papers, you’re certainly competent enough. But what of your magical-”
Emily held out a finger as if interrupting Jiajun. She then pointed towards her face. Her red hair and green eyes turned into jet black and dark brown, and her face shifted into one of a young man’s. Then, just as quickly, it morphed back into Emily’s face.
Jiajun shrugged once more. “That’s good enough. No idea what technique that is, but good enough. C’mon, I’ll help you sign the papers. What field are you hoping to study?”
“Something involving the Gods. Religious studies, I suppose.”