A young man walked leisurely under the orange sky and the setting sun.

His feet stepped onto a puddle of water as it created a splashing sound. The sun's light was distorted because it was covered by the clouds. Evidently that the clouds were happened to be passing by to this place and poured down its water.

Green moss grew atop the rocks. The remnants of rain waters were filling any cavity and it mixed with the dirt path, making his shoes become dirty by mud.

This place was devoid of people. With a rundown houses in every direction and a street that never be tended, people may wonder why did this young man come to this deserted place.

He moved with silence accompanying him. This place had a complicated street. At one time, he walked between overgrown grasses, then after he made a few turns, he was surrounded by a rotten abandoned wooden houses. Strange noises occasionally came from inside of the houses. He ignored it and continued his walking.

After a countless of turns, he was in an alley. The sun was already sink. Obviously that his lengthy destination had wasted his time, and he only arrived when the dark came.

Unpainted walls were on his side. These unfinished buildings were clearly abandoned by its owners and without bothering to finish it, they just let these buildings to fill up this place.

The soft light from the already sinking sun can't reach this place. The buildings were high enough to not let it come, and yet, this place seemed didn't even want a tiniest light to lingers. Maybe only on noon, where the sun was high up, can make this place to feel the warm light.

Without bothering too much about his time, he arrived in front of a three-storey building. Without any sense of aesthetic from the modern world, its wooden structure seemed to came from the medieval age.

A metal plate hang above the front door. With a cursive character, a 'Black Water's tavern' was carved onto that plate.

He opened the door, and the doorbell rang.

"-meone is coming~"

The dim light from the lamps had shown everything inside. He saw a young man sitting in front of the counter. He wore a mismatched clothes. While this room had a dark atmosphere, that person wore a blue hawaii t-shirt and a short pants. His slippers tapped the wooden floor occasionally while he talked to a woman in front of him.

That man diverted his attention from her and he looked at the door where the young man just came in.

"Ooh, it's you Artur."

He flashed a carefree smile to Artur.

Artur waved his hand toward him. He continued his walk as the wooden floor creaked by his steps.

That person, who may has a considerable curiosity asked him.

"What made you come to this place?"

Artur scratched his head while he was pondering about what was the best answer.

"...Bored I guess?"

That person just laughed. He continued his attention to the woman who he just talked with and stopped bothering Artur.

There was a board hanging on the wall. The room was dim, Artur came closer so that he can see the clearer. It was full of papers embedded on it.

He took a paper randomly, and yet, he creased his eyebrows.

"When did our island has this many problems?"

As he, who may be considered as a native on this island, he can't take a slightest problem that came to this island, especially something that could disturb the wellbeing of this island.

This was the first time doing this kind of job, he didn't even know that there were this many. Or maybe the Organization just hate every living creatures that lives on this island? Why don't the Organization hunt them themselves anyway?

"Are you seriously asking that?"

That person looked at Artur without a hidden contempt. Running from a responsibility was one thing, but blaming it to someone else was a problem. Who knew what was on Artur's mind, maybe he blame it to every person he knows.

"Well, if you are really asking that, go ask Camilla over there."

That person shrugged his shoulders and he pointed with his thumb toward the corner.

A young woman silently sat on a chair. When Artur just came in, he didn't even glanced at her. Maybe he just didn't saw her because the room was dim, or maybe he ignored her.

She had a brown coloured hair that long enough to trail over her shoulders. Her face seemed like a doll. Beautiful, and yet, she didn't move in a slightest bit.

Her composed and quiet expressions excluded a queer atmosphere. With a gaze, she coldly looked at Artur with her icy blue pupils.

With the help from the light, Artur can barely see that thing. It was a butcher knife. It was on a table in front of that young woman. Maybe a normal person would feel scared, but Artur just skip it and looked directly at her.

"Camilla? Are you really the one who made these mess?"

That person who asked Artur before suddenly whistling an unknown song. He whispered some words, but Artur can't hear him.

"I think Dian implied that there's only me who bothered enough to waste my free time and take a little jobs from that board."

Camilla said calmly. Artur can't understand what were these two talking about. He didn't have a time to beat around the bush and he asked her again with a slightly forced tone.

"...Then? Are you really the one who made these mess?"

Camilla stopped looking at him. She just gazed silently at her table, to be precise her butcher knife. She didn't think to slash him because of his dullness of course. Apparently, she usually didn't move a little bit and silently sat while looking at the table like a doll.

"Honestly, I thought you were smarter than that."

That person-or as we can say, Dian-said while he laughed. Artur didn't have many time. He really hoped that they will just tell him rather than doing something like this. The answer wasn't important anyway, atleast for now.

"Whatever, I'm going."

Artur's voice echoed in the room. The door suddenly creaked and a sounds of an opened and a closed door softly heard. That was when Dian realized that Artur ran away again.

"He suddenly gone and yet, when he came here again, he was just looking for money."

Dian said to nobody. The room became silent again. Maybe this was the way it supposed to be. People came here just to be accompanied by the silence.

Dian just gazed at the ceiling. The time always moving, but this room was still. Maybe the time had passed for one hour, or maybe two hours after Artur came here.

Suddenly, Camilla stood up. The chair moved and its sound loudly heard. Dian disgruntled. He clearly dissatisfied by her. He nearly had a nap, but she disturbed him by her unnecessary action. Why can't she just be like Artur?

"You're going? Are you sure you don't want my help?"

Dian asked. Camilla ignored him. She took her butcher knife as she went to the door. She opened the door, and the door closed yet again.

Dian softly sighed. It was a little sound, but it echoed in this room.

"Do you know when will she finish that?"

He asked toward a woman in front of him. She was the owner of this building. When Dian was still a boy, he usually played in this neighborhood. There was a time when his parents said that he shouldn't play too far, but he didn't listened to them. In the end, he got lost, and he found himself in the front of this building. After that event, he always came to this place when he had the time.

He knew that she will ignore him. And just as his thought, she ignored him.

This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

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The time had only passed for a few minutes after Camilla came out from that place. The moon had already shown itself. Its lustrous light together with many twinkling lamps from the still opening buildings brought upon joyful spirit into this city.

But it was cold here. This dark alley, just a few meters away from the main street, was cold. The floor was dirty and there were still rain waters that hadn't dried up yet.

There were many people who lingered somewhere like this dark alley. They were usually a group of hoodlums who up to no good, or maybe people who can't even take their place into this vast city.

There was a tumbling sound. A sound just like a person who suddenly got tripped, then his face will blush because of embarrassment by his foolish action, but too bad it wasn't like that.

A person cried disgustingly while his body got dirtied on the floor. He was kicked repeatedly by a brawny man and he had been cursed by a countless time. He begged for many times and yet, that brawny man instead of stopping, he kicked him with more power. He stomped that pitiful person's head. His head released a weird sound as that person realized that his teeth got broken. His jaw was so hurt and maybe his head got cracked by this repeated kicks. But that brawny man didn't stop. Maybe he got annoyed by the fact that this person was begging him like a dog, or maybe he just like to beat something.

"P-please, just one more week. I-I will pay everything by that time."

That person stammered while he spent many efforts just to say that words. It was a miracle, this person had been beaten into half dead, and yet, he still had the energy to utter a word.

"Huh?! Last week you said you need one more week! Do you think this is a charity work huh?!"

His roar got suppressed by a sound roaring machine. The main road suddenly got controlled by the motorcycle gang. Their supposed midnight conduct seemed had been advanced early on. People screamed in surprise. Just as when they got scared by their presence. This gang had already passed them. As fast as a wind. They came with a storm, gone, and only leaving a smoke.

"Fuck!"

That brawny man kicked him again as if telling that he was angry. This stupid person can say some stupid words, but when he shouted like a madman, his words got covered by those shitty stupid brats with their newly found courages. He swore that when he found them, he will beat them up with him alone and tell them that he ruled this place.

The dark alley had a sudden mysteriously calming atmosphere. The waning sound of that loud vehicles became a background for these two people. That brawny man heard a stepping sound that closing in. He looked deeper to the dark alley. At the same time when every sound had gone, he saw a person standing still under that dark place. His body hunched back like an old man. The thing that catched the brawny man's attention was his eyes. Relying with a hood, that person's face got concealed. Even if he didn't use that, this dark alley can do the same job. His black eyes under that veil seemed like glinting red, it was blending and looked like a dirtied blood. That man, as if telling that he didn't like him, glared fiercely toward the brawny man.

"Stop it."

That man said with a slightly hoarse voice. This man can just go away not minding them and pretend as if he didn't saw anything, and yet, he halted his walk and tried to stop the brawny man.

That brawny man's eyes twitched. His veins in his forehead bulged as if his last patience had already gone and became a nothingness.

"HUH?! Can you mind your own business old man?!"

He suddenly felt a gushing wind on his face. He blinked his eyes in confusion. He saw that that man had already in front of him. As he didn't have a time to think how was this man can be this fast, that man suddenly moved his hand towards his face. His palm stretched out as it enveloped that brawny man's vision.

"Fu-"

That brawny man can't even finish his startled cry. He instinctively dodged to the side and lunged toward that man. The hooded man's face cramped up as he got taken aback by his action. His body was like a rock, that brawny man thought. He tried to take down this man, but his body didn't even bulge an inch. Nevertheless, that man got panicked and he retreated as he stepped back his feet. But the floor somehow didn't want him to do that. His body slipped down. The floor thumped loudly as his head crashed onto the floor.

"Huh?!"

The brawny man got flabbergasted again. He was wondering if this man was a ghost just like what those old fogies always talking about. He can move as fast a lightning, but there was no way a ghost would do something comical like got slipped from the floor.

That brawny man laughed loudly. He walked closer toward that man. At this time, the brawny man had already forgotten that man's absurb fast movement or his body strength that he can't even move him.

Because he shouted too many time this day, the brawny man seemed to feel like he had a sore throat. Of course he realized that when he coughed because he was laughing too hard.

He didn't waste any time again. He prepared to stomp this man as he smiled viciously. This day was a great day, he can beat two people.

While this alley was dark, the brawny man can't see this man's face. Even though he was so close in front of time before, he still can't see his face. Now he was above him. He squinted his eyes and tried to look clearly. His hood had been revealed, so he can see this man's face who had interrupted his business.

He shrieked. He was scared, no, that was just an understatement, he was frightened. This kind of face, this shouldn't have existed in this world. He stomped this man. He can only curse his luck for meeting this man. After this end, he will immediately go beat those shitty brats with their stupidly loud motorcycles and hope that he can forget this.

"I-I don't have much time."

The man on the floor suddenly said with a hoarser voice than before. His voice was rasping. The way he said that, it was like he tried to remind himself of what he was supposed to do.

And after he said that. His eyes became determined as he catched the brawny man's leg.

The brawny man had been scared out of his mind right now. He regretted that he acted tough when this man asked him to stop. He should've really stop and only continue it when this man was already gone. He tried to pull back his leg, but it was like his leg was stucked in a rock.

"He-hey old man, we can talk about this arright."

Before he can think how to get away from this situation, his head seemed like floating, no, his body was floating. That man lifted him as if he was a toy. Before he can understand this situation, his body was thrown. Just like that, his body flew like a kite. And when he felt despair, his head crashed with the wall.

It was disturbing. Its soft sound of flowing blood. When his head collided with the wall, he can hear that loud crashing sound before he died. His head was unrecognizable now. The only thing people can see was just a corpse. The blood had become a puddle, but it still flowed out.

That man stood up. The blood had reached below his feet. He felt his heart was in pain. He clutched his chest as he groaned. The pain in his heart was like he got stabbed by many needles. Even he can't endure this kind of pain. He kneeled on four. The dirty floor was already replaced by the blood. It was cold, this place. But this blood was warm. This blood... this blood was his, a person who he had killed. He didn't feel regret, this kind of people deserve it.

He may feel like that, but the blood seemed like didn't agree with him. It reflected his face from the little light. Just like a shadow that always followed him, it was as if like it blamed him as a murderer. His face was full of wounds, like a scar that had left it mark. It was simply too hard for someone to see it as a face. Not just that, there were many places on his face that hadn't a skin. Its little drop of blood that falling like a tear, and it showed a hint of rotting. Someone may sniff its rotten stench.

That man realized now what had happened to him. He didn't know when did his face became like this. He accepted this as his fate, no, he can only accept it. But it was okay, as long as he can do that, he will not have a regret. Yes, he didn't have much time. He should move faster.

As if he suddenly became better, he stood up. When he already walked out, someone called him from behind.

It was that person who had been beaten to dead from before. He looked at him with a frightened expression. He probably was considering if he should called him or just let him walk away. But he was saved by him. Atleast before he gone, he can say his gratitude. He said while still stuttering because of fear.

"He-hey, wait! Tha-thank you for helping me! I-I promise that I wouldn't say this to anyone."

To whom? Maybe he was talking about the police. He nodded when that person said that, but in his mind, he couldn't help but feel doubt. What if this person suddenly come to the police and file a report about a murder. It was certain that the police will chase him. Of course he will get interrogated why did his body became beaten like that, or what should he say to police about the victim who had exhorted him money. Maybe that dead brawny man was a loanshark. There was no way the police can catch him, but he can't take the risk. Atleast before he died or get caught, he must finish this. When he thought about that, he realized that he shouldn't waste time anymore.

But this person probably was stupid. What else should he do when someone got murdered, should he just wait and say thanks? Anyway, this person probably didn't think that he would get killed too. Maybe that was why he got entagled with debts and that brawny guy.

That man closed his face again with his hood, and he approached him. That person still lying on the floor, his body was resting on the wall. While he already stopped his crying, his face was a mess. He didn't wipe his drying tears, and even his snot was still plastered on his face. He didn't even fix his face, and he looked confused as that man walked closer. That man reached out his hand.

"Wai-"

His voice was stopped. That man strangled his neck as he struggled. He looked at him with a miserable face.

"N-ngho. Pghese, s-"

His voice can't reached out from his mouth. He looked at the main road. Maybe if he called out help, someone will come to him. The thing was, he can't utter any word, his neck was so hurt. It tightened up, he can't even breath. He flailed his hands toward the main road. Please, please help me. His pleading was only in his mind. The people just walked past this alley, they didn't bother to look this way.

He will die, he will die! Just as this thought was filling his mind, his hands suddenly fell, and his body stopped squirming around. His eyes suddenly looked unfocused as it still looked at the bright lights from the distance. The people were still walking, and the vehicles were still moving around, but his life was stopped at this moment.

Just like that. That man let go of his hand. That person body fell to the ground with a thud sound. That man didn't bother to look as he walked to the dark place. His body distanced itself from the light. The only thing in this alley were two corpses and the sound of someone moving away.

When that person already gone, there was a person in that dark alley, he rested his body on the wall. He looked at the roof. He had seen everything that had happened in this place and he couldn't help but put up a wry smile.

"Why didn't you kill him?"

A question came from above. It was full of blaming and anger.

Why didn't he kill that man? He can prevent a murder happening, and yet, he just hiding away in the dark as he just watched those two people killed in pain.

"I didn't plan to kill him anyway."

A pale face stood out in this dark alley. He was Artur. He had walked for two hours in this city, he somehow felt that he didn't have a destination, but he felt like it, in the end, he reached this place.

Of course that man was his destination, but while he was walking on the bustling street, he asked to himself, why do I must kill him now?

"If he suddenly goes mad and attacked those people, can you take the blame?"

The voice from above asked again. Those words sent chill on the surrounding, and Artur only gave that voice a bitter smile.

"Anyway, he wouldn't do that. Can you see that gentle eyes? Do you think that eyes have a desire to cause chaos?"

Artur felt that he must stop being such an irresponsible person. But being late for a few hours or a few days were the same for him.

He had those days when he will fight those guys and tried to hold justice. But that was a long time ago. And just for that man, he will let him live for awhile. He hoped that man will finish his own task before he died.

He heard a sound of gusting wind. When he closed his eyes and tried to feel the chilly wind, he didn't saw the glinting metal under the moon. A fluttering clothes and a flying woman.