The next morning arrived with an air of franticness. From his room, El could hear footsteps scurrying from one room to the next. ‘It’s miraculous that they managed to bring me my breakfast with all that fuss. Is whatever is happening today the cause of my isolation?’ He wondered as his mouth tore apart a piece of bread. His meal consisted of an equivocal soup and a piece of bread. He wasn’t quite sure what was in the soup but he was certain that it was flavoursome.

He tried to savour breakfast, for his duties would be far from pleasant. Admittedly El didn’t think himself of as nice, but he had standards. He enjoyed bloodshed but that was only when the bout was two-sided and fair. Nevertheless, he steeled himself. His desire to serve the empire was far stronger than the sense of fun that held him back.

‘For the Eldyth empire.’ He reminded himself as he walked into the long corridor with his tools in hand. He speculated that his position was a makeshift one for the only tools that the old hag brought was a key set and a hunter's knife, alternatively, he did wonder if this was a test. An initiation trial to see just how creative he could be with a limited set of tools. To ascertain if he had a talent for the work. Not that the ‘why’ bothered him too much, he had aimed to excel regardless of any external pressures.

Further down the corridor, it was lined with cells from end to end. The place smelt rancid and he could hear the prisoners groaning, chattering and bickering. The security, however, did seem rather lax in terms of manpower. While someone had clearly come to feed the prisoners based on the empty trays and a few of them still eating, El hadn’t met a single guardsman during his walk into the prison. ‘They’re probably secured by a magical artefact or possibly perhaps even technology…’.

The cells were labelled with signs that were carved into the black stone. El stopped when he came to cell 28. The cell was about one and a half meters in area, it was barely lit and there was a woman crouched in the corner. Her hair was haggard and she wore a loose black garb. Her eyes were sunken and her lips were shrivelled. El unlocked the door and entered the dispirited abode. The woman did not react to his entry, she was stone-like. “Good morning, Miss Tress. I feel rather apologetic about your current situation. I really do but can’t help unless you tell me about the organisation you’re employed by.”

El waited for a response but there was nothing. Trying to poke her vulnerabilities he said, “Think about your children…” This caught her attention so he probed further. “Mary, Jane and Cedric…they’ll grow up without a mother but you can prevent that future. Just open up about your employment.” The performance ended with El getting down on his knee.

She spoke her voice raspy, likely due to continuous weeping. “Better to live motherless than to not live.” She had already been defeated prior to El’s arrival. El sighed “I suppose so, but unfortunately, I doubt my employer’s mercifulness. You see he’s a greedy swine who would do anything to get the favour of our precious Dictator Arte…” He didn’t say more than that, the scowl on the lady’s face told him the message was delivered. ‘Selling out your boss can do you wonders.’

“You…you scoundrel don’t you dare touch them” her voice roared as if she found an untapped source of energy.

El gasped and stumbled backwards, the knife still sheathed and hidden behind him. “I am innocent, I wouldn’t dare do such a thing. I’m not a cruel man madame. Though I may be able to save your kids if you tell me about the organisation.” He pushed once again.

“Liar…liar…liar. They’ll protect them. I don’t need you or your stupid pity.” She yelled ferociously, indicating an end to the pleasantries.

El shook his head in disappointment. ‘Why are people so difficult.’. He unsheathed the blade behind his back, rushed forward and restrained her against the ground. “I really did hope it wouldn’t come to this and I do swear I’ll free you” he assured her. Using the knife he gently cut through the skin of her cheek. She didn’t scream ‘How anticlimactic’.

Thus he went to move on to her fingers. “Tell me! Now!” He bellowed. Nothing. “Then I suppose I’ll be taking this then” he stated as he pressed the knife against her pinkie, first cutting through the skin, then the meagre muscle until it met the bone. “Last chance, tell me or you lose it.” He commanded the lady who was wailing. “Ah…screams and sobs but no answer. This was your call” He reminded her as he lifted the knife and slammed it through her pinkie until he met the hard tile.

The wretch beat her fist against the floor as she shrieked and screeched. “Names now! Unless you want another lost finger.” She wrenched her guts out and El patiently waited to no avail. As a result, he kicked her over and punctured her abdomen with the knife, taking care to miss any vitals. He could see her face now, as it howled and twisted in agony. He also felt her blood on his hands, it felt warm in the coldest way imaginable for the sight and his actions disgusted him. There was no valour in this and his teachings berated him but he still continued.

Leaving the knife in her, his hands moved up to her throat, gripping it firmly and choking her but making sure she didn’t faint. He admired the woman, she still hadn’t given in. ‘I’m sorry’. “Tell me,” He told her emphasising the way out. Letting her breathe he brought his attention back to the knife. He shook it in her causing a desperate but feeble cry. “FREEHOOD, FREEHO-“ she shut herself up with her hands.

“Thank you, now I shall keep my promise,” El said grateful, that it was done. He covered her eyes with his hand, keeping her grounded with his leg. She howled and clawed at his leg but he persisted, he brought the knife to her throat and stabbed through before jerking it sideways. “It’s all right now, you’re liberated to see your children who passed before you.” He whispered. This was the third life he claimed and the experience was unlike the previous two in every regard.

He stayed there for a period, fully absorbing the scene before standing up and heading out. It left a bitter taste in his mouth but it was done. He had made a contribution to the empire. That was enough reason for him to repeat this every day if it meant aiding Dictator Arte to achieve world peace.

‘What should I do now, The minister told me to never go up unless instructed to.’ Disobeying wasn’t an option, his nightly uniform was covered in blood. The white was splattered with red in a most concerning way. His trousers were ripped, due to the Tress’s last attempts at resistance and his loose white shirt was dishevelled, to say the least. He suspected that the minister would prefer rumours and talk to remain minimal.

When he finally returned to his room he found his lunch to be waiting for him. This time his lunch was composed of baked fish, curry and rice. It smelled good and it tasted good but he wondered if there was a particular diet that the minister appointed for him, as currently, it seemed random.

Following lunch, El was bored with nothing to do, El cleaned the knife using the sink in his room. It wasn’t a particularly difficult or long task, however, afterwards was able to spend his time revising the techniques he knew so well. Krav Maga was his base, he was familiar with using weapons in combat. It came naturally to him, however solo training provided little to him. For he could perform the movements but there was no target, no dummy just the air. It was mostly fruitless but it provided him with a sense of comfort.

Mid-rehearsal there was a knock at the door, ‘Are they finally here?’. On the other side of the door, he found Valena the guardsman. “Oh my god, what’s happened to you?” She exclaimed taking a few steps back.

“Don’t worry it isn’t my blood.” He said wiping the sweat on his forehead with his forearm. “I am perfectly all right, no important injuries were sustained.”

“Then…who’s blood is that? What have you done?” She asked her question containing a threatening tone.

“I do not answer to you, I answer to the minister himself. The details of my work are classified. I couldn’t reveal them if I wished to.” ‘Not that I want to tell you either.’ He thought to himself.

“Fine, I’m taking you with me” she stated adamantly

“Did our master call for me?” He asked wishing nothing more than to report on the day's events.

“…no but what does that matter. As a guardsman entrusted with the safety of the residents and workers, I order you to come with me.” Her concerns were understandable but he could not.

‘I can’t very well tell her that I’m on house arrest, can I? I doubt the minister would like that.’ Consequently, resistance was necessary. ‘I doubt he would want a dead employee’ he thought so he assumed a fighting stance with the knife sheathed. “You’re going to have to make me come with you.”

Valena needed no additional cue for she came charging with her sword. However, due to the room being rather small, she was at a disadvantage. El deflected her sword with the knife and dug into her gut with the sheathed knife. He then grabbed her head and brought it down meeting it midway with his knee after which he disengaged and shifted locations. “Bastard” she mumbled as she regained herself, she threw her sword aside. She came at him with her fists, while El dropped his weapon out of courtesy. Her uppercut connected with El’s arms, ‘it burns, her fists are channelling her damn magic’.

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El took a more offensive approach after that. He feigned a punch before kicking her spleen. He then cupped both his hands together and slammed into her head. While she was dazed he tripped her onto the ground and grabbed her in a headlock. He restricted her airflow and waited for her to pass out. ‘Amateur, I had wanted to play before you showed me something annoying.’ With being trained all his life, he was classes above guardsman in terms of skill.

He lifted her up and walked over to the corridor, he placed the unconscious woman in an empty cell. Locked her up and headed back to his room. It didn’t seem like anyone was coming anytime soon since lunch had already been served, so he once again began his daily workout session. It was one of the few activities he could enjoy while being stuck to the confines of his area. One realisation that daunted him the previous day was that he couldn’t clean properly clean his clothing. That night he had washed himself and his clothing with the sink. However he couldn’t do that today, he was likely expected to meet the minister later. So to avoid this he worked out without his clothing.

He stood starkly in his room, the light gleaming off his sun-kissed figure. His strapping physique was evidence of his upbringing. It wasn’t possible for a seventeen-year-old adolescent to possess a body like his, not if they were raised normally. They wouldn’t have had to take performance-enhancing drugs growing up, nor would they have had the tenacity the cadets had. El took great pride in this fact, he was unique therefore he was better suited to serve the empire.

Before he had finished his routine the door opened. A lady was responsible for this, and it wasn’t the hag. Her blonde hair was highlighted by the red that flushed her face. El, not quite understanding the significance of being nude, kept looking at her waiting for her to speak. While he was aware of societal normalities, he saw no difference between the people working in the mansion and his previous colleagues, hence his daftness. ”Yes?” He asked and she shut the door.

‘Maybe that was a routine check?’ El ventured as he continued with his exercise. Only to be interrupted by a head peaking in a few minutes later before promptly retreating behind the door. “Wear some clothes…” came a meek voice from behind the door. ‘Ah…so that was an issue.’

He wasn’t sure if he had time to wash first so he asked the person behind the door and she told him to do so. After cleaning himself with the sink he wore the blood-stained uniform. He then opened the door, the woman was sitting on a step of the stairs that led up. “Oh my, what happened to that-“ she began to ask before remembering “-actually never mind that, come with me quickly the minister will want you soon.” She said running up the stairs.

She guided him to a dressing room and showed him a colourful garment, A red shirt, black trousers, a belt and black formal impractical shoes “That’s for me?” El asked confused by the minister’s sudden interest in his attire.

“Yes, that is yours. Quickly get changed.” She urged before locking him in the room.

He was pleasantly surprised to find that the clothes fitted him perfectly. They had gotten his measurements from the Ra regiment to ensure it did but that wasn’t within his expectations for them.

The lady smiled at his new appearance before she then took him somewhere other than the minister’s office he had previously seen. It was an open room on the third floor. It was a recreation of the bright and awful scene outside. Grass mats lined the room, and miniature versions of trees were potted and scattered around the room. On wall-hung shelves and on the ground. In the centre of the room stood a table crowded with wines and on one side of it stood the minister and on the other stood Dictator Arte himself. ‘He…he is here. What should I do? What should I say? Can I say anything?’ El’s mind raced

Dictator Arte spoke first, his voice was gruff, deep and authoritative. “So he’s the pet you’ve stolen from the ‘primary initiative’?” He spoke to the minister but he was talking about El and this caused him to feel strangely joyous.

“Yes, sir. He is indeed that boy. I’ve brought him here to evaluate his performance.“ The minister shot him a look of anticipation.

‘This was why he wanted it done by today.’ He gathered. “Yesterday my dear master instructed me to uncover information about the previously unknown organisation that attempted to steal from your friend. Hence I got to work and interrogated the culprit with torturous methods. One name escaped her lips FreeHood. They were the masterminds behind the heist.” He finished.

“Impressive, yes?” The minister asked sweat forming on his forehead. As the dictator was scratching his beard in thought.

Dictator Arte eventually agreed, “Yes that was exemplary. I don’t think I’ve heard of such an organisation. Lowen, You’ve done well. I thought today's meeting was only meant to return my sickly friend’s property but to think you had a lead as well.”

“Well, of course. I’ve also killed all the culprit’s family as well if that pleases you. She had three adorable children and a spineless husband. Though what are we to expect from peasants, according to the report the husband begged for his life to be spared in exchange for his children.” He cackled

This seemingly amused the dictator for he started laughing as well. “The peasants truly are a worthless bunch. They complain about taxes failing to realise that the wars we shall fight will bring them prosperity. Sometimes I wish I could tell them ‘What if you starve today, tomorrow you’ll be covered in riches.’ But that would just arouse their anger. Fools can’t be reasoned with.” He ranted

The conversation irked El. ‘I’m sure that he has good intentions, perhaps it’s the wine because he isn’t making much sense at the moment. Yes, that must be it. Dictator Arte is kind and loving at heart after all. The wickedness of the wine combined with the minister's foul opinion is temporarily blinding him.’

He wished he could dismiss the minister but he was his superior, not the other way around. He would have to endure the minister’s bad influence. He thought to diverge the topic, “I feel that this news may please you, I disposed of the life of the pawn after I extracted the information from her.“

This earned him a smile from the dictator and that warmed his heart. ‘How could he ever do anyone wrong?’ While the minister’s expression and words were mismatched. His face told El that he was upset because he drew the director's attention away from him. His words on the other hand told him, “Is that so? I don’t recall that being part of the assignment but well done. You’ve made me incredibly proud.” He poured El a glass of the red delicacy and said “Drink up, you’ve deserved it.”

He thanked the man and accepted his gift. This was his first time drinking wine. It wasn’t as pleasant as he expected it was overwhelming, it tasted sweet, sour and bitter all at the same time. Nevertheless, he downed the glass out of courtesy.

He was then dismissed but he wasn’t instructed as to where he was to go. Hence he sought out the blonde who had given him his clothes, he thought she seemed important and so he wished to discuss the issues he was having with her.

He found her in a small little office on the second floor, he knocked and entered once given permission. She seemed to be signing some document so he sat there and waited. Once it looked like she finished, El commented “I suppose that makes us even.” Perhaps it was the wine but his words were less filtered.

The realisation of whom her guest was caused her cheeks to blush, she was rather awful at hiding this too, she repeatedly failed to look at him so her eyes returned to her documents. “Is there anything I can do for you?” She asked

“Yes, could you please arrange a wardrobe for me?” He asked

Her eyes sparkled with anticipation, “That should be easy enough.” She said as she took a piece of paper and wrote something. “Is that all?”

“Thank you, yes that’s all, have a nice day Miss?” He asked standing up.

“Maeve, my name is Maeve Evangeline but you can call me Maeve.” She managed sheepishly.

“Then have a wonderful day Maeve.” He bid before leaving the room. Just as he shut the door he remembered something hence he popped his head back in and informed her “Maeve, I’m not sure if you’re the one I am to inform but do know that a guardswoman is locked away in cell 14. She was getting too inquisitive hence I subdued and locked her up.”

She seemed a bit taken aback by the news but she didn’t ask for any further clarification. “Ah…all right, I’ll let the minister know.” She replied.