"Flawed gems must be cut, flawed subjects must be cut down." -Miragus

--

A man in exquisite red robes with white sunbursts paced back and forth in a luxurious room, filled to the brim with golden decorations. His impatience and anger would only be missed by a fool. This man was Valdus Dei Sidus, the younger brother of Valerius Dei Sidus.

Like his brother, he had golden hair, but his eyes were blue instead of green. Despite the thick and extravagant robes he wore, his muscular build could still be seen underneath. He was built like a warrior, and the scar running diagonally down his face was a testament to the wars and battles he had fought.

Not more than an hour ago, he had given a small parchment with a layout of the castle to a team of incredibly skilled assassins. They were to infiltrate the castle and assassinate Valerius and his mute son, after which they would be rewarded generously.

While he was forced to pay a large sum of gold as advance payment, it was worth it. He would sooner sell his soul to Faal than let the object of his hatred live for another day.

'That fool has decided to name a mute as his heir. Not only that, but he even goes as far as to claim that his son has the potential to use magic.' Valdus' frown deepened and he began to gnash his teeth in frustration.

Despite his friendly and charismatic outward appearance, Valdus had always despised his 'older' brother. He was born a mere forty minutes after his brother, a negligible amount.

While he was often believed to be more suitable to inherit the throne and was far more experienced than Valerius, his inferior brother was still chosen to inherit the throne.

Many times had he tried to remove his sibling via the use of assassins. Yet that naïve, stupid, peace-loving fool with no ambitions to speak of had managed to survive each and every attempt on his life.

'Without first witnessing the horrors of war, we cannot prepare for far greater dangers that may one day approach us. Without experienced veterans, our military will stagnate and become weaker as a whole.'

Cold wind blew through the window of his room, interrupting his train of thought. A shiver ran up his spine. 'Must be the cold...' He thought, as he resumed his pacing.

--

Six figures in dark attire dashed silently through the castle, somehow managing to remain unseen by any guards or servants that crossed their path.

They were the group of assassins known as the Reaper's Shadow. Like the reaper himself, once you entered their hit list, your death was imminent.

Rumoured to be demons of the darkest depths of the abyss who consumed the hearts of their victims and devoured babies and children alive, they were often used to scare little children.

They were perhaps most famous for the assassination of Emperor Hydrus of the Anguis Empire. Those who didn't know about this famous group of six were few and far between.

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But as with all things, appearances can be deceiving. While they were believed to be heartless demons who killed without remorse, they were anything but heartless.

A poor child, starving on the street, would willingly steal from others to survive, but not without feeling a tinge of guilt. Similarly, the members of the Reaper's Hand kill for a living, but not without remorse for their actions.

The six figures stopped before a sturdy door with an elaborate lock. It was the room of Sirius Dei Sidus, the five year old son of Valerius Dei Sidus, and the prince of Lux.

While the lock was difficult to pick, they had no other options as the windows had powerful magical barriers which nullified attacks and blocked intruders from entering. They were capable of breaking through most magical barriers, however these were made by the renowned Royal Mages of Lux.

One of the figures revealed themselves to be a woman, who promptly began to pick the door's elaborate lock after taking out two pins from her pockets. After a few minutes, the door was unlocked with a satisfying click.

"Do we really have to this? He's just a child." One of the figures asked, the feminine voice indicating their gender. "The reward is enough for us to settle down and live peacefully for our entire lives." A man replied.

"Besides, I bet he's just another spoiled brat like every other kid born into a royal family. So full of themselves, and ignorant to the suffering of others." The man spoke the last sentence with clear hatred in his voice. A type of hatred that the poor child on the street knew well.

Topaz is right, Sapphire." Another man spoke in agreement. "We've done this so many times before. We should be used to this by now." The man said, but it was clear that they were not, nor will they ever become used to the feeling of taking a life.

The woman named Sapphire sighed, before crossing her arms. "You know I don't like killing children." She said, clearly stating that she didn't want to be the one to perform the act.

A third man stepped forward, taking out a razor sharp dagger made of Wind Steel, a nearly weightless yet durable material, popular among assassins and light fighters alike. "I'll handle this one then." He said, his deep voice indicating that he was the oldest of the lot.

The others stepped back to let their eldest sibling do the dirty work. The man gently pushed the door open with he free hand, walking in with the silence of a cat.

Strangely, the bed was unoccupied, contrary to what their client had told them. He carefully scanned the room, but saw nothing. 'Perhaps the prince snuck out?' He thought after having examined the room. 'No, that's unlikely.'

However, it was not as unlikely as what happened next. The snake hides among the grass and fallen leaves until an unsuspecting wanderer places their foot too close. Then, it strikes.