Sitting down waiting for them to arrive at the scene to “collect” their harvest. I loaded my shotgun with my feet up and a hat covering my face to sleep for now as I wait.

Time passed by and I heard noises. The gate was slowly opened forcibly. And from the looks of it they’re here, so I stayed by the chair waiting for them.

“What in the hell happened here?” A young man dressed nicely was shocked by the mess of the compound.

“Search the area and find out what happened here. You stay here to protect us.” Said from the looks of it the Father of that young man.

The other bodyguards went out to look for clues on what happened here. As the three of them walked up to me, go on and come closer then.

“What the hell happened here where did everyone go?” The father asked.

“Go? Who?” I asked.

“Where’s our spheres?” The young man frustratingly replied.

“Oh, that. No, I don’t think they have it here.” I replied.

The young man felt even more frustrated. As his father stopped him from getting too mad.

“Tell us what has happened here. Where is everyone? If you don’t answer we have our boys here handle the questioning.” The father tried to threaten me.

“Questioning? Why do you have to? Everyone here is already gone, and I was just a messenger from God who told them the message.” I replied.

“You go to hell.” The father replied.

“Funny, all of you were doing this, extracting and killing innocent people for business? But I must say that God will respond to his answer through me.” I replied as I shot the bodyguard beside them.

The young man shrieked as their bodyguard dropped dead after one shot. As I raised my head showing my mask. To ask them a question.

“There’s nothing to worry about. Your sphere’s the ones making them are already dead. In the wakes of me sending the message of God.

But here’s my question for you two. Why are you in the business of spheres? And you think the Gods are happy with what you’re doing?” I asked.

“Why the hell do we need the God’s responds to our needs? Those children are mere vessels to power up a bigger picture for us.” The father replied.

*Bang*

I shot out his left knee-cap. As he fell down in pain, I reloaded my shotgun with no remorse. And stood up from my chair.

“Now I want you to spill everything you know right here right now or you won’t be walking the next time you don’t speak.” I walked slowly towards them.

The young man fell down seemingly scared of the situation.

“What is happening?! Guards! Help us over here!” The young man shouted with a crooked smug on his face.

Two men charging on one end of my sides. That means I have to shoot both ways.

*Bang* *Bang*

“Never run towards someone with a gun in their hands. Especially on a straight line.” After shooting both of the guards fell down to the ground.

The young man fainted and so did his father. I dragged them to the barn for interrogation. While tying them down to chairs Vergil arrived on the scene.

“Wow, never thought you would go this far for a kid.” Vergil sounded impressed.

“Who wouldn't, especially if the parents found out what these people are doing to their children?” I replied.

“I started to like this version of you Alan under my supervision. What should I call this version of you?” Vergil summons a chair from a distance and sits down to think.

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

“Wait, Version?” I asked.

“Oh you didn’t know? I might have left some untold details but sure let me tell you that. If I let your original self do the work, you wouldn’t have killed anyone. In fact you could have died at that point.” Vergil replied.

“So I’ve been a different person all this time?” I asked again.

“Yes, feeling the afterglow now? Don’t worry you can switch back to your normal self once this is over plus I’ll give you the gift to go into this Reaper State. Is it too far-fetched for you or do you want another name for it?” Vergil is way too relaxed on his job.

“For now I wanna stay in this state. We’ll talk about the details later, I still have work to do.” I replied.

“That is true, anyways give them a good wringing okay?” Vergil shrugs then leaves as the two of my targets start to wake up.

I stood up and prepared the tools I have at hand to make them talk.

“Wakey-wakey you two, we still have some unfinished business.” I sharpened the hatchets I had on the table as they woke up and assessed the situation.

“Where the hell are we?!” The father woke up first.

“The place where your products were made.” I walked towards him with a sharpened hatchet reflecting his face.

“Eek!?” The father shrieked.

“But before we start our long talk. I forgot something first and foremost… We haven’t introduced ourselves, why not start with you?” I aimed at the father.

“My name is Hue Strauss and he’s my son Jakob.” Mr. Strauss reluctantly told his name.

“The name is Wrath. Now that’s done, let’s get down to asking questions.” I lowered my hatchet to replace it with a bat.

The two quivered while trying to squirm for their lives on those chairs. I let them tire themselves out as they try and try again to escape. Those chairs are fully held in and they can’t move a muscle.

What’s a nice feature of these chairs from what I learned is that the more they squirm the tighter the locks become. As we could see the result by now.

“AHHHHHHH!!!” Jakob screams in agony as his locks get tighter and tighter wrapping his hands and legs.

“Now, now you two keep moving the chairs and punish those who move too frequently. AKA… Children, am I right? Just cooperate with me and I’ll end this quickly.” I crept up closer to Mr. Strauss’s face with a cold gaze.

“We’re retailing those Magic Sphere’s to the black market for a good price. I heard that they use those to power batteries for powerful spells that a normal human or mage could do. And that requires a huge pool of Mana to power.

We knew that the kids and young children had that going from the get go because overtime mana pools become smaller and smaller over age. So the younger the child is able to use magic the better! Is that enough information for you!?” Pleaded Jakob.

Now that’s surprising, usually from the knowledge I collected you can regain mana via potions. I never thought using those spheres to battery the spells is one thing.I guess it got exploited and became a business.

Sick bastards… I know that taking one seller down won’t change anything so I wanna know who's the root cause of this business.

“Seems like there’s not enough material that the kid gave. Perhaps you know who runs this entire joint? Tell me everything you know and you might receive a gift from God.” I held tight to the bat as I said this.

“I know the man who is running this whole gig. But at the moment I only know his stage name and not his real name.” Mr. Strauss stumbles around telling me what he knows.

“Continue…” I replied.

“His stage name or what we call him when doing transactions but we call him Big Boss. He runs everything in this market. He regulates all of the products we give him. I’m just a 4th rate seller to him so I don’t have anything left to tell you about him apart from his name.

I don’t have anything left, that's all we know. Please let go of us!” Mr. Strauss pleaded as well..

Big Boss, huh… I need to search for that name around then.

“Alright, here's your blessing then.” I healed Mr. Strauss’s kneecaps.

“Oh thank you- AAAAAAAAAAA!!!” He screamed as soon as I healed it just to hit it again with a metal bat and finishing off with a shotgun blast to his head and his son killing them both.

While I was cleaning off the barn and burying the children’s corpses I found myself praying for the souls of the innocent to cross the underworld safely. Despite the heartless nature of this other self of mine, I wonder how far I would take this with me.

“Seeing this is the first time you mindlessly murdered for the sake of fate. Also to take out your anger that did this to the innocent. You are already showing signs your Father has affected you in one way or the other.” Vergil appears out of nowhere again behind me.

“How did my Father fare when he did his first mission?” I asked.

“Oh your Father was… It was a long story to tell since like She’s here and our time is cut short. Tell her I was just telling you a story.” Vergil disappears as he waves goodbye again.

I walked out of the compound with a bit of a headache until I heard a familiar voice…

“Alan! What the heck were you doing out here?!” Lady Agata seems pissed that I didn’t talk to her.

“How long was I gone?” I asked.

“About 3 weeks now… Wait, did you lose track of time or something?” Lady Agata worries about me.

“Let’s just say I was… Busy.” I replied as the wind passed by.