“Do. You. Understand?” I ask Ussen’s father, who had an unsightly look on his face after having his killing intent unraveled. He must not know how it happened either, making me seem all the more mysterious in his eyes.

I took another step closer to him, still holding the katana by my side. My domains quivered even though I was consciously holding them down—they were responding to my intent, and the situation I was in. I only want to frighten Ussen’s father with a show of power though, not kill him outright. So I shove the domains back down, and they stopped manifesting in the small ways they had been.

Ussen’s father crouched lower, his hand reaching into his jacket pocket. Internally, I sighed, knowing exactly what he had gone to grab. His arm flickered, and I could clearly make out the knife spinning end over end towards me.

Whatever smile was left on my face immediately faded into a full-on scowl as I sidestepped the knife with a slight rotation. It whirled past me, embedding itself into the concrete wall past me. Continuing the turn I’d began by rotating, I flicked a few of my own daggers at Ussen’s father. They flew at least twice as fast as his had, and whizzed right past his face, nicking both of his ears and clipping the ends of his hair.

I fell to a crouch after completing my spin, right before a bullet screamed over the top of my head and impacted the ground at an angle. I look up and spot the sniper who had been hiding on the roof-top, and shake my head ever so slightly. Even if that had hit, nothing would have been likely to happen.

Standing all the way up again, I fix Ussen’s father with a blank-faced stare.

“Really want to do this?” I asked, not caring to infuse any power into my words. I would have appeared careless and relaxed, were it not for the scowl on my face.

Ussen’s father also appeared to relax, though his eyes still held a sharp gleam.

“No, of course not.” He sighed dramatically, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “I guess I’d better invite you in then.” He said, walking over to the door and propping it open with a cordial smile. He gestured for me to enter. Reluctantly sheathing my katana, I went into Ussen’s family home.

The first thing that struck me was the dark but cozy atmosphere inside the house. It’s wood paneling and thick velvet carpet lent themselves to a stately first impression, and the artwork lining the halls were all masterfully crafted. All in all, nothing was overtly sinister about the manor. However, a trained eye would note the small and extremely well-hidden cameras all over the place, and the fact that there were very, very few windows and the doors seemed thicker than normal.

I also knew that there would probably be a secret basement or something, or that the house was likely riddled with tunnels and crawl-spaces.

Following behind Ussen’s father, we eventually arrived in a dining hall of some sort. The fact that the table seemed to be freshly set spoke volumes about the professionalism of the staff working as house keeping here. The fact that all of the aforementioned staff had that killer gleam in their eyes, and knives secreted under their clothes also told me everything I needed to know about this household. They watched me warily, though there was no open hostility.

I was motioned to a seat at the table, on the left hand side of the table’s head where Ussen’s father sat down. Ussen himself sat across form me, his gaze resting on some far off place, unfocused. He obviously has quite a bit on his mind at the moment.

I don’t blame him, having seen a fraction of what I’m capable of. For as long as we’ve known each other, I’ve come across as a petite and frail girl. Now that he knows that I must be much deeper than he initially thought, he’s revaluating our relationship as friends.

A few moments were spent in silence, before covered plates were set before us all. The covers were taken off to reveal a gorgeous looking dinner of what I’m sure was actual steak, mashed potatoes, and a medley of vegetables. This was a power move, given that all the food was from Earth, or grown in Earth-like biospheres after great care and a large investment. In other words, the steak alone is worth its weight in iridium.

Hm~ Ussen’s family must be quite the assassin clan if they can afford this type of stuff. A bit concerning, but I suppose things like this are always going to be a part of our society. It’s a matter of human nature.

I watched as Ussen’s father casually cut into the steak, and popped a piece into his mouth. He paused for a second, and made a gesture for me to eat up. Gingerly, I took a piece of my own steak and chewed on it. It wasn’t bad, for the most part. I wasn’t too keen on the potatoes, and thought the vegetables were overrated. Really, one of the problems with Earth food is that it tends to only be fantastically good on Earth. The process of keeping it fresh during long journeys always seems to take away some of the food’s magic.

After having taken a few bites, I set down my fork. Sure, this stuff is expensive—but it loses out in taste to the local foods. Ussen’s father continues eating until his plate is wiped clean. Ussen seems to have not touched his food at all.

“We were never introduced, were we, little friend of Ussen’s?” Remarked Ussen’s father after finishing, the very picture of cordiality. I shook my head.

“Hm, how tragic. My name is Halif Gibraltar, and as you might have surmised thus far, Ussen is my son. He is next in line for the head seat of the house, and must be prepared for the responsibilities associated with that position. You might have also figured out that this house is not exactly “normal”. We are descended from a long line of assassins, dating all the way back to before the Moonfall. Now, I have a small problem. Ussen—my heir—is too soft to take the seat. I fear that he will not harden himself without some….outside motivations.

“Now, the problem is that you and his other friends are part of the reason why he’s too soft. Ergo, I’m turning that into the reason why he must become more callous.”

“By threatening us?”

“But of course! If Ussen fails, or otherwise refuses to do something, I’ll kill one of his friends. I may just kill them all anyway, to get the distraction away from him. I want him to fit in with other people, and that doesn’t require friendship.”

I tilted my head to one side, still staring at Halif without any emotion.

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“Sounds lonely.”

“Assassins do not get lonely.” Snarled Halif. “They do their job, and that’s all that matters. We are killers first, professionals second, and businessmen third. There’s no room for things like loneliness.”

“If Ussen doesn’t want to?”

“What? If he doesn’t want to become an assassin?”

I nodded.

“Too bad. I’ve been blessed by a son possessing the perfect abilities for our line of work, and it’d be a shame were he to waste his natural talent. He has a duty to succeed me.”

“If I stop that?” I ask quietly.

Ussen, who had just been staring at his food this entire time, looked up at me in shock.

“Revy, what do you…” He began, before being cut off by his father.

“Shut up boy! Do not entertain any fantasies.” He turned back to me.

“Besides, there’s nothing you can do. I’ll admit, you are surprisingly powerful—much more so than I would have ever guessed. However, you are also too naïve. There’s a reason why so many people are reluctant to eat in the house of an assassin.”

My eyes widen a little.

“What….?”

“My dear, my poor, poor dear. Stupid girl. Do you not realize even now what’s happened? The food was poisoned, and I’m afraid that even those who are at your apparent level of strength will not be able to resist what was in it.”

“Poison?”

“Yes, yes, poison. It was a little compound named Verfausten, a design of my ancestors. It’s a sinister little thing—attacks the Mana networks in the body first, then goes straight to the brain. You are already dead.”

“Father, why would….!” Yelled Ussen, before his father backhanded him into the wall.

“You shut up! I’m doing this for your sake, now don’t complain! You’ll thank me later. Now, as for you, girl, I could effectively kill you now. The poison should have already frozen your Mana veins, rendering you helpless. Now, I’m loath to throw away a good tool, so I’ll give you a choice.” Halif held up a little vial of liquid.

“Unfortunately, there is no cure for Verfausten. However, there is a compound that will temporarily halt it’s progress, and even allow you to use your Mana again. The choice is simple. Do what I say, and I’ll give you this compound and you can live a bit longer. However, you will then have to have a bit of the compound every few days, as the poison would become active again without it. Or, you could say no and die within the hour.”

Sigh~

It’s the classic villain’s dilemma, isn’t it?

Well, I mean I obviously want to live a bit longer. Who doesn’t?—besides hero’s and idiots, that is.

Well, I might as well agree and see where this all is going. Though, if he asks me to kill someone, Halif’s in for a rude Awakening.

I hesitated for a moment longer, before nodding.

“What do I do?”

Halif grinned, and pulled out a crystal ball.

“Simple. You put your hand on this, and agree that you’ll do whatever I ask.”

Fighting the urge to roll my eyes, I reached over and touched the ball. Immediately, it lit up, and I could feel a bond of sorts fall into place as I spoke.

“Swear to obey Halif Gibraltar.” I said. The bond solidified.

“Good, good. Now, there’s only one thing I want for you to do. Listen very closely, Ussen, my son. Know what will happen should you fail. Girl, I want you to watch Ussen. If ever he falters, appears unconfident, or otherwise acts in a way detrimental to his growth as an assassin, kill yourself.” Finished Halif with a sadistic grin.

I nodded, shoving my distaste down as far as possible. I could already feel the compulsion to watch and observe Ussen setting in.

“Revy?” Asked Ussen, his voice cracking slightly. There were slight and tiny tears at the corner of his eyes. Instantly, my hand was drawn to my belt, and a knife was pricking my throat a bare millisecond later. I stared down at the knife held in my own hand, eyes wide. A force of will had barely stopped it from sinking all the way into my throat.

“I would be careful, son. It looks like this girl is very sensitive to proper behavior. You wouldn’t want to kill her immediately by acting immature, would you? I’d suggest you compose yourself as soon as possible, lest you end up with one less friend.”

Ussen, looking frightened at the sight of the knife at my throat, immediately schooled his features into something approaching my own levels of stoic and calm expressionlessness.

“Please excuse me, I think I need some time alone right now.” He said, Ussen’s voice level and measured.

“Go.” Said his father, waving a hand. “It’s understandable that you need some time to adapt to this. Trust me though—it will only make you stronger.”

Ussen left without looking back at his father. I could see his steps falter for just a second before the door closed behind him.

As soon as he was gone, Halif laughed a little to himself.

“Fool boy. Why can’t he see that I just want him to be…better.” He turned to me. “As for you, go home. Keep watch over Ussen at school for now. I’ll send you further details on what I want you to do later. Here’s the compound that’ll be saving your life. I’d suggest you drink this one down now—I’ll send more with the instructions.”

He then turned his attention elsewhere, and I left.

So, let’s review the situation now, shall we?

I came to Ussen’s house in order to get his father to stop bothering me, and maybe to also stop pressuring Ussen to become a carbon copy of himself. Once arriving here, I dealt grievous harm to a number of the house guards, before meeting the head honcho himself. After showing a bot of my power to him, he invited me into his house, where I was poisoned during dinnertime. He then took that opportunity to consign me into his service in exchange for my life. Oh, and now I have to kill myself if Ussen shows any sigh of rebellion.

How annoying.

I pause right outside the gate to the Gibraltar family manor, before taking an abrupt turn to the left, skirting alongside the wall enclosing the building.

I have a good idea about the type of personality Ussen’s father has now. He’s controlling, manipulative and cold-hearted. However, I do believe that he holds Ussen’s best interests at heart, though in his own convoluted way. He doesn’t hold anything back in his quest to make Ussen his version of perfect. He see’s everyone other than Ussen as expendable though. Which is a bit of a problem for me.

Jumping over the outer wall, I reentered the manor grounds.

Let’s see—it should be….there.

Quickly running to the manor proper, I scaled up the wall to the second floor, where a window was left open. Perching on the windowsill, I looked into the room.

Ussen was sitting on the bed, staring at the far wall with a blank look. I hopped down from the windowsill, and the noise startled Ussen. Looking up, he recoiled in shock.

“Revy? What are you doing here?”

“Asking for opinion.” I stated.

“No, you should leave. I’d hate to hurt you more than I already have.” He said, his voice emotionless. That must have been a great shock for him back there. I sighed.

“What do you want?” I asked, quietly.

Ussen chuckled bitterly for a second.

“I can’t tell you what I really want, can I? You’d kill yourself.” He said morosely.

I snorted, and placed a hand on the wall. Raising a knife, I slammed it into my hand. I heard Ussen gasp behind me as I winced slightly, and withdrew the knife. My hand didn’t even have time to bleed before the wound sealed itself back up, right before Ussen’s eyes. The only proof of what had happened lay in the deep gash now on the wall.

I smiled sadly.

“Can’t kill myself. Impossible.”

“But….How?” Asked Ussen, still staring at my hand as if it held the secrets of my life inside.

“Doesn’t matter. Answer earlier question.”

“What do I want?”

I nodded.

“I don’t know what I want.” Laughed Ussen in a perplexed way. “I’ve never known. Why would I?”

“Then, what don’t you want?” I asked.

Ussen hesitated.

“I….don’t want to…follow in my father’s footsteps.” He said, hesitating a little. I think he was waiting for me to try to slash my neck or something. Which wouldn’t have done anything anyway.

I nodded.

“For now, don’t worry.” I told him, while walking back over to the window. I’ll play Halif’s game for now, but in my own way. I’m kinda interested in seeing where this goes.

On the way home, I tossed the compound for the poison into a trash bin.