Kieran avoids socialization as much as he can. He doesn't like it. He doesn't hate it though. He just thinks its a bother and waste of time.

Then again, time was money, and the mafia loved money. Maybe he should talk and annoy them more (not that he didn't already).

Money, again, was absolutely pointless in this world too.

Back to the point, he doesn't like talking to people.

He hates talking to his uncle.

Luckily, this time he didn't bring up anything that would... trigger anything. Even now, it still grated on his nerves.

His dear uncle was sitting in his chair. He didn't look like an evil boss, he just looked like your regular businessman. A sketchy one at that, but a businessman anyway. He was in charge of more than just your old documents. Millions of crime circles were associated with him. Many mass murderers were practically besties with him. Not to mention the drugs...

All he was saying was that his uncle didn't become a billionaire overnight.

Bond was currently looking at him, a concerned look on his face (Kieran knew it was fake, his uncle didn't feel a bit of emotion for his nephew). His hands were placed on his desk, on top of a beautiful weaving of a phoenix (probably stolen from a museum in China).

"I heard you haven't been sleeping much," Bond began, "Is it this Karma business again? I told you to quit this nonsense a longtime ago."

Kieran rolled his eyes, slouching his back and placing his hands in his backpack. "Do I ever listen to anything you say?" he said.

Bond sighed, "That's the problem, you don't listen."

"Why should I? You've done nothing for me besides make me live in this darn place."

Bond slammed his fist into his desk, losing the calm look on his face, "What did you just say to me boy?" his voice was dangerously low.

"Nothing," he muttered. A shiver ran down his body, another punishment was coming up. He knew it. More pain. More isolation. More death.

Your going to be alone forever, Dark Prince.

Pain's an old friend by this point.

His uncle tried to calm down, taking deep breaths, "Did you forget, " he growled, "All the things we did for you? I took you in when your parents died. I gave you a home, food, everything you ever needed."

And the pain. All the pain for my ugly existence.

It was fine. It was fine. Calm down.

"You know what happens," his uncle continued.

He did, he knew exactly well what happens if he doesn't follows orders.

Punishment.

"I'll go easy on you," his uncle said, but it didn't calm Kieran down very much, "I'll give you a simple mission. It will be a hard one, Fireheart rank..."

The mafia's mission was grouped in five ranks; Egg, a simple mission, like exchanging information. Hatchling, slightly harder than Egg, something like starting a drug ring. Chick, usually what Kieran took care of; Undercover work, infiltration. Adult ranks, almost the same as chick. Something along the lines of infiltration and assassinations. Chick and Adult wouldn't be so hard, if it weren't for government officials and all their fancy bodyguards. Kieran... He did a few of those as well.

Fireheart, on the other hand... There were only three missions ranked as high as that in the 'Ash' mafia history.

One of them was the assassination of the greatest Chinese emperor, Wu Xing.

Over two hundred members of the mafia died from that one mission.

It was the last Fireheart mission the mafia took.

Well, he guessed, until now.

His uncle was basically giving him a death sentence.

At least he can stop living in this miserable life if he dies.

That wasn't suicidal, was it?

...

He realized his uncle was talking, "Your mission will take place at the next Blaze."

The Blaze was the twice in a year time when the 'Ash' mafia met with different crime rings and smaller gangs. They were powerful, but not as powerful as Ash. All of them clambered to talk to who ever represented the Ash mafia. Usually they only sent around three people, compared to the other gangs's fifty representatives.

"You want me to wipe them out?" Kieran asked, trying to guess what his uncle wanted him to do.

His uncle laughed, "No, that would be easier then the actual mission. No, your mission is just one person." He opened a cabinet, searching through the papers. He pulled out a small file, handing it to Kieran. "We expect the government to hear about the Blaze this year. I'm confident that they're going to try to infiltrate it. Possibly sending a hitman to take care of our representatives."

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

"Just one?" Kieran asked, flipping through the papers in the file.

"Just one, though I don't think you'll find him very easy to take out."

Kieran looked up from the papers. "You want me to assassinate someone?"

The uncle grimaced, "He's a very important figure to the government. If we kill him off, that would be a huge blow for them."

"And who is this guy exactly?"

"Archer Toram."

Kieran closed the file, surprised, "You want me to assassinate the most intelligent agent there is?"

"Pretty much."

Kieran was too surprised to speak. Finally he croaked out, "Why me?"

"Because you're the best option. I don't want any members going to this Blaze."

"I'm literally the freaking successor to this whole mafia."

"You're not going in as my successor. You're going in as Karma."

"You want me to go as a vigilant. This whole punishment is because I was a one."

"If you can complete this mission, I'll let you continue."

"In costume?"

Bond eyed him, "Let's not. Go in a suit. Just bring your weapons and do your weird hair thingy."

Kieran rolled his eyes, "How am I even supposed to do this? Assassinate this guy I mean. I know how to go to a stupid business meeting and annoy people, but that's it."

"That's for you to find out," His uncle shooed him out the door, "I really hope you do succeed."

Kieran took one last look at his uncle. His eyes said differently. Great, another person who wants him dead.

Not like anyone wanted him alive.

Maybe he should just-

He stopped his trail of thoughts. He shouldn't go onto that route.

Whatever, he had to deal with this first.

----------------------------------------

Two days spent planning past. The Blaze was set tonight.

Well, before he died, he better go to his favorite technician.

"Kieran!" His best friend, Cassie, shouted, "When did you get here?"

Cassie Landon, his best friend since he was four, was a red-head. She also had glowing emerald eyes. Cassie was wearing a loose t-shirt, shorts, and crocs. And you couldn't forgot her robotic cat-ears that Kieran had always hated.

"I got here an hour ago. How long does it take you to play your role-playing game."

The girl glared at him, "Hey!" she muttered, "Don't talk about how long I spend on things. You spend like what, a quarter of your whole life pranking the mafia. Get a life, meet a girl, go on a date. Actually do something!"

"I got you," he said. Cassie slapped in him the cheeks, "Ow."

"You deserve it," she said, "Anyway, what are you here?" She cleared her table of machinery parts. The familiar smell of oil and metal reach his nostrils, and Kieran sighed, remember all those other times he had spent in the workshop.

Those days with Cassie, playing games and building machines that accidentally exploded. Those days when the pain and burden of everything wasn't so bad, and he could still laugh and smile without a care.

"I need my weapons back. Have you finished the upgrades? Also I need you to update my com systems." He gave her his ear piece that all mafia members were required to have on missions.

"Got it, finished it, will do it," the girl said, she reached under her table, "What's such the rush? I thought you were picking them up a few days later."

"Got assigned another mission."

She studied him, a pitying look in her gaze. He shifted, uncomfortable. "Fireheart rank," he added quietly.

She slammed her hands on the table, whatever parts she was holding spilling out of her hands, "WHAT THE HECK?!" she shouted, "IS YOUR UNCLE INSANE?! YOU'RE GOING TO DIE!"

He gestured for her to calm down, "Yeah," he said quietly, "I guess he is. He wants me to go as Karma this time." he fidgeted with his hands, "If I do this, he says he won't bother me about the whole vigilant thing anymore."

She rubbed her eyes, "Ok, ok. Let me get this straight. If you complete this freaking Fireheart ranked mission, you'll get to continue being a vigilant."

"Pretty much."

She sighed, removing her hands from her eyes. "There's no point stopping you," she said, "You're going to find a way to do it somehow." She gave him a small grin, "Might as well give you the best tech you can find on this side of the country."

"Only this side?" The girl gave him a look. "Nevermind."

Cassie took out a few of his knives, "These were pretty easy to upgrade. Most of them are your regular throwing knives, though we have some special ones around here..." She passed them to the boy, and handed him his sword next. "Retractable as always. The handle's black, too, matches your emo boy personality by the way. The metal's made from Xiabrium."

His eyes widen, "That's billions dollars worth of metal!"

She grinned again, "The best only for the best!" She handed him the sword, which he took. He inspected the blade, it was a deep crimson. "How'd you make it red?" he asked the inventor, who was taking out another sword.

"Inventor's secret," she told him, putting a finger to her lip, "You work with twin swords right? I made you another pair." She slid another sword across the table.

This blade was blue, almost turquoise. Kieran retracted both blades and put them away.

"The Xiabrium," she said, "Makes them practically unbreakable. They're lighter than your previous swords as well. You also don't need to sharpen them daily, since the metal is so durable. It could probably could cut through almost everything, besides other metals as strong as Xiabrium." She threw him his com, and he caught it easily. "Have fun with that," she informed him, "Removed the mafia tracker out of it. It's now 'Ash' free. Connected to your contacts too." She looked at him one more time, "That's about as much I can do for you, unless you want me to checkup on your motorcycle."

Kieran thought for a moment. "Do that," he said, "I'll go get changed."

A few minutes later, the boy walked out. Cassie whistled, "Nice suit." The boy grimaced at the girl.

"Sure," he said. Kieran ran his hand down his his hair. It was a mess of red and blue. He didn't want to die with split-colored hair (he's 100% not dying as Todoroki, sorry). His eyes were silver. His swords were at his sides, retracted, and the throwing knives were in hidden pockets.

The girl wiped the sweat off her forehead. "Your motorcycle's fine," she informed him, "Place a few upgrades on it though."

"Thanks, Cassie," Kieran hugged his best friend, "Don't know where I'd be without you. If I die, you can have all my stuff."

The girl laughed, "Now I kind of want you to die," she said, "better treat me out if you don't."

Kieran rolled his eyes, "Sure, sure."

"One more thing," she said, Cassie slid a small metal hexagon, he took it, wondering what it was. "It's a holographic map. Basically a GPS but with holograms."

"Thanks," he said quietly, he slide it in his pockets. "I got to go now. Really hope I don't die."

"So do I," she said, contradicting her previous statement.

He gave his best friend one more look before hopping onto his motorcycle and riding to his probable death.

Life is so much fun.