Calvin was not a drinker. In his past life, he swore it off after seeing what it did to his father, and what it did to his grandfather. They drank it so much that his father and grandfather were called a distillery. It led them to an early death at the age of fifty.

Of course, he died when he was fifty too. Just not from drinking, but from an accident. Being hit by a truck. A very common and unfortunate accident from the world he had come from.

He was promised an easy life, and he had one in this world. He had a childhood sweetheart that he married. Four children that he loved so much. A mansion filled with servants.

It was a life to be jealous of.

That was until last spring.

His wife, Estelle, had been murdered, her throat slashed, and a message scrawled on the dirty alleyway wall the police had found her in.

I’m back – Lucius.

It was a name that brought dread within his heart. Lucius was a serial killer that had personally targeted him over a grudge.

And somehow had followed him in this world.

He hired only the best to protect his children.

But one by one, his children were picked clean.

Abby, his oldest, the one that loved to play violin and wished to become a violinist to the stars. Her body was strung up by strings in the tree she so loved to climb as a small girl.

Lou loved the idea of chivalry and dreamed by being a knight one day. There was one knife planted in the back of his head, with his body tied so he could not move. Chivalry was dead.

Damian, his youngest, wanted to be a baker. His body was found in the oven like some swine.

Only his second daughter remained, and he was sure Lucius would come for her too.

It was why he drank. Because nothing else would help him stop feeling overwhelming dread and despair.

There was a knock on the door.

“Father?”

Sabrina, his only living child, his only living proof that Estelle had existed here. That the love between them had existed. She looked just like her mother, dark hair, dark eyes, and a smile that would make any boy swoon.

She gave him a reproving look when she saw the whiskey in his hand.

“Father! How many times have I told you, you need to stop drinking. If mother saw you, what would she say?”

“…She wouldn’t like it.” He hiccupped. Calvin still drank the rest of what was in his cup anyways. Sabrina gasped, her hand covered her lips.

A moment later, she had confiscated his cup and whiskey, clutching the items tightly against her chest. “Is there anymore?” She asked.

“No.” He lied. There were plenty of other places he had hidden some.

She stared at him. “Your face is all red. What am I supposed to tell the help I hired?”

“Help?” Calvin blinked. “What are you talking about?”

“You do not remember, father? I told you I hired help. A lot of our servants have quit, and the bodyguards are also weary of protecting us.”

“No!” Calvin blurted. “You cannot hire anyone. What if you hire the killer?”

Sabrina put her hands on her hips and gave him a hard look. “We need servants, father. The manor is caked with dust. I will not let this home become a ghost mansion. We need to keep up appearances. You are the head merchant of the guild.”

Look at her. She was stronger than him. Even though she lost the same as him, she still stood strong. He prayed deep in his heart that the gods would allow her to survive this ordeal. If she was taken from him too…he didn’t know what he would do.

“Okay,” Calvin finally said. “But I want to see them.”

“They are already waiting outside. I will bring them in.” She scanned him. “I will bring them in five minutes. Comb your hair, and button your shirt.”

He did as his daughter commanded. He raked his hair with his fingers and buttoned up his shirt. Looking at his reflection in the mirror, he saw bags under his eyes and a very scraggy beard compared to his usual well kempt one.

Calvin looked barely acceptable, but that was enough for him.

There was a knock and then the door opened.

Sabrina led two people in his office. One man and one woman. If only it was as simple as that.

“This is Lucas, and this is Lucille.” She introduced them.

Both of them scared him. Lucas, the man was tall and imposing, with a gaunt face and steel blue eyes that stared right into his soul.

Lucille wore an eyepatch on her left eye and had many scars on her forearms. She was a hard woman with an even harder expression despite that being shorter than a head, she looked like a shark ready to chomp on its meal.

“Sabrina, where did you find these people?” Calvin felt sweat drip down his neck.

She puffed her chest. “I found them in the slums. You always told me to find people and help them in need.”

“Uh-huh. Yes, I suppose I said that.”

“Are you the master?” Lucas eyed him. “Thought you would be fatter.”

“I agree.” Lucille nodded.

These people had no manners, but more than that. Their names almost were similar to Lucius. Was that a coincidence? Of all the people his daughter had found in the slums, why did they remind him so much of Lucius?

“Father? Are you going to ask them any questions?”

Sabrina snapped him out of his stupor. He scratched the side of his face.

“Yes! Yes! Of course! Questions!”

The only question he wanted to ask if one of them were Lucius.

If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

“So, what experiences do you have?” Calvin asked.

Lucas cocked his head. “I used to be a miner, but I was fired. Was told I was too aggressive. A man took the place I usually mine. A place I knew had gold. We’re paid on commission, so this asshole took my spot, knowing I’ve been digging there because I knew there were gold lodes there. So, I grabbed his neck, and I throttled it, until his face turned as purple as plum! And I popped out his eye!”

By the time he finished, he was standing, and out of breath.

Lucille hadn’t moved one bit, just nodding as if it were normal. His daughter was shedding a tear, wiping her eyes with her finger.

“You poor man.”

Calvin was at a loss for words. What to say about this story? More importantly, in concern with his daughter’s reaction, had he raised her wrong? There was nothing sad about that. The only reaction that should have come from that was being horrified.

None of these people were normal.

Then, he noticed. Lucas stared at him. A prickle of fear went down his spine.

The man had not blinked since he had come into the room.

It was then and there he knew that Lucas had to be Lucius.

“Lucille, why don’t you talk about yourself,” Sabrina suggested.

“I am here to kill…dust.”

Wh-what was that? The way her eyes were glowing filled with such murderous attempt made him shudder her.

“Kill…dust?” His daughter cocked her head.

Yes! Think Sabrina! These people are clearly dangerous. She noticed that he was staring at her, Sabrina smiled and winked at him.

“How would you do that?”

That was not what he was trying to get across. He was starting to worry if his daughter was too naïve.

“I stab them in the neck, over and over again. Then I drink their blood.”

She just described how to murder someone. Lucille was playing with a still wet knife in her hand, she cast a dark gaze over it, and started to lick the blood off.

“That.” Sabrina narrowed her eyes. For a moment, Calvin felt that she would figure out that they were murderers. “Is wonderful way of cleaning dust.”

“Huh?!” He could not hide himself his exasperation.

All three pairs of eyes turned to him.

“Father?” Sabrina asked.

Calvin cleared his throat, collecting himself. “I was just so surprised…of your work.”

“Yes. I have killed many me…dust,” Lucille said. “Before Sabrina offered me a job, I was also killing dust.”

She was absolutely about to say men!

“Sa-Sabrina.” He was shaking. “Can we talk in private?”

“Of course, father.” Sabrina gave a cheery smile. Before they left the room, she turned to them. “Please make yourself at home, we will be back in a few minutes.”

The two of them were still staring at them as they closed the door. They walked off into a storage room, where Calvin was sure they would not be heard.

Then, he turned his lovely daughter to him, and shook her.

“What are you thinking?”

“I don’t understand what you mean father?”

“Those two are absolutely murderers. They’re killers!” Calvin waved his hand. “Why would you bring them to our home like that?” Then he became silent and whispered to her. “What if they’re the killer?”

“But their names aren’t Lucius?” Sabrina looked at him weird.

He threw up his hands. “They could be lying, girl!”

Her eyes became crossed. She did not like being called girl. “Father. We need help. They are willing to help us. They will protect us and serve us. It kills two birds with one stone.”

A thought occurred to him. It was obvious that one of those two were Lucius. It was more likely that Lucas was Lucius. Lucius would not be caught as a woman. If he found out which, then he would be able to give his daughter a life.

“Alright.” Calvin nodded. “Hire them both.”

“Yes!” She clapped her hands together and beamed at him. She ran to the door. “I will go ahead and tell them!”

When she opened it, the two of them were at the door, staring at the two of them.

Calvin’s eyes bulged. How long had they been there?

“Wow, you guys surprised me. How long have you been there?” Sabrina asked.

“We heard yelling.” Lucas’s voice grated. “We came, because we thought you might be in trouble.”

Lucille nodded. “Yes. We thought you would be in trouble and might need to get rid of your fath-dust.”

“Oh, I see! Well, I have fantastic news. You two are hired!”

She clapped her hands in joy. The two of them did not follow her action, they just stared past her, towards him.

#

Lucius smiled as he watched Calvin. He still did not know who he was yet. He wanted so much to rip off his face and eat it.

#

It had been a couple of days since Lucas and Lucille were hired. Finding out which of them were Lucius was difficult. Because they both did things Lucius would have done.

He thought for sure it was Lucas, but he was starting to get doubts that were true. Lucas liked birds. He would feed them with breadcrumbs every morning and talk to them. He showed…some compassion. Something Lucius would never.

Then there was Lucille, whom he was starting to feel was Lucius. All she talked about was how to kill dust, which definitely meant human. She talked how she skinned a human. How she liked to eat humans. How one time she covered herself with human to beat up another human.

Thoughts of who Lucius was cycled through him. Some days he would believe Lucas was Lucius, but others he was sure it was Lucille. It was very confusing.

As Calvin moved to his desk, he found a neatly folded paper addressed to him. Calvin flipped it open, and he could feel his face lose its color.

I am here.

Three words that confirmed everything. Lucius was one of the two. There was no doubt anymore. Calvin rose up from his chair and started to pace back and forth.

Lucius was no doubt watching him with glee. Like a panther placing a rabbit in its mouth. Enjoying the struggle of inevitability. Sometimes the rabbit bit its tongue.

After a quiet minute where he stopped in his trail, Calvin knew what he had to do. He had to kill them both. It was the only way to be sure. That meant killing an innocent life, but it also meant saving his daughter’s.

Calvin was never a fighting man. He would take the pen over the sword any day.

The blessing her received was not combat based, rather it was for perfect for a merchant. It was called the Stock Market. It allowed him to see the live prices of beef, salt, wheat, and other goods. With this blessing, he obtained the title of God Merchant.

It was not meant for combat and would never fight.

But since his wife had died, he had thought different. A man had come here to take his family. He opened his hidden drawer, taking out a magic infused crystal. The small crystal the size of a thimble had cost him a fortune, but it allowed even an inept man like him to cast magic by calling out the spell.

Fireball.

Calvin brought the crystal to his chest. His salvation. Then, with a hardened resolve, Calvin wheeled, and walked out of his office. The hallways seemed much more empty today than any other day.

There was a time when it was filled with servants walking to their next destination. But it was not like that anymore. It felt foreboding, as if it would swallow him whole. It made him stop for a moment, as he shivered at the feeling and thought.

Then, he continued to trudge to his destination.

The first place he went was on the first floor. The courtyard garden. At this time, Lucas would be feeding the birds with stale bread.

The garden had once been beautiful. His wife was the caretaker of it. Planting flowers and trees and any other plants that tickled her fancy. He remembered her boisterous laugh with her face caked in dirt. His heart ached and yearned for what was lost.

Now the flowers wilted, and the plants sagged from the lack of care.

Calvin vowed after all of this, he would find somebody to take care of her work. He turned the corner of the pathway and stopped dead in his tracks.

Lucas laid on the floor, his throat slashed, and a puddle of blood formed under him. The fire crystal clacked on the cobblestone.

He took a step back, shaking his head in denial. It was impossible. He was sure that Lucas had been Lucius, but here he was dead. His throat ripped out by a fine blade. Calvin’s breath was unstable.

Then, he turned and ran back to his manor. The surrounding blurred, but he knew where he was going. He went up three flights of stairs, down the hallway, and to the very last door on the left wing. He pushed the door open.

On the floor writing in pain, Lucille was choking Sabrina. Right next to them was a bloodied razor. His body acted immediately. He bashed into Lucille, taking her down along with him. Her eyes widened and her gaze went to the razor. She lunged for it, and he lunged into her path blocking her.

He did not have his crystal with him, but he placed his hand around her neck, chocking her out.

“You did this!” Calvin yelled.

As her face turned purple, she flailed her hands at him, trying to beat him back. They were strong punches and in a normal moment, that would have been enough to knock him out or stop. But this woman had tried to kill his daughter.

He would not forgive her!

His grip became stronger, and her eyes bulged.

Until he felt a snap.

Her hands dropped to her side, and when Calvin released his grip, she fell like a broken marionette.

“I…I did it.” His hands were shaking. “I did it!”

Then he remembered his daughter and turned around.

“Sabrina.”

Something hot cut across his throat.

“Fuck! That was something!”

That voice. He knew it anywhere.

It was rough, like a stone grating through a metal pan. And it came out of Sabrina’s mouth.

She playfully held the razor in her hands, a sickening smile stretched across her face.

“Gotta say, playing the perfect daughter was something else!” He cackled. “Coming from your balls and waiting for this day to come.”

Sabrina…no, Lucius patted her father’s cheek.

Then another sharp pain cut the other side of his throat.

Her voice changed back, but the expression did not change.

“Good night, father.”