Two figures walked through a familiar town. The man seemed confused, as if searching for something he was missing. The woman remained serene, simply observing her partner's actions.
"What are you looking for?"
"My house."
"Shouldn't she be here?"
"No, she should be in a forest!"
he replied, his tone becoming slightly emotional, as if change wasn't something he welcomed. The woman began searching alongside him, her hand resting on her sword at the waist of her kinomo, her steps calm but agile.
"Didn't you tell me it was a library?"
"Yes!"
"Isn't that it?"
She pointed to a large, familiar structure. The man walked to her side and stared at the place in silence for a few seconds.
"..."
The woman stared at her partner's mechanical arm, which was emitting a chirp and its claws were pressing against her palm, almost breaking the Renkata material. Beneath the eyepatch, she could see the mechanical eye glowing beneath the dark fabric, a certain... anger? It was beginning to spread through her being. But within seconds, it became emotionless again.
"...Yes, it's my home."
The woman followed her partner's steps, who stood in front of the structure. The man seemed stunned by the change, but shook his head and muttered to himself.
"I'm going to have a talk with those girls."
The woman turned to her partner, placing her hand in his long, dark hair, stroking it.
"I know you don't like change. But like you once said to me, 'Improvements are necessary.' Remember? When you had to rebuild your arm and eye?"
The man rested the mechanical arm on his chin, stroking his beard, which was shorter and neatly trimmed.
"Okay... you're right. I'll adapt."
He picked up two small pieces of iron, beginning to fiddle with the lock. His nimble fingers unlocked it easily, causing the door to swing open... The scent of wood was no longer present, but still, it smelled quite pleasant. The place seemed larger, but retained a certain... humility, so to speak, as if the place had been shaped for a certain someone.
His gaze fell on the books, which were organized and clean, without a trace of dust. The scent of perfume assaulted his nostrils, making the man sneeze softly...
Suddenly, a sound of footsteps was heard, the woman reached for her sword, and the man faced the stairs. Then a familiar figure stood before them both, his body poised in hand-to-hand combat as she'd been taught, his tail flailing, his orange eyes glowing in the dark, but then... they filled with tears as he recognized the male figure.
"Slady...?"
"Shaphira?"
Before reacting, she hugged him tightly, rubbing herself against his chest.
"I've missed you so much!"
Slady allowed his embrace, caressing his waist. The woman watched the scene silently, but with a certain satisfaction. Shaphira stepped back, looking at the woman, not recognizing her.
"Who is this?"
The woman placed both hands behind her back, a little shy. Slady simply nodded.
"This is my partner, Ferinish."
"Oh... nice to meet you..."
She extended her hand, Ferinish placed his over hers, both feeling a certain connection, their energies clashing at the touch.
Slady crossed her arms, noticing the awkwardness between them. Trying to break the ice.
"What happened here, and most importantly, where is Elisa?"
Shaphira removed Ferinish's hand and looked at Slady, looking melancholic.
"Elisa... disappeared. She told me she 'needed some time,' she suddenly changed and didn't tell me why."
Ferinish raised an eyebrow, genuinely curious.
"Elisa is your sister?"
"She's my friend. But when her father passed away, Slady adopted her. So we became half-sisters."
Ferinish looked at Slady, seeming to have gained a little more respect for him. The man inclined his head slightly, turning away.
"I think I know where she is. Please, get to know each other better."
Slady left the place, leaving the two women alone in the library. He walked through Libretãnhya, deep in thought, a certain place on his mind.
Arriving in a more remote area, Slady arrived at a mansion where Elisa's former family lived. He noticed that the place was abandoned and had... an open window. He entered through the window silently, beginning to walk through the place, which, after Raizer's death, had been left without an owner.
Suddenly, Slady heard footsteps behind him and felt a draft rush toward his neck. He immediately dodged and recognized the figure...
Elisa.
Even as her eyes widened in recognition, she lunged forward with the sword her father had given her. Slady extended his mechanical hand, and suddenly, Elisa flew at him, the man wrapping his claws around her neck and slamming her against the wall.
Elisa was thrown into another room, her sword pulled into the air by the mechanical hand, and when she fell to the floor, she felt the tip of the blade on her neck.
"What happened, Elisa? You don't recognize me?"
"Shut up..."
She replied, furious.
"You've lied to everyone your whole life, you're the murderer of thousands! You sick...!"
Slady couldn't help but be surprised. How had she found out? How did she know who he was? Questions like these echoed in her mind.
"You're the most wanted person of all time, Slady! Now I know why my father suspected you!"
"Suspected...?"
He pulled the sword from Elisa's neck, throwing it away. The girl remained still, her heart beating fast, especially after losing so quickly. Slady did nothing, just crouched down, staring at her.
"Let's talk."
"Why would I do that? I lied to myself! Now what are you going to do? Are you going to kill me for discovering your centuries-old secret?!"
"No... I would never do that."
Surprise showed on Elisa's face; she pulled her knees to her chest, as if hugging herself. Slady tried to touch her, but she pushed his hand away.
"Get those hands off me..."
She buried her face in her legs, her sobs... turning into cries.
"I don't even know who you really are, Slady. I saw you as a second dad, but I never really knew you, no one ever knew you!"
Slady's heart broke at the words, but she couldn't show it. He didn't know how to comfort her, he just remained silent, letting her let out everything she needed to.
"I just wanted everything to go back to the way it was before. I wanted my father, my mother, my life back! Before, I had so much to do, I didn't have time to think about the past. When you disappeared, it was like all the memories came flooding back. And now, when I find out everything I knew about you was a lie, everything's worse!"
Slady sat beside her, placing his mechanical hand gently on her shoulder.
"I can't imagine how much you must hate me, but why didn't you tell Shaphira, why didn't you tell the police?"
"Because... even though you lied, I still see you as my father. I never hated you, Slady. Even for all the lies you told."
She wiped away her tears, trying to hold back her tears. Slady moved her hand to her hair.
"Cry, ask as much as you want. You deserve to have all your questions answered..."
His mechanical hand grows warmer, making the caress even more pleasant.
"And if it's for you, for our family, I'll stop doing what I've done my whole life."
Elisa was deeply shocked, but she also couldn't help but feel relieved at his sincerity. She wiped the tears from her face, managing to regain her composure.
"I... I have questions to ask..."
***
On the roof of the mansion, they both meet, gazing into the moonlight. Elisa remains calmer, looking at Slady's emotionless face, starting with the questions.
"What happened to you? During this time you were away?"
"I've been through a lot, ended up in a distant, cold place, but I've been warmed by a good presence that you'll meet soon."
"This presence... is she a good person?"
"I didn't have that impression at first, but as the months passed, our intimacy grew, and our understanding deepened, I realized she's a good person."
"She'll be part of our family, like I started to be?"
Slady looked back at her, nodding.
"She's my partner, she'll be part of it."
"Partner... will she be like a mother to me?"
"Yes, I suppose so."
Elisa felt uncomfortable with that idea; having a new family after the death of her first was still an unfamiliar concept. But even so, for someone who hadn't known her own mother figure, it was tempting.
"I have other questions."
"Please."
"Who was my mother?"
Slady was thoughtful for a few seconds...
"She was a good woman, very faithful and kind, but she had you too late and for too short a time. She..."
Slady hesitated, but decided to tell the truth.
"She died in my arms."
Elisa remained silent, placing her hand on her chest, feeling her heart beat painfully.
"I'm sorry for asking."
"Don't blame yourself. As someone who failed you, I deserve to remember these things."
Elisa had more questions; she debated whether or not to ask, but made her decision.
"How long have you been a hitman? Who was the first person you killed? And what kind of people did you kill?"
Slady pressed her lips together, but answered honestly.
"I've killed people for over a century. The first death I caused was..."
***
A long time ago...
Slady found himself in a forest. His body was weak, wrapped in an old, dirty cloak, but it covered his nakedness and kept him warm, even if only slightly.
At that time, he still had both eyes and both arms. He found himself eating some dead animals, the raw meat entering his mouth dry, the blood acting as the liquid that made the digestion process more pleasant.
The taste was horrible, but his hunger screamed louder. Close to his ears, he heard laughter. As he approached, hiding in a bush, he noticed a man and a woman talking. The woman laughed gently, the man teased her, but Slady noticed his lewd, malicious gaze.
The man's touch began to reach more sensitive places; the woman didn't mind, thinking it was innocent. But when she realized her body was beginning to weaken after a few drinks of wine...
"I think we'd better stop here, dear. I'm feeling a little dizzy, and my parents must be waiting for me."
"Calm down, my princess. We can have fun here. No one will know..."
As her hand reached down the hem of her skirt, the woman realized the situation she'd found herself in. She tried to pull away, but the man pushed her against the tree, covering her mouth with his hand.
"You know... I worked hard today. Facing demons in that dimension left me very stressed and tired. I need to release this tension..."
The woman tried to scream, but couldn't; the man began to sniff her longingly.
"And you're the hottest girl I've met this week. I'm going to satisfy myself with you..."
Slady, who remained hidden, felt something in her being. Her hand went to a sharp piece of wood, which was stained with blood, and advanced from behind, driving the stake into the man's neck. He quickly released the girl and struck him with a punch that knocked him away.
"Son of a bitch!!"
When he turned toward the woman, she had fled. Then he began walking toward Slady...
"You made me lose that woman..."
He removed the stake from his neck, throwing himself at Slady. He tried to move, but was stopped. The man began to remove his cloak, his eyes bordering on evil.
"You look just like a woman, you'll serve me well...!"
He stuck the end of the piece of wood into Slady's arm, beginning to saw hard.
"You will learn never to deprive a man of his pleasure again!"
***
...
An immensely uncomfortable silence fell between Slady and Elisa. The girl was shocked, her heart aching with every beat, the anger she had previously felt converted to pity and understanding.
"Slady..."
She approached him, but he pulled away, standing up.
"I need a moment..."
He stepped off the mansion's roof. Elisa wanted to go after him, comfort him, but she knew she couldn't do anything for him.
"I was horrible..."
Slady paced the mansion, his gaze falling to his mechanical arm, returning to memories of his past. He hit his face, falling to the ground, his nose bleeding, but the memories faded from his mind for a while.
Beside him was a document labeled "Who is Slady?" Under the name of Raizer Fainer. He picked up the document and began to read.
☆☆☆
"I've known Slady for a long time, but I've never seen him in any record of his existence. A true unsolved mystery."
"The Vicks brothers like him, Natasha feels safe and always seeks him out for advice, especially about relationships. That's strange. I've never seen him have any love in his life; he always seemed completely lonely, but his advice was very good. Johnhye always wants to train with him; he used everything he could, but always lost."
"Even my wife and I have fallen into his traps. Sometimes I feel like I have a mind reader as a friend, considering how observant he is."
"I once read in a newspaper that, in the last century, the number of criminals has decreased sharply. Many police officers lost their jobs, but no one knew how this decline occurred. Then a theory emerged that someone was murdering them. He was called "The Killer of the Century," a person who must be over a hundred years old to kill so many people."
"I'm suspicious of my friend. When I see him reading newspapers about missing criminals, I see more indifference than usual. And when I tell him about a criminal on the loose, they disappear overnight."
☆☆☆
Slady tears up the document; it was pages and pages of notes about his behavior, suspicions, and distrust of someone he thought he could call a friend.
"Raizer... you bastard."
Frustration reached its limit when Slady began smashing everything with his mechanical arm. Breaking tables, walls, and everything he could find...
Elisa heard the sound from the roof, quickly leaving the place and finding Slady huddled on the ground, vulnerable for the first time before her eyes. There were no tears, just his emotions completely contained and unable to release themselves.
"Why, why, why, why?!"
Before Slady could hurt himself, Elisa hugged him tightly to keep him from leaving.
"Don't do anything stupid, Slady!"
"I shouldn't have put so much pressure on you. Your life has been a living hell, secret from everyone. Please... stop killing criminals, before it really hurts you... I forgive you for everything. Just... go back to being the person I loved so much."
Slady's mental, emotional, and even physical exhaustion were at their limit; he simply commented in a voice almost choked.
"I'll stop... but that doesn't take away the fact that I've committed horrible things. I don't deserve this life I have. I should suffer, I should be dead like all the criminals I've killed..."
"I'm a monster."
Elisa can't say anything; she just hugs him and holds him against her chest. The murmurs turn to silence, his body enveloped by a warmth that isn't just from Elisa's arms.
"Truth..." (he murmured)
"I'm here, Slady. I won't leave you."
Her voice echoed in his mind, and he finally allowed himself to rest in the arms of someone who accepted and loved him.