Livio stood in front of the defeated soldier, Ciro. His eyes were devoid of emotion.
His heart rate is slowly increasing, due to the rush of adrenaline coursing through his body. Ciro's mouth was shut, neither speaking nor showing any desire to beg for his life.
Livio's PBV still ran along his sword. He lifted his blade and took his stance.
"I'll give you the right amount. Just frame him," a fat man said to Ciro.
"No, I refuse," Ciro replied, stepping back.
"You'll regret this. No one in this world is good. Fools like you die first!" the man shouted as Ciro vanished into the shadows.
Ciro stood in front of a house, his fists clenched.
"I can't protect the innocent from the higher ups, but that doesn't mean I have the right to ruin someone."
The door creaked open, and a little girl ran out, hugging his legs.
"Daddy!" she beamed, looking up at him with a warm smile.
"Welcome back, dear," a pregnant woman approached him slowly.
Ciro entered the house and closed the door behind him.
"Hey, we've been ordered to capture Livio, Ethan, and Oliver," one of the assassins announced.
"But why? They were already framed. Why go after them again?" Ciro questioned his comrades.
"Who cares? We follow orders," another assassin replied as the group dispersed.
Ciro remained behind, staring at the ground.
"What do I do? If I disobey, my family will suffer. If I obey, I don't even know if I'm right or wrong....…"
A small voice echoed in his mind.
"Daddy....…" his daughter's face flashed before him.
"That's right. I won't harm him. I'll just capture him and hand him over to the higher-ups. If they fight back, I'll only injure them...nothing fatal. That's right…" he reassured himself before vanishing into the night.
Livio's vision blurred as his eyes slowly turned white. The bloodlust within him began to fade, and his hands felt heavy.
"Who cares? Why should I care about people I don't even know?" he muttered. "It doesn't matter why you attacked me and my friends. The only thing that matters is that you did. If you commit murder to protect your loved ones, that doesn't make it right. The only thing I care about is that you tried to kill us. I don't care about your family or loved ones. If you can kill someone to protect or feed your family, why should you be left alive? You should be killed immediately to protect others from you. Or maybe....… your family should be killed so you never have to kill again."
His grip on the blade loosened.
"You need four sacrifices to craft those items," the blacksmith told them.
"What the hell? What do you take us for?" Ethan snapped, glaring at him.
"I don't want anything from you bastards. It's the other way around. You already know the truth. Without sacrifice, you can't gain anything. If you don't want to do it, fine. My door is always open...… but please, don't waste my time," the blacksmith said, returning to his forge.
"Why four sacrifices? There are only three of us," Livio asked.
"Well, what about me, kid? Don't I deserve something in return?" The blacksmith smirked.
"No...… I can't do it. No, I'm not a murderer. I can't…...." Livio fell to his knees, his sword slipping from his grasp.
Ciro struggled to stay conscious, unable to comprehend what was happening. Instead of pleading, he slowly crawled backward.
"I won't die. Not today. I'll see my second child. My wife is waiting. After this, I'll retire from being an assassin."
A voice whispered beside Livio's ear.
"What are you afraid of? Didn't you say you don't care about strangers? What happened now? Feeling guilty?" Eero's hand rested on Livio's shoulder as he leaned in.
Livio turned his eyes toward him. "Why are you here?"
"Oh, me? I just came to guide you. Didn't you say the same to Ethan?" Eero grinned.
"No….... I was wrong." Livio clutched his head.
"There's nothing wrong with killing for survival," Eero continued. "It's just natural selection. Animals eat other animals because they have no choice. But what about us? We have choices...… yet we still destroy. Why do you think that is? It's because humans hunger.....to destroy what they cannot create or maintain."
Eero's voice grew more chilling. "Do you know how it felt when I betrayed my closest friends? Do you know how happy I was hearing your agonized screams? It was…... exhilarating. The closer the bond, the sweeter the destruction. You should try it. That assassin tried to kill you. Are you just going to let him go?"
Eero stepped in front of Livio, lifting his face to look him in the eyes.
"Don't you want to protect your parents? Isn't that why you're here? What is his life worth compared to theirs? You know how it feels to lose someone. Either sacrifice him now, or sacrifice your loved ones later."
Eero's words seeped into Livio's mind.
Flashes of his parents' sacrifice filled his vision. The faces of his slaughtered friends burned into his memory. His adrenaline surged.
"That's right...… It's his fault. He attacked me first. Why should I care?" Livio murmured, standing up.
Ciro, sensing the shift in atmosphere, froze. Slowly, he turned around.
Livio's hair covered his eyes, his grip tightening around his sword.
"No…... please. I'll retire. I'll never cross paths with you again. I have a child….. a pregnant wife….. Please….. I…"
His words were cut short.
The assassin's head flew from his body.
Livio's voice was eerily calm. "I really don't care."
Blood dripped from his katana, soaking into the grass as the leaves drank in its crimson hue.