"This is a bit unorthodox, don't you think?"

"Do you want to do it another way?"

"No. I kind of like it."

"Do you have any last words?"

"Plenty, but I'd rather not say them. What about you?"

"Same."

"Hey, Darius."

"Yeah?"

"Do you regret defecting from the Guild to help me?"

"Not counting the time I got my ass kicked by Jai, no."

"You don't have to do this with me, you know. You heard what the Leader said; he was willing to take you back."

"The Assassin Guild has grown weak under Jai's leadership. I'm not interested in it anymore. Don't worry about me, Larentia. I'm doing this out of my own free will."

"…Okay. At the count of three, then."

"See you in hell."

"1..."

"2..."

"No."

"L…Larentia!"

Darius dropped his weapon to catch her.

"Sorry… but you were… getting kind of annoying," she rasped, weakly batting away the hands that attempted to stop the blood that was gushing out of her chest. "I… needed to get away…"

The taller Assassin cursed, dropping to his knees in order to secure his hold on her. "Shut up! Your weapon was supposed to be covered in my blood, and mine, yours. What the hell were you thinking?"

"I… figured that if I… left… Sylvia would come… and pick up… the pieces…"

Darius cursed yet again, having never felt so helpless before in his entire life. "I don't give a damn about that woman! Don't you see? You are more important to me!"

"Pieces…" Larentia continued, her voice growing weaker by the second, "…of your heart…"

"What?"

"Take care of her… Jai and I don't want… to see our daughter… hurt…"

"Daughter?" Darius repeated, stunned. "Wait!"

It was already too late.