Shrouded by Darkness

by Sunwing1999

Neil hadn't always been evil. He remembered better than anyone. But within Midnight Stone, there was no room for differing ideals, no room to slip up. You either lived by the Code, or you died a traitor. But what would happen if Neil began to question that Code? What would happen when he finally decides to rip off the Shroud of Darkness that binds him and makes way for the light.

She was beautiful, truly. Long blonde hair cascaded down her back and shoulders, framing her perfect face. Her blue eyes shone with strength and determination, a look that might be able to make any lesser man drop to his knees and begin pledging to do anything in return to just look deep into them once again. She was perfect. It was hard to understand why anyone would want her dead.

"Any last words?" I intoned, lowering myself down to the kneeling woman's height, her mouth twitching slightly in response.

A gruff voice answered, "I don't understand why you do this Neil. Why even give her the satisfaction?"

I inclined my eyes to the hulking form behind the girl, Gor. "What satisfaction is there in saying your last words to the men who are going to murder you?" I replied coolly, Gor wrinkled his nose.

"I have nothing to say to men like you." The woman finally blurted out, yet her voice was steady. Not a hint of fear. In answer, Gor grabbed a handful of her hair and yanked her head back. Forcing her to meet his red-eyed glare.

Many scars adorned the young mans face, betraying his actual age. One would think he was a veteran soldier who fought in many a deadly battle. Large muscles rippled along his bulk, adding to his already hulking structure.

"What do you have against men like us?" The man growled lowly. The woman didn't reply.

"Kill her." I ordered, and almost instantly blood began to pool on the floor underneath the now deceased female. Shortly after, her body dropped to the ground with a thud. I felt the urge to cry as at once a million different emotions ran through my head. Sadness, Anger, Regret. The emotions twirled within me like a never-ending storm, lightning crackled and thunder roared within me. I took a deep breath.

"I don't understand why you insist on everyone of our kills to utter their last words to us, all it does is waste time and increase the chances that we're going to get caught."

Almost instantly I recomposed myself, my senses wrapping around the storm and constricting it. The emotions dulled, and I answered. "Those who leave this life unfulfilled tend to haunt their killers in the afterlife." I made my way to the door, Gor following close behind.

"Don't tell me you actually believe in all of that bullshit." The two of us stepped out of the room, leaving the body on the floor. "Fuck, why do we always get these boring ass kill jobs."

Ignoring his previous sentence, I thrust my hands into the pockets of my black cloak, "Start heading back to the guildhall, I'm going to clean up here and make sure we haven't left anything behind." I didn't wait for his reply before I started to scan the entry room.

The door closed behind Gor with a soft click, and I let out a sigh of relief as the man disappeared into the night. I thought back to the girl laying on the floor, saw her lifeless face as her unseeing eyes passed over me. The torrent of emotions returned, and I lowered myself onto the hard wooden floor.

It wasn't the first time I had seen someone killed. I had seen thousands killed before my eyes, hundreds felled by my own hands. But there was something about the woman, something about the way she held herself. About the way she seemed to put up an unending struggle as Gor pinned her to the ground and eliminated her ability to walk. Something about the fire that burned in her eyes. It was a waste.

Back at the Guildhall, the walls seemed more constricting than before. Making me shift in my chair in unease as I imagined that they could read my thoughts. Yet as much as I tried to convince myself that the walls were alive, listening to my every breath; they never broke their vigil. I stared at their dull, unforgiving appearance with distain.

Familiar footsteps broke me from my imagination, I let out a breath. "You'll have to be quieter than that if you want to have a chance of sneaking up on me."

"Nothing can get past those ears, can they?" Dawn Snow let out a sigh of frustration and stepped into my field of vision. She tucked her shoulder length white hair behind her ear and focused her intense grey eyes on me, "Just how much can those things pick up on anyway?"

"Everything," I smirked lightly and took a sip of water from a glass that I didn't realize I was clenching almost to the point of shattering it. "What brings you here?"

"I was just coming by to see how your job went. You usually always spend a few hours in the Main Hall after a job so I figured I would catch you here." The beautiful girl took a seat in a chair across from me.

The Main Hall of the Guild wasn't as expansive or a grandiose as the Main Hall of other Guilds. We were, after all, a Dark Guild, and being incognito was our number one priority. The walls were a dull grey and were cracked and chipped from age. The room was lit at intermittent points only by braziers that either hung from the ceiling or were attached high up on the walls, their crackling orange flames never dying. Wooden tables were scattered throughout the hall in disarray, many of them being pushed together to accommodate space for more people. Now, the hall was vacant, most of the other Guild members either being out on jobs or already in their beds. Finally, blood red banners hung from the sealing picturing a jet black semi circle that seemed to bend the light around it into darkness. The symbol of our guild, Midnight Stone.

"You know me too well." I shifted slightly in my seat then added, "It went well. Just another assassination job, nothing too special."

"That's all we've had lately, we haven't had any 'big hit' jobs in a while."

"Hunter must be planning something. Ever since we joined the Balam Alliance we've been keeping an extremely low profile." Hunter was our Guild Master. The man was impossibly old, yet he still managed to keep a sharp mind and was able to best anyone in the Guild who challenged him to a fight. The man truly was a fearful force, and he was my adopted father.

"How are things going with him anyway?" Dawn leaned forward a little, slowly becoming more invested in the conversation.

"Same as always." I took a sip from my drink, "The man wants things from me that I can't give so he reprimands me and sends me on the shittiest jobs he can find."

"He wants you to lead the Guild eventually does he not?"

I nodded, "It's not a path I want."

"Well if its any reconciliation I agree with you."

"Why's that?" I fixed her with an inquiring gaze, mostly everyone I mentioned it to had always boasted of how amazing it was that I would be the one to inherit the position.

"You're not bloodthirsty." Dawn put it simply and leaned back, "You don't have that look in your eyes that you wish for world domination. You don't boast about how many people you slaughtered in a day or how much you loved seeing the life leave their eyes." Dawn pursed her moonstone lips together for a moment before adding, "That's not you."

I smiled, "You and I think alike."

Dawn smirked, "I watch people and I learn. That's my job." Dawn stood up and the chair creaked lightly as her weight was released from it. "I'm heading off to bed."

"As am I," I yawned. "Its beginning to get rather late."

"Well, thanks for humoring me."

"Thanks for not letting me sit alone out there for hours on end."

"That's what friends are for, are they not?" Dawn smiled crookedly, "Sleep well."

I inclined my head in farewell, "You as well." I watched the young woman leave for a few moments, entranced by the way her black cloak swayed with the pace of her steps before I walked in the opposite direction towards my own quarters. Being the Guild Master's son did have a couple perks. Better lodging was one of them.

Friends.

I pursed my lips as I mulled over what Dawn had said. I had never really saw her as a friend, nor had I seen anyone else I associated with in the Guild as a friend. I saw them as just that, associates, tools… Things that I could utilize to meet my own ends. Although she did prove that she saw me as more than just a killer. "Why is this shit so complicated." I said to myself.

"Excuse me?"

I froze. Was I so wrapped up in my thoughts that I didn't hear anyone around me? Didn't smell anyone? I looked forward only to see Amara Sky standing before me. Two deep brown eyes peeked at me from under long red locks. Her arms were crossed under her brown cloak and her tanned fingers drummed against her leather covered thigh. "Sorry, I wasn't expecting anyone to hear that."

"You're the last person I would expect to me caught off guard." She sniffed.

I let awkward silence fall over us as I tried to think of what to say. If the fiery woman could read my mind, I would already be dead. Amara was known as a Master of Purgatory. It was a magic that was said it could only be passed on through blood and it gave the user complete control over the flames they produced. The only catch was that the flames fed on her emotions, the stronger the emotion they fed off was the stronger her flames would become. It was always rumored that she always drew from her undying hate of everything around her. I wouldn't doubt it. "I'm just wrapped up in my own thoughts." I replied, then made to step around her.

"Don't go just yet. I need to speak with you."

Shit. "Can this wait until tomorrow? I was just heading off to my quarters."

"Perfect. I'll join you." Her tone left no room for argument as she set off down the hall.

"Why do we have to be in my quarters to talk about this?"

"Closer and I don't want anyone to listen in. I know you had Soni sound-proof it."

"What, are you stalking me now as well?" I pushed the door open for her.

"No." She stepped in and then closed the door behind me. "I wouldn't expect you to understand. Being the son of the Master and all."

"Why does that mean anything?" I gestured to the mostly barren room, "Make yourself at home."

"Because," She lowered herself unceremoniously onto a brown lounge chair – the only one in the room – and said, "This is a Dark Guild. We are all constantly trying to out compete one another for the better jobs. Knowledge is power, and I figured if I had knowledge about you I could put some sway over you as well."

"And you're telling me this why?" I took a seat at my wooden desk chair.

"Because that doesn't matter to me anymore. You're practically bullet proof." She shrugged, "That wasn't what I wanted to talk about anyway."

"Then what? I don't want you keeping me too long."

"As you know, the Testing is coming up in two days."

"And?" I kicked back and placed my feet on the desk to stabilize myself.

"I would like it if you would attend," The Mage crossed her arms, her tone becoming serious.

"I have no need to." The Testing was a series of battles that took place between the top members of the Guild. It was to decide what type of jobs would be selected for each of the members and who were the best suited for the higher-level jobs. Currently Hunter was the strongest member of the Guild, being the Master. I was the second, Shade was the third and Amara was the fourth. I didn't need to take place because being the Master's Right Hand automatically placed me at second.

"I want you to knock Shade out of the bracket quick, that way I'll be third."

"There's no guarantee that I'll face Shade early, or at all until the finals."

"Don't worry about that, I can skew the bracket."

Hmm. "That's a rather dangerous thing to admit. Especially to me."

"Don't act all tough now, I've kept my eye on you long enough. I know how you are." She waved her hand at me then leaned forward slightly. "Besides, you have nothing to gain from saying anything, but much to look forward to." She smiled devilishly.

"Alright. I will consider your offer." I took my feet off my desk and sat up. "Is there anything else?"

"Only that you don't tell anyone about this."

"And why do you want this done?"

"I need the money that will come with being Third. The funds will help me further my studies. And as a bonus I'll hold more sway over the lesser guild members." She explained, "Although I don't know why you should care."

"I'm doing a potentially dangerous thing. If I were to lose to anyone of the members my claim to this Guild will be questioned."

"I suppose it would be too much to ask you to let me win the fight against you then?"

"You would be correct."

"A shame, maybe something else could change your mind?"

I chuckled, "The only thing you have to offer me is your body, and I'm not interested. The only reason I'm doing this is I want to fight Shade all out."

Amara wrinkled her nose, "You Slayers are all the same. You wouldn't take a good time even if its offered to you on a silver platter."

I just shrugged, "I'm going to bed, feel free to loiter here as long as you wish."

"I appreciate the offer, but I should leave as well. I have work to do." She bit her lip then added, "Thank you."

"No worries."

"How did you sleep?" I turned to Dawn who fell in step next to me as I made my way to the eating area, our footsteps echoed softly on the walls. She was wearing a sleeveless shirt and leggings. The shirt showed off the myriad of scars that she had collected during her time at the Guild. The largest stretching from the top of her right shoulder down to the wrist. I remembered visiting her in the infirmary that night. The memory wasn't a pleasant one to revisit.

"Well enough," I answered back. It was a blatant lie, I hadn't slept at all. The risk I was taking was rather high. If I were to lose to Shade, it could greatly affect the rest of my time at the guild.

"Good to hear." The two of us walked in silence for a few moments. I took a kind of solace from being around the Mage. Something that I hadn't realized before.

"Got anything planned for the Testing this year?"

"Just that I hope to score higher, I've been working rather hard, so I think I can do it. Not that Sixth is a bad spot but I know I can do better."

"Well I hope you take some of my advice into consideration." Dawn and I were both Slayer mages. Dawn was an Ice God Slayer and I was an Ice Dragon Slayer. Being that the two magics were similar, we had begun to devise new ways to use them.

"Of course, I know I need to work more on my defensive strategy. At the moment I do throw a lot into my attack and it does leave me rather vulnerable to counter attacks if I'm not careful."

"Good, you listened." I joked, stopping outside of the eating area's door. "The Testing brackets should be up by now, right?"

"Its usually always the day before the event. Why?"

"I'm participating this year." I stepped into the room and looked back to Dawn who closed the door behind her.

"Why? You have no need to."

"I want to solidify my place as second. There's been rumors floating around about me being weak." Another lie. We both took seats next to each other and waited for the waitresses to bring us our rations.

"I haven't heard any."

"You're closely associated with me." I replied. It was true, we were usually always seen together. Nobody would let her know anything that they didn't want me knowing.

It didn't take long for a waitress that came by to drop our food off wore all black, and had her brunette hair tied up in a loose bun. Shackles were fastened to both of her wrists and they clinked lightly as she set our trays on the table along with a paper outlining the daily news of the Guild along with the brackets of the Testing. The food wasn't much. A couple small spoonful's of potatoes, a small bowl of oatmeal and a single egg. Midnight had a large budget, that much I knew. But most of it was invested back into the Guild for better security measures.

The Guild itself was located within an excavated mountain on the Southern end of Fiore. The only was to enter the Guild was through runic transport. Runes were hidden all around Fiore in various spots. If a member was to take a job in an area, they would be notified of where the transport rune was in that area. The runes changed regularly so none of the members would be able to disclose any information on where they were located. The security around the hall itself included dampening runes which would snuff out our magic signature. Golems varying from simple gargoyles to twenty feet tall ones that resided in larger chambers. A variety of lesser Dark Guild's were also paid off to watch the area around the mountains basin. The mountain would be able to defend against anything short of an Etherion Blast.

"Hm, it would appear as if you're facing the two brothers first." Dawn said as she absentmindedly chewed on a potato. "That shouldn't be too hard."

"The only problem with them is they're a duo. I still don't understand why Hunter allows them to participate together."

"Their strength lies in them working together. I doubt they would be able to function if they were to fight alone."

The Brother's, more commonly known as the Genies were two orphan twins that were brought in by Hunter when they were young. It was soon discovered that the duo had an affinity for Wind magic and being twins their power was only amplified by being in close quarters with each other. As a result, the two became inseparable. Last Testing they ranked Eleventh. "Got any ideas on how I should take them down?"

Dawn thought for a moment, "Always keep them on the backfoot. Their strength lies in one being able to take you on in close quarters and the other assisting at range. If you can break up their strategy they'll probably struggle to adapt."

"My thoughts exactly." I smiled. "Who are you facing first?"

"Soni. So it's practically free."

Soni wasn't the strongest mage in the Guild. But she was by far the most useful. The utility that her Sound magic offered was immense, but her offense was severely lacking. As a result, though she's one of the most sought after partners in the Guild. "Well. I'm sorry to cut our conversation short but I need to get to work." I pushed my now empty tray away from me, the waitress would retrieve it soon enough. "I'll be back later tonight. You know where to find me if you want to talk strategy before the big day."

"Of course! I'll be waiting." She smiled at me before returning to her meal, she never was a very fast eater.