Laxus POV

Under a stormy downpour, I do not quiver. Faced with any obstacles, I shall overcome. Hundreds of precious lives, I have snatched away. For I am Laxus Dreyar, the infamous assassin who carries out his missions without a blunder, otherwise known as, " The Phantom Slayer. "

"Laxus Dreyar reporting in, sir. Mission accomplished."

A mysterious husky voice echoes from behind the dark corridor. "You've outdone yourself as always, my most treasured one. Now rise!"

I get up from my squatting position and put back on my black hood to once again conceal my identity.

"Freed, hand over Laxus his share of payment and his next mission." the voice echoes yet again.

A green haired assassin with a smiling mask attached to his face emerges from the dark and hands me over 5,000,000 jewels and a high-paying bounty poster.

"Here's your fee for the assassination of King Toma and Princess Hisui of the Fiore, and here's your next-to-kill target." He then vanishes into thin air.

I grab the poster and scan over the silhouette picture of a She Devil with a big question mark on her face. The rest of it reads:

WANTED, DEAD OR ALIVE

TARGET AND RANK : UNKNOWN

LOCATION : ABANDONED GRIMOIRE CASTLE

REWARD : 10,000,000 JEWELS

DETAIL : RUMOR HAS IT THAT NO ONE HAS EVER MADE IT HOME ALIVE, BUT A SOLE SURVIVOR RECENTLY REPORTED THAT A FEMALE DEMON STRIKES AT NIGHT INSIDE THE CASTLE. TO GET THERE, ONE MUST FIRST VENTURE THROUGH THE VALLEY OF LIFE AND THE FOREST OF LOST.

"Consider it done. I shall now take my leave."

I abruptly flip my body around and walk away, causing my cloak to flutter wild in the air for a second.

"Hold it, Laxus!"

"What is it now, Boss?" I turn around, glaring deep beyond the dark corridor.

"You know the drill, my boy. Failure means death!"

I sigh and reply, "Yeah, I am aware that the agency will dispose of any assassin who fails his mission and whose identity gets revealed in order to protect its secrecy."

"Precisely, and we won't show any mercy, not to anyone, not even you, my boy. Always keep in mind who it was who raised you, trained you, and provided you a shelter!"

"I understand... Sir Ivan." I turn my back on the corridor. "I don't intend on dying anytime soon, nor is there any reason for me to double-cross the agency."

"Good. You are hereby dismissed!"

I dart up the basement stairway that leads up to a wrecked and dusty cathedral. As soon as I exit the cathedral, I scowl at the usual sight of the cross-shaped tombs, dead barren trees, and the cawing crows.

Right, you must've guessed it by now, that the dark agency secret hideout is located at a basement beneath the abandoned cathedral of Magnolia cemetery. That's where Ivan assembles his murderous assassins and works unlawfully behind the scene.

"Valley of Life is northeast of Fairy Hill, and it's a long hike down from the hill..." I sigh.

I walk through the creepy cemetery, relying only on the moonlight and small lanterns to guide my way. Occasionally, I would hide myself in case a police patrol is still lingering around.

To my demise, after I reach the cemetery exit gate, my fear just came true...

A police patrol points his torchlight at me and shouts, "Who's there!?"

"Crap, he saw my face!" I take out a lightning-infused dagger from my pocket and leap away in a swift.

"Don't move or I'll shoot!" There was a moment of silence before the policeman panicked. "Huh? Where did he go!?"

He desperately scans around the cemetery with his torchlight to find me, but before he realizes it, I have snuck up behind him and threaten a dagger to his neck.

He stutters and trembles in fear. "Please... spare my life... I have a family."

"Sorry, if only you hadn't seen my face..."

I slit his neck open and push his body away from me. I then burn his corpse with my lightning magic to erase any evidence behind.

Magics, they exist only to take, and never to give, so I believe.

I could've prevented this incident if I had been wearing my mask tonight. However, I only wear my mask outside of town because the way I shroud myself in black itself already makes me look suspicious among the crowd, let alone wearing a mask.

"What's going on over there!?" Another police patrol rushes to the cemetry and yells, "Don't let the culprit get away!"

"So he wasn't alone, huh?" I whine.

I immediately leap from roof to roof just like a true ninja, becoming one with the full moon each time I leap. Soon, I notice several torchlights searching through the rooftops, so I hastily jump down an alley and crouch down behind a barrel, monitoring the situation until the coast is clear.

"He can't have gone far!" Several police patrol run past the alley. "Keep on searching!"

Eventually, I've lost them. I climb up the alley by jumping wall to wall and continue leaping from roof to roof until I finally reach Fairy Hill. From there, I leisurely walk toward the hill slope. That is, until a little girl suddenly pulls my cloak from behind.

"Hmm?"

I turn around and stare down at the the blue-haired petite girl. She is all covered up in dirt and dressed in torn clothing. She reminds me of myself as a war orphan, and I can't help but empathize.

"What's your name, kid?" I kneel down and remove my hood as not to scare her way.

She gazes at my face and answers, "I'm Wendy..."

Kids don't have the power to report me to the officials, so I don't mind exposing my face to her, but seriously, I should've worn my mask tonight...

"What are you doing so late at this hour, kid?"

"I'm... homeless, and I haven't eaten for 2 days." She lowers her head and raises out her hands in a begging manner. "May I please... have something to eat?"

Yeah, I can totally relate to this child. I too, was once homeless until Ivan found me and brought me up as an assassin. I know exactly what misery she must've gone through.

"Here, take this," I dig my pocket and offer her 500,000 jewels. "Go grab yourself something to eat."

"May I really have this!?" She jumps excitedly, and her eyes are twinkling.

"Uh-huh..." I nod my head, pat her head, and smile at her.

"Thank you, sir. I won't ever forget your kindness!"

With that, she leaves in a hurry. Her body is so frail that she trips down several times until I finally lose sight of her. This remind me of the cruel world that we live in, a world where the strong survives and tramples over the weak.

Thus begins my long hike down the hill to the Valley of Life...

The Next Morning

I am all sweaty and exhausted from the long hike down. Luckily, the valley is just a distance away, and I can already spot the waterfall that connects itself from the hill to the river body of the valley.

"A bath won't hurt once in a while." I think to myself.

I slide down a steep from the hill with my feet, dragging my left hand on the steep to balance and slow down my momentum.

I strip to only my underwear and stand near the bank with my arms crossed, wondering at the exquisite sight of the gushing waterfall. The breeze blows throughout my skin and carries away my fatigue. It truly is refreshing and a sight to behold.

"Who's there!?" an angelic voice cries out from behind the waterfall.

A figure of a beautiful, half-naked, white-haired girl emerges from behind the waterfall. She looks more captivating than the waterfall itself, and more majestic than the morning sun itself. Her beauty knows no bound. Could she possibly be a Goddess?

"Uh... sorry," I face away and scratch my hair, "I didn't mean to pry on you..."

That's where I first met her, the missing piece to my void and meaningless life...

To be continued

So that's it for introductory chapter of this story. I hope that none of you are confused by the story and character roles. Let me know what you think in the comment section. Thanks for reading and look forward to the next chapter ^_^.