It was a cold night. The rain has just stopped pouring though sparse drizzle continues to trickle from the skies. The pale moonlight sheds its dull taint upon the city through the murky gray clouds that shrouds it. But pallid silver light was nothing but a mere candlelight as the bright lights of the downtown drown out its taint. Neon lights paint the street with its vivid hue, as if paint was spilled on it as the wet pavement reflects back the light. People swarm the sidewalk, moving slowly as they reach the bottleneck of the sidewalk. Cars scream their horns as the traffic jam slowly stemmed. It has been always like this on downtown, despite of the heavy rains lately.
On the rooftop of one of the buildings, a dark shade in a black cloak basks on the ashen moonlight. Its slim figure and gentle body contours could not be hidden by the dark leather cloak she was wearing, it can't be mistaken she was a woman. She sits on the edge of the rooftop, the neon lights from signboards illuminating her smooth yet harsh features. Her dark midnight black eyes glowed like embers as the red neon signboard blinked across the streets. Her skin glowed blue as the billboard behind her flickered. Her long dark silken hair flailed weakly as the cold damp wind blew past her. She was clutching her nodachi (long sword). She stroked its saya (scabbard) with her taut fingers, as if communing with the soul of her sword. She let out a sigh, her breath forming a thin mist before her innocent yet fierce face.
"What an ugly sight…" she sighed as she stared at the streets below. She saw people walking in a procession like ants. Ants. They are ants after all, she thought. Slave ants of the system. They go on mindlessly of their lives, trapped in an eternal routine. Mindless zombies at their owned right. Mere cogs to the society's slave machinery. Disgusted of the ugly sight below, she reverted her gaze to the neon signboard on the top of the building across the street.
The bustling aura of the streets below severely contrasts the desolate atmosphere of the rooftops. The cruel night wind blows through, sending blasts of chill through her skin. It's easy to forget that you're in downtown once you're here. The noise below was being drowned out by the night wind. Only the weak moonlight and the neon lights of the signboards were the only ones illuminating this gloomy place. The steam rising from the chimneys and air vents fogs the place as the chilling night wind spreads it. It is as if all the city's refuse were stowed in the rooftops. Broken appliances and machineries sat at the corners. Old newspapers and shredded cardboard boxes get blown away and littered the rooftop as the wind blows. Rags danced as they hang on makeshift clotheslines.
She cracked out a weak smile as she was gazed at the rooftops. She felt much comfortable at this derelict place than at the bustling hell below. It's a concrete jungle down there where the rules of predation never changed, who plays as the predator and as the prey depends on each's survival skill. Pretensions, betrayal, power playing, maneuvering, intrigues, any skill you can summon to remain on the top. Here, she felt so liberated, no pretenses, no deceit, everything is in the raw. No paint to cover the ugly faded masonry. No plants to at least embellish the ugly sight of the rooftops. Everything is as it is. A good place to set your inhibitions free. So peaceful, so serene, so…
TWANG!! TWANG!!Her musings were abruptly cut when she heard a bullet hit and ricochet on the concrete near her. She quickly dodged to her left. More ricochet sound ringing dangerously close to her. She quickly dashed towards a chimney on her right for cover. She never knew who was trying to shoot her down. All she knew that she's in deep trouble right now.
More bullets were shot towards her. She tightened her grip on her nodachi as the bullets hit their mark dangerously close to her. The chimney could barely provide cover for her. She had to squeeze her body behind the thin chimney to avoid being hit. Ricochet marks dotted the rooftop as the barrage continues.
"An assassin, I knew it…" she whispered beneath her breath. A sniper rifle fitted with a silencer. Whoever trying to take her out doesn't want to be detected nor give out his position. She looked at the ricochet marks on the floor. .58 caliber rifle. The assassin really wanted to take her out in a single shot so he's using bigger bullets. Whoever's after her wanted her dead.
She knew she was dealing with an expert assassin. His angle of attack is well placed to put her in a trapped situation. She's no more than a sitting duck. She could not hear any gunshots. All she could hear were the sound of bullets hitting the concrete chimney she's hiding in. She quickly whipped out her handguns from her belt holsters. She knew that her measly pistols were no match for the assassin's stealthy sniper rifle. But it's better to have something rather be a sitting duck.
She quickly turned and started shooting blindly into the darkness. More bullets replied to her. She swiftly went back to cover. This is hopeless, she thought. She doesn't even know where the assassin was shooting from. All she can do was to shoot blindly and pray one of her bullets hit the assassin by some dumb luck.
"He sees me, and I don't…I'm damn helpless…shit…" she thought. She never felt so helpless before. She was caught off-guard. She could barely move. She tried sticking her nodachi out to distract the assassin, but he replied with a shot on tip of the saya. No good. He's an expert marksman.
Not far from her rooftop, a dark shadow covered with a black shroud crouches low, aiming his sniper rifle at the chimney she's hiding in. His face was obscured by the shadow of the dark shroud. Only his eyes can be seen from the dark shade. His right eye was focused on the sniper scope. Shells from sniper rounds litter the ground around him.
He knew that he caught her perfectly. All he can do is sit and wait for her to come out, and then take her out with a single shot. Being a sniper is all about waiting. He can lie here for days without moving a muscle waiting for his target.
She also knew that she's dealing with an expert sniper. He got her perfectly covered. Should she try to dash away from her cover, all he would do is pop her head out. All she could do is wait and don't move a muscle. Pray that the sniper would become impatient and change his position, then sneak out while he's on it. But she knew this would be farfetched. He wouldn't just relocate. Sooner or later, someone has to give in. It's either him or her.
She then came to accept her hopeless situation. She then slowly dug for a cigarette in her pocket, lit it, and slowly sucked in the addictive, noxious smoke. Shooting blindly won't help a bit. So is trying to dash away. All she could do is sit here, smoke, and pray for a miracle.
"Damn…never been so helpless…I hate this shit," she whispered under her breath, flashing an ironic smile.
Suddenly, a rapid cold gust hit her. She turned to see a dark shade standing not far from her. Could this be the miracle she was praying for? The shade turned out to be a young man in a black long coat. His black shoulder-length hair fluttered as the cold wind blew past him. His long black leather coat flapped as the cold wind intensified into a gale. His eyeglasses shone palely as the pallid moon shone above.
The young man then turned to her. She saw his eyes. Dark brown eyes. Dark innocent eyes, yet somehow giving a hint of rage trapped inside. Slowly, as if made by some illusion, his irises slowly glowed and changed its hue. His innocent dark brown eyes became diabolical golden yellow, as if of a demon. He quickly averted his gaze and faced towards the sniper.
Even the sniper was surprised by his sudden appearance. He never saw him coming. It is as if he just appeared out of thin air. He quickly scrambled to aim his crosshairs at him. He was about to pull the trigger when he saw him look at him directly, straight to the eye. His golden yellow eyes glowering at him.
"What the…he knew where I am? But how…?" he wondered, his finger barely touching the trigger. He quickly snapped out from his amazement and quickly pulled the trigger.
As if by some evil magic, the young man suddenly disappeared from his crosshairs the moment he pulled the trigger. The sniper gaped in shock. He swore he got his crosshairs locked into his head as he fired a shot. He should be dead by now, his brains scattered on the ground. But there was no body, not even a trace of him. All he could see in his scope is his ricochet marks on the concrete. He couldn't just disappear! He nervously scanned the rooftop left and right, big drops of sweat forming on his forehead. Above, clouds began to cover the moon, dimming the whole place.
"That son a bitch…he couldn't just disappear…he should be here…somewhere…he spotted me…impossible…" he thought, as he nervously scanned over and over again the rooftop. Still, no trace of him."Here…" a cold voice whispered behind him.
As he quickly turned to see who it was, a cold gust suddenly hit him. As the wind blew past him, he felt a quick stabbing pain on his back. He coughed up blood as the pain hit him. He slowly turned only to see a dark shade holding with his right hand a blade impaled through his back. The clouds above began to clear; the moon shed light upon the shade, revealing its form. Shoulder length straight hair, young, innocent-looking face, diabolical yellow eyes gleaming on the moonlight as he held fast the blade impaled through the sniper. On his other hand, he was holding another short blade, readying to strike.
"Ugh…kodachi blades (short sword)…he's…damn fast…" the sniper said to himself as he saw his diabolical eyes, coughing out blood.
"You're…not….going to…ugh!…take me…ugh!…out so…easily…" he said to him, gasping for air while coughing out more blood. He grabbed his rifle and turned to aim at him.
"Now it's over," the young man coldly whispered. He gripped the blade on his right hand harder as he thrust it hard, impaling from his back to his chest. His blade buried with ease on the sniper's body, then he slashed across his back, cutting through the spine with so much ease like a hot knife through butter. Warm blood gushed forth freely, drops of it squirting on his face, some soaking on his blade. He felt the warm blood as it dripped and soaked his hands. The sniper dropped dead in an instant, falling first in his knees then finally dropping dead on his chest, resounding a loud thud. His blood formed a pool of gore, which quickly spread on the ground.
"Such speed…his eyes…he's as if…possessed…by a demon…" he thought to himself as his blood quickly spread on the ground, then finally heaving his last breath and finally passing away.
The young man stood over his body, like a wolf checking on his kill. He watched him emotionlessly as his pool of gore spread further, watching the reflection of the pale moon on it. He gazed at his reflection on it. He can clearly make out his face from it. He can see his golden yellow eyes on it, gleaming weakly, and then returning to its normal dark brown taint. He looked at the sniper's face. His mouth was still open, as if screaming in pain beyond his death. Then he felt something wet on his cheeks. He wiped her cheeks with his hand, and then looked at it.
"Blood?" he thought, wondering where he has got the blood. He remembered the moment he slashed through the assassin's body. He can see clearly how blood gushed forth freely like fountain, some squirting on his face. How he breathed his last before coughing blood then dropping dead. He remembered the warmth of his victim's freshly spilled blood, how it soaked his sword and dripped through his fingers. He can clearly hear the thud, the sound of a body suddenly dropping dead. It is as if he was reminiscing every moment of his kill. Just like a wolf circling over its carcass, celebrating its kill.
He took out a white handkerchief from its pocket, and then wiped his face clean from blood. He wiped his blades clean with it, and then tossing the blood-soaked handkerchief on to the sniper's body. He sheathed his twin blades back to its saya, its place of rest.
"Hold it right there," a female voice commanded from his back.
He felt something hard prodded on his back. It was her, pointing her guns on him.
"Slowly turn around," she ordered, keeping him on gunpoint.
He obeyed. It was really her, a kunoichi (female assassin), the sniper's target. She's fast, he thought. He never felt her going behind. He looked at her eyes. It is as if she was somewhat hesitant pointing the gun at him. Her hands were quite shaking. It wasn't the mean eyes of a killer; it was warm, passionate eyes of a woman.
"Drop your kodachi (short sword) on the ground, now!" she ordered him, her voice somewhat quivering.
"Are you going to shoot me with that?" he asked her coldly.
"What?! Just do what I told you!" she yelled at him, prodding her guns closer to his chest.
"Are you really going to shoot me with that?" he asked her again, flashing a mocking smile.
"Dammit, just do what I'm telling or I…"
"Shoot me? Come on, if you're really going to do it, how come your hands are shaking?" he said in cold mocking tone, leering at her.
She gasped as she saw him mock her. He was right. She was shaking. She tried to steady her aim. She aimed at his head. She gripped the gun harder, trying to stop her hand from trembling.
"Shoot me now. C'mon. Or are you too scared? Gail Murasame…"
She gasped as he called her by her name. He was looking at her coldly, yet his eyes were as if tempting her to pull the trigger. She placed her finger near the trigger, ready to pull it anytime. She kept her gaze on his eyes. Suddenly, as if by some illusion, his dark brown eyes' hue began to lighten. It began to slowly change its color until it became golden yellow, gleaming through his eyeglasses. There he was, his diabolical eyes looking straight into hers.
"You can't pull the trigger, Gail…" he coldly said.
Suddenly, a sharp, cold gust hit her, and an unseen hand whipped away her gun away from her hands. The gun flew away from her. Only there she realized that she was staring at the blank space at her front. The young man with devilish eyes was no longer there.
"Huh? What the…?" she said in shock.
Gail saw him standing not far from her, his kodachi blades drawn. Only there she realized how did everything happened for a split second. He quickly drew his blades, hit her gun with its backside, and then quickly stepped back, preparing to attack.
Gail lost no time to counterattack. She drew her nodachi from its long saya and dashed towards the young man, swinging her enormous blade unto him. He quickly raised his twin blades to parry her attack.
"Stop it..." he coldly said as the kunoichi continued her barrage of attacks. He simply dodged and parried her thrusts and slashes.
She took a step back, gathering enough momentum to swing her sword, and then swung it forward to him. A strong draft of cold wind hit him as he caught the blow with his blades, resounding a loud clang, skidding a bit back as the enormous force of her blow hit his blades.
"She strikes so hard, as hard as gale," he thought, recovering from the blow.
"There could be only one woman who uses a four feet nodachi and strikes hard with such force," he said to her, pushing her back with his blades. He looked at her eyes. Though she struck him with such enormous force, he could see in her eyes that she was somewhat hesitant to make another blow. It wasn't the mean eyes of a killer; it was warm, passionate eyes of a woman.
"Hesitation will cost you your life, my kunoichi," he said to himself.
He leaped backwards, flashing a threatening glance on her. He smiled, and blinked. His eyes gleamed as the pale moonlight shone against it. Then he suddenly disappeared from her view. She was stunned. "He couldn't just disappear into thin air!" she thought. She scanned the rooftop quickly, left and right, her front and her back. No sign of him.
"Where could he..." Gail said to herself, her words were cut off when a cold rush of gale blew past her, as if a ghost hovered through her. Her heart suddenly skipped a beat, as if an invisible blade stabbed her. She was heaving her every breath. The cold gale blew off locks of her hair. She felt her neck, her cheeks, and her head if there were any wound. She let out a sigh of relief when she felt there were no signs of any wound. She turned at her back, expecting to see him there.
And there he was, standing few feet from her, still in defense stance. He took a step towards her, pointing his blade towards her. His diabolical golden eyes were still glowing.
"Gail Murasame, you are still careless," he said.
"Good thing I have someone who can always save my ass, Jedd Akizuki."
"That would be the last time I would do that," he replied, drawing back his blades and placing it back to its saya tied at both sides of his waist. He blinked, his eyes returning to its normal dark brown tint.
"You must know now that you should, always, now that you're working for us," she said, putting back her nodachi back to its saya.
Jedd coldly shrugged his shoulders, walking away from her, sitting on the edge of the rooftop. He took out a pack of cigarettes from the pocket of his coat, picking one then holding it with his lips. He fumbled around his pocket, looking for his lighter.
Gail suddenly emerged from his side, holding out a lighter. Jedd gave a puzzled look, and lit his cigarette with it. She sat beside him, taking out her own cigarette pack, then lighting her cigarette with her lighter. She sucked her cigarette gently, savoring the smoke, and then blowing the smoke upwards. She gazed upon the smoke at it slowly disperses through the air.
She began to get tired of the looming taciturnity between her and Jedd. She turned to look at him. He was gazing blankly at the bright streets below. He seemed so detached, even after killing the assassin who threatened Gail. No excited glances, not even a smile of contentment.
"So you really had it coming last time, huh?" she said abruptly, breaking the silence.
"Huh?" he replied, puzzled.
"The sniper. He didn't even hit you though he has a well-placed position. He could have popped your head off, but you still manage to get him."
"Oh, that one..." he replied coldly.
"It's your demonic speed, Jedd. You move with such speed and precision. How did you do it?"
Jedd replied with a dead silence.
"And back there, when I held you on gunpoint, you just simply did everything in a flash. I mean, it's virtually impossible for someone to disappear completely and hit back so fast…"
Jedd continued throwing blank stares on the streets below, as if deaf from everything Gail was saying.
"I've known a lot of assassins who worked for us. But you are different from them…really different…" she said, pausing for a while to puff on her cigarette, sucking in the smoke and holding it in her lungs for a while, and then blowing it out, watching if diffuse in the cold, damp air.
"You're really different. Whether in terms of skills, the way you execute their assignments, the aura that surrounds you…I don't know. Maybe it could be one of them that makes you different, or maybe all…"
Jedd was still silent, still blankly staring nowhere, as if not paying attention to her. Tired of talking, Gail paused and concentrated on her cigarette. Talking to Jedd was like talking to a wall. You could not expect to hear him talking that much.
"Such weird guy…" Gail said to herself, shaking her head.
"I couldn't believe someone would put her 18 year old daughter as an assassin," Jedd said, breaking the silence. She looked at him with surprise. It was unusual for him to break the silence, let alone to start a conversation.
"Why?"
"Your father, he put you in charge of the assassins, right?"
Gail nodded.
"That makes you also an assassin," he said, puffing from his cigarette.
Gail seemed to have not heard him. A moment of silence reigned between them.
"It is both mine and my father's choice to be an assassin," she said, breaking the lull between them.
"Both of us came from a long line of assassins, you should know that," she continued, pausing again to suck from her cigarette.
"Your father worked closely with my Dad, before he died. And you were also trained as an assassin since childhood, like me, right?" she said, turning to Jedd, who seems to be absorbed on the neon billboard lights.
"It's the bloody legacy of our ancestors that has tied to us. We are bound by this unshakable fact," she continued.
She then sucked from her cigarette, then turned her gaze to Jedd, "We don't care much for the past, and we have a bleak future. We all live by the moment. Seizing all the chances fate has thrown into us. That's how we live, that's the way of the assassins."
Jedd then turned to Gail, "Don't preach as if you've been an assassin for your entire life," he said, throwing a disgusted glare unto her.
"We were just beginning to tread the bloody path our ancestors has laid for us. We haven't thrown much away of our lives yet…" said Jedd, turning back his gaze on the streets below.
A long dead silence loomed between them. Jedd suddenly sank into taciturnity, sucking heavily from his cigarette. Then, he suddenly stood, getting tired of sitting down.
"You're getting careless Gail."
"Huh?" Gail wondered.
"Yes. You got yourself caught so easily," he abruptly said.
"By that guy?"
"Yeah. You should have sensed him behind you," he said grimly, his gaze fixed on the bright streets below.
"Oh, that one. So you've been watching us for quite a while?"
Jedd nodded.
"I was just playing around with him. I mean, would you expect me to be easily caught off-guard just like that?"
"Umm...yeah?" he replied, mocking her in a cold tone.
"C'mon Jedd. Being an assassin is like sex: there's no fun without foreplay. You can't just get to the killing part so fast. Besides, I was about to strike back if you haven't showed up."
"So that's why you attacked me. Did I rob you of your kill?"
"Sort of. You killed him. I didn't have a chance to know who is he working for, and why he's after me."
"Tsch." he said, throwing a sickened glance on the sky.
"But really, you're so damn fast," she commented.
"Yeah, and you're so damn slow," he snapped back.
"No, I'm not."
"I could have easily cut off your head back then."
"I didn't see you coming. The next thing I know was you were behind me, cutting my hair off."
"That was just a simple fast attack. You could at least guess where would I strike if you can't follow my movements."
"Yeah, and you ruined my hair."
"You're better off with that kind of hair," he said, managing a weak smile. He threw his burnt cigarette to the streets below, watching the dim ember fall and dissipate as it lands on the ground. He picked out a new stick, lighting it with Gail's lighter, and then started inhaling the noxious, addictive smoke.
Gail also noticed her cigarette burnt-off. She tossed it away, then taking out a new stick. She noticed Jedd's lit cigarette. She motioned him to come closer so she could light her cigarette with his. He came closer, joining the glowing tip of his cigarette to her. He gazed at her face. Her bright bloody red lips gleamed softly as the moonlight shone upon it. He then looked at her eyes. He could see her deep black innocent lady-like eyes gleaming.
"Underneath this fierce kunoichi, there's an innocent woman free from all angst and bloodshed. Or it could be the other way around..." he thought at he gazed at her eyes, as if falling into a trance.
She noticed he was gazing at her eyes. She could not help but to gaze back at his. She stared at his deep dark brown eyes behind his eyeglasses. It is as if they both fell into trance gazing at each other's eyes, trying to decipher the hidden messages behind those gazes and glances.
They both withdrew their gazes. Jedd returned his gaze at the dark alleys below, puffing from his cigarette. Gail sighed, trying to find something to say. She hated the silence that was once again looming between them.
"The diabolical golden eyes of a fierce, merciless swordsman. And a deep dark brown eyes of a troubled young man..." she blurted out. Jedd remained indifferent.
"Which one is the real you, Jedd?" she asked, turning to him.
"Both," he coldly replied. Gail simply nodded.
"How about the body? What will happen to him?"
"It will stay there for few more days before somebody finds it. He will be just another unidentified dead body stuck in the morgue. It's the assassin's fate: live to kill another day, or die in obscurity," he answered sternly.
"So how's your sister?"
Jedd replied with a dead silence.
"I guess she's fine," she said, answering her own question. She regretted asking him about his personal life. He doesn't want talking too much about his self.
"She's back home, sleeping. She got to get ready for her class tomorrow," he replied coldly.
"Really? Such smart girl."
Jedd replied with a cold silence.
"Say, why don't you and Relina move to our mansion? Dad asked me to ask you about that."
Jedd was still indifferent.
"Dad is really sorry about your mother and father's loss. He cannot imagine how you and Relina can live alone."
"Thanks for your father's concern, but me and Relina will do just fine by ourselves."
"Oh," she replied, puffing for her cigarette. Silence began to loom again, but she didn't take notice of it. For now, she wanted to take silence more than anything else, thinking of Relina. She somewhat sympathizes with Jedd's loss.
She now felt quite uncomfortable with her long cloak. She took it off, revealing the black tank top she was wearing underneath. She laid her coat beside her. Jedd looked at her. He couldn't help noticing her smooth, fair complexion, her tight uplifted breasts. He looked at her pallid shoulders. Smooth and flawless, not even a mark of a scar.
"Not even a scars or wounds of defeat. You're still new the secret world of assassin. You hesitated to pull the trigger. You have still a lot to learn," he thought, puffing his cigarette.
"There's no room for hesitation. You either pull the trigger or you bail out. That's the only choices you have."
She noticed him staring at her. She smiled, seeing Jedd seemingly admiring her body. He then withdrew his gaze, reverting it to the dark alleys below. He puffed last from his almost burnt cigarette, he tipped up his glasses, and then tossed it to the dark alleys below. He stood up and walked away from her.
"Where are you going?" Gail asked.
"Home," he replied coldly as he continued to walk away.
"Hey wait up," she said, walking after him. "What's the rush? Aren't you going to stay up a little bit?"
He stopped then turned to Gail, "I had enough killing tonight."
"Oh by the way, welcome to our family. You have done your first assignment."
"What assignment?"
"You have protected the daughter of your boss," she said, smiling
Jedd threw a disgusted look at her, "Don't consider as one of your assassins yet," he said coldly. "It wasn't of my intention to save your ass. You look so pathetic at that time. Being trapped helplessly. I hate people being pathetically helpless."
"Just like Mom and Dad…at that night…so helpless…" he thought.
Gail was taken aback. She watched him walk away from her as the cold gale blew past her, sweeping her long midnight black hair. She took a deep sigh.
"Jedd, I'm sorry for your loss...if I could do anything for you to ease fill the missing part of you…Jedd…such a lonely man…" she whispered to herself.
Jedd continued walking away. He stopped at the edge of the rooftop, looking at the dark alleys below. He sighed, thinking of things ahead for him. Is his life bound to be like this? Bound in the fate of his swords, bound in the fate of the blood he sheds?
"Dad, Relina, you both promised to slow down time so we could be together for much longer time. Now, make this promise true. I need you two now..." he said to himself.
He then looked at the silver pale moon. He then managed to break a weak smile.
"Is this the same moon that shone during that tragic night, Dad?" he asked silently. "This moon witnessed your blood being shed, your breath expiring through space. This moon has been a witness to our bloody destiny…"
He then sighed, looking at the alley below. A cold breeze blew, sweeping back his hair, fluttering with the wind. His dark brown eyes slowly transformed into the diabolical golden yellow tinge.
"Live by the moment, Gail," he said coldly.
He then smiled, and then flung himself into the streets below. Gail stood astonished seeing him fall.
"Jedd, what the...?!" she almost screamed.
As Jedd fell down, everything to him was like in an extreme slowdown. Seconds seemed minutes for him. It is as if he wasn't falling, he was slowly hovering downwards. His golden eyes were fixed downwards to the ground he was about to drop on. He closed his eyes, feeling the cold, damp air passing through him.
"Freedom...so elusive, yet at this moment...it's in my grasp..."
He continued to drop downwards, his body spinning like a rifle bullet as he continued his descent.
"Freedom so ephemeral...evanescent, it will be gone the moment I reach the ground...and snap back to the reality..."
As he continued drifting downwards, he saw an ashen gray moth making its night flight. He watched it slowly flew past him. As he can perceive it, he saw it not frantically flapping its wings, but slowly beating its wings up and down, as if dancing in the cold night wind.
"The moth could see things as I see it...everything is in extreme slowdown, time slowly flies by. For the moth existence is so short, so it makes most of its life by slowing time as it sees it. I made most of my life as an assassin, making time slow down as I fight. My existence, as ephemeral as the moth's..."
As he neared the ground, he twisted his body in midair, somersaulting to reduce his momentum. Suddenly, a loud thud broke through the dead silence of the alley. The ground shook at Jedd landed in a crouching position. The dumpster and the trash cans jumped from its place from the shock of the landing. The ground he dropped on cracked as he landed violently. Dust and dirt filled the air.
Jedd stood up after landing amid the dust. His returned to its dark brown hue as the dust slowly cleared.
"Here I am now...back again to my worthless existence..."
He then started walking aimlessly away from the streets. Gail watched him as he slowly disappeared in the darkness.
"Jedd, the Demon of Twin Blades...such a troubled man..." she said to herself.
Meanwhile, in some distance away, in a secluded place, a young girl was gazing at the moon through the window of her room. The pale moonlight spills through her window and to her face, revealing her delicate, innocent features: her long, straight, dark brown hair, her innocent young eyes. She gazed at the moon as she lied on her bed, moving her tiny lips as if whispering a prayer to it.
"Jedd, are you looking at this moon too? It has seen Mom and Dad go away. They never saw how beautiful the moon is that night. I hope you don't go away soon. It has never been this beautiful." she whispered.
She sighed, closing her eyes, letting her consciousness drift into oblivion.