Okay, just to give a heads up before the story begins. There's bound to be some botched German phrases in this chapter. I normally try to steer away from writing sentences in other languages, because if I don't know how to speak that language, I'm most likely going to seriously mess it up. If anyone wants to understand what the sentences are in English, you can copy and paste it on Google Translate. Of course, you could always leave it as a mystery, but that's up to you. With that out of the way, I hope you guys enjoy chapter 10 of Death's Blossom

~Atlas

This is where it all started.

I looked over at Amelie, who stared emotionlessly at the old, worn-down building in front of them. It'd been several operations since I'd first joined Talon, and we've been assigned to work together for a majority of them.

I never learned to really trust her, but it became easier every mission. I had to constantly remind myself who she was before I became too comfortable. Though, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't impressed. She definitely carried her own weight, and even managed to save my ass a couple of times when things got rough. Though, I'd never admitted it, not that she'd care much if I did.

Silence filled the air as I briefly let my mind wander to past memories. Switzerland. It's been a while.

"What are we doing here?"

She didn't even flinch as she said, "Classified information from Talon has leaked out from a Talon operative." She looks at me from the corner of her eye, "He has been dealt with appropriately. However, it seems that the operative has released the information in this town, particularly this building."

I forcefully nodded my head, "So we have to eliminate the source of the information before anything else leaks out."

She nods in agreement, "Yes."

My heart sank as I realized what I would have to do. I began to walk up the stairs as my eyes fixed on a bronze sign above the door.

In Erinnerung an die Gnade des Engels.

It must have been made some time after Morrison and I'd recruited Angela from here. The metal had been dented and the edges had corroded over time. I saw Amelie's shadow as she walked up from behind me.

She began to reach for the door, but I cut her off by holding out my arm. Before she could say anything, I spoke first, "Wait here while I go ahead."

She seemed to narrow her brows, "What are you doing?"

"I-" I hesitated before quickly recovering, "I've been here before. There's not enough room for you to work effectively. It'd be more efficient if you positioned yourself from a distance." I gestured to the several windows coating the building, "There's plenty of vision, even from outside. I'll leave it to you to watch my back in case something goes wrong."

For the slightest moment, I could have sworn I saw something click in her mind. She stared at me for a couple of seconds before sharply turning and walk away.

"Then I'll leave it to you. I will be watching from the rooftops."

I watched as she quickly disappeared from sights. I sighed in relief before pushing the doors open. My memories mingled as I saw a familiar lobby. If the building was worn out before, now it felt like the walls could collapse at any minute. The spacious room seemed desolate, to the point that I created an echo with each step.

I stood still, waiting for any sign of life. After a minute of silence, I pulled out a shotgun from my holster and aimed at the roof. I gave it two more seconds before letting a shot ring out.

Not a second after, I heard metal clatter in some room upstairs. I took my time as I made my way to the source of the noise.

As I travelled down the hall, I heard static in my ear as I heard Amelie's voice, "I'm in position." I responded, "Understood. Make sure to give me a heads up in case you see anyone approach the building from the outside."

There was silence before I heard her speak again, "Understood." With that out of my mind, I focused on the task at hand.

I found myself in front of an open door, light shining through the windows, illuminating a single man that seemed to be waiting for me. Next to him was a bag of medical supplies, scattered across the floor.

He looked decently muscular, hardly strong enough to win a fight if it came down to it. He wore a lab coat, so I assumed that he was a doctor. The young man was frozen, but I could see that he had a determined look in his eyes.

What an idiot.

I took a step forward and the man stepped away, further backing himself into the windows. He called, "I know who you are. I saw you when you were outside with that woman."

What? How does he know who I am?

Don't be stupid, he's bluffing. He's trying to make you uneasy so he can escape.

I slowly raised my hand up and deactivated my comm. He looked confused, but he held firm in his stance. I lowered my arm and stood neutrally. "Relax, I'm not going to hurt you. I just need some information."

What are you doing? Stop wasting time. Just kill him.

Shut up! He's a doctor. He's been helping those people. He's given them hope, when they've had none.

And who does that remind you of?

…

"Am I supposed to just believe that? We know about Talon, and we knew what they'd do to us if we stayed here. That's why we packed up everything and escorted everyone away."

That bastard just made our job a lot harder.

I ignored the voice, "Everyone, but you?"

He lowered his eyes, "Yes. Everyone, but me."

I sighed, before walking closer to him.

"You said that you knew who I was. How could you tell with the mask on?"

He gave a bitter chuckle, "I could never forget you. The moment I first saw you, I knew you were a bad person," He glared at me "And I was right. You took our angel, our hope, away."

"Look, kid. Relax-"

"You're not gonna bite me."

I froze as his words triggered another memory. He shook as if he was looking at the devil. I stared at him as he gave me a sad smile.

"Right?"

Silence filled the air as I internally scrambled for something to say. I spoke softly, as if I was talking to a child, "Alright, look. I can get you out of here. But I need you to trust me."

He scoffed, "And why would I trust you?"

"Because I'm the only way you're getting out of here alive."

That shut him up. I looked him in the eyes through the mask, "You can run away, and continue helping those people. But first, you need to step away from the windows."

He stood firm and continued to glare at me, "Why? What's wrong with the windows?"

I scowled, "There's nothing wrong with the windows, you idiot. The problem is the-"

A red dot appeared on the side of his head. Widowmaker. I held my breath as his face began to show confusion. "What? What's the problem?" I could see him slowly getting more frustrated.

You have to kill him.

I can get him out of here.

You have to kill him, or you're gonna lose Widowmaker's trust.

Who gives a shit about her trust?

You give a shit! If she finds out that you're weak, she'll report it to Talon. And if Talon finds out, you'll be "taken care of". You have to kill him.

I-I can save him.

Oh, shut up. When are you going to realize that you're past your little hero phase? You've assassinated countless people, without even flinching. Face it, you're a monster, and that's all you can ever be. Now shut up, and kill him.

I closed my eyes and whispered, "What's your name, kid?"

He paused. He opened his mouth to speak, but when I'd opened my eyes, his lips were pressed tightly together.

I nodded and gave a smile I knew he couldn't see. "I understand."

And in one swift movement, I raised my shotgun at his head and pulled the trigger.

As his body hit the floor, I heard a scream from behind me. My head shot around and I saw a young girl, her face frozen in horror, as she scrambled to run away. I instinctually chased after her.

What are you doing?

I sprinted down the hall, and cornered her in a dead end. I breathed heavily and I slowly walked towards her. She crawled further and further into the wall, her skin pale and her chest heaving as she coughed.

What am I doing?

Tossing my shotgun to the side, I felt my body automatically move as my shadow covered her body. She shut her eyes and began to whisper some sort of mantra.

"Ich bete zu Gott. Rette mich. Der Reaper ist gekommen, meine Seele zu nehmen."

I saw my arms reached out, my fingers wrapping around her neck. I didn't even notice her tears, wetting my hand as I tightened my grip.

I'm doing my job.

My vision blurred as her words filled my mind. Even as her voice came to a forced halt, I still heard her voice.

Ich bete zu Gott. Rette mich. Der Reaper ist gekommen, meine Seele zu nehmen.

Rette mich. Der Reaper ist gekommen, meine Seele zu nehmen.

Der Reaper ist gekommen, meine Seele zu nehmen.

Der Reaper ist gekommen.

I was forced back to reality as the body in my arm became limp. I blinked, looking at the pale face of this once-lively little girl. Her eyes were wide open in shock and her mouth was still open, as she seemed to still gasp for a breath that she couldn't breath.

Her corpse dropped to the floor as I released my hold on her neck. She had clear handprint marks left on the skin. I stared emotionlessly at the body, lying sprawled across the floor.

My mind was blank as I turned around and walked out of the building. When I'd pushed through the front doors, Widowmaker was waiting for me.

"Why didn't you respond to your comm?" She said, sounding slightly annoyed.

"It was broken." I said as I pulled the comm out of my ear, and tossed it to the ground.

"That is not likely. The doctor-"

I cut her off by crushing the device against my foot, and brushing past her, heading towards the Talon aircraft that was waiting for us a few blocks away.

Once we'd arrived back at the Talon headquarters, I left the debriefing to Widowmaker and made a beeline straight the the showers.

I'd planned to spend a couple of minutes there, but I'd ended up spending an hour, just soaking up the heat. I should've enjoyed the feeling, but it was like my entire body was numb.

Once I'd finished, I quickly dried off and pulled on my pants. Walking up to a mirror, I was about to put on my shirt when I'd caught a glimpse of my body.

It was almost exactly how it was before the incident, excusing a few cut scars every now and then. I'd managed to stay in shape due to the rigorous training that Talon and Widowmaker had put me through. My skin was also noticeably paler. Pale.

I let my arms hang by my sides as I clenched my fists. Her words echoed through my mind and I didn't even think about what she was saying.

Der Reaper ist gekommen.

You're a monster.

Reaper

Monster.

You've killed countless people.

Reaper.

You're past your little hero phase.

Reaper.

"Reyes."

I flinched as I turned to face Widowmaker, who seemed to be staring at me. Her head slightly bent to the side, "Who is Reaper?"

My throat was dry as I asked, "What?"

She took a step towards and looked me in the eyes. "You were muttering something. I was able to pick out the word, reaper. Does that word mean something to you?"

I must have been unconsciously thinking out loud. I was a bit unnerved by the fact that she actually seemed concerned about me, but I brushed it off as a general question. I faced the mirror again and I saw a different reflection looking back at me.

"Yes. Yes, it does mean something to me."

I stared at my reflection as the little girl, her face twisted in pain and horror, stared back at me. As I opened my mouth, she mimicked the action.

"The Reaper has come."

Widowmaker had a moment of confusion come across her face, but I didn't pay it any attention.

My eyes were fixed on the girl who seemed to hate me with her entire being.

"I'm the Reaper."

Silence filled the air as the two of us stood, side by side. For once, I understood what went through Widowmaker's mind when she wouldn't say anything.

I stared blankly at the girl's eyes as I started to uncontrollably mutter, until I slowly came to a realization.

Reaper.

Reaper.

...

"I'm Reaper."