*Hey, everyone, after a month of a hiatus going in this fic, I'm back. I've talked to my friend Mysterious And Strange and I've been debating whether or not I should stop this fanfic. We discussed whether or not I should remove the last 3 chapters since I really don't like the direction this story was going in ever since Mark Of Death was introduced, I asked him if I should stop the fic all together and even asked if I should take a hiatus/quit writing in general. He ultimately suggested that I shouldn't quit writing and that I should just keep going. I've come to the conclusion that I should continue this story because it's my most popular fic and also because I like it the most. This chapter will be Jhin doing a contract and suddenly realizing that the thing he is doing is wrong, which will prompt him to leave Mark Of Death forever. Thanks to everyone who stuck around and I'm very sorry for not updating this in the last month, I hope you guys enjoy this and the future chapters! :D*

Jhin grasped a nearby rock and jumped to the one on the far left. The journey from the bottom of the hill back to the top was certainly a bigger challenge than going down the hill. As he grasped the rock to the left, Jhin lept up to a log sticking out of the hill and climbed on top of it. He took a quick break before seeing a gentle slope he could climb up to on the far left. He gripped a nearby rock and flung himself at the last boulder. He climbed the boulder and landed near the gentle slope which led to a path that was easier to climb. Eventually, Jhin made it up to the hill and entered the lair of The Mark of Death. Jhin began panting and resting for a minute.

*"You'd think they would make it easier to get up on this side of the hill."*

Jhin (thinking): "I didn't expect anything more from them."

*"Do you not like them?"*

Jhin: "I have very mixed feelings about them, yes."

*"Interesting."*

As he began to stand up, Kindred appeared in front of Jhin and approached him.

Lamb: "You're back. Does this mean you found your spell?"

Jhin (making his hand glow by using the spell): "Indeed. Now, about that contract."

Wolf: "We knew you'd come around. A pretty simple mission, you have to assassinate a member who betrayed this clan a long time ago. He lives in a windmill up North, not too far from here. His name isn't important, he's a man in his early 40's and lives with his young daughter. If the daughter decides to compromise the mission at all, assassinate her as well."

Jhin looked the Wolf dead in his eye and mentally shook his head from side to side. He was clearly against this idea. Taking revenge on someone who wronged you in the past is one thing, but killing someone who has nothing to do with the mission, especially a child, is crossing the line for Jhin.

Jhin (out loud): "Alright, I shall head there now. Farewell."

Jhin turned around and quickly left the lair. As Jhin was about to head to the windmill, Xar spoke up.

*"I wanted to tell you something."*

Jhin: "What's on your mind?"

*"Tell me if you want to do this contract."*

Out of nowhere, this question made Jhin stand still for a few moments.

Jhin (hesitant): "To be completely honest, I want to ditch this clan, but you see what would happen to us if I betrayed them. We're about to go kill a man who betrayed this clan."

*"The risk is worth it, trust me. Remember how their symbol was familiar to me? I used to work for these 2 at one point, as a spirit. I ultimately decided that I should just leave and nothing has happened. Even if they send someone to kill you, which they will do because they normally send people to kill for them, I guarantee you that you can outsmart the person who they sent for you."*

After a good few seconds of silence, Jhin mentally replied.

Jhin (with a big breathe in): "I'm on board. Alright, let's set the stage. (looking at his map) We have to head North, so they wouldn't suspect a thing, and then we can head to the village of Old Bargate and look for transport to... (after a few moments) Zaun. My good friend Viktor is there and we will most likely want to seek him out."

*"Good plan, but what about your parents? Aren't you afraid of what'll happen to them?"*

Jhin: "They're safe in Navori. I don't see anything happening to them anytime soon. Now, let's roll."

Jhin saw another gentle slope and gracefully climbed down the hill. It would be a while before Jhin would make it even close to Old Bargate, but time was something that he had a lot of that day. Dodging a few Demacian officers was the most interesting thing during the trip. Even if time wasn't particularly of the essence in these situations, it already became dusk as Jhin felt some wet drops upon his skin, he looked up and a few water drops landed on his face. Jhin put his hood on as is started pouring pretty heavily. No matter how strong the storm was, the sounds of thunder in the background could not disrupt Jhin's casual humming and song rehearsing in his head. He hit every tone perfectly and flashbacked to the times he would play the piano as a child.

Jhin (thinking): "Ah, great times."

There seemed to be no reply from Xar. It seems like Xar has become very quiet and Jhin did feel his presence, but not Xar's personality or voice. Even demons inside people's minds seemed to get tired, apparently. Jhin eventually stumbled upon a pleasing sight in these times. An inn that he could sleep in through the entire night. The pouring ocean of rain wasn't going to hinder Jhin for very long, as he quickly entered the inn after briefly standing outside to cast his spell. Jhin looked around the inn and noticed basically nobody in the inn except an older looking man sitting near the corner of the counter.

Jhin (talking to the inn owner, which happened to be a woman): "Evening, ma'am."

The inn owner: "Sir. What can I do for you?"

Jhin (taking his hood off and taking his coat off): "Any available beds around?"

The inn owner: "We have a fresh bed available for 10 gold. Here, let me give you a hand with that coat."

The inn owner took the coat and hung it on a nearby statue which seemed to be used as a coat hanger.

The inn owner (after receiving 2 gold coins from Jhin): "Alright, take this door to the right and it's the second door to the left. Have a great night, sir."

Jhin quickly nodded and went into the right hallway. He found the door with the number 2 above it and went inside. It had a bed, a bed drawer, a chest, a chair and a small table. Jhin landed on his bed gracefully and quickly entered the dream world. After a brief fall, Jhin found himself in an empty, dark and gloomy room. It seemed like the abyss consumed him until he saw a black wolf in the distance. He cautiously approached the wolf and it turned around, revealing that its right eye had a large white scar over it, its eyes were completely white and it seemed like this creature wasn't a mere wolf. The beast stood there and let out a long and fearless howl. Surprisingly, the beast opened its mouth and Jhin started to become confused as he heard the beast talking.

*"It's me, pal."*

Jhin: "...Xar?!"

*"Well, it isn't necessarily myself, this is just the form that I allow you to see me as. You can only see me like this when we're both dreaming and it just so happens that we're both dreaming right now."*

Jhin's face made various expressions before he asked a question.

Jhin: "Wait, now that I think about it, your spiritual form is a lot like the Wolf. You know, the Kindred Wolf."

*"This is based on his form, yes, and that's because this scar is a resemblance to the first time we faced off as spirits. This was before he met the Lamb. We viewed each other as foes and thankfully, he lost the ability to detect spirits a long time ago. He lost a good part of his spiritual form and replaced it with nothing but that stray of black mist behind his head. He used to be a whole wolf, now he degraded to the form he has today. (after a brief pause) Oh, looks like you're gonna wake up. I can sense it. Perhaps we'll meet again here. See you in the real world, Jhin."*

Jhin woke up shortly after Xar sent him away and it sounded like the rain stopped.

*"You're awake. Good, let's keep moving."*

Jhin said nothing and quickly stood up. He wondered if that dream was actually real and he didn't want to ask straight away. He took his bag and left the room, as well as the inn.

Jhin (pulling his map out): "Alright, we have to take the right path and we'll eventually be there."

*"Why are we going to this particular village?"*

Jhin: "Since it's the closest village that isn't up in the mountains."

*"Makes sense. Sorry, dumb question."*

Jhin: "We just woke up, no worries. Sounds like you had a good rest."

*"Yeah, haven't slept in weeks, so it definitely felt refreshing."

As Jhin took a step forward towards the correct path, he realized this step also marks the end of Mark Of Death, his freedom was finally able to become reality because of the spell and he was just extraordinarily glad that he made that step. A step away from useless murder. In Jhin's eyes, the only murders that are considered 'useless' are the ones where he doesn't feel like it's worth it for him and his emotions to do the murder. In other words, unless he himself benefits from the murder, Jhin despises assassinations with unclear goals. As the sky brightened up and the air started to become clearer, Jhin walked the muddy path that was created with last night's rain and he felt this was the right path to take for his future to finally become better than it ever was.

*End of Chapter 9.

Not much to say, except thanks for reading and hope you enjoyed! :D*