Niklaus wasn't traditionally attractive. He didn't look like an underwear model. There were no bulging pecs beneath his coat. He was of average height and average build, average brown eyes and average short hair. No... no one would never look at Niklaus and wonder what magazine, billboard, or commercial you'd seen him on. Few knew his name but the mass knew him merely as "Lacuna," and he was one of the highest-paid and most successful contract killers in the world. Stoic, calculating, and ambitious, if someone had a contract on their head and Niklaus was given the job, he would stop at nothing until he killed his target.
However, what made him more dangerous was that on each mission, if his wrath was provoked, he becomes the personification of death that takes out all of the evil bastards on both sides regardless of who paid what.
"Risa, do you like this job?"
Risa, Lacuna's partner in crime, is a woman of about twenty-five… a tremendously vital person with a small and delicate-featured was interested in everybody and everything, in contrast to her partners apparent indifference to anything except when he was preparing for his next mark.
"You've been asking some weird questions for the past couple of days."
"Well?"
"I wouldn't be here if I didn't."
They had been assign this job only a week before. Their employers wanted the targets eliminated as quickly as possible so they'd had to work fast, timing the time construction workers would leave the building, learning the layout of the tower in case something went wrong, and selecting the perfect spot for Lacuna to pull of the assassination.
"Is that an honest answer?"
"Yes, and it's not like there's anything else we know how to do. Always moving around and killing people is the life for us. And even if you tried to quit, you'll inevitably get yanked back in." She flicked her cigarette over the edge. "We were raised by the organization to be efficient killing tools."
Lacuna laid down by his famed silver Nemesis Arms Vanquish sniper rifle. "Don't you want to make something of yourself? You're only twenty-five."
She scoffed. "And you're only twenty-two. What's with the questions?"
"I'm going to rescind."
Raisa raised a gloved hand to shield her eyes. She had anticipated the coldness and the sting of driven snow on her face, but not the ferocity of the wind and how the light blinded her and certainly not a resignation letter from her partner of nine years. "Who's the lucky girl?"
Lacuna chuckled. "I don't have no such thing."
"Do you think mother would approve?"
"Approval or not, I already submitted my notice. This is our last job together."
"I see..." she added, dejectedly. "And what are you planning on doing?"
"Probably buy a farm in the middle of nowhere. Live my own life. The whole nine yards, you know."
"A normal happy life." Risa smiled, for she knew that Niklaus would probably die of boredom if he wasn't a physical personification of death. Contract killing is the only thing that Lacuna does because it's the only thing he finds exciting and challenging. He excels at all other skills effortlessly, so they do not represent much of a challenge for him. Contract killing requires him to pull together all his skills, all his intelligence, cunning and physical prowess, and to put his own life on the line. That's what makes him feel alive, and makes him feel purpose.
"Focus up. The first mark is arriving." he added.
Soon enough, his mark stepped out from the black limousine, her curly brown hair falling in soft layers around bare shoulders. She had the right physique and the right hair, but he'd have to wait for her to turn to get a positive I.D. on the face.
"Second mark is arriving." A second black limousine pulled up alongside the other one. The arms dealer, the purveyor of death and horror, stepped out, smoking an expensive cigar. There was a dead quality to his eyes, as if the soul had long departed and left this zombie-man in his stead, a monster to do the bidding of the dark force. He then ordered his minions to open the crates and it revealed lines of hand grenades precisely organized one in front of the other.
His first mark turned to inspect them and Lacuna got a positive I.D. The photograph hadn't done her justice at all. In his magnified scopes she was a little woman with a a curious style and great sense of pride about her, but she had something else that he couldn't quite figure out...something that he wanted to obtain but couldn't.
"Range it." He said.
"500 yards. Wind, two-quarter value, push 1 left."
"On target"
"Don't miss."
"Nunca."
Lacuna held his breath.
And a fraction of a second after that moment the muzzle flashes and a fraction of a second later there's the loud clang of the bullet striking the grenade.
The briefcase was next to him, on the roof of the elevator. Carefully, he opened it. The sides of the case were lined with a 2 piece set of polyethylene custom foam insert, in the specialty molded space, were the empty spaces for him to place his sniper's parts. He began dissembling it, then glanced at his watch. Nine thirty-five P.M.
"I'll go and confirm the kills." Raisa said, packing up her spotting scope.
"Doubt anyone survived that explosion." He added, packing the selective parts of his sniper.
"Doesn't hurt to be cautious." She stepped over the ledge but not before attaching the grappling hook to a secure beam. "Bring the car around...and Nik."
He turned to look at her.
"If this is truly our last job together...Then feliz cumpleaños, drinks are on me tonight." Raisa then jumped off.
Lacuna stood up, put his jacket on, and walked across to the elevator. He pressed the elevator button, and the doors slid open. He took one step forward.
The last thing Niklaus Erikzen; code name Lacuna, saw in his life was the inside of the elevator with its blue marble walls, red carpet, and silver handrail.
The environment around Lacuna became a literal empty void of space that took him to the very center of the universe itself. The black before him had a velvet quality, like the air had been thickened somehow, there is the light of the stars, clusters of faint and bold. The core of this violet galaxy is filled with dust and gas that clouded a black hole.
What just happened. Was my world destroyed? Impossible. Huh...I can't move, I can't feel anything. I see...I'm dead.
"Welcome to the inner world of Apeiron." Niklaus said.
As Lacuna fell slowly toward the black hole, he noticed some things which struck him as highly unusual, but he was not shocked or frightened.
First, the stars behind him— that is, in the direction that points away from the black hole — grow much brighter. The light from those stars, falling in toward the black hole, was being blue-shifted by the gravitation; light that was formerly too dim to see, is boosted to the point of visibility.
Did Raisa betray me? No...of course you idiot. She was only in the elevator once and with me. Plus, Raisa would never think about crossing me...So a freak accident eh? The legendary hitman; Lacuna, killed by an elevator. Makes for a great Shakespearean tragedy...
Simultaneously, the black patch of sky seemed to grow strangely. Lacuna knew that from this distance, the black hole should subtend about a half a degree of his view — that it should be about the same size as the full moon as seen from the surface of the Earth. Except it wasn't. In fact, it filled half his view. Half of the sky is pure, perfect, uninterrupted blackness.
That woman...Why am I thinking of her now?...Why? Why?...Ah...I am frustrated. I feel frustrated...
As he continued to fall, the event horizon opened up beneath him and he began descending into a featureless black bowl. Meanwhile, the stars became more and more crowded centered into a circular region of sky
Yes...
Finally, just before he was about to cross the event horizon, he saw the entire rest of the observable universe contract to a single, brilliant point. Not only did he see the light from all the stars and galaxies, but also a curious dim red glow.
I'll never be able to obtain what she had... I truly am frustrated.
Then everything went white.
He stood in what resembled a king's throne room.
"Lacuna, the world's most legendary and revered hitman killed by a faulty elevator." He could hear a mocking laughter coming from all directions. Flickering blue flames touched the stones underfoot and brushed against a long procession of granite pillars that marched ahead, two by two, residing next to the thrones ceremonial braziers.
From above, he could taste the scent of flowers and what descended was a female. With sinewy muscle, nut-brown skin, bright black eyes and dark locks of hair accompanied with makeshift small horns on both sides that reminded him of a juvenile deer horn.
"Would you mind explaining all of this."
Gracefully landing, she bit her lip ever so slightly and took the smallest of steps towards him.
"My appearance? Well it's simple, you prefer the company of a woman." Her hands slid down the side of his face in a warm caress, her fingers finally cupping his chin and lifting it. "Or are you referring to this place?"
Her hands left his face and slid down his shoulders and back in a gentle caress that ended on his waist.
"This place."
In an instant she vanished, only to reappear seated in her throne. "Welcome to the inner world of Apeiron. The space from which creation is born and in which it returns to. I summoned your soul here after your tragic death." She added, crossing her legs. "And if it's not clear to you yet, I am chief; I am the highest, I am foremost; so with this appearance, you'll do right to call me a Goddess."
"Why am I here?"
"I summoned you here because you have checked off the requirements to be both, reborn in the human realm or be reborn in an entirely different universe."
From face value, the offers were indeed appealing, but in Lacuna's years of experience, there was always a drawback when two options were available. "What are the effects of choosing one over the other."
The Goddess smiled. "Choosing to be reborn in the human realm means you'll be a completely different person. Choosing the latter, you'll be retaining all knowledge of your previous life."
"So permanent death for the person I am now or continue my life somewhere entirely different from the world I come from?"
"Appealing is it not?"
"So what exactly do you want me to do in this universe?"
"Quick on the uptake aren't we?"
"You're a Goddess, so that means you've seen everything I've done. The only conceivable request is that you want me to kill somebody in this different universe. Who is it?"
The Goddess chuckled. "True, I've seen everything you've done in your life. From your first kill at thirteen, to your last kill at twenty-two. I've seen the moment in which you acquired the nickname Lacuna and I've also seen the moment that set forth the motion that lead to your resignation."
In the blink of an eye, she appeared besides Lacuna, once again cupping his chin. "But you are mistaken. If you accept the offer to be reborn in a different universe, I don't want you to kill a specific target, no...I want you to bring Peace and Order to this world in whatever manner you deemed it fit."
"Why me?"
"You were the top student at the company and showed enough promised that the Director adopted you as her own son. Your reputation for peerless efficiency and reliability as a child earned you considerable respect and fear within the criminal underworld, earning the nickname Lacuna because of your unparalleled hyper-lethality. You're man who prefers actions over words, never wastes words and has a strong sense of obligation." She continued her game of seduction, teasing him with looks and touches. "Also, I cannot directly interfere with this world, so you're the perfect soul for this endeavor."
"In that case, tell me more about this world."
"Does that mean you'll accept the job?."
The Goddess was trying to influence Lacuna's. It wasn't working though, due to the fact that his partner of many years was unparalleled in the art of honey trapping. Either to get information, withhold it or just play with the poor souls because she was bored, Raisa had the uncanny ability to bend many men and women to her will. She displayed an uncanny affinity for psychological manipulation and could mask her real emotions perfectly, truly an expert in the field of seduction. Nerveless, he was interested in the offer. "On the condition that I'm allowed to live my own life."
She slid her hand into Lacuna's shirt, teeth softly biting into her lower lip. He gazed at her face, waiting for a response "As long as you fulfill the request, I don't care what else you do with your life in this world." she said, her soft whisper echoed around his body.
"Then we have an agreement."
"Good. You will be reborn in a world where people are born with innate, elemental chakra powers. The world, as it exists, is divided into five global powers and some smaller countries. These countries are named and organized around the dominant elemental trait of the people who live there. Since you died at twenty-two, you have until twenty-two years after you're born to complete the request." She grabbed his collar, pulling him close. "Now let me show you how this world works."
Her lips crashed into his and in that kiss a million thoughts condensed into a moment.
It's different from the world I come from. The technology and government structures correspond to different periods of Earth history. Most villages and cities are relatively undeveloped but then you have "minor" hidden villages like Amegakure that seem highly industrialized. And the governments seem mostly feudal in nature, mirroring pre-Tokugawa Japan. Yet, the greatest difference is the existence of this chakra nature transformation and the two nature transformations; Yin and Yang which exist outside of the five elements."
The Goddess pulled away, cleaning Lacuna's lips with her thumb.
"I understand this new world." Lacuna fixed his collar. "Now, referring to the knowledge I just received, the humans of this world are at least 4 times as athletic/stronger than an average human of my world and even then, it depends on which human it is of course. Some of them possess abilities far greater than both ours and the humans from their world. I would say they're about 8-10 times more skilled in terms of reflexes, speed, aim, and decision making than the average human. Nerveless,
"Your request of bringing Peace and Order shall be fulfilled."
The Goddess smiled. "I wouldn't expect anything less from you."
He looked into her eyes. "But you must give an ability in order to compete in this world."
"What did you have in mind?"
"The Rinnegan."
"Sure. I'll grant you the highest power of this world and the body to be able to use it." That smirk of hers brought out a sense of mischief. "But know that each path of it needs to be unlocked and even then, to truly reach it's full potential, you would need to achieve enlightenment...something which you were not able to do so in your life."
Enlightenment. That's what Lacuna saw in his mark that he couldn't explain. What made him frustrated as he faded away. What she had and he couldn't obtain. Enlightenment. That's what made him choose the Rinnegan.
"That is why I ask for it. You stated that I could live my own life, so I would take this opportunity and achieve that which I could not."
"Very well. Are you ready to be reborn?"
"Yes."
"You'll be born into the Village Hidden by Rain, whose ninjas are frequently hired for assassination missions. Perfect choice that allows you to excel at what you're knowledgeable at. Your father is Hanzo of the Salamander, a legendary shinobi and the leader of this village. You'll do well to know as much as you can from him.
"Don't disappoint me."
With a snapped of her fingers, Lacuna fell to the ground and everything went black.