This was the mission that changed my life. The mission that opened my eyes to the cruelty that my clan had imposed on the world.
That I, had imposed on the world.
When I arrived in Melody, there was nothing different about this mission than any other one I had taken. I couldn't suppress the excitement that overtook me after going on a mission in so long.
Melody was quite a beautiful city. It had such a unique mixture of architecture, influenced by cultures all over the world. The city that lied in the center was bustling and loud. The road zipped with cars, and the people walked on overhangs above. Quite a clever way to ensure road safety.
But thank Hoshi I had no business in the busy part of Melody. My mission lied in the outer parts of Melody. Not completely country mind you, but more rural. Not too quiet, yet not too loud. If I didn't already live in the Star Clan, it would be a wonderful place to call home.
This part of town, where my victim lived, was where most of the fine arts industry lived. From grand libraries to dance studios and music halls. It was a popular tourist attraction, and where most of the people who came to visit Melody stopped by first.
Getting into Melody was easy. Their guard system surrounding the countryside simply asked for your name, date of birth, an ID, and if you were associated with the DWMA or not.
One thing that I didn't read about before I arrived here, was that these people were… sour towards the DWMA. Mostly due to the large witch population that lived here, and how the DWMA seemingly hunted them for sport. You wouldn't find many DWMA people welcomed here.
Which was a stark contrast to the rest of the world.
When I got in, I hopped a bus to my province of choice. The city was broken up into a few dozen different provinces, or really counties. The one in question was called Beginning.
It was cliche but held meaning to Melody's townsfolk. Apparently, in this province was the square where Melody's founder declared his promise to make this place the greatest power in the world. And he held that promise for a while. According to history, Melody was once named Meliodas, a great Empire stretching over most of North and South America.
But I'm getting off track.
When I arrived in Beginning, I was greeted warmly by the people around me. I had to dress down a bit, for my usual dark assassin wear would've made me stick out like a sore thumb. I had settled on a pair of jeans and a white muscle shirt, which made me look like some kind of delinquent.
Not many stared, but I myself couldn't help but watch as people of many different species strode past me. I saw Reapers, Witches, Faes, Wolfmen, Bloodsuckers, I even saw a Centaur walk past, but the people steered clear of her.
Something about that Centaur made the very marrow in my bones freeze. She was almost as pale as freshly fallen snow, and her hair looked like a thick, black curtain hanging heavily over her shoulders and chest. Her long, black tail dragged on behind her, threaded with what appeared to be dead flowers. On her hooves were anklets with the bones of small animals decorating them.
She passed by me when I was headed to one of the many libraries, hoping to find a map of the province. Her coat was black as ebony, and the one eye that peered from behind the curtain of hair shown a brilliant crimson.
No wonder the people avoided her has she sombered on down the sidewalk, she looked like some incarnate of the devil.
I decided not to waver against her, however. I simply moved over a bit so that I wouldn't bump into her, but I didn't jump into the grass to avoid her completely. When we passed each other, I felt a cold chill shoot down my spine. And I'm not sure how, but I heard a chill, crisp voice speak to me, almost as if in my ear.
"Your new purpose is here."
When I heard the sentence, I whirled around. I shot my hand down to grip the handle of my knife that I had hidden away, preparing for a fight.
But she merely continued on her slow, graceful walk, parting people like the Red Sea.
What did she mean? Or was that even her who spoke to me? I would assume so, for she was the closest one to me. I decided to let it go. No use spilling unnecessary blood and drawing attention to myself.
I continued my walk down the street, pushing the odd moment to the back of my mind. All I need was a map to find where the house was, then I would be golden.
The library wasn't hard to find. It was a rather large building and it's architecture was similar to something from Greece. When I walked in, the quiet atmosphere greeted me lovingly. It was such a large difference between this place and the Clan. I loved the quiet, which was hard to get living with White Star.
I couldn't help but admire the scenery of the library. It was a multi-storied building that resembled a castle. It had large winding staircases and lopped up to the higher floors, which you could see from the ground. The bookcases have almost a dozen shelves with ladders hooked to them.
The clerk at the counter looked up and smiled at me, nodding her head in greeting.
I nodded back, flashing a fake smile before walking forward to the reference section.
I started browsing the atlases, looking for a local map of Melody. When I found the book containing the map, I pulled it out and walked over to a nearby table, pulling out a chair and sitting down.
I opened up the book and turned a few pages, skimming over a brief history of Melody before getting to the maps. I was a bit impressed at the size of the city, especially since not many people knew it existed.
But no time to admire, it was time to find the location of my victim.
I flipped through the pages until I got to the province of Beginning, looking over it's suburban landscape. Beginning wasn't on the very edge of Melody, but it was close, so most of this place was surrounded by forest. I pulled out the small piece of paper that I scribbled the addresses on. One address was of the ones to receive the lock of my victim's hair, and the other, of the victim herself.
History Road #42
The Eater Manor.
Eater. This was the address of the victim. I could see why the requesters wanted them dead so much. Not only had they betrayed the name, but they were also using it.
Something that blood-defilers do often.
I looked over at my paper and grazed my finger over the page, following the pictures of the roads. When I found History Road, I moved down the long, twisting road. The manor that they lived at was at the very end. No houses nearby, but only a large wall surrounding the large plot of land. The Manor was located towards the front of the walled off land, with a lake sitting behind it and surrounding wood.
Perfect. If I was able to lure my victim out into that wood in their backyard, I could kill her with ease, and without being seen.
I gently closed the book, standing up and moving back to place it back onto its shelf.
I stuffed the paper back into my pocket and made my way to the exit, wanting to get to the house as quickly as possible.
"Did you find what you were looking for?"
I stopped to hear a voice call out to me quietly. I turned to see the clerk smiling at me warmly, a curious look on her face.
I smiled back, nodding my head, "Yes. I just wanted to read about this places history briefly."
She nodded her head, looking back down at her computer.
I turned away and walked out of the library, dropping the smile.
I walked down the steps of the building and out into the street once more, stomping away in the direction of the house. I knew where they lived, now it was time to plant myself in the perfect spot to take the kill.
With the property being has massive as it was, finding a suitable place was no trouble at all. The lake that sat behind the house was in clear view of the windows towards the back, giving me a clear view of everyone inside.
I placed myself a couple of meters into the wood, sitting up in a tree to give me a birds-eye view of the late, the wood, and the house. Then all I had to do was wait.
For a while, I didn't see my target. I had to assume she wasn't in the house at the time and was out and about either frolicking or working. Throughout the day, I saw only two people inside the house.
One was a woman who looked not middle-aged, but not in her early twenties. She had short, fuzzy black hair and bright green eyes with pale skin to match. She often crossed the windows with either a basket of laundry or a book, showing that she was switching between chores and relaxation.
The other person in the house was definitely a Fae. Simply by his sheer height and young face, I could tell he was a child Fae. He stepped outside only once with a watering can, and proceeded to water the flowers alongside the house. He had rich tan skin, wild black hair, and when he turned towards my direction, he had bright sapphire eyes with a pair of thin glasses resting on his nose. His long ears and sharp teeth that shown whenever he smiled at the flowers, further proved his status as a Fae.
However, neither of these people were the one I was after. I was after the one with long, white hair, and crimson eyes to match.
It wasn't until late that evening when the moon was almost at the center sky, did she appear.
The lights in the house had been long turned off, signaling the two within had gone to sleep. It wasn't until near midnight, did the light at the backdoor flicker on, and the door open.
I hardened my stance, watching with hawk eyes as the figure of my victim calmly exited the house and walked toward the wood.
She wore no shoes and was dressed in a loose tank top and sweatpants. Her hair was pulled back in a long braid that swung like a pendulum behind her. She made no noise as she approached the lake, circling it's surface until she reached the back, closest to me.
How perfect.
When I was able to see her clearly, something happened to me that had never occurred before. In all my years of killing silently and skillfully, without a single flaw, I made one, crucial mistake. A mistake, that would alter how this mission ended.
I got distracted.
When I saw her clearly, my tight stance loosened. Her hair was silvery and long, braided neatly behind her back. It hung over her shoulder like a small drape, appeared soft and silky to the touch. Her skin was as white as snow, almost as pale as the centaur that I had seen earlier that day. Her eyes, however, was the thing that caught my attention the most.
Red. Like two shining rubies in a treasure chest, they glistened brightly in the moonlight that reflected off the water, making her look like a tempting siren, awaiting new sailors to draw close.
She was the most beautiful creature I had ever seen.
My jaw loosened and hung slightly, my eyebrows unfurrowing as I stared. She bent down at the lake's side, pulling a small box out of her pocket. She pulled out some small pieces of food, placed them in her palm, and lowered it into the water. From my perch, I saw small koi fish rush to her and begin nibbling on her fingers.
She giggled, covering her mouth with a soft hand. It was like a little bell on a windchime, swaying peacefully in a gentle breeze.
Despite myself, I felt my heart begin to pound against my ribcage, and a rushing heat creeps up my neck and cheeks.
A smile hooked the side of my lip.
A beautiful name… for an equally beautiful woman.
That was when my logic rushed back and slammed into me, snapping me from my hypnotic trance.
Had I just lost my concentration on a target I'm meant to kill… because of how she looks!? Like those people who failed their missions for growing attractions to their targets!?
The sheer shock of the moment and feelings made me feel dizzy. I swayed slightly, trying to regain a sense of normalcy. And in my confusion, I moved my foot two inches too much to the right.
And snapped a twig that tumbled to the forest floor below.
The girl's head snapped up, and she whirled around to stare into the depths of the wood. Her brows were furrowing angrily, and her hand had withdrawn itself from the water. I watched as her forearm glowed, rippling with light as it turned from a human arm into a long, red and white blade.
She was a demon weapon.
"Hello!? Who's there!?"
I was made.
The shook made me panic. I blindly unsheathed my dagger and leaped from my perch, flying downwards at her with my weapon at the ready.
But my sloppy movements made noise, and I alerted her to my whereabouts. I saw her look up directly at me, eyes wide with shock and fear. Before I could land my blow, she dove out of the way, leaping into the woods and taking off. My blade sunk into the dirt by the lake, scaring away the koi. I screeched angrily, ripping the blade from the dirt and turning towards the sounds of her escape wildly. I tore after her, the anger of my mistake coursing through my veins.
How could I have let myself get so distracted!? I had seen plenty of attractive people in my killing career, but none of them had left in my that much of a trance! So why now!? Had my break from missions caused me to get sloppy?
I looked forward to see her running deeper and deeper into the wood, constantly looking over her shoulder to see where I was.
"Who are you!? What do you want from me!? And why did you attack me!?" She screamed, leaping over a fallen tree and taking a hard right.
I followed suit, ignoring her questions. I was too angry to hear them.
"Why the hell are you chasing me!? Do you want to kill me!?" \
She was rather talkative.
I snarled, putting more power into my legs as I raced forward. I was getting closer and closer to her.
"What did I do wrong!?"
You soiled the name of your family, that's what you did!
I grabbed ahold of a tree and used it to propel myself forward. I successful slammed into her, grabbing her around the waist and tumbling through the forest. She let out a hard oof and began swinging her blade wildly, the sharp metal tearing across my cheek.
I hissed in pain, holding her down when we slowed to stop. She thrashed and screamed and swore as I rolled over to pin her down underneath me. I slammed my hand into her neck, raising my knife above my head.
"Die you name-soiler!" I screamed, watching her pupils blow up. But instead of screaming in terror, in the split second before I would've lowered my blade down into her head, she rose a brow in confusion.
"Name-spoiler? Ack- what the hell is that!?"
…
What?
She didn't know of her sins!?
I stared down at her in disbelief, her hands coming up to grip my wrist. I snarled.
"Don't play dumb with me! I know you dishonored your family name with your evil ways! And now you shall pay the price!"
She only looked more confused.
"What? I haven't done anything, nor has my mother! It's my grandparents who did something like that!"
My eyes widened in shock.
That's… that's impossible.
"S-Stop lying! You soiled the Eater name with your sins!" I shot back, trying to reason with her. But she shook her head wildly.
"M-My grandparents disowned my mom because she had me! They wanted her to be a perfect princess, who followed every rule, but she forged her own path! We've been nothing but kind! My mom is actually a policewoman who enforces the law! And I'm a volunteer at the hospital! It was my grandparents who turned the Eater family from goodwills to greedy money makers!"
I saw her face begin to turn blue, her teeth ground together. Before I could say anything more, she asked me a question.
"I-If you really… are go-gonna kill me... at least answer me this. Ack-guh… wh-why do I deserve to die…"
I… I…
I couldn't answer her.
I felt my body begin to shake. My grip on her neck came undone, and she gasped for air. She began to cough horribly, pounded her fist into her chest. I didn't climb off of her though, I could only stare in shock.
"You… you soiled… th-their name. Th-That's why…"
She rose her brow, propping herself onto her elbows.
"No, I didn't. I just told you. Who told you this anyway?"
I dropped my knife, my arms falling limply to my side.
"The… the ones who requested your kill. They said you soiled their name… a-and…"
She pursed her lips.
"And you believed it?"
My eyes widened.
She continued, "What proof did you have? Did they tell you what I did exactly? What god awful thing I did to deserve something so harsh as death? If you don't know, then why did you, accept it or whatever?"
I felt my heart begin to slam against my ribcage.
No.
No.
No no no no no no no no no no no no no no no!
This had to be a ruse!
No name goes up on that board if the person behind it doesn't deserve the punishment! It just doesn't work that way!
Doesn't it?
Suddenly, White Star's words echoed through my head.
"You still believe that? You know as well as I do that we kill for the game!~"
He was lying… wasn't he?
"Hey, are you okay?"
I looked down at her with disbelief. Instead of fear or anger for attempting her life, she looked up at me with concern and worry.
"You look pale, are you doing alright?"
Why? Why was she concerned about me? I just tried to kill her!? She wasn't… she wasn't…
She wasn't innocent, was she?
I stared down to her chest, feel an aura float off her. I was feeling something float off her, rippling across me.
Her soul, I could feel it.
There wasn't a single, evil, bone… in this girl's body.
My clan lied to me.
I felt my head spin and giant white splotches crept into the corners of my vision.
"Hey! Hey, are you oka-"
I blacked out.
Sorry about last week. I was in the final week of my classes so work got tight.
But AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
GUYS! DID YOU SOUL EATER IS GETTING A DELUXE RELEASE IN JULY!
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
Okay now we'll talk about the chapter.
Yeah, the event that causes Velvet to rethink her life didn't take long. The only reason she failed is because she got... ahem... distracted.
Yeeaahh, I might be hintin' that Velvet has some good'ole feelios for Astoria.
And her messup got her upset so she couldn't think straight and it gave Astoria enough time to ask her thought-provoking questions. Poor Velvet, gonna be unhappy when she comes to.
But we also saw another familiar face in this chapter. Lily does have a role in this story as she did in The Dragon Witch. We won't see her again for a while, but she gives Velvet a quick prediction as she walks by. We also get to see how the people of Melody react to her out and about, which she hardly ever is. Avoid her like the plague...
Anyhoodle, not much else I can say about this chapter! A Star's Revelation is updated every Saturday at EITHER 9 am or 5 pm Tokyo time (+9)! I'm changing it to either time depending on whether or not I'm evening shift or morning shift.
NEXT TIME:
Velvet wakes up in Astoria's home, coddled over by Astoria and her mother. Wary and disoriented, Velvet questions her clan and her past actions as she sees the true personality of Astoria. What will see discover, and has her Clan been truly lying to her?
Find Out Next Time: May 18th!
~HUGS ALL AROUND~
For extra content and updates, check out my Twitter: Tiramina-Fan-Works