The Messenger of Death

On their way back to the mansion Al got stares from the members of the other teams, occasionally from the clients. They all looked like they had a lot to ask and say, but they kept their thoughts to their selves.

['Al, time to switch back.'] Alex stated.

['Alright.']

-Switch.

"The two of you there, stop right where you are," Tammy said to two kids that were approaching them. The kids looked like they were beggars that had been roaming the streets with dirty clothes on their backs.

They were both girls and one looked younger than the other. They both had dirty brown hair that was covered in mud and blood. Parts of their skins had bruises that had bled.

"They are only kids, you don't need to speak to them that way." Jayda pointed out.

"I am sorry but there have been cases where kids pretended to be beggars and approached people, begging them for alms. Those kids killed those that helped them one way or another, either with poison or an unexpected stab in the back. We cannot afford to take the risk with you guys present." Tammy explained.

Most of them have heard of situations like that, they began to suspect kids a little bit. "We don't need to do anything to them, just avoid them," Tammy added.

Sravya and her teammates weren't against Tammy's idea, nor were they in support of it. She walked down to where the girls were and gave them a bag of silver coins. Her teammates followed her and did the same. Camron also stepped forward and gave the girls a bag little bag of gold coins.

"Use this to treat your injuries. Do not let other people see the money in your hands. When you are hungry, use the money we have given you to get food for yourselves. Now that there is a lot of conflict in the capital city, things must be very hard for the two of you." He placed his hands on their heads then went back to his position.

Tears had already started to fall off the eyes of the girls. They had been hungry for days, walking around and begging for food from whomever they met. They were very grateful for the kindness that they had received but they didn't have the energy to express it at the moment.

While everyone else was busy being skeptical about the kids, Alex wasn't. He hated how they treated the kids. He was also touched by the kindness of the righteous school and that of Camron. Alex could recall when he was still roaming the streets of mars, it was rare for him to be given anything. Whenever he begged they called him the child of a whore or the child of a thief, then they pursued him away. People used to avoid him like the plague.

['What sort of stupid excuse is that? Can these two kids pose any kind of threat to us cultivators? They have no cultivation.'] Alex judged after probing the kids. He looked glared at Tammy.

"Move to the side of the road and don't move until we have left your sights. If you try anything funny, I will end you." Tammy threatened.

"I'll like to see try," Alex whispered. He was trying his best to control his emotions.

The girls staggered to the side of the road and sat on the floor, still sobbing at their sudden fortune.

"You guys go ahead, I'll stay here and watch them." Alex volunteered.

"You are finally putting yourself to use," Neko commented.

Nobody was against Alex's suggestion. His teammates thought that he wanted to avoid the stares that he had been getting from the rest, so they didn't object to him staying with the kids.

The girls looked at Alex and they were scared by his presence. They watched the rest leave and their uneasiness increased.

"Please, take the money and don't harm us." The eldest kid spoke in a raspy voice, as she stretched her hands out and held the bags of coins that they had just received not long ago.

Alex frowned at her sudden reaction. "I don't want your money, I just… wanted to have a word with the two of you." He was unsure of why he chose to stay back with the kids…

"Please don't harm us." The youngest one pleaded with tears in her eyes.

Now Alex wasn't the type to feel pity, he rarely did. In front of the tear-filled gazes of these kids, Alex couldn't help but feel weird. He just felt like they were the same as he was, struggling to live every day.

"I am not going to harm you, don't be afraid." He spoke lightly. Alex walked closer and sat on the floor next to them.

"You don't need to be afraid of me, I also was once in a situation like yours. I used to wander the streets begging for food and water. I had no shelter from the cold and heat but the rags I considered cloth. I was despised by the privileged and hurt by those in the same situation as me, I had no one but myself. I assume that you girls were beaten by other kids that were begging on the streets, right?"

The eldest nodded her head.

"A person's nature is determined by the environment they are in. The two of you are soft, you were recently made orphans, right?" He asked again. Alex knew that they had just started roaming the streets, they weren't looking at him with desire in their eyes. They just wanted relief.

The girls started sobbing again. Alex had reminded them of their predicament.

"I know that it hurts, it will always hurt. But crying wouldn't be of any help." He said to comfort them, but to his dismay, it did nothing but make them cry harder.

"At the time when I had started to give up, I didn't care if I lived or died. I started to steal from others, I stole from those that had and those that didn't have. Until I was caught one day by the person that I tried to steal from." He paused.

He found it strange that he remembered Kain but didn't have the urge to kill.

"Then what happened next? Did he beat you?" The youngest asked. She seemed to have been listening to Alex attentively.

"And then… he picked me off of the streets and feed me, gave me clothes better than the rags that I used to wear, gave me a place to stay. He made me into who I am today, or at least who I thought I was."

['Since I arrived here, I haven't been who I thought I was. Even I, don't know who I truly am anymore.'] Alex thought.

"And who might that be?" The youngest asked. The childish side of her that seeks to know surfaced.

"He made me into an assassin. My point is that you shouldn't only beg. Look for something that you can do that will get you out of this predicament that you are in. Although you might not have the education and skill for much now, if you try to break free from your reins then you might be surprised by what your hard work will present to you."

"What's an assassin?" The eldest questioned.

"An assassin is someone that is given commissions to take the life of another. I get paid to kill people." He answered truthfully.

"Will you be the helper that feeds us and takes us off the street? Make us into assassins too." The youngest began to have hopeful wishes. The girls stared at Alex waiting for his reply.

"No. I am not the helper that will take you off the streets. I cannot burden myself with your problems, my plate is already filled with problems." Alex replied bluntly, crushing the short-lived dream of the little girl

"Then can you help us kill someone? We will pay with this." The eldest pushed the bags of coin towards Alex.

He was dumbfounded by her request.

['Do they want me to kill the ones that beat them up?'] He wondered.

"Before I make my decision, would you mind telling me who you want me to kill?" Alex inquired.

"The 1st lieutenant of the 9th platoon in the Kawataro regiment." The eldest mentioned.

"A member of the army?" Alex was stunned by her words. "Why do you want him dead?"

"Because He and his men raped and killed our mother. She had been raising us all alone after our father was killed during the incident with the army 4 years ago, it was already hard to get by when no one would want to help the family of a traitor. Mother even found it hard to get a job. The 1st lieutenant and his men came barging through our door, they said that they were there to rid the capital city of the remains of the traitors." The little girl narrated her story as tears continued to flow down her eyes. She didn't look sad, she looked pissed and she was craving revenge.

One way or another she wanted those men to die and if it meant that they would go hungry for another few days then she had no qualms in handing everything they had over to Alex.

Alex had already zoned out the moment she said that her mother had been raped then killed, it struck a sore spot in him. Unknowingly, he released his killing intent as he began to get furious…