Roze arrived at Gerald's doorstep, his eyes blazing with a mix of emotions. "It's done," he announced, his voice cold and detached. "Gustaf's dead. And I made sure he suffered."
Gerald's expression transformed into a proud smirk. "I knew you had it in you, Roze. What now? Will you lay low or seek a new path?"
Roze's gaze hardened. "I'll head to town, use my skills to gain money and fame. I want my house back."
Gerald raised an eyebrow. "So, you're becoming a full-time assassin?"
Roze's smile was laced with venom. "Yes, and I won't struggle to find work. People like you, with twisted desires, will ensure I'm never short on clients."
Gerald chuckled, his eyes gleaming with lust. "Well, as a farewell gift, give me one last night, Roze?"
Roze laughed, a cold, mirthless sound. "Why not? But first, let me show you something."
He produced a faded photograph from his pocket, depicting a younger Gerald alongside Gustaf. Gerald's face paled.
"You said you left at a young age..." Roze's voice trailed off, accusation hanging in the air.
Gerald collapsed to his knees, tears streaming down his face. "I lied, Roze. I'm so sorry. I kidnapped and supplied children to Gustaf for years, ensuring my own safety. But I quit when I saw the fates of those children..."
Roze's eyes turned a deep, fiery red. "Fate? What fate?"
Gerald's voice cracked. "If you dig the junkyard behind Gustaf's house, you'll find skeletons of children, some buried alive by me to end their suffering."
Roze's grip on the knife tightened, the blade glinting in the dim light. "You deserve to die," he hissed, pointing the knife at Gerald's eyes.
Gerald's tears flowed unabated. "I deserve death. Now that Gustaf's gone and you're an assassin, I should follow him to the grave. I helped him, enabled his atrocities, and exploited you too. Please, Roze, kill me."
Without hesitation, Roze sliced Gerald's throat, the sound of his gurgling demise filling the air.
"Enough drama," Roze said, his voice devoid of emotion. "I have more killing to do. Your secrets die with you."
As Gerald's lifeless body slumped to the ground, Roze felt a sense of closure, but no peace. His journey as an assassin had just begun, fueled by the darkness that had consumed his childhood.
With Gerald's demise, Roze eliminated the last link to his painful past. His eyes, now cold and calculating, gazed toward the horizon, ready to face the shadows that awaited him.
Roze vanished into the night, his footsteps echoing through the deserted streets. The weight of his actions settled upon him, but he refused to be haunted by the ghosts of his past. He had taken the first steps toward redemption, and with each passing moment, he felt the shackles of his tormentors' grip loosening.
The darkness that had once consumed him now fueled his determination to forge a new path, one paved with the blood of those who had wronged him.