Lying naked in a fetal position on a bed, a girl stared into the void, lifeless. Her whole body was covered in bruises, blood, and traces of tears remained under those now empty eyes. In her intimate area, there were traces of blood mixed with a whitish liquid, still dripping, telling with crude honesty the agony she had endured.
On the other side of the bed, Big Joe ran his sweaty, blood-stained hand through his hair, taking a deep drag from the cigar he held between his teeth.
He had just had something good, that's why he was in a good mood.
A pleased grin twisted his face, and with a hoarse voice, he turned to the brothel keeper, who stood aside, trembling and powerless.
"Next time… younger ones. Their high-pitched screams really turn me on."
He laughed heartily, and anyone who met his gaze quickly lowered their heads. He walked out of the brothel as if nothing had happened, straightening his jacket and moving down the street with the air of someone who feared no consequence. And indeed, it was so; no one dared oppose him, not when he had no problem killing people, and that was often the best fate one could hope for.
He was already thinking of the glass of alcohol waiting for him at home when something flew at him from a side alley. A glass bottle exploded next to him, shards scattering everywhere.
"Hey, bastard!" shouted a young, defiant voice, as a slim shadow pulled back into the alley. "I hope you rot like the shit you are!"
Joe's face twisted into pure rage.
"Seems I've found another way to have fun tonight."
He smiled predatorily, veins throbbing on his temples, and without a second thought, he launched into pursuit.
"Stop, you little shit! I'll tear you to pieces!" Joe roared, shoving aside anyone in his way.
He continued to follow the boy through the hidden alleys, but what he failed to notice, maybe because of his confidence in his strength or because of his rage, was that they had entered an empty district.
The road grew narrower and narrower until it closed into a dead end. And there, at the very end, the boy turned. He wore a dark monocle over one eye, staring at him with a mocking grin.
"Finally trapped, you rat!" Joe laughed, but when he saw the monocle on the boy, he laughed even harder, full of mockery. "If you thought that made you look scary, it only makes you look ridiculously stupid!"
"Please, don't remind me," the boy answered with irony. "One of my eyes can finally see again, but it's all blurry. That's the reason for this."
Only then did Joe begin to notice the strangeness. The boy seemed far too calm, with a faint smile on his lips that, honestly, made his skin crawl.
"For someone about to die, you sure have a lot of words coming out of that mouth," Joe said coldly, trying to hide his unease.
"What a surprise, that was exactly my thought," the boy replied lightly.
Big Joe didn't think twice and charged at him like a beast. But his illusion of superiority lasted only a moment.
The boy, Adel, moved, and in an instant, he was in front of the man, landing a knee into his stomach, making him bend forward, breathless.
"Wow, good thing I held back, otherwise I think I'd have killed you in one hit."
Collapsed on the ground, unable even to breathe, Joe lifted his head slightly toward Adel, who kept smiling faintly.
"This... can't... be..." he gasped, falling to his knees.
"Oh, but it is," Adel murmured and forcefully shoved a piece of cloth into his mouth.
"This is for the noise you'll make." The next moment, he broke his arms, Joe's muffled screams echoing.
"Come on, be a man! It's only your arms, for the gods' sake." Adel sighed, then looked at him with a trace of pity. "Usually I kill straight away, but I was asked to make you suffer... I hope no hard feelings."
Adel dragged him by the hair to a spot where he would be more visible the next day, and there reduced him to a macabre display. Through the whole process, the man stayed conscious, suffering every moment, until Adel finally ended it by snapping his neck.
"That should do."
Adel looked at the scene as if it were a simple model, then added the final touch: using the man's blood, he drew a symbol on his forehead, similar to the ones he had given Violet and her group.
After a last glance, Adel walked away from the alley, leaving behind silence and darkness.
****
(The next day.)
The following day, dawn rose over the island of Vera, bringing with it an unusual silence. As soon as the news spread, a small crowd gathered in the filthy alley where the body lay.
The men and women who stopped to look held their breath, some with hands clasped in whispered prayers to the gods. Their eyes darted quickly, from the corpse to the sky, as if afraid that divine punishment could fall on them simply for stopping to watch.
While many showed fear, in the bloodshot eyes of those who had known the girls Joe had destroyed, there was a sick gleam of joy.
The silence broke when the sound of heels echoed on the pavement, slow and confident. The crowd parted without orders and bowed quickly.
Jasmine had arrived.
Wrapped in a scarlet dress that revealed more than it hid, she walked as though she owned the world. Her long black hair flowed behind her as her icy gaze examined the scene with a mix of annoyance and indifference.
She approached Joe's body.
"So this is how you died?" she murmured scornfully. "Pathetic."
But as she inspected his body, her expression grew serious. If he had been mutilated by a group, she could have accepted it. But from the wounds, it looked like a single person was responsible. All this, without Joe even being able to react.
Then she saw the strange symbol on his forehead, and her brow furrowed even deeper.
What mattered most, though, was who had done it.
Joe may have been a piece of trash, but he wasn't weak, and only a Grade 2 could have been capable. That limited the suspects to Ronald, Anthony, Alfred, or his protégé Erik... or someone from outside.
The crowd around her remained silent, too intimidated even to breathe loudly. Finally, one of her guards found the courage to approach.
"My lady… what happened?" the woman asked in a trembling voice, bowing her head in respect.
Jasmine looked at her as if she were an insect daring to speak without permission. Then her gaze returned to the symbol carved on the corpse's head.
"What happened…" she said, clenching her fist in anger, "is that one of my best toys was broken, and I want to know how it happened… now."
Her guards immediately set to work, questioning anyone who might have seen Joe the previous day.
She straightened, elegant, and with a wave of her hand signaled her men to take away the body.
As for the symbol, she said nothing, praying to herself that it wasn't connected to what she suspected.
As she walked away, in the crowd a small group of youths stood out, one of them a disguised young woman.
"Gods, I feel like throwing up... what the hell have we gotten ourselves into..." whispered Beth.
"Agreed," nodded pale-faced Tod and Timmy.
"Just curious, was it our mysterious friend who did that?" asked Ruth.
"Since he said he'd handle it himself, I'd say yes," Violet nodded, understanding the others' unease.
"Don't get me wrong. Big Joe was a bastard who deserved to suffer before dying, and I'd have accepted anything, mutilation, crucifixion, but this... it really makes you wonder if that person is sane."
At Ruth's words, no one could answer, but since they were already involved, there was little they could do.
"Who knows, maybe he'll find your voice annoying and give you the same treatment," Beth said darkly.
"Don't even joke about that. I'll probably have nightmares tonight as it is."
Seeing him wipe his forehead nervously, the others chuckled, easing some of the earlier tension.
"Try not to go too far with the jokes. We're all working together now, and we need mutual respect."
Everyone turned toward Beth, giving her strange looks.
"What?"
"Nothing. We just thought friendship was worth less than love. You've known him so little and you're already defending him," Beth said with a mischievous smile.
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Violet answered, exasperated.
"You say that, but the others agree with me."
Violet turned to the others, who nodded stiffly.
"You guys are hopeless," Violet said, starting to walk away.
"Where are you going?" asked Lyra, who had been silent until then.
"I need to check something."
"See? She's already going to him."
"Shut up, Beth!"