Beneath the eternally eclipsed sun, somewhere on the eastern side of the Solveil Kingdom, three men clad in black robes were moving toward an old, dilapidated shed. Each wore a black mask that completely obscured their faces.
Inside the shed, they found a covered hatch. After lifting it, they discovered a set of stairs leading deep underground. Following the stairs, they entered a dark corridor that ended at a single, imposing door, guarded by two men dressed similarly to themselves.
The three new arrivals stopped, and one of them addressed the guards.
"Is he still inside?"
"Yes, he is."
One of the three, who sounded visibly anxious, spoke up.
"Ah, why is he still in there? It should have been finished earlier."
The two guards eyed him rudely.
"You look like a new recruit," one stated, then looked at the other two men.
"Doesn't he know who is behind that door?"
The third man quickly answered for the anxious newcomer.
"Ah, yes, he is new, and he seems to have no clue about my lord's relations with the man behind the door."
The guards maintained their rude demeanor.
"There was no need to bring newbies to a job like this, even if you were short on men."
"It was an urgency; that's why we had to bring him with us."
"Still, his voice is young. I don't think you should let him in—"
"QUIET!" A raging sound, like a thunderclap, suddenly erupted from behind the door, causing all five men to freeze, unable even to take a breath.
The door soon opened, and a man emerged. The three newcomers were purely terrified just by looking at him. He stood about seven feet tall and had a lean, slender build. His face was long, horrifyingly pale, and appeared almost unnatural for a human.
But what was far more frightening than his look were his blood-soaked clothes. His fingers and knuckles were covered entirely in blood, as though he had plunged his hands into a bucket of blood.
He looked at the three men with his same slender, expressionless face and addressed the two guards in a low-pitched voice.
"Are they the cleaners?"
"Ah, yes, sir, yes! They are the cleaners," one guard stammered, his voice faltering.
"Hmm. Alright, my job is done here."
Saying this, he walked past the men and headed toward the stairs. As he moved away, the others finally dared to breathe again.
Curious to see what they had to clean this time, the new recruit cautiously cracked the door open and peered inside. The sight was enough to make his vision blur. His heart hammered in his chest, and a wave of nausea swept over him, almost making him faint.
The others saw in confusion, but before they could question him, a heavy, metallic smell of blood and fresh flesh hit them. Beyond the smell was the devastating scene they had to clean up.
A man was tied to a wooden chair. His forearms had been slit open with multiple cuts, and his eyes were gouged out, with blood still steadily dripping from the sockets. Furthermore, his chest area had a large, hole-like dent, suggesting he had been struck repeatedly and rapidly with heavy force, enough to shatter his ribs.
"W-w-was it his hand?!" the new recruit whispered, horrified.
"Did he do this with his bare hands?!"
"Oh, no, dear lord," another murmured.
"What could my lord possibly need a devil like this for? What kind of task does he want him to do?"
***********************************************
Outside the shed, the terrifying man was approaching his vehicle when his phone rang. The number was unknown.
"Hello, Frank." On the other end of the line was a soothingly calm voice that addressed the devilish man directly.
"Oh! Ah! MY LORD! You called me, my lord?!" Frank's frighteningly pale, slender face surprisingly transformed into an excited, almost childlike state upon hearing the voice.
"Ah, Frank, calm down a bit," the calm voice replied.
"Do you remember that task we had earlier, to kill the next head of the Owls family, Stephen Owls?"
"Ah, yes, sir, I remember him, but wasn't he assassinated by some unknown entity before we could get to him?"
"Yeah, but here's the fun part. That contract has been renewed with double the prize money as the previous one, just with a new name."
"EDWARD OWLS."
"And I am giving this task to you. So, make your lord proud, okay?"
"YES! Sir!"
The phone call ended, and a photo of Edward was immediately sent to Frank's device.
"Edward Owls, huh! He seems too young," Frank mused, looking at the picture.
A strange look of twisted pity crossed his face.
"I feel sorry for him, so I'll just rip his heart out without any pain. That will make things quick for a young soul like him."
**************************************
"Aaaah-choo!"
Edward sneezed suddenly. "A sneeze," he remarked casually to Dew and Vant.
"I think someone is remembering me."
They were currently moving through the grand mansion, heading toward a room situated on the top floor.
"Hey!" Edward pressed, still restless.
"You still haven't told me where I'm going."
"You'll see soon," Vant replied, offering no other detail.
Finally, they reached the top of the stairs and stopped in front of a closed door.
"Kid, this is the Remnants Place."