"You can't run away anywhere, you pathetic killer."
"Unfortunately, the police are nothing but a bunch of idiots."
Kain started leaping between buildings, distancing himself from the port where the police had been chasing him since evening — and now the night had already swallowed the city. This was the first time they had pursued him directly; he had no idea how they found him.
Since his house burned down, he had wandered the streets without even getting a moment of sleep. A thirst for vengeance coursed through his veins — he wanted to kill whoever burned his house.
He asked some of his neighbors, but they denied seeing anyone who set the fire. That only fueled his anger even more.
Kain continued walking after settling briefly on the ground, crossing the street with cold, aimless steps. Lost in his thoughts, he suddenly collided with a body coming from the opposite direction, and stumbled backwards.
He stared at the man with narrowed eyes, grabbed his arm, ready to kick him without hesitation — but something in the man's face stopped him.
He froze, then his eyes widened slowly.
"You…"
The man before him was his coworker, with the same look of surprise. A brief silence hung between them — a mix of anger and shock — before Kain turned away and walked on, leaving the other man breathing a faint sigh of relief.
But his coworker did not let him go. He followed quickly, calling out:
"Kain! Wait a second!"
Kain stopped for only a moment, then continued walking without looking back.
"I told you — wait!" the man shouted, grabbing his arm.
Kain whipped around violently, his eyes sparking with fury.
"Isn't it better you looked for a job, Fast, instead of wandering around here?"
"The same goes for you, doesn't it?"
They both started walking without a real destination, and Fast looked at Kain with suspicion and confusion — he did not expect to meet him after they had lost their job.
Fast spoke in a choked voice: "You know why we got fired, don't you?"
Kain shouted, "The police — those bastards — they stepped up their patrols, capturing assassination networks. That gave them a lot of information about our world."
"In the end our boss was just a cowardly scoundrel. I asked him to register me in an organization, but I refused later — I would never be a slave to them."
Fast sighed deeply. "Don't speak with emotion: the boss has a family that needs him more than he needs them. Meanwhile we have nothing. And if we stayed working — they would gather intel on us and throw us in prison."
Kain stopped, then kicked an electric pole forcefully. He glared at Fast with a frown. "We had a job once. But now — we really have nothing."
Fast cracked a wide smile. "What do you think if we walk to places that have some positive energy? Maybe that'll help us talk more clearly."
They reached a main square, bustling with people — children laughing, families around.
Kain grumbled, "These are places we don't belong. We don't understand them."
Fast laughed. "Maybe — we're just not like those people. Also — are you going to remain unemployed? Are you not going to search for a new job?"
Kain sighed, tired: "I don't know. At first I refused offers from others besides the boss. Then I asked him to register me in an organization — but I pulled back. Now I'm confused."
"I don't think any organization will welcome you. After all — you're wanted by everyone."
Kain replied in surprise: "Huh? What are you talking about? Who's after me?"
Fast began to laugh — laughter that grew gradually until his voice burst out loud. "Oh, sorry — you don't know. After everything… your house burned down."
Fast turned to Kain with a strange expression. "The police are after you because you killed the courier. And it wasn't an ordinary man — he was a state employee carrying important secrets. Killing him made you the prime suspect for stealing those secrets and keeping them for yourself."
Kain felt a shiver run through his whole body. "Where did you get this information from? And did I even steal anything in the first place?"
Fast put his finger to Kain's lips. "You're not only pursued by the police — assassins are hunting you too, to kill you and get back what you took from them."
"What did I take — for them to want it back?"
"You set the weapons shop on fire. And among the flames were a group of young men. That shop was a source of dangerous weapons bought by killers who hide many of their guns there. Now organizations and hitmen are after you. They want their weapons back — and they want you dead."
Kain shouted: "But I didn't take any weapon — I didn't touch anything in the shop."
Fast smiled cautiously. "They think you did. And once they discover the truth — they'll kill you for revenge."
Kain felt the fires of rage creeping into his limbs, making every move fragile but lethal — as if the whole world had become his enemy.
He parted from his coworker. Fast said, "I won't go far — just walk a bit to calm down, or I might kill someone."
Kain turned left at a junction, while Fast froze — then collapsed, gasping heavily, clutching his chest.
Kain wandered for a long time until he reached a district full of buildings, then saw police cars heading toward him in large numbers.
"The blue and red lights… they look beautiful at a time like this."
No sooner had he finished speaking than the police surrounded him from every direction.
The white-haired chief of police, wrinkles etched deep on his cheeks, stepped forward and stood before his forces.
"Hello, you little killer. It's been a long time since our last meeting — I suppose you haven't changed much."
Kain's hand began to tremble gradually until the shaking reached an unnatural intensity — the chief noticed.
Kain lunged, plunging his hand into the chief's chest. All units froze at the sight.
The urge to kill exploded inside him, filling the place with an icy silence that killed every feeling.
He grabbed the chief's gun and opened fire — killing three police officers at once. The rest tried to rush him to kill him.
He threw the gun; it tore through the chests of three officers in a single shot, while the others stood motionless, as though turned to stone.
It didn't take long before he escaped — the only survivor among them.
Despite the heavy feeling in his heart, Kain smiled bitterly. "I don't think joining an organization was a bad idea. All I have to do is what I hate."
Even though blood covered his body and his mood was at its lowest — and although walking was hard in his state — Kain ignored all these feelings and reached the headquarters of the Infimus organization, which he was about to join.
He climbed the stairs — stained with the blood of his victims — grabbed the handle of the door and violently pushed it open. Shadows filled the hall the moment the rusted iron door swung wide.
In the middle, rows of bodies lay on the cold floor — faces that didn't know a smile.
One of them stepped toward Kain, grabbed him by the shirt and shouted: "What is someone like you doing here — by the Creator of Hell? Did you come for us to kill you instead of the police?"
Kain remained silent, not uttering a single word — which stirred the anger of those around him.
Then he saw him — the head of the organization — standing at the back of the room, his shadow extending behind him like a dark memory. He advanced slowly toward everyone; the sound of his footsteps cracked across the old tile floor. His eyes were grim, and a faint smile crossed his face — hidden in the corners. The room froze, breathless.
"It seems you really came, student of Wilson. I have been expecting you ever since I heard you would come, but you really took your time. Do you think this job opportunity is open whenever you want?"
Kain frowned angrily. "Strange things happened in the last few hours — but you can fire me if you want. After all — I'm wanted by everyone, right?"
The head's wide smile didn't fade. "No problem. You may join despite all that. But you will start your first mission now."
Kain looked at the head for a long time, then spoke calmly: "Your mission is simple, mother. It only involves killing those who are after you. Isn't that easy?"
Kain ground his teeth until one cracked. "What nonsense are you talking, you vile boss? If you wanted that done — I would have done it since all this started."
"Very well," the head said. "Then we can change your first mission if it doesn't suit you."
Kain lifted his gaze slowly, torn between doubt and a certainty he refused to form. He thought to himself:
"Wait — did he really change his decision that easily?"