“Romonno! Avanti!”

“Si, si. Io sa!” All around me, it was chaos. 14-year-old me was stuck, horrified, as my parents breathlessly started to prepare to escape. I heard knocking and yelling at the door as the others tried to break through the barrier. Gunshots rang outside as well, our windows shattering at the barrage of bullets. But I had no time to contemplate my own fear. My 8-year-old brother, Prosper, was paralyzed in terror, his trapped position dangerously close to the door. All I knew was that I had to do something, something, to save him. My parents were rushing around me, oblivious to Prosper’s predicament. I saw my father loading his gun, ready for confrontation. My mother gestured for me to take Prosper so we could escape, but I hesitated. I didn’t want to leave my father alone…

“Romonno! Vai con tua madre!” My father yelled at me to follow my mother. I guess the decision was made. I quickly went to take Prosper in my arms and followed my mother to the back door. However, as my mother opened it to flee the scene, she was met with the barrel of a gun. 

“Buona Notte, Signora.” With that good night message, the man holding the gun pulled the trigger, murdering my mother in front of my brother and me. My brother screamed and, for a moment, the man was startled as he looked upon the pained expression on the face of the 8-year-old whose mother he had just killed. I took my chance and grabbed the gun, trying to wrench it from his grip. I kicked his knee and he momentarily let go, allowing me to take free control of his gun. Immediately, I pointed it towards his face, taking my shot. The last I saw of him was the surprise painted on him before he dropped down, his lifeless body crumpling to the ground. 

I had no time to think further because I had to find somewhere to hide. I ended up choosing a spot behind some barrels near our shed. As I led Prosper there and hushed him, he started crying, tears running freely down his cheek, shock overtaking him. I took him into my arms and hugged him tightly, hoping to allow him to feel secure, a sense of safety that I certainly didn’t feel. Gunshots still rang out in the distance, violence overwhelming my own home. I knew why they had come—my father used to run with Frank Luciano, a notorious mafia boss in our small town of Positano. He’d gotten mixed up with the wrong people, turning to a life of crime, but for the sake of my mother and my brother, he’d realized his mistake. He had tried to turn away from Luciano, but he was ruthless. My father knew the risk, and yet he rolled the dice anyway. Part of me hated him for that, but I couldn’t hate my own father. All he ever wanted to do was protect us, but alas, where’d that protection end up?

We stayed like this for hours, Prosper eventually falling asleep in my embrace. I realized it was up to me to get us to safety. But where? Where could we possibly go, with the deaths of both my mother and my father? And what then? Something in me longed for revenge, to search for that group with the golden dragon insignia, but realistically, what could 14-year-old me accomplish? No, my first priority was taking care of my brother.

With that in mind, I returned to the house. I remembered my parents once speaking about some sort of secret warehouse they had and I knew they kept a map of its location in the hidden compartment of a wooden desk in a locked room upstairs. As I walked, I saw bodies all around the floor, bullets painting the gruesome picture of the war that had broken out in our little house. I didn’t see my father, but I doubted he’d have made it. No one beats Luciano. I first went to my parent’s bedroom for the key to the room, which I knew was placed behind a painting of a lion hanging above the fireplace. My family had many secrets… too many for their own sake. I placed Prosper on the bed before retrieving the key and heading to the locked room. I fumbled around with the lock, eventually getting it to open. The desk remained the only thing in the room. Finding the hidden compartment, I took the map and made my way back to my brother. As I investigated its contents, he started to wake.

“What… what happened? Where’s Mamma and Papà?” I didn’t have the heart to tell him their fates, so I stayed silent. Tears slowly clouded my eyes, but I shook them away. I had a responsibility, a duty to fulfill. I focused on the map, trying to figure out where in the world that warehouse was.

“Romonno?” Prosper looked more terrified than I’d ever seen him. I too was afflicted with that terror, but it was best not to let him know, so I put on my strongest face and comforted him.

“Don’t worry, Prosper. It’ll all be okay… Remember what Mamma used to say? Che sarà, sarà. Whatever will be, will be…” I wish I trusted my own words… I shook the tears away again, but a singular drop landed on the map. The place it marked was, miraculously, the warehouse. It was marked with a dragon, but I knew that was our family’s code for safe zones. I took Prosper in my arms again as we left the house, possibly to never come back. I knew Luciano would eventually come knocking around, looking for us. Like I said before, he was ruthless: there’s no way he’d leave any loose ends, even if they were just children.

It was the middle of the night as we walked, rain pouring down as if demonstrating the chaotic storm we had just endured. I took a cap from my pocket and donned it on Prosper, turning up his collar to fight the cold air. The warehouse was a couple miles from the house, but we had to tread carefully, avoiding any signs of Luciano’s men. I still had the gun I had taken from the murderer of my mother, but I had no wish to use it. My father’s lessons in gunmanship seemed to have paid off after all… if only this wasn’t the situation I had to use them in. I walked in, sighing at all that life had to deliver to me. As I contemplated, someone suddenly grabbed Prosper. Instinctively, I turned in his direction, but the assailant, along with Prosper, was nowhere to be seen. A cold shiver ran down my spine as something sharp pressed against the back of my neck.

“Luciano sends his greetings!” I could hear the assailant’s wicked laugh as he prepared himself to murder two innocent children. 

“Romonno!” Prosper was also behind me, most probably held hostage by this stranger.

“Your brother can’t save you this time, little man.” With that, he spun me around and pushed me to the ground, his knife now pressed dangerously close to Prosper’s ear.

“What are you going to do, hm? I think I should take this ear as a trophy…” He was still laughing as I drew the gun and shot him straight in the heart. The second time I had killed someone in front of my own brother that day… not the bonding I had imagined.

“Romonno!” Prosper came rushing to me and I once again held him closely as the rain continued all around us.

“Hush now, Prosper. We need to get away.” We walked on, my heart hoping against hope I wouldn’t have to fight again.

Finally, we reached the warehouse. I rushed inside with Prosper, feeling somewhat liberated as we were finally safe.

Or so I thought. As soon as I entered, the room lit up to reveal a dozen guns all trained on me. Luciano himself stood in the center, smiling at me. 

“Drop the gun, boy. As you can see, you’re outmatched.” He was right.

“Why are you doing this? What are a couple of kids going to do?” I hoped that he’d find some sympathy in his cold, cold heart, but I doubted it.

“Loose ends, and all. You should know our rules by now. Your father was one of a kind. Which is why I offer you this: join us, and we’ll let your brother go.” What a price to pay…

“Join you? Join the murderers of my parents? Why would I?”

“Because if you don’t, your brother will soon have a hundred bullets in his little body as you helplessly watch.” Threatening an 8-year-old too… what was I supposed to do?

“Let my brother go, first, and I’ll discuss.” A plan was hatching in my mind…

“Very well. Let the kid go.” I almost expected Luciano to refuse, but it appeared he really did want me to join his little group after all.

“Prosper. Listen. Go over to Aunt Eslito’s house. She’ll take care of you.” I would have gone there instead of the warehouse at first but I assumed Luciano would have guessed that plan. What a time and way to be wrong… at least Eslito’s was presumably safe now, especially for Prosper.

“Romonno, no. I don’t wanna leave you!” He started crying and my heart ached as I thought through my next actions. 

“It’ll be OK. Always remember that I love you, Prosper. And always remember Che sarà, sarà.”

“Che sarà, sarà,” he repeated. With that, his crying still filling the room, he turned away to exit. I sighed as I realized that was the last I’d ever see of my brother… I shook the tears away one final time as I prepared myself.

“Well?” Luciano awaited my answer.

“Okay, okay. I’ll join your little group.”

“That’s the right decision. Now, come closer! Let me take a better look at you.” I walked cautiously towards him, still expecting him to command the twelve guns to shoot. He had no weapon of his own aimed at me, which was perfect for my idea. 

Suddenly, about seven feet from Luciano, I stopped in my tracks, drawing my gun once more and directing it towards Luciano.

“Now, now. Don’t do anything foolish, boy. You’ll never leave here alive if you do.” He looked surprised at my rash decision, but that soon turned to amusement. Little did he know…

“I know I won’t. But as long as you’re alive, Prosper, or anyone else in my family, is never safe. I know your rules as well as you do. And I know what you’re capable of. I won’t let you shatter any other family again, no. This is your end.” With that, I fired the last shot I’d ever take, the bullet seeming to travel in slow motion toward his head. As it struck its target, I felt bombarded with bullets all over as we both dropped to the floor. My final moments were upon me… I took out the picture I had of my family from 5 years ago, from before any of this chaos descended upon us. I smiled at it, reminiscing on all the memories we had forged, the four of us always bonded so strongly… tears streamed down my cheek as I readied myself for death. This time, I didn’t shake them away. My face was frozen with that smile and those tears as I drifted off to eternal sleep. Che sarà, sarà. 

It was August, and all around me, there were cupcakes. Lenna’s Mart is what the place was called. I wasn’t here for the cupcakes, though. I was here for what the cupcakes meant. I sat alone, invisible to those passing by… it was like I wasn’t there at all. I sat alone, watching them walk in… it was like I was a ghost. I sat alone, a silent spectator in the fate that awaited me… I should have seen it coming. They went to their table, awaiting the cupcakes that would arrive, while I was awaiting the discussion their cupcakes would bring, although I didn’t know that yet. I really should have seen it coming.

She spoke, her companion’s face lighting up in laughter at her words, but I was too far away to hear. I hesitated for a moment, but if she was here, then I needed to know what was said. So I made my choice: I walked on over as the cupcakes were served, finding a table engulfed in the shadowy darkness of the corner yet close enough for my ears to listen. I could smell the cupcakes from here, although I’d never really liked cupcakes.

“So…” This time, I was able to register her words.

“So?”

“You know…” I slowly leaned forward at this, eager to learn what exactly the two were supposed to know, but my efforts were in vain. She dropped her tone with her next words, foiling my eavesdropping. I sighed in frustration, thinking about how I’d continue. I saw my opening when the table right next to them vacated. It was probably risky, but I silently rose, hood up, and glided over like a phantom in the night. Fortunately, I arrived without raising the alarm. I put my head down, pretending to sleep, all the while carefully listening. I was stunned when I heard my own name…

“Ugh. He’s so annoying. I just can’t with him. I don’t even know what it is, but whenever he talks to me I just wish he’d go silent. He thinks we’re friends, but I wish he’d just never speak to me again. Of course, I can’t tell him this directly, but I mean, I don’t think he can communicate with ghosts…”

Hurt. Confused. Flabbergasted. Betrayed. The feelings inside were becoming a whirlwind, pulling my heart in every direction. Just… why? My mind was racing, thinking over all the memories, the memories that I thought had been real… the memories that meant nothing but a discussion over cupcakes now.

I didn’t care for the rest of her speech. I couldn’t bear hearing her tragic tirade of torture any longer. It was enough for me to know how little she thought of me, to know I had been reduced to such a trivial conversation, to know it had all been a lie…

I got up, no longer caring for whatever stealth I wanted before, rushing away to the sunlight outside, sunlight that did little to reflect the weather inside my own head. I walked and I walked and I walked, with no concern for where I was going, only wanting to get as far as possible from Lenna’s Mart, from the pain. Cupcakes. I’d never really liked cupcakes before, but now… now I saw the truth behind them.

Cupcakes only exist for presentation: they’re only there to look pretty. They’re delightful and pleasant on the outside, but once you get past the frosting? Well, what’s left? They’re no true cake, only a mess thrown together. Besides, cupcakes only exist for one person, so the person that takes one only thinks about themselves. Even then: who wants to be gifted just a cupcake? Cupcakes represent deception and insensitivity and selfishness all in one. I never liked them anyways.

There I was, crouched behind a rock, dreadful thoughts mixed with a sense of alacrity wildly circling in my mind as I prepared to fight. Sweat was beading on my forehead, my hands trembling as I imagined what would happen in the following minutes: somehow, I had to get past three gunmen ready to stop me in my tracks so I could finally advance and claim the treasure chest of Ahamkara. All I had with me was a sniper rifle—I quickly checked its magazine to see that I had only three bullets left. Three enemies, three shots. No problem. I closed my eyes, trying to pick up all the information I could. I could hear footsteps coming somewhere from my right, obviously an attempted flank. The question was, however, where would he try to shoot from? I tilted my head towards the sound to better pick up its location until I finally figured it out. There was a small tunnel off to the side with the most marginal of gaps, an opening that would barely show any part of a potential adversary. Perfect for someone trying to sneak up on me… I silently counted down as the noise from the footsteps closed the gap. And then, taking a deep breath, I stood up, locked on with my sniper onto that opening as fast as I could, registered the face of my opponent, and quickly fired. He was taken aback at the speed of my counter, bewilderment still filling his face as he fell to the ground, taken by the grip of death.

One down, two to go. Perfect. But now they knew exactly where I was, so I had to shift my location. This time, however, I think the plan was to go high. That way, I’d have a much better angle for the two gunmen left. I knew there was a corridor near me that led to a staircase that would take me up to a bridge on which I could easily capture a view of at least one of them. I also knew sliding out onto the bridge would be an extremely stupid move that no one would expect, so it was the best move possible. I did just that, first sliding out from behind the rock and making my way to the corridor up the staircase, and sliding onto the bridge. As I slid, I registered in a fraction of a second that, in fact, both gunmen were awaiting me. One was standing on a tower in the distance while the other was lying down next to a nearby pillar on my left side. I’ll never know how I pulled this next sequence off, but I immediately aimed and fired at the one on the tower, and, before even seeing if my shot was good, I swiftly spun—unfortunately, as I undertook this acrobatic move, I lost my balance and toppled off the tower. Fortunately, the remaining gunman did not expect this, so I was able to somehow correct myself while in the air, aim down near the pillar and pull the trigger in desperation. His sniper fell from his hands, dead in a matter of moments. A perfect shot. 

I looked back at the tower on which the second gunman was previously on. He was no longer there. Instead, his lifeless body had fallen off, finally coming to a rest next to his sniper on the floor. I calmed myself, almost in a daze at the miraculous victory I just achieved. But alas, I had no time to bask in my glory because I still had to get to the treasure chest, the only reason I’d come to this place. I made my way forward to the door. It was a beautifully intricate piece of art, painted with a wide spectrum of colors all meeting at the center, at which there was some glowing orb. There was no handle, though, so I was confused as to how I’d even get in. But I remembered some advice my mother had given me some time back: when in doubt, just shoot your gun. Maybe that’s all I needed, so I went back to the gunmen who had fallen off the tower and took this weapon. It was also a sniper, although not nearly as nice to use as mine. Anyways, I went back to the door, shrugged my shoulders, and fired at the glowing orb, not really expecting anything to happen. To my astonishment, the door ended up opening, revealing the chest of Ahamkara. I was a bit underwhelmed by the chest, honestly, because it was just an undecorated piece of wood. But hey, perhaps its contents would be more exciting. I eagerly made my way to the chest, kind of surprised to find no lock. This honestly should have alerted me, but I didn’t really think much of it. As I opened the chest, I was stunned as to what was inside. It was just a black and white gauntlet. That’s it. This was actually really disappointing, seeing as I really just took down three guys for a reward as pointless as this. I decided I might as well take it for my troubles, but as I picked it up, the doors shut behind me. Oh no. This was a trap, wasn’t it? I realized something blinking on the wall in front of me. I hastily tried to figure out what it was, but I only did when it was too late: it was an explosive. Three seconds later, it detonated. My entire world was engulfed with flames, and then… nothingness. So much for my alacrity. 

Ever wonder what the world of dragons was like? A world with those majestic creatures filling the sky with their rich spectrum of colors as they soared to incredible heights, aiding humanity in all the endeavors we undertook in our attempts to stride forward… or so you hoped. You see, the world of dragons wasn’t anywhere near this… pleasant. Instead, it was a world filled with chaos, where dragons could strike at any time, leaving nothing but destruction in their wake as the screams of mothers comforting their children’s cries filled the sky. I was once that crying child, at seven years old—my town was attacked in the middle of the night by one of those ugly beasts… I remember standing out in the open, watching as my father was cornered by the dragon… I still remember his howl for help before the dragon took him, swallowing him whole without a second thought. And at that moment, it turned towards me. Its bright green eyes nearly paralyzed me as I saw the killer within. It had no remorse, no—its only thought was slaughtering humans, no matter their size. And at that moment, my mother laying on the ground nearby as the fire crept up to her, I ran. I ran away from all the chaos, all the destruction, all the torture. I never looked back. I promised myself that, one day, this dragon would fall to me, and to me alone…

I ended up coming across this strange old man in the woods. He told me he was part of a shadowy group of dragon hunters that called themselves Drekave. Gifted in the way of the blade, they scoured the world looking for those horrid fiends and extinguishing their souls. With a certain sense of alacrity, I asked if I could join this group, for I wanted nothing more than to spread my vengeance to all dragons. He laughed at the start, seeing as I was seven, but I was determined. I told him if he refused, I’d murder him—I had no weapons but a dagger I had taken from the blacksmith’s forge, but I had my grit. Unfortunately, all this did was make him laugh even more. “Come back when you’re a man,” he said, so I stabbed him in the leg. This caught him off guard and he let out a small yelp before slapping me, sending me falling to the ground, my dagger flying out of my hand.

“Right then, you really got some heart, don’t you kid? We’ll make a dragon hunter out of you yet.” That’s all I needed to hear… my heart hardened at this point, resolved to be the best of these hunters. I wanted nothing more than to watch that green-eyed beast descend from the skies to meet my bloodthirsty blade… so began my journey as part of the Drekave, as the old man led me to their encampment. They all wore basic iron armor bearing the crest of a golden dragon with a blade through its heart. Their swords had the same crest, but I didn’t really have much time to ponder this, for I was told to begin training immediately.

So I did for the next twelve years, training hard day by day in the blade until it became but an extension of my own body, an expression of my very soul. Then finally, at age nineteen, I was selected to be part of one of the hunting groups. I was filled with eagerness, with a sense of peace I hadn’t felt in forever. I was finally able to take my revenge, the revenge I had yearned to take since seven. I was told we’d ride out at dawn the next day, so I made my way to my tent to get some much-needed rest, but the visions I had that night shocked me…

It was a dream about the dragon that had attacked my town… I was cornered against a wall, the dragon turned towards me, its bright green eyes once again holding me in a daze, just like that day long ago… but this time, I was at its mercy. I reached for my sword but my hand only met an empty sheathe... The dragon slowly started making its way toward me, suspending my mind in more fear than I had ever felt. I closed my eyes, hoping for this nightmare to end, but all of a sudden, I felt myself fly up. The dragon had flicked me onto its back with its tail—there I was, mounted on this creature, and only one word echoed in the chamber of my mind: Fly. So I did, taking off into the skies on the dragon that had taken everything from me…

I woke up with a start, terrified at what had just happened. I had ridden a dragon, the being that is every child’s nightmare… I shook myself, telling myself that it was just a dream, that no dragon would ever behave like that. I was here to hunt them, not befriend them. What was I thinking? I quickly got up to don my armor and ready my sword. I took a deep breath as I realized the significance of the day, the day that I’d finally be able to kill my first dragon, to take my first step towards finally realizing my revenge after twelve long years…

I made my way out of the tent to the place where the hunters would be grouping up, my mind buzzing at the upcoming events. Would I even be able to handle the pressure? I sure hoped I would get the kill… my thoughts were quickly interrupted, however, by the old man’s speech.

“Alright men, listen up. We’re headed up to Fjell’s Peak. A dragon’s been sighted nearby, so you know what that means: it’s hunting time!” For a speech preparing us to battle a literal dragon, I was a bit underwhelmed, to be honest. I was also a bit scared that they wanted me to “prove my worth.” Did that mean I’d have to take on this dragon by myself? I certainly hope not. My thirst for revenge was immense, but I’m not sure it’d really give me the power to completely solo a dragon.

Anyways, with these thoughts running wildly in my head, our little group made their way to Fjell’s Peak. It was a relatively short trek, only a couple kilometers, but it was rather steep. When we finally reached the peak, I nearly dropped my sword. There lay the dragon, resting, its eyes completely closed—only the sound of its rhythmic breathing gave any evidence of life. It looked almost… peaceful. I shook my head again, clearing my mind of such thoughts. It was a killer, nothing more. We were here to end its brutal existence…to take revenge. With this vengeance in mind, I raised my sword to the sky.

“WAKE UP DRAGON! COME AND TASTE MY STEEL!” I yelled at the top of my lungs.

“Are you mad, boy? What on earth do you think you’re doing?” The old man tried to hush me, but it was far too late. The dragon was stirring, and I was taken aback as I realized its bright green eyes… the dragon from my dream, the object of my revenge for these last twelve years, right there in front of me… right there for my taking. Before anyone could stop me, I rushed forward, sword in hand, ready to bring down all my might upon it. Unfortunately, I was stopped in my tracks as it flicked its tail around, sweeping my legs out from under me. I fell to the ground, dropping my sword. And then even more chaos descended, as a swarm of dragons swooped down from the skies, baring their mighty claws at the rest of the hunters. They formed a wall between me and the other hunters, cutting me off from any potential savior…

So this was it… this was the end. I would die to the same dragon that had killed my family. As I thought this, it turned its bright green eyes on me once more, creeping up to finally take its prey. It slowly opened my mouth and I readied myself for the flames to take me… but the fire that came out was no ordinary fire. It was green, just like the dragon’s eyes, and instead of scorching me on the spot, it spawned visions in my mind, visions of the Drekave…visions that showed these hunters weren’t all they seemed. I saw them plotting in their tent, preparing to kill this dragon, not for any noble cause, but just because it guarded what they were after the entire time… the ancient Dragonstone, a stone that would allow one to harness the power of a dragon for themselves. This whole time, I had been led to believe these dragons deserved nothing but violence, but these people only hunted them to spread their own. The vision ended here… I knew I had to stop them, but how? As I turned over my blade, I noticed a new inscription on it: it read Meligskjold. I had no idea what it was, but I was drawn to it as if its utterance would save us. In the distance, I heard the old man speak once more.

“Use the scroll!” He urged one of the hunters.

“But.. the boy? It’ll kill him!”

“Don’t worry about the boy! The stone is more important!” I was stunned. They were prepared to even sacrifice me for some stupid stone? Fury took over my heart once more; as I saw the hunter take out the scroll and start to read it, I screamed, “MELIGSKJOLD!” All of a sudden, a golden barrier surrounded us like a divine shield. The hunter’s scroll had conjured a giant crystal that started rapidly shooting lightning bolts in my direction. However, the golden barrier deflected all these bolts, and they struck down the hunters one by one. They started to try to run away, but the spell kept going until they were all dead. Completely wiped out by their own greed…

I passed out after that spell. When I awoke, all the dragons were gone but one. It stared at me with those brilliant green eyes.

“They call me Sarkani. I am the leader of the dragons, however few there are of us left. Believe me when I say, we mean no harm to humanity. We only wish to live in peace, but there are those among you who want the opposite. We did not start this war, but we do intend to finish it. The question is, shall you join us?”

I knew in my heart that he was telling the truth. I don’t know how I did, but I did. But I had to ask: “If you’re such harbingers of peace, why did you attack my village? Kill my parents?”

“Your father, along with most of your village, were part of these Drekave scum. All over the world, they seek to taste the Dragonstone’s power, but they do not understand the cost. All the same, your mother was an unfortunate accident. I never meant to kill her, but the flames seemed to be too much for her. Forgive me.”

Something in his voice spoke of sincerity… sure it was a dragon, but perhaps, it could be more than that. Perhaps, it could even be a friend…

“Yes, young one. It is possible for us to be “friends” as you call it. For you carry the essence of a dragon: only someone like you could cast that spell, a spell born from the breath of the dragon, a spell that I placed there… “So come now, ‘friend.’ Mount me, and we shall continue on our adventure to purify the world!”

I did just that. The creature that was the object of my revenge had turned into my most valuable friend…

My name’s Jason Booker, although all of the intergalactic wanted posters have my name as Lightfall. Yes, you heard that right, I am wanted throughout multiple galaxies. Why? Because I’m an assassin who travels through the universe in my highly sophisticated ship to eliminate targets that draw the negative attention of the rich. They call me Lightfall because I descend upon them in a blinding flash of light with my mystical sword before disposing of my target in a matter of mere seconds, returning to my ship before that flash of light even disappears… yes, I am extraordinarily efficient at murder which puts me in such high demand. In fact, my last assassination target was a powerful arms dealer hidden off an asteroid belt base in Sector 44 of the Andromeda Galaxy. He stood no chance, however, to the light that extinguished him. I simply dropped out of my ship, using my sword to tunnel through the asteroid base at extreme speed before reaching his “secret” bunker, killing him with but a swipe of my mighty blade. I promptly exited at this point, back to the ship that I had, of course, installed a cloaking system on, and before they even knew their leader had died, I was out of the galaxy. No traces, no traces at all. That’s how I work.

Anyways, I currently sit in my ship, waiting for a new assassination offer to pop up so I have something to do. It gets boring, honestly, waiting for people to want others to die. Fortunately, with the state of all these different beings being so wretched and corrupted, there’s always someone looking to end the life of another. In fact, sometimes they even go as far as to pay me extra to just capture them so they can brutally execute them in their own way (not my specialty, but anything for the extra money). It’s actually pretty entertaining waiting around to view all of the creative ways that they go about with their executions. For instance, I remember one time, I was paid to bring some Cyborg-type fellow over to a powerful Milky Way Galactic General (yes, galaxies often do go to war; it’s pretty fun) and the way the General took care of the Cyborg was an incredible sight. He literally ripped the Cyborg apart robotic piece by robotic piece on a conveyor belt and then injected him with a powerful poison that took hours upon hours to finally result in his death. I still sometimes shudder at the sound of the screams that echoed that day, but it was fine because a friend of the Cyborg had in fact offered to pay me to avenge him, so as soon as the Cyborg died and I had my money from the General, I quickly decapitated him and swiftly exited. Why one would trust an assassin that murders for money I have no idea, but I’ll take it. Of course, I couldn’t have rumors traveling through the universe about me betraying my clients, so as soon as the Cyborg’s friend paid me, I disposed of him in the same way I did with the General. I don’t bother with those long torture-type kills: it only takes one quick stroke for me. Sometimes I even time myself on how fast I can accomplish those kills, but it gets hard to increase the speed at this level.

I realize I have yet to describe my ship, so I shall now do so. It’s a pretty small one, with seats only for two, but its main attraction is the technology. As mentioned earlier, it has wonderful cloaking which allows me to slip by almost any tracking or radar system in the entire universe and has one of the best hyper-warp drives that I stole from somewhere out in the cosmos. The hyper-warp drive allows me to travel to almost any spot in the universe with almost perfect precision and, more importantly, within seconds. It’s almost as fast as my killing, in fact, but nothing really is quite that fast. Yes, all this technology greatly outweighs the fact that it only seats two… it only seats two. Of course, I only need one seat, because I work alone, as I have absolutely no need for anyone else to aid me. I am, quite frankly, that good. Not being arrogant here, just being honest. Yes, I need no one else in my life, not even her coming back.

She was, well, she was… she was different. Different from anyone else I have ever known. No one else I had ever met carried her resolve, her dedication, her spirit. I had known her from the Academy—not an academy for assassins, of course, but the Academy that trained secret agents to serve in the Intergalactic Security Association that strove to protect the universe from all sorts of dangers, ranging from threats of galaxy-destroying weapons to psychopathic assassins running around leaving thousands dead in the wake of their magical sword of light. We trained in the same Class for so long, as we both were determined to make a difference in the universe, to right the wrongs of the past. We vowed to never lose our path, to always lean towards what’s good, to never become corrupted… somewhere along that training our friendship developed into love. I developed feelings for her I never thought I would have, and so we became extremely close, driving us forward in the Academy even more. In the end, we became the top two prospects in the Academy, meaning we would be automatically selected for a high role in the ISA. So high, in fact, that we would be the co-captains of our own ship. We were both so excited to take this role, ready to face the harshness of the universe we had prepared for. We were ready to fight… or so we thought.

There we were one day, calmly patrolling the Centaurus A galaxy, a route we had taken dozens of times before. We didn’t really expect anything in this region, as it was usually relatively quiet, so we kind of rushed it a bit. As we started zooming through, I noticed something strange, an anomaly if you will. It was a light flickering in the distance, but it seemed to be growing larger. I glanced over at the radar system and it detected nothing, so whatever it was, it was advanced enough to fool our technology. I pointed it out to my co-captain, but she too was perplexed. The light kept getting bigger and bigger until the ship that projected that light finally uncloaked itself. The ship was a Class A Destroyer, one that was difficult to even survive, much less to stop. Displayed at the front of the Destroyer was the Crest of Alpha Lupin, a rogue tribe that often dealt in criminal activities, always stirring up trouble throughout the various galaxies they operated in. In short, this was bad. Really bad. All of a sudden the lights in our small ship went dark and all of our different systems were disabled. It appeared Alpha Lupin had targeted us to destroy. At this point, our entire crew was in a panic: this was not at all what we signed up for. Our warping system was also offline so we couldn’t even escape. I had to act fast. I told everyone to take the emergency pods we had in the back of the ship. These pods were in fact tiny ships that allowed some maneuvering through space, although not nearly as effective as warping. I didn’t really think we’d live past this day, but at least those would give us the best chance of survival.

The pods only fit a single person, so my co-captain and I took one each. We flew close together, hoping our proximity would somehow keep us alive. I looked back at our ship as the intense heat ray from the Destroyer completely engulfed it, blowing it up into a violent display of dozens of colors… almost a pretty sight. I used the emergency contact device I had been entrusted with to call the commander of our fleet, hoping he’d be able to provide us with some backup. I knew they could easily travel here before our crew could be wiped out, and I knew they held the firepower to stop this Destroyer. But as I talked to our commander, he refused to send us any support… he said that, because our ship had gone down, there was no point in trying to save us because, as far as the ISA was concerned, we were all expendable anyways. And then, he just… hung up. Fury clouded my mind. We had spent so much time, so much effort, so much hard work just to move up in the ISA, to aid them in defending the universe, and this was our compensation? They would just… let us go. That’s how much we were worth to them? I guess it didn’t really matter now… we were going to die. I set up communication with my co-captain so we could talk in what could be our last moments together. She was crying. I tried to console her, tried to tell her it wasn’t our fault, but nothing could stop her tears. In the end, I told her I love her, and that I’m sorry this is how it was going to end… before she could respond, a missile from the Destroyer crashed right into her pod, blowing her apart. I screamed out her name, Mariann, as sadness filled my heart. She was gone. Forever.

I ended up making it out, somehow. I was able to evade all of the Destroyer’s attacks untouched. Call it luck, I guess, but I didn’t feel too lucky. The ship I had captained was gone. My entire crew was gone. Worst of all, Mariann was gone. The one person that ever evoked any feelings of love. The one person that had ever really mattered in my life. And why was she gone? Because this stupid organization was too blind and selfish to help us in our time of need. I vowed right there that I would avenge Mariann’s death, that I would ruin the whole ISA. I would become the bane of their existence. I would extinguish their light. I would become Lightfall. So the first thing I did was go to the commander of our fleet, asking to talk to them. He was surprised when I showed up, as he didn’t expect any of us to survive. He was even more surprised when a bullet showed up between his eyes, killing him instantly. The revenge on him felt so sweet—it felt incredible to murder the man that was responsible for the death of the love of my life. I took his ID card, for future use, and then made my escape, planning to enter  ISA headquarters so I could take my sword.

I had learned the layout of the headquarters, so I already knew the exact location of the sword. I knew the commander’s ID had the security clearance to get me to the floor it was held on, but the main issue was the fact that everyone was looking for me. Since the sword was held on the highest floor of the headquarters, I just entered by using explosives to blow a hole from the top, allowing me to drop down. There were many agents on that floor, but they were no match for the vengeful fury I unleashed upon them. I fired bullet after bullet as bodies started dropping to the ground like pins. Each life I took renewed a sense of resolve and justice within me, urging me to continue forward to steal the sword. I finally made it to the sword room after clearing out dozens of agents. At this point, the alarm had already sounded, alerting the entire building of my presence, so I had to make my robbery quick. I used the ID card to get into the room and I was presented with a state-of-the-art security system involving numerous pipes powering an energy barrier. Powering down the barrier involved solving a twelve-step encrypted code, so it would obviously take too long to solve normally. Fortunately, I knew a trick from my time in the Academy: I simply had to shoot, in a specific order, at three pipes that were hooked up to the barrier that guarded the sword. I thank my photographic memory, because I was able to remember the order to shoot: pipe 7, then pipe 3, then pipe 12. As I shot the three pipes, I was rewarded with the barrier powering down, allowing me to grasp the sword. At once, I made my escape, leaving the ISA behind forever.

My plan was complete, and all that was left was to take revenge on this horrible organization that had shattered my entire life. It was time to use this blade to unleash havoc upon every galaxy, to always have the ISA guessing at my next move. I knew there would always be criminals that just needed someone powerful enough to help them, and that’s what I would provide. This is how I became Lightfall, the assassin wanted throughout the entire universe. I killed in the name of Mariann, hoping her soul could finally rest past the betrayal we suffered. Yes, Mariann, this is all dedicated to you. As I sit in this ship, thinking about my story, I realize how far I have gone. I went from leading a ship for the ISA to becoming their most wanted criminal. I remember the vows I took of never becoming corrupted, but I tell myself that it is not I that got corrupted: the ISA simply revealed its own corruption. I was only fighting corruption with corruption, right Mariann? But these thoughts were all forgotten as the new assassination offer finally popped up… it was a target back in Centaurus A, a high-standing member of Alpha Lupin. I smiled as I warped to where my wrath would be released. No one would ever forget the name Lightfall. No one.