An Extra’s POV

"S-so… that's what happened, huh?"

Rebal was still recoiling from the words of his son.

What he described wasn't as gory or bloody as what Ralyks had displayed during the Dark Gathering, but something about it felt more twisted.

… Far darker.

"The worst part is, I could have sworn that there was a lot of damage during the entire fight, but there's nothing! Nothing at all…" Asher replied, still not completely himself.

The honest truth was that he was scared.

Was he in a dream? Was he in reality? What if, just like the Mercenary Gang, he thought he saw something which wasn't real?

Asher didn't know what to believe anymore.

"You just need rest." Rebal smiled at his son, though he too had some rabid fear within himself.

Perhaps they both needed the rest.

"Sir Ralyks… he slaughtered all the enemies without mercy. I've never seen a man kill with such… lack of remorse."

And so many at once too.

Both Ralyks and his subordinate, Ater, seemed to be cut from the same cloth—one that even Rebal could not fully comprehend.

"The battle is won, and now it is time for the aftermath." Rebal chuckled, a hint of fear in his eyes.

"What do you mean, father?"

"I mean… Sir Ralyks was employed by us to take care of this mess. Now that it is over… isn't it time to think about his payment?"

It felt like an absurd thing to say, but they had to face it—the truth that confronted them.

What could they pay such a man?!

"It seems you also need some rest, father." Asher said with a tired smile.

Rebal nodded, returning the exact same expression.

Even though it was nowhere near enough, both father and son decided to consider the horrors they witnessed as a penance for their crimes.

knew what awaited them if they

tragedy, followed

*********

That night, everything changed.

was turned upside down in the span of merely a

the Capital were fast asleep, oblivious to the events that had transpired within the walls of the massive city, the situation in the Allied Merchant City was

the Dark Gathering—was exposed to the

the building, searching every nook and

they still required extensive investigations to piece together most of the details, but the core issues did not elude

least, they did not elude General Lucy and Councilor

for themselves… the kind of darkness that had been festering within the haven that the Alliance was

would find, but that was hardly the most disgusting thing was

They saw it all.

the worse, and the

disgusting truths came to light that

And then what?

Market was officially disbanded, and the

done for, and while there were bound to be vestiges here and there, those

later, they

that darkness would ultimately fall… and

to remain honest and diligent in their

they

could descend upon the land once

they all felt

soldiers who described the gory sight that the

importantly… they heard

a legend amongst the denizens

—The Reaper.

********

Rey smiled to himself as he sat on his

His pajamas felt a bit oversized for him, but he didn't

fact, he

more people. I already knew I would

was one of the reasons he decided not

what he was going to

planning, there were a lot of things he hadn't accounted

Adrien Chase—how deep the conspiracy went, and how he had been a

But more than that…

this world to be