Links/Previous Chapters – link

Derrin stood in shock. This was it, he had been caught. His dream would never be attained. No, I can’t let it end like this, he thought. Quickly, he grabbed two stars and blindly flung them backwards: a shuffle of feet, and then nothing. “Your skill is impressive for someone so inexperienced, but it’s still no match for me,” the man said as the two stars he had thrown were pinned against his neck. Derrin could begin to feel the skin break, but he remained silent. “You probably think I’m going to kill you, but you’re quite wrong,” the man said, hot breath against Derrin’s neck. “In fact, it’s the last thing on my mind. I want you to go to the residential area, take the first left, and go to the third house. I’ll be watching from the shadows, so if you even make one attempt to escape, I will immediately remove consciousness from your body and take you there myself. The stars and the sharp object in his back retracted and Derrin spun around. He blinked: there was no one.

He dared not try to escape; this man was much more powerful than him. Following the directions, he walked into the residential section, took the first left, and stopped at the third house. Examining it, he found nothing out of the ordinary. It was a slightly worn down wooden house, the shutters were in need of a painting, and the lawn hadn’t been managed in a week or so. Shrugging, he knocked on the door. Immediately, it opened, but no one seemed to be there.

He stepped in, and the door slammed shut behind him. The familiar feeling of a sharp object in his back returned, and he stood rigid. He was surprisingly unafraid, and began to take in his surroundings. There was a room to the right, and a hallway to the left. Straight ahead was a kitchen, and there was another door on the left. Tap, tap, tap, a staff descending upon a wooden floor. An old man in lavishly accented robes entered the foyer from the hallway.

“Hello! I apologize for your deplorable treatment however it was necessary to ensure your coming here. Please, take a seat in the study.” The man walked into the door on the right, and suddenly the thing prodding into his back disappeared. Unsure of what to do, Derrin followed the man into the room. To say that it was a nicely supplied study was a great understatement. Bookshelf upon bookshelf filled the room, each packed with various scrolls, manuscripts, and of course, books. The man had taken a seat behind a mahogany desk that was messily covered in books and pieces of paper from who knows when. Derrin took a seat in front of the desk. He found it uncomfortable, as if it poked into his back just the right way to cause optimal pain.

“I assure we have no intentions of harming you; we’re here to help you in fact,” the man began. “I’m sure you’re devastated by what’s happened to your family, but allow me to explain. The Hand of Bilio is the organization that is destroyed your family. They seek one thing, power. Your father was a member of this organization, and a prominent one at that; he realized that no good could result from the Hand of Bilio, and he attempted to cause their downfall. You see, he was trying to reveal information about the location of major Bilion strongholds to myself. Unfortunately, before he could release this information, the Hand found out. They sent five assassins to not only kill him, but to eliminate his family as well. While I’m sure you are deeply pained by the loss of you family, you must consider yourself lucky for being on Maple Island when this happened.”

Derrin had intended to remain silent, but questions were burning in his mind. “Why did he want to reveal this information to you? And why does the Hand of Bilio want to kill me?”

“The first question is easy; I lead an organization by the name of the Guiding Force that is in direct opposition to the Hand. The answer to the second question… is not as obvious. Perhaps they wished to teach a lesson, or eliminate bad seeds, whatever the case, it is our goal to prevent that.”

“Surely that is not the only reason for your assisting me. If I was of no importance, you wouldn’t have wasted valuable men on my protection. What do you really want me for?”

The man smiled. “To be honest, you show great promise. Your skills in luck are incredible, much above anyone with your experience. You have the potential to become a legendary assassin. In short, we want you to join the Guiding Force.”

Thanks for reading. If you liked it PLEASE push the button. Rate out of 10 if you could.