I met up with Gavin in the same family restaurant. He guided me to the city library. It was filled with books I could never have seen if not for that weird guy. After all, this place requires a valid ID to enter. I have none, but it seems I am allowed to get a pass through Gavin’s help.

It would have been better if I could pick the books that I am truly interested in.

Gavin Freyman, he looked neat. He was naïve, friendly, and very smart. He did not look like one who was versed in martial arts. He was very polite to everyone; truly a nice guy. He must have had a good and happy childhood in a wealthy environment. If he had a weapon, it will not be a blade. It would probably be a ranged weapon that was easy to conceal and carry around. A gun, small enough to hide and could be fired in a distance.

“Why do you keep on staring at me?” Gavin asked while I was lost in my thoughts. “I really can’t tell what you are thinking based on your expressionless face.” He chuckled.

“You are very easy to read.” I tilted my head. I did not like how unguarded he was.

“Huh?” The knits between his brows were clear.

“Is that book that interesting?” I asked looking at his calm smile

“You are a weird child.” He flipped his book showing me what he is reading. “Look, it is documentation about the fall of the Divine Kings.”

“Mhm.”

“Your response is very dull.” He frowned and then proceeded to babble about historical events.

With that enthusiasm, one would think that he was getting a degree in history. Listening to him was entertaining. I was learning random things through his mambo-jumbo. Despite my disinterested reactions, he kept on lecturing me about how in our current era the rest of the world came to be at war with each other for the past few centuries.

The Age of Chaos, indeed.

Every now and then, he asked me several questions to ensure that I was listening and not nodding off. None of those questions were too difficult for me. He looked pleased every time I answered correctly.

After all those long lectures, he somehow managed to tap into the book about mythical creatures. Most of them were about monsters that lurk around the city; what they call an urban legend. Monsters cannot enter the cities; they only live far in the wilds. It seems those are the kind of tales parents would tell their children so that they would learn to behave. He was a little surprised that I never heard about these stories. They were very common in the inner parts of the city; especially the very prosperous ones.

Master never told me about them. In my case those were not needed.

This time, we spent the whole day in the library. I was able to read different books about the architecture of buildings in this city. However, most of the time I only listened to Gavin giving me lectures. It was already dark when we parted. When we left the library, Gavin was picked up by his friends. It looks like his friends are teasing him about something. They were pushing each other around while Gavin’s cheeks flushed.

None of my concern.

“How’s your day?” Master asked me after entering the apartment.

“I learned a lot.”

“And that man?”

“He is just as who he shows he is.” I answered while kicking the empty bottles of beer on my way to the couch. “He tested me this afternoon. I found no reason for me to hide my level of intelligence so I went with the flow. There were no suspicious questions either. I believe I only made him think that I am educated enough.”

“Mhm. Do you like this guy?”

“I guess.”

“Don’t get too attached.”

“He’ll be gone the day after tomorrow.”

“I see.” He set aside the bottle of beer. “Are you hungry? I bought pizza.”

After thinking about it, that conversation about mythical monsters was probably not part of his plan. I guess he was just dawdling at the end.

I cannot understand how someone could be so excited over something so trivial.

Master never told me about such monsters of such. The only story he used to tell me every now and then were those that he did in the past; specifically that one about how my parents died. He used to remind me about it every time he noticed that I was getting too attached to the people I meet in between our jobs.

“Your father watched your mother slowly die… and at the same time your mother was forced to watch your father get tortured. They were completely helpless.” That was the story Master will never forget.

As he said, betraying the guild means receiving a punishment worse than death. Back then, I can barely connect the two but as time passed, I eventually understood. My parents were probably not normal people. What they actually did was something I may never confirm. One thing was for sure, the guild was unforgiving. Watching Master, who was experiencing the consequences of going against them, was enough proof of how merciless they can be.

I can only think that those scary stories told by Master were the same scare tactics that most parents tell their children. The goal was the same, obedience. The only difference was that those parents lied about things that never existed. My master only told me the truth. One day, those children will learn that the “monsters” that terrified them in their childhood never existed. That knowledge will free them from fear and the chain that used to restrict their will. While on my part, it will always be true that the guild exists.

And as long as it does, I will never be free.

“So what do you want to become when you grow up?” Gavin asked while we strolled in the park.

“Hmmm.”

It was his last day in that city. I guessed he wanted to acquire more information about me. That time he wanted to know about what I had in mind for my future. The answer to that question, I did not even have to think about it. It was something that I cannot escape.

“You haven’t thought about it yet, huh?” He said while looking ahead. It was like his eyes were seeing something farther than what was there. “You’re still young. You have plenty of time to think about it… and try different things.”

“No… I’ve always wanted to become like my father.”

“Ah! Right, an inspector of some sort.” He turned his sight at me while fixing his glasses. “If you want to become like him, you’ll have to attend a university at least. Would you be fine being home-schooled?”

“Somehow.”

“Well, if anything happens, you can always ask for my help. I’ll do something about it.”

“Mhm. I’ll be counting on you then… when the time comes.”

After today, we will not be seeing each other again.

He then took my hand pulling me towards an ice cream truck. “What flavor do you like?”

“The white one.”

“I thought you would choose the strawberry.” He scratched his head.

“I don’t like that color.”

He made an awkward smile while passing the white ice cream. “I bet you would look good if you have long hair.”

“I won’t grow my hair just because you told me that.”

“You should act a bit more spoiled.” He said while checking his watch. “You don’t act like your age at all.”

Neither do you.

“I thought I would be able to meet your dad. Like bump into him in one of our meetings or something. There are things I wanted to talk about.”

He is probably watching us right now. He will never show himself, though.

“Thank you for accompanying me all this time.” He said while patting my head. “I’ll be on my way now. Goodbye, Elle.”

“Bye.”

After Gavin left, my days continued to pass by monotonously like usual. I aimlessly wandered around the city, looking for ambush points, escape routes, and shortcuts. I also memorized the circumstances that change depending on the day and time. I did not specifically need it at that moment but it was part of my routine in every city we moved into. I cannot let my skills rust away just because we were on vacation. I had to keep training.

I was unable to break free from my habits.

Master on the other hand, continued to spend his days getting drunk. He either drank in the apartment or he went outside and drank in different bars. When he was out of the apartment, I tried to clean up a bit and get rid of the smell of alcohol. Although, it was still a disaster every time he returned though.

Our vacation ended when the handler came to give us our next assignment. We then moved to the next city, quietly. I doubt any of our neighbors noticed when we exactly left. I do not think they cared that much, not more than having our existence as just another topic for an exciting source of gossip. Our sudden disappearance was just another topic that people will eventually forget as the time passed.

That’s just how it always was.