Ch10 - The Tomb (Final Chapter)

We are each born with a light inside. It does not always survive the journey into adulthood.

Damiaan was hanging upside down.
A benefit of being a blood demon was preventing blood rushing to your head.
Below him people were chatting casually.
They were entirely unaware of his presence.
He was watching them, observing.
Normally targets were people of importance.
Yet this target, was a guard.
Not a guard captain, just a guard.
But who was he to question the contract.

He waited until it was dark, before moving with ease.
He dropped to the ground, gently landing, and stayed low.
Damiaan moved slowly, he peeked around a corner.
There stood a guard, he pulled the picture.
That wasn't the guard he needed.
So he moved back, and went around.
This assignment didn't call for such stealth...
But he liked the challenge.

He had managed to get into the house with a grocery shipment.
Yet he had not seen the target the entire day.
Perhaps a guard schedule would help.
He heard an approaching heartbeat, and opened a door jumping into the room.
Damiaan peered thru the keyhole, and watched a guard walk by.
Still not the right guy.
Damiaan looked to the room, it was rather frilly, like it was for a young princess.
Yet he knew this family had no female children.
It was a known curse, or blessing.

He waited until the guard passed.
Exiting, and moving he crept along.
He explored the entire house, yet couldn't locate the guard.
He went into the head of the house's office.
Damiaan looked thru documents in the desk.
Finally locating a guard schedule.
The date meant it was recent.

He looked at the back of the picture, comparing the name to the list.
The man's name was on it.
For night shift.
He felt annoyed, had the guard stayed home today?
He looked at it more, the guard's location was listed as 'tome'.
No wonder he hadn't found the guard inside, he was a tome guard.

He put the paper back, before moving out.
Damiaan got outside and saw the entrance to a tome.
He moved carefully, thru the bushes.
There was a guard, but it wasn't the right guard.
He felt annoyed, he'd have to try again tomorrow night.

Before he turned away, he spotted a light moving inside the tomb.
Was the guard inside the tomb?
Leave no corner unsearched.

He moved closer to the tomb.
The guard in front was keeping a keen watch.
He moved next to the tomb, yet the guard seemed suspicious.
He stepped back and a twig snapped.
The guard immediately drew a sword.
"Show yourself, or lethal action will be taken."
Damiaan waited a moment, perhaps he could lead the guard away.
Suddenly the guard's eyes turned a glowing green.
Damiaan cursed his luck, of course they put a guard with infrared abilities.
The guard moved towards him.
"I see you, thief." The guard said.
"Give yourself up, or I will kill you."

Damiaan rolled his eyes, it was a silly truth.
Even if the guard didn't kill him, the law was imprisonment.
Followed by a case review by the local lord.
Generally, lords didn't care, and sentenced each thief to death.
Even so, he wasn't a thief.
The instant that was realized he'd be put to death.

The guard moved closed, before Damiaan stepped quickly.
He touched the guard's chest and the guard collapsed.
Not dead, but from what he knew that hurt.
Stopping someone's heart suddenly was extremely painful.
He moved around the guard on the ground.
The guard would likely awaken in a hour with general chest pains.

Damiaan gently moved into the tomb.
He watched the source of the light moving.
He darted behind a corner, and saw the guard with a torch.
That was the guard he wanted.
The guard looked nervous and on edge.
Had he heard the guard up top?
Given that he didn't attempt to investigate? Likely not.

There was a small noise, a rat.
The guard jumped, watching the rat scurry away.
Damiaan watched him, before coming up behind him.
At the last moment the guard turned about.
But Damiaan was too fast, he pushed his hand against the guard's chest.
The guard spasmed, and collapsed, the torch falling out of his hand.
Damiaan kept his hand there, as the torch rolled away.
Suddenly the fire died with a fizzle.

Damiaan looked to where the torch was, though it was pitch black now.
He waited just a moment longer, before standing up.
He had stopped the man's heart.
He knew he'd also formed the purple rash in the shape of a handprint.
A purple handprint.
It had become a bit of a signature for deaths he wanted to claim.
Though, it was beginning to lose it's challenge.

He turned towards where he remembered the stairs out where.
"I'm afraid of the dark." It was a young girl's voice.
Damiaan turned about, and saw the girl.
She was wearing a nightgown, and had long hair.
She couldn't be older than six.
Yet she didn't look right, she glowed white.
She was partially transparent. 
And there was no heartbeat from her.

Damiaan stared at her, as she stared back.
"I can see your aura...
It's so dark...
It nearly consumes all light, yet...
There's a small spot of light..."
The girl walked forward.
Damiaan stepped back a little, not sure what to make of the girl.
"Yes.
A spot of pure white energy."
She said pointing to him, still moving closer.
He looked down where she was point.
There was nothing, so he was not sure what she was talking about.
"Do not let your darkness consume that light.
That light is maintaining your heart.
Without it, you will never know happiness or love."
He had generally given up on both aspects.
Damiaan looked up, and the girl was barely a foot in front of him.
She was still pointing at his heart.
Suddenly her eyes went black, and her voice became darker.
"If you let me, I could take the white light.
Keep it safe, here, with me.
That way you don't ruin it with your darkness.
Such purity is wasted on someone such as you.
Give it to me."
Damiaan stepped back, this conversation had taken a very creepy turn.
He stepped again, as she stepped closer.
"Come on.
It won't hurt."
He stepped once more, his foot touching a step.
He'd found the stairs.

He quickly turned and sprinted up the stairs.
"GIVE IT TO ME!" he heard her scream.
Just before he reached the top, the bars to the tomb slammed closed.
He grabbed them and shook them.
They didn't budge.
"Now, now, didn't your mommy ever tell you to share?" he heard her approaching.
Damiaan moved blood onto the bars, and they began to hiss as they burned away.
Suddenly the door was pulled open.
It was the guard he'd knocked out.
Damiaan stared at the guard confused.
"Get out of there, dumb a*s!"
Damiaan moved, and the guard closed the gate, locking it again.
The girl stood on the inside of the tomb looking at them.
"Come back.
Share your light with me....
I'm afraid of the dark."

The guard looked relieved, before looking to Damiaan.
"Whatever you did to me... that s**t hurt."
Damiaan looked to him, then to the gate, as the girl just stood there.
He pointed to her, perplexed.
"Oh, she can't get out.
Lucky you didn't burn thru the bars, or she could."
Damiaan still felt a bit startled, as he calmed himself.
"By the look of you, you ain't a thief.
Probably an assassin...
Did you kill Jerham?"
Damiaan looked back, and nodded cautiously.
"Well, good."
Damiaan looked very confused.
The guard shrugged, "I'm the one who put in the contract for him.
Slept with my wife...
I had convinced the boss to put him in the tomb a month...
Thought she'd get him.
But he was smart about having back up torches..."

The guard sighed, "Anyway..." he said rubbing his chest a bit.
"Could you have killed me with that move?" he asked.
Damiaan shrugged, and nodded.
"Geez, yea... I can see that.
I hadn't expected outer tomb guard the night you came by.
Lesson learned on my part.
Do not work the week the assassin is coming." the man then walked away.
Damiaan felt very confused, as the girl just continued staring at him.
He began to walk.
"The light will only be a burden for you.
Let me keep it safe."
She said, with a sweet smile.
Damiaan shivered and walk away.
Whatever light he'd had died a long time ago.

Damiaan stood, inside a room.
In front of him was a door.
He pulled the cloth off his head, and his neko ears popped up.
He leaned against the door, putting his ear to it.
He could hear voices but couldn't make any of them out.
It frustrated him.

He stepped back and tied his ears down again.
A voice came over the intercom...
"Enter."
He walked up to the door, and it opened.
Inside was a man, the current principal.
As well as a couple of Damiaan's teachers.
Also standing, was the prince.
Damiaan walked up to a spot in the middle.
"Welcome.
You have shown, thru your time here...
A great skill, and aptitude for our line of work.
You were always quick to master new skills, and never faltered.
We believe that you will flourish in the world as an assassin.
The world has already began to tremble at the idea that you are in the shadows.
Your reputation for stealth kills, and general flexibility in the field has put many on edge.
You will work under Prince Tynan, taking any assignments he had need of you.
Yet, you will mainly work as your own agent.
Step forward and take your records."
There was a record with various papers inside.
Damiaan stepped forward, and picked it up.
Two teachers stepped to both sides, lighting a fire.
"Burn your record.
For it is the only trace of your past life that exists."
Damiaan went over, and dropped the folder into the fire.
It burned both physically and metaphorically.
It was true, the Heartless Empire had a magic database of citizens.
The database generally kept records of anyone born in the empire.
Yet, the royal family wanted no one to be able to trace assassins.
Especially if they were going to be employing them.

All that would be left was his assassin name, and a head shot of him in assassin clothes.
Not offering race, age, or any information at all.
This was mostly for the purposes of tracking how many assassins existed.
And being able to give towns a picture if the lord set up wanted posters.
Also, they needed to track current bounties.
His was currently fairly low, as all new assassins were.

He walked back over to the center.
He glanced to the prince, who was offering a stoic expression.
The last three years had done little to improve their relationship.
They had generally settled into avoidance, and the prince had sent him on one task.
There was a sense of general tension between the two.
Yet, they maintained professionalism.

The principal spoke again.
"We congratulate you. 
As on this, your 19th birthday, you graduate.
Your highness, if you'd please."

Tynan nodded, and turned to Damiaan.
"It is traditional that I present you with a gift...
Something to mark you as working for me..."
He gave a weak smile, and spoke almost to himself.
"My mother has a preference for a branding iron."
He shook his head, "I chose to present this."
He pulled out a long purple scarf, of a thin material.
He moved and gently tied it about Damiaan's neck.
He didn't knot it, or tie it tightly.
He chuckled, "Go ahead, and blend it."
Damiaan gave a quick wave, and blood moved into the scarf staining it.
Tynan spoke with a nod, "Perfect."
He gave a light cough, preparing to give a rather rehearsed speech.

"From this day forward, you will serve me faithfully.
My gift, is to be a constant reminder of where your allegiance truly lies.
Should I call upon you, you will carry out my will across the globe.
No longer tied to this establishment of learning, I unleash you upon the world.
Your old life holds you no longer.
Be swift, and ruthless.
Never falter."
He was quiet, and looked to Damian.
He then gently motioned.
Damiaan moved to a kneeling position.
Tynan placed his hand on Damiaan's head, taking a slow deep breath.
"As befits your work thus far...
From this day forward.
You shall forever be known as...
Purpura."

Author's Note

Last chapter. Hope everyone has enjoyed.