within the mirror, sapphire tinted eyes connected with similarly colored eyes, and pale lips curved into a devious smirk. dark fabric shielded his figure from prying eyes. slender fingers tugged the familiar material over his features, shrouding himself in mystery. his preparations had commenced without delay upon receiving an anonymous text from his contact, for his employer preferred to remain in the shadows, hidden from sight and left unnamed should his contracted killer fail. syeira, however, understood the futility in the old man’s actions. he never accepted requests from strangers and refused to compromise his beliefs due to the paranoia of an aging business man. bitter chuckles escaped the male as he pivoted, turning his back to the mirror. the assassin did not understand the world’s fascination with their physical appearance and did not see the beauty hidden behind his scowl and aristocratic features. humanity lacked the depth required to continue surviving in the shifting times, and regardless of the future, he planned to continue traversing the turbulent waters. he only needed to remain afloat within the twists and turns of the tide. the difficulty of his task seemed minimal as he exited the bathroom, figure halting in the hallway and gaze shifting between his bedroom and his living room.

apprehension shrouded his figure as he shifted his body to face the open doorway of his bedroom. with lengthy strides, he entered the room and approached his closet. gloved hands shifted through the objects contained within until his fingers brushed against the familiar surface of his weapon hatch. syeira unearthed the container and dropped it onto his bed, undoing the clasps and staring into the depths with a contemplative expression sketched onto his pallid visage. slender fingers ghosted over the vials of poison, the daggers, and his sword. pale lids descended over cobalt blue hued eyes as he debated his options. his informer stated the difficulty of the mission depended on whether rapture decided to protect the target, and the dark haired model prayed that they would respond to the impending threat. due to the stress of surviving in the limelight and of his wayward emotions, he needed to release the tension from his frame, and a fight excited him, reminding him that life did not revolve around glamor and forbidden love. insular laughter escaped him while his fingers brushed lovingly over his collection of poisons. he wanted to see their effect. with a careless shrug of his shoulders, he grabbed the familiar black pouch, situating it on his belt and carefully placing the vials inside.

flashes of black characterized his movements as he grabbed two daggers, shoving one between his boot and leg while placing the other on the holster strapped to his left arm. his sword’s sheath appeared on his back while he gathered a selection of acupuncture needles, dropping them into the container strapped to his right leg. with the equipment gathered, he closed the lid of his weapon hatch, locking it and sliding it under his bed. when he returned, syeira would situate the objects in their rightful places within the device and would hide the metallic container in a different location. a mental list flashed through his mind as he grabbed his cell phone and keys, figure moving silently through the empty apartment and locking the door. deeming his preparations complete, he approached the bedroom window. slender fingers unlocked the object and opening the aged device, and with a deliberate movement, he slipped out of the apartment through the created opening. his feet landed on the aged metal of the fire escape, and before descending the stairs, he closed the window, disallowing entrance to his adobe and granting him a security of mind regarding the rest of his weapons. without his weapons, he lacked the proper utensils to complete his assigned tasks. he rather enjoyed his nighttime occupation.

his descent began without further delay, and due to his familiarity with selene isle, he easily navigated the alleys and arrived in the crescent moon district as the sun began to sink, disappearing from the sky and granting the world view to the beautiful moon. pale lips shifted into a smirk underneath the mask, fabric shifting slightly with the minute changes in his expression. his feet continued to carry him through the district and toward the amour café. as a faction of blasphemy, people flocked to the establishment, and they delighted in the options available to them. blasphemy believed in supporting every fantasy with their enterprise, meaning they spared no expense with the brothel. many businessmen visited the establishment in an attempt to unwind and experience a night of pleasure without their overbearing wife or their demanding children. syeira did not understand their deceitful lifestyle and delighted in ending their pitiful lives. from behind the building, the assassin easily scaled the building, utilizing the brick wall and the dumpster to ease the ascent. due to his unusual entrance point, he could gain an insight to the position of his target and the rapture bodyguard without alerting them to his presence. it was the ideal approach.

syeira, however, believed it to be the expected approach, so with careful movements, he slipped into one of the open windows, vaulting himself into the room and landing in a crouch. silence followed his entrance. relief briefly flashed across his features as he drew himself into an upright position. the door opened silently as he peeked into the hall, and upon deeming the path clear, he exited the room, keeping to the shadows and weaving through the building. from the staircase, his eyes traveled over the gathered people, stopping on the familiar fox mask and then shifting to land on his target. gloved fingers dipped into his pouch of poisons, digits wrapping around the familiar vial and pulling it out of the container. dark blue eyes flickered to the object for a brief moment. amusement flared to life within his gaze as he turned the vial up and down, allowing the substance to mix further. three seconds later, he twisted off the cap and tossed the object toward hae-sun and his target. purple smoke issued forth from the innocent appearing vial, and the poisonous fumes spread through the lower level, fanned through the space by the whirling of the air conditioning units. his body tensed as he waited to see if his former lover would succumb to the hypnotic effect of his poison and descend into the welcoming darkness of unconsciousness.

underneath the mask, pale lips quirked into a bemused smile as cobalt blue colored eyes witnessed hae-sun’s acrobatic feat. she, however, did not attempt to continue protecting his target, who remained vulnerable to the colored fog. no, syeira did not delight in the strange coloration that tainted his poisons; however, with certain chemical reactions, the physical attributes could not be voided, translating into the pretentious presentation of his chosen weapon. each poison existed due to his careful preparation of the materials and due to his thorough research into the effects of various herbs. the dark haired model refused to utilize processed chemicals, which meant that each poison compromised solely of organic components and could only be cured by obtaining and using his created antidotes.

as the blackette searched for the pervert, slender fingers disappeared into the recesses of his pouch, brushing against the various vials and latching onto his chosen concoction. the crystalline vial rested in his grasp as he carefully twirled the object, slowly mixing the substance and watching as hae-sun spotted the unconscious man. laughter threatened to overtake him, but he fought for control, reigning in his emotions and locking them away behind the iron wall that surrounded his heart. as an assassin, he could not let his feelings consume him, meaning that he would view his former lover with the same detachment that she utilized in their reoccurring confrontations. vindictive pleasure spread through his mind as he carefully used his teeth to pull off the cork that kept the liquid contained within the vial.

lights glittered off of the glass as the vial sailed through the air, shattering upon impact with the floor below and spilling the contents into the atmosphere. unlike his previous toxin, the destroyed container released a colorless and odorless poison into the air, and for his plan to succeed, he needed to distract hae-sun—draw her away from the target and engage her in combat. adrenaline coursed through his veins as her voice echoed throughout the main level, reaching his ears and eliciting clipped chuckles from him. his frame tensed in anticipation as he lovingly brushing his fingers over his pouch of poisons. syeira forced himself to take a deep breath as his fingers dipped into the pouch once again, withdrawing a black vial and then grabbing two acupuncture needles.

the silver flashed as he pressed the sharp edges into the cork, spearing the item and watching as the liquid contained within the vial coated the end of the thin weapon. he repeated the process with the second needle and then stashed the poison away, situating it within the pouch and then squaring his shoulders. with two short strides, he appeared at the top of the stairs, frame leaning against the railing and fingers carefully holding onto the acupuncture needles; however, syeira never intended to remain motionless. he tossed one needle toward hae-sun’s feet, aiming for the small space between the two appendages. the other descended toward his prey, heading directly toward a fatal impaling of the unconscious man’s neck.

syeira, however, did not linger, pushing himself away from the railing and disappearing down the hallway. he did not need to know whether the needles connected with their intended targets, for his poison would slowly turn gilbert’s organs against him. when their fight ended, hae-sun could walk away in victory, believing that she defeated him and protected the target. the colorless poison could not be detected and would begin working its magic by the following morning. delighted laughter spilled from the disguised male as he leaned against a nearby wall, idly releasing his dagger from the harness on his left arm and tossing it into the air… waiting for hae-sun to appear before him and launch her counterattack.

words shattered the silence of the building, echoing throughout the space and reminding syeira that someone managed to dodge the affects of his poison. of course, due to the ecstasy flowing through the veins of the patrons and the employees, he decided to utilize one of the milder toxins, resulting in his absentminded selection of the purple tinted sleeping gas. hae-sun, however, demonstrated her combat capabilities through her defense against the acupuncture needles, and despite the danger of being impaled by the silvery weapon, the black vial had removed the toxic affects of the poison applied to the object, negating its effect and delegating it back to a sharp weapon that existed to inflict mild injuries upon exposed skin. perhaps his affection for the blackette strayed his hand and kept him from acting upon his honed instincts as an assassin. a voice within his conscious thoughts scolded him for his lenient actions and questioned his commitment to the mission. could he aim a fatal blow upon his former lover? or would he retreat without causing her undue harm?

dark brows furrowed as the sound of footsteps upon the stairs reached his ears, and with the dagger still clutched in his hand, he waited, frame tensed in anticipation and mouth curving into a delighted smile despite the situation. when hae-sun appeared, he unleashed the dagger, aiming for her left leg and watching as she deflected the attack with ease. amusement sparked to life in his dark blue tinted eyes as his hand strayed to his pouch of acupuncture needles; however, as words began to form on his foe’s lips, his free hand drifted to his bag of poisons, fingers wrapping around one vial and clutching at the frigid object as shadowy figures gained substance. their intangible figures gained mass and distinctive qualities as she completed her spell, soundlessly proclaiming her intent to end the fight with his death. perhaps i should aim to incapacitate, syeira murmured in his mind, eyes narrowing as the foxes began to surround him.

with a careful inhalation of air, he ducked the approaching fox, bending himself backward and withdrawing his selected toxin from the container. with a flick of his fingers, the substance mixed and then collided with the ground; however, before the familiar chink of shattering glass reached his ears, syeira forced his eyes to close, disappearing behind pale lids as an explosion of light issued forth from underneath him. the light slowly dimmed as he slipped into a crouch, vaulting himself over the nearest fox and racing down the hallway in the opposite direction of hae-sun. before turning down the next hallway, the assassin tossed two needles toward the woman, aiming for her right forearm and her left thigh, knowing that the red tint of the needle meant the poison contained a paralyzing agent that would last for ten minutes. strands of dark purple hair escaped from his bun as his body turned to vanish behind the wall that created one segment of the split hallway.