The residual heat danced around my face and exposed skin as I began to feel the non-rhythmic taps of raindrops crashing into me. The crumbled, smoldering remains of the apartment complex stood before me. The red and white lights of the emergency responder vehicles filled the evening sky as chaos filled my ears. All the pain that I had held on to before looking up was washed away by this reality.

  I felt my face twitch as my breath became jagged and heavy. My steps felt like I was trudging through a swamp. Through all the noise, one thing broke my trance as I took a step.

  CRUNCH

  I froze, and my eyes slowly and sporadically traversed downward towards the source of the noise. I took a singular step back, and I saw it under my right foot — a pair of black sunglasses. I recognized them instantly to be hers, Mrs Himiko's sunglasses. My whole body began to tremble, and I felt the bitter sting of tears filling my eyes. Everything around me slowed, and I crashed to my knees and wailed.

  What the hell did they do to deserve this?!

  Why couldn’t I save them? Why the hell can't I have anything?!

  Jump back! Come on! I’m so damn tired of losing everyone! JUMP BACK!

  I slammed my fists into the concrete over and over until they went numb. It was only after I lost feeling in them that I realized that the rain in front of me was frozen in place. The tears flowing from my eyes, however, continued all the same. Through the pain, I felt a presence approach from behind.

  "What have you done, you fucking bastard?!"

  "Trust me, Kazuma," Damien calmly answered. "I had nothing to do with this."

  "Then who—"

  "My guess is the Suzuki crime family, considering their goons were murdered and eaten by the tenants of our once home."

  "So that's it? They stand up for themselves and get trampled to death?!" I launched up and saw him fully.

  He stood like a solemn statue. His hands were in his pockets while his gaze was held forward and ever-so-slightly up. I felt no smile under that mask of his, and although his eyes were hidden from me, it almost seemed like tears were formed in them.

  "Y-you really had nothing to do with this..."

  "I'm a lot of things, my stubborn child; a liar isn't one of them."

  After a long silence, I turned back and joined him in staring down our once home. Despite my attempts, time did not resume. It was almost like he was taking a moment of silence.

  "They're going to pay," I almost whispered.

  "If you don't, I will..." he said before disappearing once again.

  *****

  That night, I dug up every buried skill involving tracking someone down. I hardly remember most of it, but I remember the tormented screams of those I interrogated as well as the burning fury that pushed me on the whole time. At some point in the small hours of the morning, I came upon a small office building in Sonder District.

  The building itself was three stories high with a basement and parking garage. Long before the crime families took over that part of the city, it was likely a respectable business. As I beheld the beast, I knew that it held the heads of those I hunted. Almost on reflex, I stopped time and began my infiltration.

  There were a handful of big bouncers at the entry and dozens of armed guards on every floor. One by one, I took their weapons and either disassembled them or threw them out of the building while I kept a singular long blade. Every last room was combed and swept for any hostiles. The layout was simple enough.

  The first floor was mostly open with a few rooms off to each side of the entry way. The second floor had been remodeled into a sort of living quarters for more of their hired guns. The basement held numerous cars for countless purposes from armored escort to speedy getaways. The third floor held my targets, Suzuki Taiju and Suzuki Saiki.

  When I laid eyes on them in their frozen states, I recognized them instantly as the former Number 31 and 33. Taiju, 31, had been gifted with two additional sets of arms that sprouted from his back and ribs along with enhanced strength, durability, and speed. Saiki, 33, was telekinetic and a genius at that. The two of them ultimately died from being overworked during the Purge although the official report stated that they died in combat against multiple hostile metas.

  Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

  Taiju towered over his older brother, and his various tattoos held no meaning other than adding to his tough appearance. Short, burning red hair and yellow eyes coupled with his large and chiseled physique completed this. Aside from his obnoxious attitude, he refused to wear a shirt; he and I never got along.

  Saiki seemed to hide behind his long hair, and I only remember seeing his eyes once. His build was understandably much smaller than his brother's and even mine, but what he lacked in size, he more than made up for in mental ability and capacity. It was hard to believe that they were twins. The polar opposite of loud and obnoxious, he was quiet and reserved; he and I hardly ever spoke.

  The two of them were positioned in what was once the office of the company boss. There was a large table in the middle of the room, a desk of the same size but greater density towards the rear of the room, a lavish chair behind that, two small chairs lining the walls, and numerous cabinets along the same.

  The two of them were seated at the desk next to each other sharing a drink. I still had plenty of juice before the backlash would kick in, and I intended to use every second of it. I sat in one of the chairs and placed my feet on the table across from them before resuming time.

  "What the — Who the hell are you?!" Taiju blurted out upon seeing me.

  "Did he..." Saiki turned and glanced at me.

  "27 people lived in that apartment complex in Cirsam District," I said. "26 dead... too bad you missed one."

  "Ha! You fell right into our lap," Taiju laughed. "I'd say we killed all 27 just the same."

  Without another word, Saiki hurled a cabinet at me, but it never made contact. I stood up as time stood still and walked over to Taiju. With the blade I had acquired, I severed one of his left arms before walking back to the front of the desk and resuming time.

  "AAAGH!" he wailed in pain. "Why you! That's it! Time to die!" He launched at me over the desk.

  "Wait!" Saiki tried to stop him, but it was already too late.

  Time stood still once again, and Taiju was already over the desk. He had extended and joined his fingers on his main right hand as if making a blade. His hand was centimeters from my face when everything stopped. He had fallen into my trap perfectly.

  I moved to the side of the desk and grabbed Saiki who remained statuesque. Once the two of us were in swapped positions, I resumed time and allowed Taiju to do the work for me. In a split second, his hand pierced through his brother's skull, killing him. His adrenaline was flowing at such a high level that it took several seconds for him to fully see the details of who he had just killed.

  "B-brother!!" He pulled back his hand, and blood sprayed out of Saiki's face as well as the back of his skull.

  Taiju was still in shock when I froze time again and relieved him of his remaining arms. I stood on the desk and resumed the flow of time to hear his sweet, agonizing screams. He fell to his knees from the physical and emotional pain. Hysterically, he called for his men, but they would be too late to reach the locked door behind me.

  "That was for my friends," I said coldly.

  "W-who the hell are you?!" Fear filled his voice.

  Our eyes met, and I lowered the blade from my shoulder.

  "I am Death, and your end is here."

  A single, deliberate flash of the blade. There was almost no resistance as it sliced through flesh and bone. His head rolled from his shoulders, and his lifeless body collapsed to the ground with a thunderous crash.

  I had done it... I had taken my first life all over again. Then, something snapped inside of me. Everything from the last year washed over me, and my mind blasted through every last memory, both happy and painful. I saw the blade shaking as my arms trembled along with the rest of my body. The weight of it all hit and passed within moments, and my grip on the handle tightened.

  Time to clean house.

  *****

  What have I done?

  I sat in the chair behind my new desk as the first light of day began to fill my office. The blood-stained walls and carpets would be the first thing to clean up moving forward, but clearing out the trash was sufficient enough for the first night. I glanced at my new blade and grabbed a piece of cloth to begin cleaning it first.

  "I have to hand it to you, kid," his sinister voice reached out from the doorway. "I expected to have to exact vengeance myself."

  "It won't bring them back, nor will it undo what she did to everyone..."

  "True, but retribution and retaliation are preferable to going mad from inaction. Anyway, since I know you can go as far as necessary now, I guess it's time to begin our little venture."

  "I won't let you have this; I'm going back and making sure this never happens."

  "Then do it," I felt his sinister smile burning behind his mask.

  "I... I can't... I can't risk living this day over and over again..."

  "You can't save everyone, Kazuma." Damien sighed. "Better a lesson learned late than not at all."

  I remained silent as I wiped the layers of blood off the blade. As the reflective steel finally became visible, I locked eyes with a gaze that I knew all too well.

  "I'll be back in a couple of days with the first target," he said as he turned to leave. "Oh, and, welcome back, Number 9."

  The door shut, and silence filled the room again, silence that was soon disturbed by a soft sobbing.