Chapter 5: Recess of the Damned

  It was a perfectly normal day. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, and–Oh, who am I kidding. Nothing seems to be normal. Especially not these past few days.

  But, besides the blatant murder, violence and outright black magic I just witnessed yesterday, it started as any “normal” day would. I woke up. I brushed my teeth. I rushed to school because I was late for the fifth time that week (It was a wednesday).

  Oh, and I was also being interrogated by a man in a black suit. Overall, just a normal day.

  His pose was calm, composed. He reminded me of Ren’s posture before he….. On second thought, nevermind. He was wearing a brandished black suit, perfectly brandished and straightened. On his left chest was a shiny gold badge, carved into it was “Aegis Division - “The shield of the modern world”.

  Totally not suspicious at all.

  I had noticed him earlier, when I was doing yet another one of Ms. Emerald’s ethereally intoxicating tests. He was lurking behind the trees… watching me? It was like having a weird stalker. I could feel is piercing gaze throughout the test, even when I was looking in the complete opposite direction. In short, although he was trying to be hidden, it wasn’t really easy to NOT notice him.

  Looking back, I’m pretty sure this was intentional on his part.

  When recess started, I immediately went out to confront him. And here we are now.

  He was still staring at me. His gaze was sharp and precise, like he was wielding a weapon. He stood there, silent. Unmoving. For an awkward moment neither of us said nothing.

  Eventually, he spoke.

  “Hello, Cassian.”

  His voice was thin. Drawled and raspy, as if he hadn’t needed to speak for a long time. In a way, it was intimidating.

  “...How… Do you know my name?”

  He ignored my question

  “Did you perhaps… find something behind the school yesterday, Cassian?”

  His face was blank. No, not blank. Unreadable. That was strange. I was normally quite good at reading expressions.

  “Uhm…. Maybe?? I don’t really remember…”

  “Did you find anyone behind there?”

  “Uhh… I think. Two students, I think. They were around my age.”

  His expression was still. I had no idea what he was thinking, so it was risky lying to him.

  “Are you perhaps familiar of.. this?”

  He pulled out another badge, similar to his own. However, this one was gilded in silver instead of gold. It looked older, worn. It looked… familiar, somehow. Ah. I see now. In large, capital letters, the badge was engraved with the name: “Ren Kourogane”.

  The name sent shudders down my spine. Like a ghost of the past coming back to haunt me. The image of his death flashed repeatedly in front of my eyes.

  “Uh… Yes, sir. One of the students was wearing them.”

  Saying nothing, he flipped the badge over. The other side was covered in a thick coat of dried blood.

  “Oh. Right. I saw him die. I don’t really remember how, now… It was kind of blurry. I was too overwhelmed at the time.”

  He finally spoke again.

  “You, Cassian, are strong. You have powers that you aren’t aware of. It would be a shame to have a waste of talent. I invite you to the Aegis.”

  This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

  “Uhh… What’s that?”

  He handed me a badge. Yet another one similar to his, but this time it was gilded with copper. Snaking at the ends were two copper dragons, frozen in the middle of fighting each other. That was new. On it was the name “CASSIAN”. “Cassian” was capitalized, like I was special in some way. Strange.

  So he was trying to recruit me into some sort of.. agency? The same agency Ren was in…

  “We are an agency that protects the world. Recently, there has been some strange… events happening. Events that are out of the scope of this natural world. We are the ones who harvest the powers from these events to stand against them, protecting the natural balance.”

  Now it was my turn to say nothing. I was overwhelmed. Again.

  “Keep in mind that you will be working for the good guys. The protectors. The keepers of balance. And, in case you somehow wish to affiliate yourself with our opponents, keep in mind… The good guys always win.”

  With that, he disappeared.

  I was still confused. I looked at the badge in my hand, unsure of what to do with it. I eventually just stuffed it into my pocket, hoping I would just forget about it.

  I retreated back to my corner of the wall, about to continue thinking with myself. To be fair, I did try to make a friend. It was just that the attempt went a little bit… of course.

  I heard a strange cackling above me. It sounded like a monkey who had just witnessed the hyena hunting it get killed by a lion. I instictively looked up. It was Silas. Of couse it was. He was perched upon the roof, looking down on me like he was a bird of prey. He jumped down before extending his hand to me.

  “Hey! Why the grim face, my guy?”

  I rejected his handshake.

  “Nothing much, really. I just witnessed a murder yesterday, but that was it.”

  He let out a huge chuckle, looking like he completely missed my sarcasm.

  “Yeah. Those things happen all the time. You know, ya really get used to washing the blood off after a while. I find bleach to work the best.”

  I was stunned. He was talking about killing like doing his homework.

  “Oh, don’t look at me like that. You’re interested in it too, you know. Didn’t you get attracted by the smell of blood? You rushed down the tunnel when you saw it, didn’t you?”

  “Yeah… but that was differe-”

  “AAannndd you also looked intensely into Ren’s corpse. You know, mesmerised by the pool of fresh blood, gaping at his internal organs, exposed for the world to see… That wasn’t fear, Cassian. That was awe.”

  My mouth opened, then closed again.

  I remembered the way the blood had spread. The way it had steamed in the cold air. I remembered not looking away.

  …Why didn’t I look away?

  “Oh, Cassian. By the way, don’t listen to that loser you just talked to. They’re complete idiots.”

  “And why is that?”

  “They pride themselves on being the “good guys”. Funny, right? Let me tell you a secret.”

  He paused for a long while.

  “Tell me”. I impatiently said.

  He leaned closer, speaking in a whispering tone. A smile was on his face, like it had been throughout the entire conversation.

  Silas leaned closer.

  “Let’s try something simple.”

  He tilted his head.

  “If I killed Ren… was that evil?”

  “Yes,” I answered instantly.

  “Why?”

  “Because you killed someone.”

  “And if Ren was trying to kill me?”

  I hesitated.

  “That’s… different.”

  “Why?”

  “Because… self-defense.”

  Silas smiled.

  “So killing is evil. Unless it benefits you.”

  “That’s not what I—”

  “But it is.” He straightened. “Evil is just what harms you. Good is what benefits you.”

  He tapped his chest lightly.

  “And from where I’m standing? I benefited.”

  Pause.

  “So tell me, Cassian… was it evil?”

  “No… At least, I don’t think so. So… There’s no such thing as good or evil?”

  His smile turned wider, morphing into a huge grin.

  “Presicely! Such concepts don’t have meaning at all. Normally, we agree on a definition that a majority agrees on. But good and evil are exceptions. Each person has a different perspective. There is no “Good” or “Evil”. There is only one factor in this world: Control.”

  He stepped back.

  “I agree with the guy on one thing, though. You are strong. I see potential in you. So join me, and we can have control over the political state. Orrrr…. you could join Aegis instead and be under the blindfold of their “good” and “evil” propaganda! Remember, I’m your friend, and I just want to help you.”

  I said nothing.

  “Ah. I shall leave you to decide. When you wish to join me, you know where to find me!”

  With that, he gleefully ran away, leaving me alone with only my thoughts.