Loose Ends

Dusting off his gloves, the old man gazed expressionlessly at the dead security guard.

Ensuring no evidence remained, he sprinkled powder on the body, watching it begin to break down. With that handled, he disappeared, flickering toward the city.

…

[Name: Akashic Torre]

Daltin tapped the table, reading the name of the prime suspect behind his son's death. After combing through school records, this was the only person whose hair color matched the image. It was such a unique shade that Daltin had no doubts.

He had uncovered the connection about an hour ago, and by now, the culprit should have been a bloody mess in a dumpster somewhere. Unfortunately, he had hit a bigger problem—he couldn't find any real information on the kid.

Sure, Daltin's family wasn't the most powerful, but they weren't weak either. This shouldn't have been an issue.

Sensing something was off, he decided to change tactics. He couldn't simply give up on avenging his son, but taking direct action was out of the question.

Seated at his desk, Daltin opened his laptop, navigated to a secure browser, and accessed a specific website. Once it loaded, he was met with a categorized message board.

[Sky Family 3rd Son | 1 Week | $25M]

Take out the third son of the Sky family within one week. I can provide more information on his whereabouts and security.

[My Wife | ASAP | $10,000]

Hurry and take out my wife, please! She's been cheating on me with my brother… bonus if you can get him too!

Ignoring the posts, Daltin scrolled down to the {Post a Task} section and quickly created a hit.

[Akashic Torre | 24 Hours | $100,000]

Normal human. Make sure it's slow and painful. Photo attached.

With the task posted, Daltin's anger subsided. He was confident the boy's fate was sealed—this website would ensure it.

The site was called 'Eradicate', a place only accessible through underworld connections or if you knew some shady people. Many hunters roamed the board, eager for their next target, especially newer ones hoping to prove themselves.

Daltin refreshed the page repeatedly, waiting for the notification that someone had accepted the job.

*Ding* *Click*

Two things happened in quick succession. His phone buzzed with a message, and the post on 'Eradicate' updated. Prioritizing the post, Daltin's eyes widened when he read the update.

<Post Deleted> 

He stared at the screen, stunned. Something like this had never happened—not to him, not to anyone who had used the site.

'Maybe I did something wrong?' he wondered. Thinking it was an error on his end, he tried again, making a few changes.

[Akashic Torre | 3 Days | Negotiable]

Within seconds, the same message reappeared, but this time with an additional prompt.

<Post Deleted> 

-Account Terminated-

"Why!" Daltin slammed his desk in frustration, utterly confused.

"Why is my account being deleted? People post worse things on here all the time!"

With no one to vent to, he lashed out on the items around him. He couldn't simply make another account—registration required ID verification and various checks to keep users in line.

Worst of all, the identity of the site owner was completely anonymous. There was no way to find out what went wrong.

*Ding*

"Who keeps texting me?!" Annoyed by the constant buzzing, Daltin glanced at his phone.

<2 Minutes Ago>

[Security System: Motion Detected - Gate]

<10 Seconds Ago>

[Security System: Motion Detected - Front Door]

"Who's bothering me this late?"

Before he could check the camera feed, an error message appeared, followed by another notification.

<Now >

[Security System: Deactivated]

"…What…?" A chill ran down his spine as he read the ominous words.

He strained his ears, trying to pick up any sounds. His wife was in the next room, preparing for news about their son's killer, eager for vengeance.

Sneaking into the hallway, he cracked the door open. The house was pitch black.

Sensing nothing, he quietly tiptoed around, eventually reaching his wife's room. Carefully, he slipped inside.

"Dianne, I think someone's in—" he froze mid-sentence, the sight before him was horrifying.

His wife lay slumped in a pool of blood, and a frail old man stood next to her with a dignified air.

"No! W-who are you?!" Daltin stammered, fear overtaking his grief as the old man's gaze fell on him.

"Ah, you've arrived. You are the final piece." the man said calmly, dashing toward the fleeing Daltin.

Unable to defend himself, Daltin met the same fate as his wife, falling to the old man's merciless strike.

The old man stood alone in the Asyn family home, casually dusting off his gloves before making a call.

<"Do it.">

Hanging up, he vanished from the house.

FWOOSH

As he exited, flames erupted from the home, the foundation trembling slightly. The old man watched for a few seconds before someone appeared beside him and knelt.

"You will stay and use any available resources to shape the investigation. This will be reported as a gas leak." he instructed, sending the kneeling figure away before disappearing once more.

*Ring* *Ring* *Ring*

His phone rang again, but this time the caller ID wiped away any trace of his composure.

Quickly answering, he was met with a lazy, almost disinterested voice.

<"Is it done?">

"Yes, my lord. I have erased all current threats. Anyone harboring ill intent with knowledge of tonight's events has been dispatched."

Silence hung in the air before his master spoke again.

<"Good. Keep an eye on things. Understood? If something happens to him…"> The voice turned serious, radiating killing intent even through the phone.

Shivering, the old man replied, "Of course, my lord. I swear, no harm shall come to the young master."

<"I'm trusting you with this, Godfrey. Don't interfere otherwise—he seems to have his own plans. < p>

Once I'm done with my ascension, I'll be there. Hehe, I can't wait to see that cheeky kid again…">

The call ended, leaving Godfrey speechless.

His master, the strongest and most ruthless person he knew, was excited about seeing this kid? Godfrey couldn't fathom it.

Regardless, he was fiercely loyal and took the job seriously. He recalled the two who had been sent on this mission before him. While he wasn't familiar with every detail, he knew that, a few years ago, guards were supposed to watch over the young master but had neglected their duties.

Something terrible happened then, but the master had been busy and held no contact with the outside world.

 When they returned and learned the news, the fury that followed was unimaginable. The sheer anger knocked out everyone present, and some of the weaker ones nearly died.

As for the guards? Their screams echoed for months before they finally perished. They weren't the only ones to face the master's wrath either.

After the young master was found again, Godfrey had been dispatched immediately.

Shaking off the memories, he refocused, vowing never to repeat the mistakes of the past.