PROLOGUE

(??'s POV)

Betrayal.

A word with 8 letters—which is not too much.

Some people use this word in their daily life.

"You betrayed me!"

A girl would scream at her boyfriend just because he stood her up for 5 minutes.

"You betrayed me!"

A child would run away while crying just because his friend took the swing he was running at.

The word has been used so much that people don't know how it feels to be betrayed in its actual sense.

*Cough**Cough*

As I look at the blood coming out of my mouth along with my cough…

And as I feel pain coursing through my battered body…

The pain of every single bullet that was still stuck in my body.

I can tell what actual betrayal feels like.

"URGH!"

Sigh…

Even breathing is strenuous right now….

Just the heaving of my chest causes the bloody holes on my chest to puff out some more blood, increasing the size of blood pooled up below me.

'Just why did you have to do it…?'

I looked up at the sky, ignoring the blood pool that increased in size just by moving my head.

The pain was real; I was feeling it in every fiber of my being.

The feeling of bullets touching my inner muscles and organs the moment I tried to move a bit was agonizing. 

But above every other pain was the pain that I was feeling in my heart.

From the outside, my heart was safe; it didn't have a single injury. I'm a skilled assassin, so I know how to save my vitals during a fight.

However, there was a deep emotional gash in my heart, causing it to bleed internally.

It felt more painful than any other injury.

My heart was alive, and it was still pumping blood into my body, but it was dead from the inside.

My heart bled as I looked at the dead bodies of the people I used to call comrades.

'I trained you guys...'

They were my students in a way, but I treated them as my equals.

I needed their trust since trust was important in our line of work.

"Never trust anyone, and always follow the orders you are given!"

Ah….

I see….

My own teaching backfired on me.

I realized that it was my fault for teaching them to be better puppets; it was my fault for carving it in them that they should never go against an order.

Still, for them to be able to reach a height where they could turn me this miserable before they died, I'm proud of them.

But why does my heart ache so much, like it's being scrapped from the inside?

Why did it come to this?

'Where did things go wrong….?'

The face of my master, the only person that I ever trusted after the massacre of my family, came to mind.

I could still remember his caring hands, that would apply medicine to my injuries that were caused when he trained me to be the best assassin seen by humanity.

I could still recall those moments when he used to play catch with me as a reward for my kills.

I was young, around 13, so those things were all I could ask for, and those things were the only solace I had in this cruel and unforgiving world.

'Was it all an act?'

I questioned myself as the moments with my master played in my mind again and again.

By now, his face had started to blur, I could no longer recall how he looked, all I could see was a guy with a mask over his face, a mask that showed me what I wanted to see.

'Why am I thinking so hard about those things now...?'

I guess death does change people.

*Chuckle*

*Cough**Cough**Cough*

Ah, I can't even laugh at myself right now...

...

(10 minutes later)

'It's been a while...'

I thought since, even after these 10 minutes that felt like hours to me, there was no change in the situation.

I was still resting my back on a tree trunk while the blood that flowed out of my body was still pooling down below me.

'Ah, I'm covered in blood.'

As I looked at the blood under my body, I saw the reflection of my golden eyes looking back at me.

My hair was covered in blood, but my mind couldn't actually tell the difference right now since my hair was supposed to be red.

However, what stood out the most was the sharp contour of my face.

People said I looked very handsome, though I can't say I've ever been interested in looking good.

Looks won't make me survive a fight where my life is on the line.

I shook my head, throwing away those useless thoughts.

My impending death is now making me talk to my reflection...

I should try to get up; maybe I could find someone.

After all, the hope of survival still lingered in my head.

'Maybe I can still survive.'

That line played in my mind like a radio tape on repeat.

"Gahh!"

Shit! This pain!

Trying to move my body proved to be a wrong decision, as the moment I tried, the blood pool below me doubled in size while the pain that I was getting used to increased by folds.

I guess standing up is out of the question.

'Should I just let it go?'

'Should I just accept my death….?'

I want to try to survive, but what can I do?

This was supposed to be my last mission; after this, Maste—no, that man was going to let me stop doing this work.

But I guess he never actually planned on letting me go.

I know my value—the value of the no. 1 assassin in the world, or maybe the strongest person in the world.

I'm too important to just let go.

'What if I join some other force?'

'What if I make another organization?'

'What if, what if, what if...'

There were many 'what ifs' I could think of, and I finally realized why I was getting disposed of.

That guy (MC's master) was the most cautious person, so I should've guessed it already.

I feel enlightened, like the world is clearer to me now.

But what's the use of it right now?

I'm about to die anyway.

All the hard work and training that took me to get to this stage was for nothing.

I am the strongest, I know. I can kill anyone if it were a one-on-one fight, but I'm still only a human.

I have my limits as well; I can't survive a bullet.

A bullet could still tear my flesh apart and penetrate my innards.

I'm not the 'Man of Steel' after all.

'The irony of the situation...'

As I looked at the dead bodies of my comrades-cum-students, I couldn't help but laugh at the irony.

'I taught them not to trust anyone, and I'm dying because I trusted someone.'

I wanted to laugh at myself, but that would only make my situation worse.

Even if moving was out of the question, as I already tried it and the results were worse than I expected, I still didn't want to give up.

There was no fire of revenge burning inside of me, keeping me alive.

I don't feel the rage right now; it's more like I feel nothing.

All the feelings that made me human are now vanishing.

Revenge is something the weak would seek, and I know that I'm not weak.

I'm not angry at that guy (MC's master); he did what he thought would ensure his survival.

Just like every other living being, he wanted to survive, so I can't hate him for that.

Yeah, his betrayal did break my heart, but it taught me a lesson as well.

He was weak, and weak people use these underhanded means to survive; I will just leave it at that.

However, just like him, I'm also a living being, and I also have a will to survive, and that will is keeping me alive.

'The sound of bullets should've attracted someone….'

The fight that took place earlier should've certainly attracted the attention of someone.

'Who am I kidding here….?'

Sigh….

Yeah, there's no way someone lives this far out in the wilderness.

They brought me here on purpose, I guess.

That guy (MC's master) must've known that they would never be able to kill me; I'm the one who taught them after all.

But he must've known that I wouldn't be able to survive this out in the forest without anyone's help, as well.

Sigh….

How many times did I sigh now?

Whatever, even my vision is getting blurry now.

But somehow, I don't feel afraid of death...

Is there hell, heaven, or something like that out there?

Will I go to hell for all that I've done?

As that thought came to my mind, my vision started darkening, but just then a bright light flashed, and a silhouette of a woman came into my view. 

"Ara, you sure look pitiful right now.…"