- The Plans He Ruins

Did you know, silence was once the thing that made up the universe. When the stars, the earth, the sky and the sun were made, they were marvels in their own design.

The gods poured hours upon hours into creating them, one by one, painstakingly. When they succeeded, silence was replaced with noise.

Noise.

The birds, chipping. The fish, swimming. The monster growling. The human scheming.

It was silence that made the universe what it is today. Yet no one remembers its warmth. It's a cold touch. It's a feeling of emptiness.

I did. I knew it well before any man, woman, child or monster crawled from the mud. It was silence that was my first friend. And Silence is not a friend I'm willing to lose.

Even though you can't hear, or see it now, there are times when silence makes itself known. Through shock.

Through peace.

Through sleep, beauty, and rest.

…but also through death.

And it is in death, that silence and I first became friends, as I waited to die in a lonely abyss.

Waiting. Waiting. Waiting.

Silence.

My oldest friend.

I'll make you whole once again.

***

No one moved a muscle, the songs of leaves breaking against the wind. The smell in the air, telling those who sensed the coming change.

Autumn was drawing near, and with it, Winter, as it soared through the air. The smell of the snow, the coming of rain and wind, roaring through the skies. Oh, how they would shake the world into a deep and dreary slumber.

It was these things Cain paid better attention to, rather than the group of four before him, each standing still in shock and wariness.

Finally, after marveling at the beauty of the forest, and enjoying the silence that had settled, Cain turned to them, his voice calm and composed.

"Good morning. I do hope I'm not disturbing you."

Gloria and the man casted a glance at each other, before she placed both hands behind her back, secretly gesturing to her men.

On the outside however, she spoke with great sincerity, cautious, but unafraid.

"Good morning. I'm right in assuming you're the mysterious Cain, as you've claimed?"

Cain nodded, casting his own glance at the man, before meeting Gloria's eyes with pure distaste.

"You may, as I will assume you to be the woman behind all this nonsense?"

Gloria chucked, her voice giggles easily attractable to any man who paid attention. However, that was the last thing Cain was thinking about.

"Well, you can assume anything you want, but there's nothing proving that fact. I just happen to overhear this man talking about you and your…oh, partner?"

Cain looked to the man, whose eyes were filled with hatred towards the woman.

But the man quickly regained himself, and asked.

"Is this the one you want? This one alive?"

"Yes."

Scoffing, Cain looked around the clearing, his mind elsewhere from their conversation.

"Thank you for confirming something for me. However, I'm still a little bit in the dark about something."

The man paid no attention to his words, and drew his dagger from his back sheath. The woman however, was more than willing to entertain Cain.

"Oh, don't worry. We'll explain everything when we get back to our superiors. I'm certain you'll love them."

"Who was the man I followed?"

Gloria stopped talking, as the man stopped his own approach, each sharing a glance.

"Man? What man?"

Cain didn't answer, and looked off into the forest behind them.

"Hm…so he wasn't one of yours? That makes things a little more clear for me."

"Does it?"

Gloria asked, mockingly, as she raised her hand high and brought it down.

"Now!"

From behind him, Cain could sense two men thrusting their weapons at his head. Thankfully, the force of the blow had pushed them off the ground, so Cain wasn't very worried about it.

Turning, he dodged one of the men's weapons - a great sword that narrowly missed the hair on his head. Using his other arm, he blocked the second weapon - a spear - as the wooden pole came in contact with his skin.

The blows did nothing to him, as he casually casted a glance towards Gloria.

"You're a Phantom aren't you? Didn't think that Katlina would only be a hired pawn in this game."

Gloria said nothing, however, the man who had kept his distance till now, did.

To say he looked enraged was an understatement.

"You?! What did you do?!"

Cain didn't have time to answer, as the first of Gloria's lackeys repositioned himself in seconds, thrusting the tip of the sword at his chest.

Pressing his foot against the ground, Cain retreated several steps, missing the blade's point, but leaving himself exposed.

The spearman flung his weapon at Cain, who stumbled, dodging the spear by only a fraction, as it embedded itself in the ground beside him. The swordsman, not missing a chance, rushed forward, swinging his weapon across the air, aiming for his head.

Cain grabbed the spear, twirling it in hand, and parried the sword away from his chest and head. Then, slipping the spear over the sword's flat side, he drove the blunt end upwards, smacking the man in the face and sending him stumbling backwards.

The spearman wasted no time in drawing his dagger as he rushed forward, swiping left and right across the air, missing Cain again and again as he continued to retreat back, parrying the knife using the same spear.

Of course, Cain didn't forget to mock these two fighters, who seemed to be struggling against his simple and nimble movements.

"Honestly, this was the best the Phantoms sent? You throw your own spear at a man and expect him not to use a weapon you've just given him?"

The spearman launched himself forward, attempting to stab at Cain who twisted clockwise, allowing the blade to slip past his side. Using the opening he created for himself, Cain stopped mid twist, as his back was facing the spearman, and with the spear over his shoulders, he twisted counter clockwise, slamming the wooden end of the spear against the man's face, just like his comrade.

When the spearman staggered back, the swordsman rushed forward, blade in hand, only to find Cain using the spear's length to his advantage, and parried the blade, as he continued backing up along the tree line.

"This bastard - hold still!"

The swordsman vented his frustration on the spear and, using an opening, slammed his sword into the spear, shattering it into two.

However, the swordsman's pride for celebrating only lasted a moment, as with the spear broken, Cain dropped to a squat, caught the broken end of the blade. Twisting, he rammed the sharp wooden end of the spear into the man's chest.

"Pwhaaa!"

The man spewed blood as he clutched his wound, doubling over onto his knees. He was still alive, and barely breathing, as his eyes opened wide to realize what he had just done for himself.

He left himself open.

And using that exact moment, Cain drove the second end of the spear into the backside of his neck, the metal digging into flesh.

He died instantly.

A woman's scream, and a man's curse told Cain there were still other problems to be dealt with, and so he decided not to have any more fun with these fools.

Picking up the fallen blade, Cain pretended to admire the blade as he secretly kept his focus on the spearman, who was squatting close to the ground, his dagger drawn.

"What are you doing? Stop him!"

Gloria screamed at the spearman, who seemed like he was still in the process of figuring out what to do. However, with Gloria's words, he snapped out of his little trance, and roared at Can in furry.

"You'll pay for that with your life-"

The man's words were cut short as a long blade - a greatsword - flew through his face, piercing his skull, and killing him on the spot.

No one saw the blade more through the air, nor did they see Cain fling it towards the spear man, but they all watched as he dropped to the ground dead, blood oozing from his skull.

"Now then, as I've dealt with your weak fools you call men, let's talk."

Cain wiped his hands of a rag he pulled from his pocket, staining the white with red, as if it meant nothing to him.

He gestured around him, mockingly.

"I see no one else to stand up against my words. Now, tell me what your goal is here Gloria?"

Gloria, who had just witnessed the death of two of her best men, stood in shock, her eyes still trained on the dead spearman.

Clearly the shock from the sword being driven through his head was too much for her.

To this, Cain scoffed.

"Come now, don't tell me you're afraid. Please. I have use for you yet, so tell me what you're doing here?"

Gloria's head snapped to Cain, her eyes wide with fear and worry. Stuttering with her words, she tried to calm herself down, as she secretly looked to where her colleague once was.

But he wasn't there any longer.

'The bastard left me. A beautiful woman like me all alone.'

"Please, you aren't that beautiful."

"W-What?"

Gloria's eyes met Cain's who caused her to jolt, as he had appeared before her in seconds, his face only a few inches from hers as he looked down on her.

"Tell me now."

His voice left little for imagination if she refused. And so, through stuttering words, she spoke.

"M-M-My…M-My-"

"Spit it out woman."

She gulped down a mouthful of saliva, as her eyes refused to look away from Cain's red and burning crimson eyes.

"M-My boss. She told me t-to come here."

"How did you infiltrate Morden? Last I checked it isn't very kind to foreigners."

"T-The border. The border is guarded, but they can be paid off…..or killed."

Her voice lowered as she said those last words, fearing the idea of killing would cause Cain's anger to grow. But instead, he shocked her with his next words.

"True. Most people do it that way. Are there any others?"

"N-No. Just me."

"Just you?"

Gloria casted a fear filled gaze towards the bodies behind Cain, who could already guess what she was looking at.

"Ah, now it's just you."

She nodded.

"Then why are you here? I know you were after Lia, and you wanted to kill her. Why me though?"

"W-We knew y-you were strong. Y-you refused Vanessa's request. The woman you met in -"

"In the forest, yes, I know. Continue."

"W-We thought - They thought that if your friend, L-Lia as you called her…if she died, they thought you wouldn't have a reason to refuse."

"They want me this badly? How delusional are you people?"

Gloria hid her face behind her raised arms, not daring to look up at Cain any longer.

"They saw you kill a Class 4 Beast like it was nothing. Not to mention it was Rank A. Anyone who could do that in - in one punch would draw our attention."

"So you thought that by killing my friend, capturing me, and immobilizing me would get me to sing on the dotted line?"

Cain's face said it all, as he was now truly thinking these people were fools.

Phantoms had been around for a while, so he had run into them a few times. However, they were never this stupid in the past when he battled them.

In fact, Cain had to admire how well spread out they were. The Phantoms were a dangerous organization, and one that didn't cause war or plague. They were people who annihilated such disasters, and toppled nations. Yet no one cared much for them, as they always went after the weak kingdoms and empires.

If a kingdom got too big, they could pick off nobles and land, chipping away at the kingdom's resources and arrogance, until they were right on the capital city, bursting the doors open, and slaying all who stood behind them.

But now…

Now they were just pathetic.

"W-Were not pathetic."

Cain snapped out of his thoughts, and looked down at Gloria, who looked at him with fierce eyes.

"Oh, was I thinking aloud? Sorry, but it's the truth. And it's something you're going to have to accept."

"No, we're not pathetic. Vanessa is the one who's been balling up a storm with the elders, bragging on and on about you. All she wants is power - we, we were just fooled!"

"All the more reason to believe you a fool then."

Cain let go of Gloria's arms, and she fell to the ground, landing on her but with with a thump.

"To give you a good example as to how much of a fool you people really are."

Cain adjusted the leather bracers on his arms, his focus clearly not on Gloria as he didn't think she was worth much attention.

"Now that you've given me all the information I needed, I no longer have a use for you."

Gloria squealed silently in fear, as she instantly realized what he meant.

"Y-You would have killed me even if I said nothing."

Cain tilted his head, a smile already forming on his face.

"Maybe you're not so foolish after all."

As his hand reached for Gloria, the air split apart, and Cain reacted almost instantly, grabbing the blade from the air, and holding it tight against his side, using his other free arm to pin it there.

"I was wondering when you would join the party."

The man Gloria had been talking to only moments before stood behind Cain, his arm pinned by Cain's, as his face was stoned with hatred.

He fiercely whispered, his fury in every word.

"I'll kill you, you bastard!"