Reaper and the Moon

'By day or by night, as sure as the sun will rise in the morning and the skies remain with clouds, so will you be with me now and forever.'

"Cute." A red-haired young man said, seated on his chair with his legs propped up on the table in front of him. "A little sappy, but cute."

A lit cigarette hung from his lips, the smoke rising from the cigarette up to the ceiling as he sighed deeply. His autumn coloured eyes staring up at the ceiling before turning to the person beside him.

Slumping to the side of the chair, he tilted his head to the black-haired man's direction, who is completely engrossed in his phone. "You are certainly invested in that thing, aren't you? For the past two days too. Who would have thought that Mr. Serious would be so invested in a romance game?"

"You know that I like to indulge myself in these things, Eclipse." The other man said, looking at the fiery-haired man who looks about too young to be grabbing a cup of whisky from the table littered with nothing but keyboards and monitor screens all mounted along the wall. "Also, I think you've had enough to drink for now."

"Come on, this will not be a stakeout if I am not busy trying to get blackout drunk." The man said, laughing as he almost fell over on his seat. Quickly composing himself. "Besides, it is not like I can get drunk myself. You know this better than anyone else in the world, Noa."

"I know." The man said, going back to his phone as he stared at the choices presented in front of him.

While he carefully selected his options, a man in a very lavish tuxedo and a formal black top hat with bits of his blonde hair peeking out from underneath the hat smiled a flashy grin.

[Aseko: Care to see my world? Promise I will try to be gentle.]

Pouring another glass for himself, Eclipse turned to his friend sitting across from him before he put his cigarette out and picked up his glass, walking to him.

Peeking at the man on the screen, Eclipse could not help let out a whistle as he leaned closer from behind his friend. "Not a bad looking man."

"The rendering is amazing, don't you think so?" Noa asked, showing him the phone screen. "Everything is so detailed and life-like that I almost think that I am going to go crazy just from staring at him."

"What's his name?"

"Aseko Wixx. He is one of the top crime bosses in the fictional world of Nife. You, as the player, meet him while he is in his club and he immediately falls in love with you." Noa explained a little too excitedly that it is hard to believe he is a trained military weapon with the ability to kill fifty people with just a butter knife.

The two are in a van, waiting for a very important event to take place as they stared at the monitors in front of them, making sure everything is in order and going smoothly.

Earth is well over twenty trillion years old at this point. Everything is digital and everything is ten times more corrupt than it was in other times. Human trafficking, money laundering, black market sales … all that nonsense has been thriving for a while now. Not to mention the bitter hostility between countries where one wrong move will send you to be killed within seconds.

Nothing is tolerated and no one is safe. That is where people like Noa and Eclipse come in. They are children specifically bred for the purpose of being used as disposable weapons.

Every year, the most brilliant people, physically and mentally, are brought together and have to go through the most intense tests. In the end, those that are chosen create a single offspring and the entire pregnancy is carefully monitored until the birth.

After the birth, both parties have to perform a vasectomy to ensure they will never be able to have other children, are richly rewarded and sent on their way, never to come in contact with either the organization or their partner. Otherwise, there will be a penalty.

The children then are brought up with the best education and nourishment. By the time they turn one and a half years old, they are given their first test, to solve a simple puzzle.

If the child is unable to do that, they are immediately killed and disposed of. There is no need to house, feed and care for children that will not give any positive outcome.

Growing up, these children know only one thing, failure is not an option. Death rather than failure. Mindless drones with no emotions of their own. They never were taught to have one.

Noa is twenty and Eclipse is twenty-nine years old, the former being one of the youngest in the force but he is with one of the most brilliant. There are ten of them that everyone considers as the 'Chosen Weapons'.

It is just a fancy name given to people that did what they were told with exceptional brilliance. There is nothing to be proud of by being called that. Eclipse thought, the first time he heard that name, an annoyed look coming on his face. At the end of the day, we are only disposable weapons to them.

How annoying.

"What do you think of him, Eclipse?" Noa asked, holding the man's picture up as he beamed up at him. "He is quite the looker, don't you think so?"

"I think you are quite the looker yourself." Eclipse said, dismissing his thoughts as he smiled brightly at the man once again, planting a quick peck on his head.

"Yeah, yeah. But I could not compare to him." Noa said, absentmindedly going back to his phone before he turned to Eclipse looking him up and down closely.

"What is it?" Eclipse took a swing of his whisky, hardly flinching as the hard alcohol ran down the back of his throat, slightly burning it. "Sizing me up or something?"

"No, I was just comparing." He said, smiling brightly at the man. "You just might be able to compare with him, you know? You two might make a cute couple."

"You talk about him like he is real." Eclipse wrapped his arms around the man amusement dancing in his eyes. "You are making me jealous, pooch."

"Shush. You know that he is just a game character. You are still the best looking out of us." Noa looked at the man with adoration, winking at him. "Happy?"

"Yup!" Eclipse said, grinning brightly at him. "You know, about our plan tonight, I was thinking … we could go somewhere warm first and then, perhaps a resort?"

"Right, about that." Noa placed his phone to the side as he made his way to Eclipse, a mischievous smile coming on his face. "I actually have something to tell you."

"Something to tell me? And what would that be?" Eclipse asked, amusement dancing in his eyes. "Do tell."

"Wel-"

Before Noa could say a word, the entire van turned red, lights blaring on and off as Noa and Eclipse immediately rushed to the monitors.

"Apparently our moment has to be cut short." Eclipse chuckled, checking the signal. "The orders are in. I will see you later on, ok?"

Noa looked at Eclipse, a gentle look coming in his eyes before he nodded, "Sure. Try not to die, Eclipse."

"Please, I am the best of the best. I will not die." Drowning down the rest of his whiskey, Eclipse gently patted the man on the head before placing a kiss on his hand. "You be careful."

"I will," Noa promised, nodding happily as the two put on their masks and ran out of the van, disappearing into the darkness.

Tonight's stakeout must be a big one, given that they are calling all the other 'ten'. Eclipse thought, disappearing in the shadows as he made his way to the building in front of him, meeting up with some of the others.

But I am still very sceptical of tonight. He thought, seeing some people in front of him as they started to shoot at them.

In a split second, the other four that he met along the way turned corners and Eclipse ran towards them, dodging every bullet as he swiftly took them out with just an elegant wave of his hands and a blade.

They did not have the chance to process what was happening as they fell down, bleeding from their throats, before falling to the ground, still.

"Left-wing, secured."

Twirling the blood-soaked knife in his hands, Eclipse sheathed the sword, turning to the people and bowing as though asking for forgiveness.

"That was brilliant!" One of the younger women appeared, jumping around excitedly. "You were so elegant!"

"He is not called the 'Dancer of the Dead' for nothing." Another woman appeared, hand on her waist as she turned to the man, nodding at him.

"Still, he is brilliant!" The younger woman, Cilia, said, wrapping her arms around Eclipse's arm. "So clean and so smooth."

Eclipse only smiled, not saying another word as he turned to the older woman, who was looking slightly forlorn. "Something wrong, Pierce?"

"I don't know." She said, frowning while she looked around herself. "It's just … I feel uneasy."

"You too, huh?" He asked, frowning under his mask as well. "We need to keep our guard up. Something is not righ-."

Boom!