Chapter 10: Surprise

Six months later. On May 23, 2012. The assassin Mute of the Zenin clan could be seen in the cellar shadowboxing. He threw a combination of kicks and punches as sweat rolled off his nose. He bounced back on the balls of his feet before throwing a kick. 

After throwing the kick, his eyes suddenly widen noticing that his sister is standing behind him. 

"Hey, brat you have a mission to go on."

Says his sister with a grin on her face. Mute just nods his head as he walks past his sister grabbing onto a note that she was holding onto. He starts reading the note. His footsteps become rapid and he walks up the set of stairs leaving the cellar.

During the six months. Mute has only done six more missions for the Zenin clan. Each in a different month. This will be the seventh mission he will do. The note only has an address on it. Luckily the address is less than 30 minutes away.

Mute starts strutting towards the address with a cold look on his face. After thirty minutes pass. Mute is staring at an old red wooden barn with two large doors. He looks at it with a confused look as he slowly approaches the barn creeping on his tip toes. 

He takes one more step until the red wooden barn doors slowly start to open, surprising him. He raises his guard as the doors slowly creep open. Mute stares at the opening doors like a hawk until suddenly his guard lowers and lets out a loud sigh.

Inside the barn is a plethora of stables filled with hay. And a single small wooden table with a cake on it with a black-haired woman wearing a kimono standing next to it. Next to the woman were two wooden chairs. She smirks before shouting out.

" Happy birthday, little brother! "

Yelled out Mute's sister waving her arms in the air dramatically. Mute just sighs and starts walking towards his sister slightly annoyed. Seeing his reaction, The sister quickly asked him a question.

" What? Did you not like the surprise? Oh, I know what it is. You want your presents already. Come take a seat. "

Says the sister pointing towards the wooden chairs next to her. Mute nods his head as he walks over and sits down while his sister walks into a nearby stable. While sitting on the chair. Mute realizes that the cake is covered in blood and has a name written on it, in blue icing.

The name on the cake is " Akio ". Mute face turns confused as he starts to glance around the barn before his eyes widen as he locks his eyes onto three dead bodies. 

There was one man, one woman, and a small boy. The parents were wearing birthday hats. Then it dawned on Mute. That his sister had killed a family to get this cake. His hands started to twitch until a voice spoke from behind him.

" Oh, Your real name isn't Akoi by the way. It's just the name of that boy I killed over there. I figured you would enjoy a cake covered in blood since you like killing so much. " 

Mute glanced behind him and saw his sister walk past him holding onto a brown paper bag. She sets the paper bag on the table before sitting down in the chair next to Mute. 

" And hey, don't worry about your real name. We assassins don't need a real name and truthfully, I never got told my name either. I just go by Null now. "

Mute nods his head at his sister, as a huge grin appears on her face as she reaches into the paper bag. She shuffles her hand inside the bag before pulling out several throwing knives. She places the knives on the table before talking.

" These are some of the best knives you can buy. They cut through stone like butter but these knives are known to be from the Zenin clan. So don't leave them at a murder scene. "

Mute's face doesn't change after seeing the knives. He still has a poker face. His sister sees her brother not being impressed and quickly reaches into the paper bag again while talking.

" I know, the knives aren't the most interesting things in the world but this next gift is going to blow your mind. You have never seen these beings before. "

As soon as she finishes talking, She pulls out a glass jar tightly sealed with a metal lid. Inside the jar is a creature. Mute stares at the odd creature as it glows a bright yellow before returning back to normal.

" This is a cursed spirit, to be exact. This is a firefly-cursed spirit. I'll explain what curses are and how they form in our next training session. But it's quite cool, isn't it? " 

She says staring at her brother's shocked face. She handed the glass jar over to her brother and watched him observe the creature in the jar with an amused grin.

Looks like this awkward birthday party is finally coming to an end...