Chapter 1 – Brothers
"Ladies and gentlemen, please have your invitations ready. The auction will begin in one hour."
It was a slightly cold night. John was waiting in line at the museum while discreetly looking around. With his 1.9 meters, he could easily see above other people's heads. But no matter how much he searched he couldn't find the man.
'Bastard, where are you?' John was getting anxious. Five years. For five years he has waited for an opportunity to kill the man who sent his little brother to die. Colonel Verich.
------
John and Lucas lost their parents in a car accident when they were just kids. John, 7 years old at the time had to take care of his little brother who was just 2.
Growing up in an orphanage was hard. John had to work around the clock to take care of Lucas while still keeping up with the studies and helping around the orphanage. But even with all of that, he kept going, because his brother depended on him.
"Now, seven times four?" 13 years old John asked.
"Errr twenty... eight?" Answered Lucas not quite certain.
"That's right. For now, it's okay to just remember the table, but in the future, you'll need to be able to calculate it." Said John with a smile as he checked the clock hanging on the wall. "Alright, that's all for today. Now go brush your teeth and get in the bed."
"Awww-"
"Don't 'awww' me, your test is tomorrow and you are not going to stay up late like last time. Now hurry up."
"Fiiine." Lucas got up from his chair and headed towards the bathroom but stopped midway. "Hey bro."
"Hmm?"
"What were our parents like?"
The question caught John by surprise. He turned his head towards the window and answered.
"Our parents... they were nice. Now stop talking and go brush your teeth."
"Ok." Lucas said and then entered the bathroom.
John couldn't help looking at a picture on top of the desk. On it, a strong black man with a goatee had a little child on his shoulders. The man was smiling towards the camera while the child was more interested in the cotton candy he had in his hand.
The man's right arm was around a brunette woman's shoulder. She had her hair in a ponytail, and in her arms was a baby sleeping.
"Mom.. dad..." John muttered as his eyes teared up.
------
"John, why do you have to leave? I'm sure that if you keep trying you will find a job here." 12 years old Lucas tried to convince his brother.
John was 17 years old now and had just finished high-school. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to find work, and it would be impossible for him to pay for a college.
"Lucas, it's not like I'm going to die." John said with a smile. His little brother spent the whole week trying to convince him to not enlist in the army. "Hey, look. No matter what, I promise you that I will come back, so don't worry. Besides, you know there's no one who can defeat your big brother haha."
"You promise?"
"Of course. I will call you every day, come back whenever I can, and will also be sending you money so you can focus on school." John looked Lucas in the eyes. "You are way smarter than I was at your age. I will work hard over there, and you must also work hard at school so you can try for a scholarship to a good college, okay?"
"Hmm okay."
With that John left to become an Army Ranger and quickly rose through the ranks, ending up joining the special forces. Keeping his promise, he made an effort to always keep in touch with his little brother.
To his joy, his little brother was quite intelligent and focused on studying, easily graduating from high school and even getting the chance to receive a full scholarship for college. What he didn't expect though, was that Lucas would refuse to go to college and would enlist himself in the army.
"Lucas, stop playing around. You have the chance to enter college, a good college." Ironically, now John was the one trying to convince his brother to not join the army. "No one in our family has ever done that before, you could be the first."
''I'm not playing around. I really want to serve in the army. Besides, it's not like I can't go to college after I come back."
"If you want to join the army, why don't you graduate from college first? Then you can apply to become a commissioned officer and won't need to fight."
"I want to see what you see out there. But don't worry, you have been doing this for years and always came back safe. As the smartest sibling, I naturally will be fine too." Laughed Lucas
"Haaa... fine, but if you feel like you can't take it anymore just ask to be transferred back. This job isn't for everyone, there's no shame in that."
Though he said that, John was sure his brother wouldn't give up, even if he was close to dying. He knew that because he and his brother were two of the same mind. Whenever John felt like throwing the towel, he remembered his little brother at home so he wouldn't give up.
Lucas would definitely persevere, for he wanted to make John proud. Not able to convince his brother, John could only try to support him when needed.
Lucas followed his brother's footsteps, joining the army rangers and already preparing to join the special forces. Unfortunately, they weren't able to serve together, as when Lucas graduated from the qualification courses, John was already preparing to retire from the army.
"Think fast." Said Lucas, as he threw a water bottle towards John who easily caught it.
Lucas, with a can of beer, sat down by John's side. "... So, you're really leaving?"
"Yeah, I've been fighting for too long already. It's time to stop." John said as he opened the bottle. "My previous squad leader started a private military company, and he offered me a job as a public relations. I will be able to travel around the world and make three times what I'm making here."
While saying that John didn't look even once at his brother's eyes. He simply found it too hard to lie to his brother. The company was just a cover. On the surface, it seemed to be a regular private contractor, but if one was able to see it's inner workings, he would find out that this company only had contracts with one single entity.
The Central Intelligence Agency, CIA.
John received an offer to work as a covert intelligence operative. In other words, a secret agent. After spending a few days thinking about it, John decided to take the offer.
"That's good. I myself will stay a few more years until I decide what I want to do. Maybe finally go to college."
"That's good. Honestly, I expected you to bail out at Ranger school and run back home." Said John joking.
"I have to admit, it wasn't far from happening. I thought I would die at the swamp phase. When I finally graduated I had lost 13 Kilos." Lucas had a bitter smile on his face.
John knew how his brother had felt. For the two months that the course lasted John slept an average of fewer than 4 hours a day with almost all the time left being used for training. The training included patrolling, reconnaissance and ambushing, among other daily activities.
The two months course is designed to make soldiers capable of operating under heavy mental and psychological stress coupled with the physical fatigue of combat.
"All that matters is that you endured it, and now you're here."
"Yeah... so, when will you be leaving?"
"Next week. In the meantime, I've been assigned to guard duty here at the camp."
"Hmm. Hey, you better save up some of that money you will be making for when I also retire. I want a really good present. A Ferrari at minimum haha"
"Ha, a Ferrari as a present? You be glad if I even buy you a Hot Wheels."
"Haha, how cheap. What kind of older brother are you?"
"The only one you have." John smiled as he lightly hit his brother's shoulder.
------
"Next!"
"Right here." John handed the invitation to the guard
"Hmm, Lucas Smith?" Asked the guard after checking the invitation.
"That's right."
"Okay, you can go ahead." Said the guard as he returned the invitation. "Another guard will also ask for it along with your ID. Next!"
At the same time, a black SUV had just parked a few meters from the Museum entrance.
"We've arrived, Sir." Spoke the driver.
"Oh, good." Said an old man on his late fifties. His head full of white hair, and his face cleanly shaved. Though old, he retained both his rigid posture and a sharp gaze.
"James, you wait in the car. Michael, you come with me."
"Yes, Sir." "Yes, Sir."
The old man, accompanied by his bodyguard, headed towards the line and proceeded to wait his turn.
"Next!"
"Here you go." The old man handed his invitation.
"Emmanuel Verich?"
"That's right." The old man said with a smile.
****
Chapter 2 – Antique watch
After passing by the guards at the entrance, John still had to go through another, more rigorous check.
"ID and invitation please."
"Here you go."
The guard checked if the name at the ID and the invitation were the same, and then if John was the one shown at the ID.
For John, it wasn't that hard to create a fake ID that could fool most people.
"Everything checks Mr. Smith." Told the guard before handing John his ID along with a plastic tray. "Please place any metal objects in there and then go through the metal detector. As mentioned in the invitation, guns and other weapons aren't allowed inside the museum."
"Of course." John placed his phone and car keys on the tray and went through the detector.
He wasn't worried as he wasn't planning on using any guns inside the museum. His plan was to find an opportunity to poison Verich.
Hidden in his left sock he had a capsule with ricin, an almost undetectable poison. If that didn't work, and something unforeseeable happens, he still had a wooden knife strapped to his right ankle.
Though wooden, it was made of Lignum Vitae, a super heavy kind of wood. In fact, the knife he was carrying was so sharp that it could slice through regular wood.
After passing through the detector, John took his things from the tray and proceeded to the inside of the museum.
'Now I blend in and wait.'
John proceeded to check the items that would be put for auction. They ranged from paintings and sculptures to antique items and ancient pieces of armament. The star of this auction was a painting by Vincent Van Gogh, with the starting price of 800 thousand dollars.
Most of the people attending the auction were already past the fifties, so John attracted a bit of attention both for his relatively young age at mid-thirties and for being one of the few black people attending.
John proceeded to mingle with the other guests while keeping an eye at the entrance.
"...how interesting Mr. Smith. I, for instance, am a great of a fan of The Persistence of Memory. It transmits a surreal feeling of how time and space are relative. When seeing it, I begin to wonder if all my work will even matter in a few decades."
"I can see your point." John was talking to the owner of some company which he didn't really bother to remember.
"As for myself, the single piece of art that touched me the most was Guernica. I remember the first time I saw it as a kid and thought it was something another child had painted haha." John laughed in a self-deprecating manner.
"Only years later, after fighting in the army did I come to appreciate it's value. Through this painting, I believe Picasso was able to convey the pain and chaos of war and delivered one of the strongest anti-war messages in history."
Everything that John said was what he really felt. As a secret agent, he learned that the key to a good lie was to be as close as possible to the truth, without revealing any valuable information.
"Oh, so you served in the army. Which division?"
"At Ivy, 4th Infantry division, though I-" John paused for less than a second after noticing the white-haired old man that just came in with his bodyguard, then continued like nothing happened.
"Though I was only a Private first class before I retired. Fortunately, I was able to land myself a job at a private military contractor."
"So you were one of the Iron horses. My grandfather has served too, at WWII..." After that John no longer paid much attention to the old man, as he was too focused on Verich.
------
*Clink* *Clink* *Clink*
John was talking with a middle-aged woman when he heard the sound. At the center of the room stood a tall young man lightly clinking a glass with a spoon.
"Ladies and gentlemen, please take your seats, the auction is about to begin." Around the man were five rows of numbered chairs in a semicircle."
"Mr. Smith, come, let's find seats for us." The middle-aged woman said as she headed towards the chairs.
She had long, blonde hair and light eyes, dressed in a white dress which accentuated her figure coupled with a pearls necklace.
They both sat at the third row to the right of the man at the center, at seats 74 and 75. From there John was able to observe Verich and his bodyguard.
"Mr. Smith, is there any item in particular that has caught your eye?" Asked the woman.
"I did see a few pieces of art, but none that I felt like bidding for. Now we'll be able to see all of the items, so I'm hoping there's something interesting. How about you Mrs. Keuss?"
"Please, you can call me Jane. And I do have my eye on a set of Chinese dinnerware made of green jade. As long as it doesn't go over 50 thousand dollars, I will be able to make a profit. I just hope you are not planning on bidding against me." She said with a laugh.
"Since you asked nicely I promise you that I won't. Later you can buy me a drink as thanks haha."
"Most certainly haha."
At this moment the young man at the center began to speak again.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I shall be this auction's host. Seeing as everyone has found a seat, we may begin. The first item of this auction will be..."
The auction went on. Jane was able to win a few items including the set of dinnerware she wanted. She was able to buy it for just 40 thousand dollars.
John himself bid for a few paintings but didn't really try to win anything, while Verich got himself a steel gladius for 6 thousand dollars.
That's when finally came something that caught John's attention.
"This next item is a 19th-century original pocket watch by Franz Heinlein. Heinlein used solid gold to make the case, while for the backside, he actually inserted a bronze inscription from ancient Greece."
"The watch is still in working condition, and the inscription pictures a Zodiac wheel."
"Though the inscription dates back to the 1st century BC, it shows a remarkable dexterity at the carving. The starting bid will be of 3 thousand dollars, with minimum increments of 100 dollars."
One by one came the bids.
"3.100!"
"3.200!"
"3.400!"
"3.700!" John also placed his bid.
"So, you plan on getting this watch?" Jane asked.
"Yeah, I hope Mrs. won't fight me for it."
"It's of great quality, but unfortunately it's for men and my husband already has too many watches. I shall let you have it." She said with a smile.
The biddings continued.
"5.000!"
"5.100!"
"5.200!"
Now the bids were just between John and an old man with glasses.
Initially, John was only gonna bid for a few items to keep the pretense, but now he wanted to win this watch. He had quite a bit of cash saved up, and he figured it wouldn't put too much of a strain on his budget.
"5.800!" John spoke, and this time the man with glasses didn't place a bid, therefore the host prepared to close the bids.
"5.800 dollars at seat 75, going once, going twice-"
"6.000!" Suddenly spoke a white-haired old man with a sharp gaze.
John knew this old man, as he was the reason for John to be attending this event. Verich!
Normally, John would give up so as to not call Verich's attention towards himself. Unfortunately, despite all his training, John wasn't in complete control of his emotions.
It shouldn't come as a surprise that John wasn't in his right state of mind, as he was planning the assassination of a high ranked army officer on U.S. soil.
That was treason, to say the least, and would land him in a secret prison for the rest of his life if found out, besides seriously straining relations between the CIA and the army.
"6.000 dollars at seat 23, going once-"
"6.200!"John wasn't going to give up.
"6.500!"
"6.800!"
The watch whose value was only in the 7-8 thousand dollars range quickly reached the 9 thousand mark, only slowing down when approaching 11 thousand.
"10.400!"
"10.500!" Verich bid then said with a laugh. "Friend, this is as high as I'm willing to go. If you can place a higher bid, then the watch is yours.
John acted like he was hesitating, but on the inside, he had decided already. He would get the watch, and through this, he would obtain his opportunity to poison Verich.
After a few seconds, John finally spoke.
"Thank you, Sir, then it looks like I will be taking it with me. 10.600!"
"10.600! At number 75, going once, going twice, sold! Our attendants shall receive your payment so that you may take your prize."
"Now, for the next item..."
Verich no longer paid attention to John and was now focused on the next item.
"Wow, you really wanted that watch, huh?" Jane spoke by his side. "I wonder what you would be willing to give me if I had it."
"What can I say, it's a great piece of jewelry." John smiled as he thought about how he would approach Verich.
****
Chapter 3 – Tonight I’ll kill you!
The auction went on for another hour until it was finally time for the last item; a painting by Vincent van Gogh.
The painting depicted a watermill next to the town of Nuenen on the Netherlands, where Van Gogh lived for 2 years. It was titled 'Water Mill at Kollen Near Nuenen'.
Starting at 800 thousand dollars, it was the most heated auction of the night, with the final bid at 3.135 million dollars.
------
After the auction ended, the seats were removed and a violin player entered the room.
As before the auction's beginning, the guests were now free to wander the museum and observe the pieces on display.
"The last auction was interesting, to say the least." Jane joked.
"Yeah, but those two were definitely not interested in the painting."
"Well, rumors are that Mrs. Brown spent a weekend with Mr. Archer at his lake house. By themselves."
Mr. Brown and Mr. Archer were the stars of the bidding fight for the Van Gogh. The painting, which was expected to be auctioned for just 2 million, became the stage for a pissing contest between the two whereby the end, they were trading insults along with each bid.
"He can only blame himself for focusing more on his career than his family." Spoke Jane, though not quite clear if it was Mr. Brown she was talking about. "Excuse me, dear, as I go to the ladies' room."
"Of course, I'll be waiting for you near the entrance."
After Jane left, John went to an isolated spot behind a statue, where he took the ricin capsule from inside his sock.
With the capsule in hands, John headed towards the bar where he got himself two expensive drinks.
------
"Sir, the gladius and the painting have been delivered." Verich's bodyguard told him.
"Good. A pity that I couldn't get the watch for Rose's father, but that black man was too determined to get it." Verich who was by the entrance commented. "That's all for tonight, let's go."
But just as Verich was about to leave...
"Excuse me, Sir." At this time someone called out to Verich. It was the black man he had just mentioned, the one who won the watch, and he was carrying two drinks while smiling towards him.
"Oh, may I help you Mr...?"
"Smith. Lucas Smith. I'm sorry for the auction, but I collect antique watches like that one, so I hope you won't hold it against me."
"No, not at all Mr. Smith. I'm not really a fan of those and was just going to gift it to my father-in-law. I'm Verich by the way. Emmanuel Verich."
"Nice to meet Mr. Verich. Though nothing much, I hope to offer you this drink as an apology." The black man had a sincere expression on his face as he offered one of the drinks.
"Haha, who am I to refuse a free drink?" Verich took it, but before he could drink it...
"Sir, Mrs. Verich said you're not supposed to drink alcohol." His bodyguard.
"Ah, she and the kids are visiting her parents, how would she find out?"
"She would because she asked me and James to keep an eye on you."
"Dammit, you are two traitors, that's what." Verich complained. "Sorry friend, it looks like I'll have to refuse." He said before handing the drink back.
"That's ok, I just hope we may be able to meet again in the future."
"Haha, certainly." Verich laughed as he left.
------
'Dammit!' John cursed inwardly. 'I'll have to go to his home then, though it will be more dangerous.'
As he was thinking, Jane came back.
"Wasn't that the man you fought for the watch?" She asked.
"Yeah." John answered shortly.
"Well, if he doesn't want the drink, I do." She said as she reached for the drink John had offered.
"Here, take mine." John said as he handed her the other one.
"What's the difference?"
"That old man didn't recognize me, but he was one of the instructors while I was at Ranger School. The one thing I wanted the most during that time was to cave his teeth in. After meeting him tonight, I tried to gift him something special, but he didn't take it"
John told a lie, though it wasn't completely false. He did have an instructor during training that he wished he could beat down, so he just used him as an example.
"Something special, what is it?" She asked
"Nothing too harmful, let's just say it would make his wife very happy."
"Very happy?" She asked before finally realizing. "Oh, you naughty thing haha."
"Well, I tried." John said as he dumped the glass's content on a vase of plants. "Now I guess it's time for me to leave."
But just as he was leaving, Jane called him out.
"Leaving so soon, but the night has just started. Why don't we continue this talk at my apartment? My husband is on a business trip and such a big place can be so lonely..." She said while caressing John's arm.
"Though quite tempting I will have to take a rain check, as I still have something that I must do." John smiled apologetically before continuing. "How about I make it up to you this weekend? I can follow Mr. Archer's example and take you to visit my lake house."
"It's a promise then." Jane said before and then handed John a card. "Here is my number. Please don't take too long, I might not be able to handle the waiting."
"You don't have to worry about that."
With that Jane left. John would have taken her offer if only this night wasn't so important.
John figured that Verich might not take the drink, so he would need to go to his home. Therefore, he arranged for Verich's father-in-law to get sick, so that his wife and kids would be out of the house.
Tonight, there were just Verich and his two bodyguards.
------
Verich was in the back seat of his car, heading back home.
"What's wrong, Sir?"
"You mean besides the two of you working with my wife?" Verich said a little angry before asking. "Michael, have you seen that Lucas before?"
"I don't think so Sir, why?"
"Somehow, I feel like I've seen him before."
After talking to the man, Verich couldn't shake the feeling that he had met that Lucas before. He kept thinking about it the whole way home, but couldn't seem to remember.
Arriving at home, he headed to his bedroom upstairs. One of the bodyguards would stay inside the car on the street while the other would keep watch over the back entrance.
Inside the bedroom, Verich was putting on his pajama when he noticed the medal on top of the bookcase, and it finally hit him.
"That's it, the Squad leader!"
The Lucas he met today looked quite similar to a squad leader he once had under his command.
Five years ago, the Colonel received news of a terrorist they had been looking for quite some time. According to the intel, the terrorist was in an isolated village.
There were signs he was about to disappear once again, and there wasn't enough time to send in a drone, so Verich decided to send a squad in.
The leader of the squad argued that it was too good to be true and that it might be a trap, but Verich ordered them to go.
He also knew it might be a trap, but he figured that the merit for taking down the terrorist would outweigh any possible soldier loss.
The 12 men squad left for the village, where they really discovered the terrorist, along with 30 enemy combatants.
Though the whole squad died, they were able to take out the terrorist along with 25 other combatants, so the mission was considered a success and Verich was awarded a medal for it.
After remembering it, the Colonel rushed to his laptop, and pulled the file from everyone at that squad, finally finding the one he was looking for.
-Staff Sergeant Lucas Freeman, 26, KIA.-
The file had Lucas's info along with his photo. He looked quite similar to the Lucas he had met at the auction.
'They look too much alike, they must be related.'
Then, he began to check for any known relatives.
-Parents died in a car accident when he was 2. Grew up in an orphanage along with his brother John Freeman. Joined the army at 17 following his brother's footsteps...-
'John? Let's see if there's some info about him.'
Verich found John's file, but when he tried to open it...
-Access Denied-
He tried again but it was the same result.
'This doesn't make sense, I should be able to see the file of any soldier that has been in the army. Unless... Fuck!'
He knew of a way for a soldier's file to remain restricted to the army officers. If he left for the CIA.
Thinking about the CIA operatives methods, Verich couldn't help remembering the drink John had offered him and started to sweat cold.
'If Michael hadn't stopped me, I could've died. Not only that, that John will certainly not give up.'
Without thinking twice, he called on the radio for his bodyguards.
"Michael, James, answer."
"Michael here Sir." "..."
"James, answer."
------
On the street in front of the house, the bodyguard James was sitting on the driver's seat, two bullet wounds to the chest.
John was still wearing the black suit he used for the auction, although now he was also carrying a silenced pistol.
He took the bodyguard's pistol and radio, before heading to the entrance. He was thinking about how to disarm the security alarm when he heard the radio going out.
"Michael, James, answer."
"Michael here Sir."
"James, answer."
'He must have found out about me already.' John thought.
Picking up the bodyguard's radio, John answered.
"Verich, tonight I'll kill you!"
****
Chapter 4 – Death and reincarnation
"Verich, tonight I'll kill you!"
John no longer cared about the security alarm, and directly kicked the door.
"Dammit!"
Verich rushed to get his gun, while his bodyguard came running through the back entrance.
The bodyguard took cover behind the wall that separated the kitchen and the living room while John took cover behind the wall that led to the living room.
John and the bodyguard traded shots, while Verich had just reached the stairs. From up there, he had a direct line of sight to where John was hiding.
"Michael, go through the window and circle around him. I'll cover you."
"Yes, Sir."
'Dammit!' John cursed inwardly.
He couldn't back down now, as the next time would be much tougher to kill Verich, but if he let the bodyguard circle past him it would mean death.
'I can't go back now, I can't! Even if I have to die here, he will die with me.' John made his decision and dashed towards another wall while shooting at the bodyguard.
*P-taff!* *Baang!* *P-taaaffff!* *Baaaannngg!*
*Bang!* *Baaang!*
For a few instants. During those brief instants, while John dashed towards the wall, he felt time slowing down. It was like he could see the bullets heading for the bodyguard, as well as the one coming towards himself.
The bodyguard fell and John managed to get to the other wall, and from his new vantage point, he was able to double tap the bodyguard to make sure he was dead.
Unfortunately, he had also been hit. The bullet went through the side of his abdomen. Though the wound wasn't fatal, it would hinder his movements.
'What the hell?' John wondered. He had been in other firefights, but it was the first time he felt time slowing down.
He didn't wonder for too long though, as he still had to take care of Verich.
"Verich, you son of a bitch! It's just you and me now!"
"You lunatic, do you have any idea what you're doing!? I'm a US Colonel! You and everyone you love will pay for this!"
"Everyone I love!? The only person I had left died because of you, while you received a fucking medal!" John bellowed back. "Verich, even if I die, you're coming with me!"
John couldn't let this go on, as every minute he would lose more blood.
With both pistols in hand, John dashed towards the stairs.
Verich was a commissioned officer, so he rarely saw combat, besides already being old. He wasn't able to aim as well as John, though he still managed to hit John once.
Unfortunately for him, John was also able to hit him twice.
"Argh!"
Verich wasn't able to remain on his feet and rolled down the stairs, while John fell to the floor.
Both were wounded. John didn't know about Verich, but he was sure that himself wouldn't be able to survive.
He no longer cared, as long as he could make sure Verich died.
He aimed the pistol towards Verich and fired.
*Clink!*
Empty. He tried the other one, but it was the same.
'No. No, No, NO!'
John had to make sure Verich would die. He still had the knife strapped to his ankle, though getting to Verich would be hard.
'Get up.'
'Get up!' John screamed inwardly. He had come too far.
"Haa... haa... Get up!"
Whatever it takes, he must finish what he started. John used all of his forces to get on his feet. With the knife in hands, he headed towards Verich.
The distance between the two was roughly 5 meters, though it felt like kilometers for John. It was like each leg weighed a hundred kilos.
He felt dizzy like he would fall down any second, but he didn't stop. John was using all his energy to end this.
When he finally walked the 5 meters, John's hands were shaking. His legs lasted long enough for him to kneel down by Verich's side.
From this distance, John could see that Verich was unconscious but still breathing.
John forced himself to raise the knife. He had never wanted to kill someone so much as this man.
All his previous missions were just that, missions. This would be the first person he killed because he really wanted.
Summoning all the strength he had left, John's hands became firm, and he stabbed down.
The knife hit Verich's rib, but as if cutting through butter, it kept going. It pierced his heart and still managed to reach the ribs at the back.
With that, Verich was dead.
Having no more strength left, John fell to the floor.
------
In a garden extremely far away, an old man with a long grey beard had his eyes closed in meditation. Next to him was a harvesting scythe.
'Huh?' The old man opened his eyes and looked into the distance, past the trees and mountains, outside the world he was in.
'A desolate region, but why do I feel someone going through an awakening there? And I can feel it is close to one of my amulets.'
He began working to pinpoint the exact location until he found a small blue planet with life in it.
The old man saw John who was about to stab Verich.
'That boy has no strength left... what!?'
The old man got up as if he couldn't believe what he just saw. At that moment, John strength increased exponentially.
John wasn't able to see it, but this old man could. John's stab didn't just hit the second rib but managed to pierce it too, damaging the floor beneath it.
'A body awakening! I have to know more about this boy.'
In an instant, the old man was able to look through the past and find out everything about John.
'So his name is John. Parents died when he was a kid and now he went to avenge his brother. He awakened to the cultivation path and was able to have his vengeance, but unfortunately, he is about to die.'
'Hmm.' the man spent a few minutes though not even a second passed by at Earth.
'Such a rare genius and he even has one of my amulets. I must try helping him.' With that, the old man teleported to John's world. It was quite easy as it was just a desolate world with barely any energy in it.
------
John was bleeding on the floor. He could hear the police sirens far away.
'So this is how I die.' John thought. 'At least I could avenge you, Lucas.'
John looked at Verich's body at the side. Of all the people John killed, he was the only one because of emotion.
"Guess I'll be seeing you in hell."
That's when John noticed. The sirens had stopped. At that moment an old man simply materialized in front of him.
The old man transmitted a feeling of infinite wisdom as if with a single look he could see through everything.
"Hello, child."
"Go-God?"
"Haha, I suppose that for you I would be some kind of God."
After saying that, the old man snapped his fingers and John immediately felt his mind getting clear again and the pain of his wounds disappearing.
John couldn't help asking.
"Who are you?"
The old man smiled. "You may call me Chronos, and you're John am I right?"
That's when John took a better look at the old man. He was dressed in a long, white robe, and in his hand, he had a big harvesting scythe.
He had grey hair and a long grey beard. Looking at his eyes, John felt like this man knew everything about him.
"Chronos? As in the God of time?"
"That's right. I know it must seem shocking to you considering your life. When your parents died, you began to doubt how God could allow something like this to happen isn't that right?"
"Ye-yeah." It was an uncomfortable feeling to have someone know everything about you.
"So, Sir Go- Chronos. Why did you save me?"
"Well, I actually didn't. After I leave, you will still have two bullet wounds, and you'll die before the police arrive. If I will really save you will depend on your choice as well as your own luck, but I'm getting ahead of myself."
"The reason that I'm here, is because fate brought us together."
"Fate?"
"That's right. Now pay attention, for I will explain a few things you probably don't know." Chronos said with a smile and once again snapped his fingers. In his hand appeared an antique watch. The watch John had won at the auction
"This watch that you obtained a few hours ago. You could have chosen any other item, but you chose this one." Chronos showed the back of the watch. "See this Zodiac Wheel? That's my amulet."
"When you dashed to shoot the bodyguard, for a brief moment you felt time slow down. That's what we call an awakening. A mind awakening to be exact. Not only that, you were able to push beyond your body capabilities to deliver the final blow. That was a body awakening."
"Awakenings happen when a person first interacts with the energies of the world. Therefore this depends on how much energy the world has as well as the person's talent."
"Some people are able to awaken when still at the mother's womb, while others may spend their whole lives never experiencing it."
"But, your world is what is called a desolate world. The energies here are quite weak, making it almost impossible to have an awakening, and you're probably the first one at your world to experience one."
"Such a rare happening and you also happened to be carrying one of my amulets, I can only see this as fate."
"..." John was stunned. Awakening, energies of the world, fate. If John hadn't seen the things this Chronos could do, he would think him to be crazy.
"Haha, it must be quite hard to digest all this information. But this isn't what is important."
"Before, you said you would see this man in hell. Let me show you what really happens when a person dies." With that, Chronos snapped his fingers again, and John couldn't believe what he saw. It was Verich. More specifically a second, ghostlike Verich, floating over the body on the floor.
Though he was floating there, at every second he was getting more and more transparent.
"See that? It's his spirit, and it is dissipating. That's because his body died, and it is the same thing that would happen to you had I not come. No eternal suffering In hell or salvation in heaven, simply nothing."
John was astonished. " So... everyone who dies, simply disappear?"
"Not exactly. If a person is strong enough, their spirit will evolve into a soul. When the body dies, the soul is able to enter the cycle of rebirth and reincarnate on a new body, though they lose all of their memories. Unfortunately, none of the people of your world is strong enough to have a soul."
John didn't know what to say. That means that when this Chronos leaves, he would simply cease existing.
"Well, I guess it's better than eternal damnation. But then... why are you telling me all of this?"
"Hehe, remember I told you it would depend on your choice if I would be saving you? Though normally you wouldn't be able to reincarnate, it is possible with my help."
"With my help, you will be able to enter the cycle of rebirth and be born again in another world. Not only that, you would be able to keep your memories."
Chronos smiled at John and then finally made the question. The reason that he came to this world.
"John, do you wish to reincarnate?"
Reincarnate? John didn't know what to say. When he mentioned hell after killing Verich, it was a figure of speech. John wasn't really a man of much faith.
But now he truly had the chance for an afterlife, though it wasn't quite what he imagined.
'Calm down, I have to think this through.'
"..." Chronos waited patiently for John's answer. Though he seemed calm, he was actually quite anxious. He really wanted to help John reincarnate, though if the person didn't want to, there was nothing Chronos could do.
"Sir Chronos, I can't believe reincarnating can be that simple. What are you not telling me?"
"Hehe, guess I can't hide it from you. Though I made it look simple, I can only guarantee you will be able to enter the cycle of rebirth, and that you won't reincarnate on a desolate world like this one."
"After that, various things will happen. You will definitely recover your memories, but I simply can't know when. You may be born with them, or only get them back when you're an old man already. It will depend on your own talent."
"Not only that, you may be reborn as the son of an emperor, or a slave. No one really knows how the cycle of rebirth chooses."
"Finally, even if you recover your memories quite early, and manages to reincarnate as a prince, Life itself can be your own hell. It may sound strange now, but you will understand if you manage to live as long as I have."
"Now, you know everything there is to know. I can help you reincarnating, but what happens after that..." Chronos had an apologetic expression on his face. "I know all of this seems too surprising for you. Unfortunately, you must make a decision, as I can't keep the time stopped for much longer. Now, what will you choose?"
John's mind was racing. If Chronos had actually told him he would reincarnate back to his own body when he was a child, John would immediately accept. If that happened, John would be able to stop the accident that killed his parents. With their parents alive, Lucas wouldn't have died fighting in the war.
But that wasn't the choice he had. He had to choose between simply disappearing, or a new life in another world, with things like awakenings, and the energies of the world...
'My parents are dead. I was able to kill the one responsible for my brother's death. Working for so long, I never bothered to get a wife or kids. I have nothing that binds me to this world, and so much that I wish I could've done.'
He thought for a few moments but finally made his choice.
"Sir Chronos, I wish to reincarnate."
"Haha, good choice! Now, I will create a Pseudo-Soul for you. Just hold still and don't fight back."
John could feel something envelop him, though he didn't quite know what it was.
After a couple of minutes.
"Done! This pseudo-soul will last long enough for you to reincarnate. Now I have to leave so that your body may die. I hope we're able to meet again in the future."
After saying it, Chronos disappeared.
There once again was the sound of police sirens.
John was back at the floor and he could once again feel the pain of his wounds.
Five minutes later, the police came inside the house but were only able to find 3 dead bodies.
A couple of days after that a piece of news shocked the world.
-CIA secret agent goes rogue and murders US Colonel, along with two bodyguards.-
------
"Cough! Cough!"
Chronos was back in the garden, and he was coughing blood. The reason he left was that he hurt himself while creating the pseudo-soul for John.
Guiding a weak spirit towards the cycle of rebirth was hard enough, and Chronos even made sure that John would have his memories.
But it was worth it.
Someone who could awaken both body and mind on a desolate world was a rarely seen genius.
"I hope he manages to cultivate quickly. We'll need all the help we can get against the legion..."