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  Chapter 01: The Grim Reaper of the Leopold Family

  Sazi smiled as he stared at his younger brother. The child was enthusiastically munching away his breakfast, all the while casting glances at the opened television. Lately, the same news filled the headlines.

  “And for the next news. The International Police have joined forces with the Vatican in securing the safety of the Pope. This is in response to the declaration of the Leopold Family,” said the newscaster. Behind her was a large cathedral filled to the brim with security outside. Numerous armed men manned the entrance, and several onlookers gathered by.

  An almost incomprehensible voice said, “Brother, what do you think will happen? They’ve never caught that mass murderer till this day.”

  Sazi furrowed his brows when he saw that his brother was speaking while his mouth was half-filled with food. He sternly replied, “Dan, don’t speak with food in your mouth. Finish that then we’ll talk.”

  A loud gulping sound was heard which was quickly followed by a sigh of exhilaration. “Puah! I was not expecting much of this delivered food, but it’s great!”

  Dan grinned, revealing an innocent smile and big, gawking eyes. “So, Big Brother, what do you think?”

  Sazi fell silent for a moment. He merely stroked the head of the child as he stared at the television screen.

  “But, will he appear? That mass murderer that had killed numerous well-known officials these past few years? Hades, the Grim Reaper?” said Dan. “My friends said that Hades is actually not human. They said that he’s a demon in human flesh. After all, there’s no way for a mere human to move like that. Have you seen the videos of his massacre? He’s—“

  “—Stop,” Sazi interjected. “I don’t want you to watch things like that. Understand?”

  He was almost glaring, but it did not fail to conceal the suppressed wallow within his eyes. His younger brother noticed it. The child nodded once in response. “Yes, Brother. I am… sorry.”

  Sazi heaved a sigh of resignation. He forced a smile. “It’s fine. You still have to go to school. Finish those then we’ll go.”

  ***

  “Your Holiness, please…,” One of the fifteen Swiss guards spoke. “We should go to the Borgia Apartments. It’s safer there.”

  The Pope gently smiled and waved his hand, “It is fine. The Church shall not be intimidated by such declaration. God will protect his people.”

  The guards looked at each other. Trickles of sweat were evident on their foreheads as they traversed through the Clementine Hall. Numerous renaissance frescoes were imprinted on the ground, and the colors seemed to amalgamate, creating a larger and more grandiose appearance. A statue of St. Peter was seen beside an arched entrance, just in front of a pedestal.

  The group entered through the arched path, and they were immediately greeted by the paintings of the previous Borgias. The paintings depicted surreal divine-like images. Peculiarly enough, the contrasting colors—mainly black and yellow, seemed to belie the imagery desired. It was like the painter himself was forced to do such artwork.

  After a few more minutes of walk, they entered the Papal Chapel. On the ceiling were paintings made by Michaelangelo himself. The imagery of angels seemed to hover on top of the pristine chapel, creating an atmosphere that was without a doubt divine. At the very front of the silver-gold pedestal was the image of Christ on the cross.

  “I shall pray,” The pope said. His garb, a pallium over a chasuble, slightly fluttered as he turned to the Swiss Guards behind him. He added, “I want to be left alone for now.”

  The Swiss guards were stuck at a dilemma. The entire world was afraid of the Pope’s death, and as the one directly guarding the highest official of the Church, every one of the Swiss guards felt the weight of the responsibility upon their shoulders. Though each one of them was with great capabilities, they still have the inevitable fear of the unknown. The unknown known as Hades, the Grim Reaper.

  The guards glanced at each other.

  “We’re sorry your Holiness,” One of the guards lowered his head. “But we cannot leave you alone. Please, just for this day, allow us to accompany you as you pray.”

  The pope gently smiled. “I understand. Let us pray together—for this world’s love and prosperity.”

  Everyone heaved a sigh of relief at those words. Filled with gentleness, the Pope placed his ferula topped with a crucifix on a wooden rectangular table, and placed his Tiara beside it. Afterwards, he knelt down before the crucified figure of Christ, and clasping both hands, he began praying.

  The Swiss Guards stood in array behind the Pope, warily gazing at their immediate surroundings. Any time now, Hades would come to attempt to assassinate his Holiness—that was if he was able to get pass through the absurd security outside. Surrounding the entire Apostolic Palace were thousands of veteran soldiers fully armed to the teeth. All were ready to kill Hades at a moment’s notice.

  Though as expected, the CCTVs were not implanted inside the Apostolic Palace. It was sacrilegious. Still, the very best soldiers in the entire world were tasked to personally oversee the Pope’s safety: the fifteen Swiss Guards.

  It was ten o’clock in the evening. Once the clock hits twelve, the day would be over—signifying that Hades had failed to kill the Pope in the designated time. Each ticks of the clock sent everyone in the Swiss Guards to their edge. It seemed that time had slowed down, almost frozen. Numerous trickles of sweat flowed down the faces of the battle hardened individuals. Still, everyone had resolved themselves to die for the Pope, no matter what.

  Pope…

  A whisper was heard by the kneeling leader of the Church. It was faint, and was heard by only him. Still kneeling, he looked up towards his front, and what greeted him was the figure of the crucified Christ.

  Pope…

  He heard the whisper again. Peculiarly, it seemed to come from the figure of Christ himself. Slowly, the ash-haired Pope stood up; his stare was transfixed on the figure. The Swiss Guards stood in attention as they watched their Holiness walk towards the statue. Everyone thought that the Pope was going to kiss the feet of the crucified Christ.

  Pope…

  Another whisper. The Pope touched the body of the life-sized figure, and reverently spoke, “My God….”

  The Pope’s eyes slightly widened when he saw the eyes of the crucified statue of Christ move—it stared directly at him. Immediately, as quick the blink of an eye, the statue moved and detached itself from the cross. With the sound of a wind, the aged man’s head fell and rolled over the floor. Everyone was stunned speechless at the sudden scenario. It had never occurred to them that the famous statue would suddenly move and decapitate its faithful servant’s head.

  Mouth slightly opened, everyone’s eyes widened in great disbelief. After a few more moments, the statue formed numerous cracks, and shattered into dust, revealing the figure of a masked man in black get-up. Without waiting for the stunned soldiers to have a time to react, he dashed towards them at a surprisingly impossible speed. And using his twin blades, he beheaded one guard after another. After ten seconds, half of the Swiss Guards slumped onto the ground—beheaded and lifeless. The extreme bloodlust emitted by Hades sent everyone into the brink of insanity.

  Using their halberds, the remaining Swiss Guards charged towards the sole decapitator. All knew that their efforts would be in vain after seeing just once the surreal strength of their opponent. Still, they dashed forward. Everyone knew that it was their duty, and they were more than glad to accompany their Holiness to his resting grounds.

  Hades dodged a gash from a halberd above, and after a quick sidestep, he slashed horizontally towards the head of the guard. Its skull split open, and slid down the ground. Its brain splattered with a horrifying ~shak sound.

&nbs
p; Multiple slashes were aimed at him, and he dodged each of it by a whisper. Using the momentum of his evasion, he slashed the neck of a guard, and pierced the neck of another. Somehow, the Grim Reaper of the Leopold Family always aimed for a one-hit kill. Forty seconds after his appearance, the number of Swiss Guards dwindled to just one. The remaining soldier was paled face as he tried to buckle his knees before the diabolic apparition.

  “D-demon!” The guard uttered. He knew that the fifteen guards assigned to personally protect the Pope were the strongest ones possible. Still, the Grim Reaper seemed to belie all of that. In less than a minute, almost all of the so called strongest guards were decimated. It was a cardinal rule that firearms were not allowed inside the Apostolic Palace, and even during such time of peril, the Church had chosen to adhere to the rule.

  The guard knew that he was about to die. Dashing towards the Grim Reaper, he prayed. “Oh God in heaven, forgive me—forgive us for failing to protect the Vicar of Christ.”

  Raising his blessed halberd into the heavens, he vertically slashed at the apparition of a demon. The slash hit nothing but an after image. After the sound of the wind, his head fell down the ground, all the while he saw his headless body quiver for a moment before kissing the frescoes imprinted on the Apostolic Chapel. His vision blurred, and he was embraced by the soothing sensation called death.

  Hades stood there; his eyes were partly covered by his night black hair. His black cloak was speckled with large blots of blood, and his twin blades glimmered underneath the grandiose chandelier’s blaze. He glanced towards the scene of carnage before him, and his gaze darted towards the headless body of the Pope. The scent of fresh blood lingered in the air.

  “…” He slightly bowed down his head. His eyes flickered of sorrow for an instance, belying the previous bloodthirsty appearance of the demon.

  After such act, he walked towards the Apostolic Chapel’s only entrance, and opened the thick oaken door. As expected, numerous guards greeted him; all were wearing a stunned and mortified expression as their eyes darted from him and to the scene of carnage, and back. Without hesitation, he immediately beheaded each and every one of them. The divine hall was tainted with large splatters of blood with his every swing of the blade. He moved at a frightening speed, all the while decimating everyone he encountered along the way.

  Somehow, the Grim Reaper of the Leopold Family disappeared without a trace after that. The thousands of soldiers stationed outside never had the chance to catch a glance of even his shadow. Only those inside the Apostolic Palace had encountered the diabolic apparition, and everyone that had seen his blood-filled figure did not live to tell the tale.

  That day, the Grim Reaper of the Leopold Family’s name reverberated further all throughout the world. A bounty of 300 million dollars was placed upon his head, and he was branded as the worst criminal in history.

  ***

  Three knocks were heard, the door creaked open, and a young man entered.

  “You’ve been so popular lately. I’ve seen the news,” the bearded man said. His eyes were twinkling as he gazed at the man in front of him. “I’ve never laughed so hard in my life! Kukukuku!”

  The bearded man kept chuckling. His face formed numerous wrinkles from his each and every smile. He grabbed a bottle of Dow Vintage Port wine, and poured it on his wineglass.

  Afterwards, he grabbed the glass and stood up, his face looking towards the windowpane. A breathtaking scenario of the night city was seen from their position of forty stories above the ground. Innumerable dots of neon red and yellow declared themselves, filling the eyes of the two with spectacular sight.

  “I guess this is the end huh?” The bearded guy uttered. He took a sip on the light crimson wine on his left. “Today marks the death of Hades, and the birth of Sazi Leahmic—correct?”

  The moon was in full bloom, and the dark azure night sky was devoid of any stars. Clouds were hovering aimlessly above the life-filled city. A moment of silence enveloped the two before the man spoke.

  “Yes,” Sazi said. He closed his eyes for a few seconds and added, “For all your teachings—for everything. Thank you.”

  The bearded man heaved a loud sigh and turned towards the man. His eyes stared directly into Sazi’s.

  “Congrats… and good luck on your new life, my son,” He again turned around and stared at the bustling city.

  Sazi chose to remain silent as he too, stared at the bustling city.

  “Your brother, how is he? Heh~ such an adorable kid—I can still remember.”

  “He is fine, father. Dan… he is growing up. As his only family, I wish to be there to watch him grow. I will fill the gap left by the loss of our parents.” Sazi lightly clenched his fists.

  “Hades… no, Sazi—” The bearded man softly spoke. “The Leopold Family will always be your family. Whenever you need help, we—all of us will come to your aid.

  Sazi smiled at the remark. “I know father. I know. To you guys, to this family—I am eternally grateful.”

  A few minutes passed by after those words. Only the muffled sound of the lively city was heard. The chandelier above continued to illuminate the room light hazel, and the two remained there motionless, both gazing at the spectacular view of the night.

  The beard guy sipped his wine and broke the silence. “Mmmm, 1955? As expected of a Dow Vintage Port wine. The taste—oh ho ho. Want some?”

  “No, thank you,” Sazi politely said. He was still standing in the room. Two blades were hidden behind his black tuxedo.

  “Still hate the taste of liquor huh? You’re 21 now my child, you should at least try. Who would have thought that the legendary Grim Reaper of the family is weak to alcohol? Hahaha! I’m sure the entire world will be stunned when they find out!” His beard moved along his laughter. “Let me ask you one last question,” The bearded man paused. He was still gazing at the city lights. “Did you regret killing the Pope?”

  “No,” Sazi immediately responded. It was said without hesitation, without remorse. “For my brother, I will do everything—even if it means forsaking my humanity. For him, I am more than willing to be branded as a mass murderer.”

  “An expected answer. Still, I am glad. A thousand assassinations. You are free now my son.” He pulled out a bank note, and walked towards Sazi. “Here. It should be enough to support you and your brother for a lifetime—probably up to the fifth generation? Losing our greatest assassin is a serious blow against us, but we of the Leopold Family will be able to manage somehow. Enjoy life my son. You deserve it.”

  “Thank you father. I wish the family the very best,” Sazi said after receiving the check. Afterwards, he bowed down till his waist, his hair dangled before his fair-skinned face. After a few more moments, he raised his head and exited the room. The sound of the door shutting softly resounded. The bearded man was left there standing and staring at the shadow of his family’s greatest soldier.

  “It has been ten years since I’ve first met him huh? Nostalgic.” He turned towards the spotless windowpane. The view of the bustling city remained unchanged. “Hades… who would have thought that the child I met in the slums would one day become the strongest assassin? Really, life is full of unexpected things! Hah!”

  The Godfather of the Leopold Family raised his wine glass as if in toast. Grinning from ear to ear, he exhaled after the reminisce. The numerous city lights were reflected upon his aged sapphire eyes.

  ***

  It was evening, and the light downpour of snow filled the streets with white blanketed ground. Sazi was walking down the street of Pica Avenue, and his every step sank a good two inches underneath the piled up snow. A red scarf was twined around his neck, and on his right arm was a box wrapped in red cover. His brown furred overcoat covered his body down his knees. With his every breath, a subtle steam was created. He was fondly gazing before the road, eyes filled with longing.

  He passed by a restaurant that has a ‘Sorry we’re closed’ sign. After crossing over an intersection, he
turned left and continued walking. Occasional drops of snow that made contact with his body sent a cold chill down his warm skin. His dark black hair was covered with partial white as he stopped in front of a large house. The light beige color of lights was seen from the windows. The set of green curtains was swept to one side, revealing the house’s tidy inside.

  He walked over the pedestal-like ground, and knocked on the mahogany-colored door. After three seconds, the voice of a child was heard. It was beaming with anticipation.

  “W-who is it?!” The gentle voice said as he opened the door, creating a squeaking sound. His grey eyes peered towards the looming figure before him, and his lips immediately formed into a smile. “Brother!”

  The small seraph leaped towards his brother’s arms and hugged him tight, not willing to let go.

  “Finally! You’re here!” The child said. His voice was muffled by the rough furred overcoat of his brother.

  “Yes, I’m here,” Sazi said. His eyes were smiling. “Merry Christmas Dan!”

  “Merry Christmas to you too, brother!” Dan responded.