Darkness.

December 16th, 1990.

'At the time I was 16. Still in the prime of my life, wondering what I'll be doing for the rest of it. Every day felt like the same thing over and over and over again. Until I met him.'

In an unknown land across the sea from the Empire, the young Andri walked down the city streets, his long black hair tied into a bun. Once the boy bypassed an alleyway, something called out to him. Something internal.

He turned around and peered into the alley, frowning at the sight of nothing more than a vacant dead end. About to return to continuously strutting down the streets, an intense pressure weighed down on his being. The feeling within his body drained and inexplicably, his mind went blank. The very shadow of whoever loomed behind him was enough to send chills throughout his entire body.

Umbra's life flashed before his eyes. 'Is this it? Is there where I die—?' Then, it stopped.

"What's wrong, my boy?" Andri turned around. Atlas towered over him from behind and smirked, letting his long black hair flow with the wind. "You look like you've just seen a ghost."

"I-I… huh?"

Amit grabbed the youth by the face. "The Fate within you is destined for greatness. Until we meet again, son."

Umbra was thrown into the wall but didn't smash through it. Instead, he fell through space and began descending. His head threw back—vision engulfed by colors. Everything was conjoined. Past, present, future. It was all too jumbled. Once Umbra recuperated, he fell to his knees, his surroundings replaced with an unfamiliar environment and bright-purple sky fit for a fantasy.

"Huh?"

Time in Fate's Realm was instantaneous. Though, for some reason, the feeling of longing remains. An odd yet distant sensation that all but confirmed his imprisonment. The moment he was thrown in, his entrapment ended, and he wound up here, in this distant land.

"I see you're awake," Atlas said.

Umbra gasped and turned, facing the Progenitor again. "Y-you! What the hell did you do to me!"

"I gave you a life." His hand raised, "Didn't you think it was time you got off your high horse as a useless teenager and did something with yourself? Walking around aimlessly, doing nothing—those are useless things. All movement is precious so you must make it useful. I will give you a purpose. You'll move for the sake of my vision and when the proper time arrives, you'll die for my sake," he said.

His nostrils flared. "What? Who the hell do you think you're talking to? I'm not dying for you, old man!"

"You will. There is no other option."

Umbra's eyes reflected the tenacious man's unrivaled intensity. Though he tried to resist, the mere scent of Atlas's force suppressed him; in other words… The Progenitor was right.

As a new member of the Displacement Committee of the Deserter Association, Umbra served along with his fellow Rank-0 brethren. He never got along with them. All for one, that is. The man wearing shades indoors and looking down at a bowl of ramen during lunch—none other than the Blessed Keres Illustrious.

The duo was inseparable. A bond incomparable to anything else. In a world of strife and pain, all they had was each other. In such a place, one would forget everything, living blissfully while committing atrocities. As Deserters together, murder came naturally for them. The stench of blood eventually became normal to Umbrazž Caz x..

Kill. Clean. Kill. Clean.

The weight of life is one nobody knows. From the way, the flesh is easily sliced like paper to the hollow eyes of his victims. Andri couldn't avert his gaze. He was cast into this life for some reason. But why? All he did was walk past an alleyway and what? Because of that, he had to commit atrocities for the rest of his life. The tragic tale of his life was gradually tangling. He began questioning everything, from the color of the skies to the purpose of his life.

Introspection. Umbra Andri never got to finish his youth, so it was only natural. Rarely are children ever actually forced into unknown careers, but he was different; his employer wasn't human. Whatever that man named Atlas desired, was it worth robbing his life?

He sighed. Idle on a bench while the sky was enveloped by sunny colors, Andri raised his hand, smoking from the joint fixed between his lips.

"Hey."

Umbra's head turned. "Oh, it's just you. What's wrong?" he asked, looking straight ahead and inhaling a bit more.

Keres sat beside his friend and crossed his legs. "Nothing just wanted to see where you were," he smiled.

He gazed at the clouds stained with the palette of the sunset's vibrancy. The fiery tone colored his fair-skinned features before his neck angled, looking at Umbra and his extended hand. A packet of cigarettes. The Deserter smiled.

"Thanks," He took them.

Andri vented smoke. "Don't mention it," he said.

The birds that flew overhead, flapping their wings–were they free? Umbra's red eyes reflected their feathers swaying in the wind. While the faint sound of their honking faded, the Displacement turned, drawn to the lighter's continuous flicker. Keres removed the cigarette from his mouth following its ignition and exhaled.

He turned to his friend. "What?"

Umbra looked away. "Nothing," he looked down, smoking more from the joint, "Just thinking, I guess."

"About?"

Dark clouds crowded the sky. While the colors sunk into the heavens, Keres put the stick in his mouth, quickly inhaling before lowering it.

"What do you think about the Director? Is he a good person?"

Keres chuckled. "What kinda question is that?" Gazing back at the sky, its colors brightened his face. "Of course he is. He saved my life."

"Your life?" Umbra smoked more from his joint. "What even happened with you anyway? I never got around to asking, but from the way you talked about it, sounds interesting," he said.

The future proxy looked down, "I was distracted. Atlas showed me the proper path. That's all there is to it."

"How's that saving you though?" Andri sighed. "Whatever. Just forget I said anything, man." He stood up and scratched his neck. "See you back at base—"

"I suck at lying," Keres interrupted.

The Displacement stopped. He shifted his footing—now facing his friend.

"Atlas saved me, that's the truth. But I don't remember." His wide-eyed expression with tearful eyes and clenched teeth surprised Umbra. "I can't remember a single thing about that day… or why I'm here. Though, it's odd. Our freedom fluctuates from time to time. Perhaps that's his spell fluctuating?"

"I doubt it."

Umbra clipped the joint against his lighter, putting it in an empty cigarette packet. He looked up and sighed. Even the unyielding light of the sun wasn't enough to comfort his soul. Perhaps he would always remain tangled this way—questioning the difference between right and wrong.

"Humans feel pain naturally. When they hit their bodies somewhere it hurts, they curse. That is emotion." Andri turned to him, "Tell me, Keres, what does it mean to feel emotion? It's been so long… I've forgotten the sensation."

Illustrious looked up at his friend with somber eyes. In that which reflected the soul, Umbra shined brighter than all, despite the depth of his innate darkness. Even the sun shining on them couldn't compare to the rays of youth emanating from the core of the Displacement's being. Nevertheless, Keres sighed. That same light he thought so fondly of was intangible, to Umbra. Never would he know how others viewed him or the truth of the words they spoke.

Keres stood up. "Stop thinking about that type of stuff. Pain, emotion, humans. It's inconsequential. You're already… human enough as it is, aren't you?"

The man's words echoed through time. Hours later, Umbra sat atop a skyscraper, admiring the cityscape's sparkling scenery. Even after their talk, he still thought about the words Keres spoke. Andri sunk into the familiar cold air, feeling it all flow around him while his long black hair moved in tandem with the sway of the wind. Blood continued to shed for the sake of the Director. Over and over and over again, Andri would stain himself with their innards, hoping for some sort of release by the time his sin was finished. Nevertheless, he was still hollow.

'You're already human enough as it is, aren't you?'

How could he ever accept such a blatant lie? His memories were gone, he felt no emotion and this body was unfamiliar. The distance of that past to the present as he experienced it felt nigh-boundless. Even so, he yearned for another chance, no matter how baseless it was. Umbra was reluctant. Reluctant to believe his human life and emotional life had been snuffed out so ruthlessly. He was now but a pawn on someone else's chessboard. His life was no longer his own. There was nowhere else for him to turn besides that conclusion. And so, the darkness consumed him.

The Rank-0 Displacement, Umbra Andri, climbed the Deserters' ranks. Using his newly-awakened Predestined Power, he found joy in not baselessly murdering—but battle. Oftentimes on an assignment, Andri would allow his target to live, simply because he enjoyed fighting them. At long last, he'd found his life's purpose.

Until the present. Motionless in Alora's arms, he gazed into her eyes and smiled at her face.

"Thank you… for freeing me," he weakly said.

She nodded. "You don't have to thank me. It's all right now. You'll be going somewhere better—somewhere happier. A place where no one will ever dare to hurt you again. A place beyond the sky's endless clouds…"

The weakened Displacement blinked. In an instant, the environment altered, resembling that of a vast night with nothing but the stars. Umbra couldn't believe his eyes. This scenery was unimaginable. Standing atop the sky, gazing at eternal space, Umbra's breath shakily hitched. It was almost too good to be true.

"Nice to see you again," Keres said. "Been a while."

Umbra snickered. He stood up, facing his friend. His extra eyes were gone—just his pale human face and dead brown orbs. The proxy grinned, tilting his head.

"So, Lora beat you, huh?"

"Yeah. Your girl's pretty strong. Whatever happened between you and her mother anyway?" he asked.

"Oh, that? Pretty long story. Sure you wanna hear it?" Keres asked.

"Of course!" Umbra beamed. "After all, we have all the time in the world… don't we?"

Freedom was his.

Umbra Andri and Keres Illustrious died on June 15th, 2022—both killed by the Blessed Enforcer named Alora.

To Be Cont.