Chapter 3: A Leap of Faith

His ears rang, and his head throbbed with pain. Cassius couldn't understand the strange noises around him, and the hard surface beneath him pinned him in place. Gradually, his blurred vision began to clear, but the darkness remained.

"What the hell?" he muttered, trying to swallow, but his throat was painfully dry.

"Ah, about time," said a hoarse voice.

"Where..." Cassius attempted to speak again, shaking his head to clear the lingering haze. "Where am I? Who the heck are you?"

The man appeared to be in his late fifties, with a bald head except for a fringe of silver hair at the back. He wore white robes adorned with a black livery collar. In the dim light of three candles in a candelabra on the table between them, Cassius tried to discern the collar's design but couldn't. 

Cassius had more pressing concerns. He was tied to a wooden chair in the center of an otherwise empty room, his wrists secured to the chair's arms and his ankles bound together. Across from him, the older man sat in a high-backed chair, fingers interlaced on the table, watching Cassius with a derisive smile.

"I must admit, you're not who we were looking for," the man said.

Cassius clenched his jaw, testing the tightness of his bonds while calculating his options. He might be able to break the chair or force himself free, but without weapons and not wanting to underestimate his adversary, he knew he needed to proceed cautiously.

"The man we require for the task has to be a—"

The door to the room swung open, and another man entered. The older man jumped to his feet, smoothing down his robe before stepping away from the chair. The newcomer wore a uniform, marking him as a high-ranking officer. His dark hair was closely cropped, and he had a sternness to his face that halted Cassius' thoughts.

"Cassius Perote Sadon," the man stated crisply. Cassius's eyes widened at the sound of his full name. It had been years since anyone had uttered those words. If he remembered correctly, the last time was when his mother had left him in the market, whispering those three words before disappearing from his life forever. He had been only eight years old, yet every detail from that day remained vivid in his mind.

Cassius opened his mouth to demand who the man was and what he wanted, but the officer beat him to it.

"You're smart enough to know where you are. The fact that you haven't tried to escape proves you are a patient man. Patience is the key element in the task we have planned for you."

"Who are you?" Cassius asked.

The officer raised an eyebrow. "Last I checked, you don't ask for your clients' personal details."

"Last I checked, my clients don't knock me out and tie me to a chair before telling me what they want from me," Cassius said.

"Fair enough," the officer said. "I'm Maréchal Roflt Herman. I work for the Axis of Seraphim, which you already know. This man here is Azemar Miphel, the initiate master of the organization."

Cassius glanced at the older man, who seemed to straighten with pride as Roflt introduced him.

"We have brought you here because we need you for an important task."

"Why me?" Cassius couldn't help but ask.

Roflt clicked his tongue in frustration, but Miphel stepped in to answer.

"At the moment, everyone in the organization is busy. Since the job doesn't require specialized expertise, we've decided to bring in someone new."

"Okay, what is the job?" Cassius redirected his question to Roflt.

"There are two, in fact. We're offering you a choice," Roflt replied, settling back in his chair. Miphel moved closer, his steps nearly silent as he began to pace around Cassius' chair.

"A woman is hiding somewhere in Adaria," Miphel began, "someone who has evaded us for a long time, given that she is immortal. It's something unheard of. And she seems to recognize our operatives. We must understand how she's achieved a long life and bring her in."

Cassius furrowed his brow, processing the information. So, the mission was to track down and capture this elusive woman.

"Is she dangerous?" he asked cautiously.

"Yes," Roflt answered evenly. "She's an Amazon."

Cassius froze for a moment, absorbing the gravity of the situation.

Amazons were women who dedicated their lives to achieving peak martial prowess through rigorous training. Highly skilled in combat, they were well-known for enduring harsh conditions—extreme heat or frigid cold—and maintained strict, healthy diets. They defeated opponents decisively, sparing only girls to train as Amazons. Boys were cast into the Dark Pit, where they endured over twenty years in perpetual darkness, kept alive by ample food that was just enough to stop them from dying due to mystical properties.

After two decades, these men—known as Sorcerers, emerged with the ability to manipulate temperatures, either raising them to boiling or lowering them to deadly cold. Due to the plentiful food in the Dark Pit, Sorcerers often grew overweight. 

Amazons were known to exploit Sorcerers, using their powers to gain battlefield advantages without regard for their dignity. Some Sorcerers were sold to the highest bidder, while others served as human shields in combat. 

Cassius' heart thrummed with excitement, though he held himself back from reacting too eagerly.

"What is the other job?" he managed to ask.

"You need to hunt down and eliminate a doctor," Roflt said, leaning forward in his chair. "We believe he's gone astray, committing the most heinous crimes possible for someone in his profession."

Cassius nodded thoughtfully, considering the task ahead.

"Who is he?" Cassius asked. "What kind of crime?"

"We don't have the specifics," Miphel replied. "We're relying on you to uncover them and neutralize this threat."

"Has something happened?"

"Well, we have reason to believe it has. And things are only going to worsen in the future."

"You do realize that I need more information," Cassius said with a snort.

"Of course, and you'll receive it once you've decided."

"Okay," Cassius nodded, his mind racing with thoughts. "Why do you need me for this particular task?"

Roflt smiled and answered, "Because if you die, there's no risk of sensitive information being leaked from the organization. And if you fail, we will eliminate you without hesitation."

Anger surged through every fiber of Cassius' being. He wanted to unleash curses at the two men, break free from the chair, and wield the dagger still strapped to his ankles. Why they hadn't confiscated it, he didn't know, but the urge to use it was overwhelming.

But Cassius held back. He couldn't afford to jeopardize this opportunity. Climbing the social ladder and making a name for himself depended on succeeding in this job.

"And if I succeed?" he asked, trying to keep his tone steady.

Roflt leaned back, a faint smile playing on his lips. "Then you will join the Axis of Seraphim."

For a moment, Cassius stopped thinking. This was what he had always wanted. To be recognized, respected, and never looked down upon again.

Cassius knew which job he wanted to take. Finding the Amazon woman and bringing her in was straightforward, but the job with so little information surely had more to it than they were letting on. Besides, Cassius didn't want to bite off more than he could chew.

"I'll take on the doctor," he told Roflt. The Maréchal grinned and rose from his seat. 

"Good. Before you begin, you'll receive a briefing. But first, sign the oaths agreeing to everything we've discussed."

Cassius watched Roflt depart, his heart pounding. A small voice in his mind questioned his decision.

Did I make the right choice?

Only time will tell.

After Miphel and Roflt, three masked men dressed in black leather entered the room. With each man holding one of his arms, they untied Cassius and guided him outside. Cassius clenched his jaw, frustrated at being treated like a criminal. If these people wanted his services, they should be treating him civilly.

Cassius was led through a maze of corridors to a soberly furnished room, half of which served as an office and the other half as a living area. The office featured a sturdy wooden desk with walls adorned with maps of the local region and other territories. Cassius' eyes swept over them, lingering on a shelf filled with scrolls and ledgers. He wondered what secrets of the Axis of Seraphim they contained. A high-backed wooden chair stood at the far end of the desk, reserved for Roflt. In the corner to the left of the desk, a suit of armor, complete with swords and shields, stood as a silent lookout man.

The residence area contained a single cot with a straw mattress covered by a woolen blanket. A chest was at the foot of the bed, and a wooden cupboard stood beside it. The room was lit by oil lamps placed on wall sconces and the table.

Miphel pushed Cassius into one of the chairs opposite Roflt and took the one beside him. Cassius looked around, taking in the tapestries covering the walls and the personal items decorating the table, like a prayer book and some scrolls. A brazier to Roflt's right provided warmth.

"Do you like it?" Roflt asked, his voice daring. Cassius understood the underlying meaning—Roflt asked if he had assessed potential escape routes.

 "It's fine," Cassius said with a casual shrug. "I've seen better."

"I'm sure you have," Roflt said, tossing a scroll toward him. Miphel pulled out a pot of ink and a quill.

Cassius opened the scroll gingerly, struggling against his tied hands. His eyes skimmed through the content. It was a contract that clearly outlined the outcomes of the mission Roflt had mentioned before. If he failed, the Axis of Seraphim would not be held responsible, and the right to eliminate him would be retained. If he succeeded, he would be allowed to work for them.

Taking a deep breath, Cassius signed the scroll.

Roflt accepted it with a satisfied smile. Before Cassius could ask more about the mission, a sharp blow to the back of his head plunged him into darkness once more.

Stay tuned for the next chapter on 01/17/25