“Thanks for your concerns. But, you know I will exact revenge upon the government; I’m too weak and alone for that now, but I will make it happen.”
The room's atmosphere quickly shifts to a gloomy one as the memories of his past begin to haunt him once more.
“YO! YO! ... hey!!! You’re good?” Ceaser calls out to Sewo, noticing him lost in his thoughts which he can tell are not very pleasant.
“Hmm... yeah I am here. By the way, I think it is about time you told me your backstory.” Sewo changes the topic in hopes of changing this tense mood.
With a face that screamed I am glad you asked, Ceaser starts to answer Sewo— “Well, my mother is a Professor in a government Institute, My father is an engineer himself and I was inspired by him and so I graduated as an engineer, but I knew I was really good at fighting, so even when I was a teen up until my graduation, I picked up several skills that ought to serve me well in the long run, I also have a whole lot of fighting experience from all the fights I have been in.” Ceaser gets lost in his thoughts and he pours out his heart and emotions to Sewo, the only one who he knows might understand.
Ceaser starts pacing around the room, his hands moving to give gestures, he speaks like a mad philosopher: “I have had 2 girlfriends so far and I love them both a lot, still. I love listening to music, writing poems and such. My goal in life is perfection, I don’t like to half-ass things and hate people that do so, I have learnt it the hard way but, Waiting for the right thing to come your way, to then become an expert in it is the worst, I would rather be an expert in a thousand skills than be an expert in one skill that I have to look for and waste half my life doing so. I am very much fine with dying young, what I do not like is living a pathetic life where there is no joy, no spark and I go to bed with regrets of not having done as much as I could.”
“You are quite the guy, Ceaser. What does Perfection mean to you? Is it doing things the way they are supposed to be done by the symmetrical preference of nature? Is it you following the exact conventions to deliver the most accurate model for something?” Sewo questions Ceaser. This shocked him as he was expecting to get made fun of or Sewo just not understanding what he said, but this was not at all what he had expected from Sewo.
“Perfection huh? To me... yeah now I know. To me, perfection is me bringing my imagination to reality. If there exists an idea in my mind, then perfection to me would be, me executing that idea with the same or better steps which allow me to recreate that idea into the world, that way I will have created something that no one but me could have thought of and that would leave my mark on the world. It is also more about me trying every single thing I can to make sure whatever I do is not mediocre, at least not by efforts. My mother always said, 'It is the efforts that matter. No mountain can be destroyed in a day, but every single day a part of it can, that way if you put in 100% every single day, one day your efforts will even conquer the mountains which will be the proof of your efforts.'”
His eyes widen as to show that Sewo has been enlightened by the words from Ceaser. He has just found a friend he didn’t just want, but needed desperately. There are so many things I can learn from him, I will learn every single good thing I can, from Ceaser.
“You have a very strong purpose in life, brother, I truly respect you. I... to be honest with you, I want to take revenge for my family too, but it’s just that I do not wish to succumb to this revenge and the darkness it brings along. I want to live a normal life, I want to get strong, I want to experience the joy of learning new things, the freedom of love, I have no doubt in my mind that I will kill when need be, but I refuse to be a slave to these negatives. I want to learn the way to a happy and fulfilled life. A life where I have kids and raise them right, a friend like you who is like a brother and a purpose that I chase until the end of times. Revenge is not my purpose, it is merely a task I must take care of, it’s my moral duty, but that doesn’t mean I will half-ass it.”
This guy, he is not that stupid huh. He has a lot more to him than I thought he would. He doesn’t act like a degenerate and he is not consumed by the darkness even though the world only cast its shadows on him. Finally, mother... I have found the very friend I had always wanted. Someone who is willing to learn and change, A person with an open mind. You were right mother, people like him exist. He is my brother from this moment. Ceaser is lost in his own world when Sewo calls for him.
“Hello? Hey brother, what are you thinking about so intently?”
“Sewo... you are a man amongst men, you are not a killer. I respect you and what you stand for. From this moment onwards, we are friends, not just friends... we are brothers. It’s the only name I can give to our bond. You are like a brother to me from now. I hope we stick together as long as possible and we learn from each other as much as possible, brother.” Ceaser speaks in an excited tone which carries a hint of compassion and genuine affection.
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“Okay brother, I accept this bond of ours too. By the way... what do you think about hunting targets together from today onwards? We can hunt several enemies and we can just take points alternately.” His legs shake; although not noticeable, he is nervous, still Sewo puts forward the proposal.
“Hmm... I'll take the odd numbered kills and you take the even ones, your offer is definitely very good. We both know each other’s capabilities and I think It’s only right that I agree to your proposal. I accept!” Ceaser answers in affirmation as he creates mental images of the two fighting alongside to defeat foes.
A moment of pause fills the room with silence as the two recollect their thoughts, when Ceaser has another point to make to Sewo.
“Why not get a prosthetic arm? Wouldn’t it be better if you just get a new arm, it will greatly enhance your combat capacity since you fight with such disadvantage as of now. When you twist your body at awkward angles to generate force, it leads to a lot of stress in your joints; in the long run it will cause you problems. I am willing to invest in you, I can make a prosthetic for you, it will take 6-8 months, since I have never made one, but I will make it worth your while. In return you will have to spar with me every single day. Deal?”
“Fight you everyday? As in a friendly bout to help each other improve right?” Sewo questions, being unaware of what a spar might mean.
“Yes, exactly that!” Ceaser reaffirms.
“Hmm sure, I accept the deal, not like the assassins work in daylight anyways.”
The two then discuss their plans moving forward and decide on their roles. Sewo also agrees to move in and the two become roommates. Though their bond was forged in haste, its value was immeasurable. Their shared desperation created a rare, immediate synchronization—two minds vibrating at the exact same frequency. In a world of shadows, when you finally stumble upon the very thing you’ve been denied, you don't pause to question its arrival. The risk of being betrayed is a trivial price to pay when compared to the absolute terror of being alone again.
As the happy moments settle down and ideas begin to flood their minds, Ceaser cannot sit still when such great ideas fill his conscious. He clears the table near the sofa and pulls out a big sheet of paper— “Well, let’s plan things out, we are not gonna half-ass it.”
“Okay, so hunting starts as soon as it gets dark, so we will be out hunting from 7:00 pm to 5:00 am in the morning; this will be our biggest working block for the day. By the way, a work block is where we only focus on one thing for that entire time duration,” Ceaser rambles as he makes a hunting block for the time specified.
“Then we have all the day to ourselves huh?”
“We will have to make a block where we eat and rest as well, so as soon as we return from the hunt after 5 am, we will both sleep till 11 am. That much is the minimum rest we need to suffice.” Ceaser then proceeds to add the block for 5-11 am under rest.
“From 11:30 to 1 pm we will work on our physical conditions, like your stamina and flexibility which definitely need a lot of work.” Ceaser marks another block for 1.5 hours under physicals. Sewo nods in agreement.
“After 1 pm, we both do our own stuff, which means, I will look into how to make a prosthetic arm and in the meanwhile you will be learning Swordsmanship and basic hand-to-hand combat skills from the books I give you. Do not copy their technique, but rather use them as inspiration for creating your own style. Okay?” Ceaser speaks in a bold tone, his words reflect surety and his confidence shows commitment. Sewo is excited to finally learn how to fight properly, since he has never actually received proper training.
“From 4 pm to 5 pm we will spar; in this slot, I want you to show me what you actually learned from the books, this is where we check what works for you and what doesn’t. I will teach you how to carve wooden weapons, so we can practice without the risk of injury.”
“From 5 to 6:30 pm we will shower up, eat food and get ready for our hunt, maybe even take a small nap. But by 6:30 we will leave the house. We cannot just let the others know that two assassins live here; the criminals on the target list will definitely cause us trouble. So we leave by 6:30 and get changed into our clothes for the hunt in some alleyway, after which we select targets in the remaining time.”
Everything Ceaser says, Sewo agrees. Not because he wants to please Ceaser, but because the plan was actually that simple and effective. Up until now, life was only about surviving the day; somehow it’s the first time Sewo has the liberty to follow a regimen and to practice skills which ensure his survival. It is his time to thrive and not just live a life where living to see the next day is the only reward.
They spend the entire day planning and moving Sewo’s stuff into the house. Sewo also showcases his two devices—the Void and FoodGood. Ceaser is quite intrigued by them and already has several ideas on how to use the Void. The two discuss strategies to use Void in combat and several other quality-of-life applications of the two.
Ceaser goes on to showcase his own device to Sewo, called Lenc.
Lenc is an enhancement type device which is basically a lens. It enhances the user’s eyes in multiple ways.
Device Name: Lenc
Grade: Black Index
Features:
- Allows user to see as clear in the night as in the day.
- Greatly enhances field of view.
- Allows to magnify distant images at will.
- Basic applications like changing color of pupils.
- Greatly increases the movement detection speed of eyes and fixes any eyesight related issues.
“That is such a cheat code item. No wonder you could spot me so clearly underwater back then and how you were able to follow me even when I was being cautious enough,” Sewo replies in amazement after checking out the device and learning of its capabilities from Ceaser.
The day ends as the two take their time and settle down eventually, they go out for food and come back when it's time to rest.
"A new day tomorrow and a new life for both , let's have a fresh start , towards a better life." Ceaser prays as the two end the day and take some rest. With excitement in his heart for what's to come , Sewo finds it difficult to go to sleep. Soon the night grows darker and both eventually end up sleeping . That marks the end of a bautiful day in their lives and the starting point of what lies ahead.