A Killer's Heart

Silas Black was a monster.

He was made a monster when his father tormented him, when he carved a hot knife into his back and when he was forced to become an Espada, the unholy assassins that served the Empire, except now Silas no longer served the Empire, he had killed his own father and lived within the slums of Kapernaros.

The ex Espada was still a killer however, and a very good one at that. He was cold and callous and detached: traits befitting of an assassin. Those who wanted people dead would seek out the man, and pay him a hefty price in order to complete their mission.

The night was warm, and Silas sat there with a content smile on his face. It had been months since his last assassination and as of now, the dark skinned man simply enjoyed whatever peace that he could attain. Carefully, there came a soft knocking at the door and Silas rose to his feet slowly; his right hand wrapping around the hilt of the handle of the knife that never left his side.

Almost silently, he opened the door and was met with confusion as he looked down at a young girl; maybe 14 years old.

“Who are you? What are you doing here?” he asked and the young girl shuffled awkwardly, her tattered clothing coated with dirt and… blood. Scars ate away at her fair skin, and Silas looked down at her as she placed her gaze on the floor.

“Do you know where I can find Silas Black?” the girl whispered as she fished 3 bronze Denar from her pocket.

For a moment, Silas only stared at the three coins in the girl's hand. They were in no way expensive coins, this would barely buy him enough grain for a day, so the real question was why was this girl looking for him?

“What do you want with Silas Black?” the assassin asked and almost immediately tears fell from the girl's eyes.

“My… father. He hurts me,” as to emphasize the point she raised her arms to him to show her the scars that laced the frail limbs “In other ways too.”

The unnamed girl's hands absentmindedly wrapped around her waist as she pressed her legs closer together subconsciously and Silas’s bright eyes went wide with some form of unholy rage but he kept his voice measured as he knelt and looked at the girl’s face. Her eyes were a pale shade of emerald, with gold laced throughout them but there was a fear in her eyes as well. She had dark bags under her eyes, as though she hadn’t slept in days.

“I want him to stop, to never hurt me again,”

“What’s your name?” Silas’s deep voice asked and the girl shifted her weight on her feet.

“Laia Aquilla,”

“I am Silas Black, Laia. Do you want me to kill your father?”

---

Laia Aquilla had always been weak.

She was reminded of this whenever her father would come home in a drunken stupor, when he would beat and bruise her, and force her to do things against her will. She wanted nothing more than to be free of him, and so one day, she set out to find someone to save her from him. The people of Kapernaros were cold people, ones who cared only for themselves. She had sold her clothing in exchange for three meager bronze Denar, and it was with this that she had hoped to be able to pay a Monster to kill her own.

She had heard rumors about him: the man they called Silas Black. He would kill with no question, assuming one had the Denar to pay with and it was this very man she had hoped to find. She walked aimlessly around the slums of Kapernaros for a week, she was filthy, tired, and ready to yield. That was until she found the man she searched so desperately for: the man to rid her of her monster. She had finally found Silas Black. He was younger than she expected, maybe about 20 years old. They said that anyone who saw his face would not live to tell the tale.

Laia stood there with her shaking hand outstretched as she eagerly waited for Silas to accept her meager payment. For a moment, the killer shook his head and rose to his feet, his massive stature dwarfing her frail form.

The man moved as though he was a ghost and removed a cloak from the hook on the wall and wrapped himself in the garment made of darkness.

“Keep your Denar, this is one kill that I will not mind doing freely. Afterwards you shall remain here, Laia Black, and I shall show you how to become strong.”

Laia couldn’t believe it! And wait, had he called her Laia Black? Was the assassin truly attempting to adopt her after this? Silas simply left, the door closing behind him quietly and there the girl stood for a moment, lost as to what to do. Tiredness crept into her bones as she dropped herself onto the couch in the simple living room, and before she knew it, Laia had fallen asleep.

---

Silas Black was a monster.

He knew this well.

He had killed many who were deserving, and many who were not. But the man that he had set out to kill now was someone who was more than deserving of his blade. Wrapped in his cloak, Silas wondered why in that moment he had decided to keep Laia. She reminded him of himself as a child, weak and frail and hurt. Where both their Fathers had failed them, Silas decided that he would be better: that he would show her what it was that she needed to learn, to survive and live.

He would be a better father to her than this man would ever hope to be.

Silas Black was a monster, but even monsters could learn to love. Even they could earn redemption.