Walk of life

Different Decisions

Keira didn’t know how she had ended up in a private room, nor how long she had been there. Her mind had been trapped in memories of the childhood trauma she thought her godfather had helped her bury.

What Aldric had shown her had reopened wounds and raised countless unanswered questions.

If I am Keira Moss… then who was the Keira Moss I killed?

If Aldric had managed to discover that she was the real Keira Moss, then what about her godfather? What about the organization that had given her the mission to wipe out the Moss family? Had they known the truth all along?

She suddenly burst into hysterical laughter.

“Man… I thought it wouldn’t matter if I ever found my real family,” she muttered bitterly. “But here I am, unable to stop thinking about them.”

“Keira… you should probably calm down,” said a voice she hadn’t even realized was in the room. She had been so lost in her thoughts that she hadn’t noticed anyone enter.

“Calm down?” she repeated, her voice trembling with the edge of madness. “Did you just tell me to calm down?”

She laughed again, though there wasn’t an ounce of joy in it.

“Do you know how many families I’ve destroyed? Do you know how many limbs I’ve severed? How many children begged and cried for me to spare them?” Her breathing became uneven. “And now I find out I was sent to destroy the very family I’ve spent years searching for.”

She clutched her head as another painful laugh escaped her lips.

“Is the organization abandoning me… or have they been playing me all along?”

Silence settled over the room before she slowly lifted her head.

“Aldric…” she called, her voice surprisingly calm now. “There’s something you’re not telling me. I can feel it.”

She locked eyes with him.

“Why did you investigate the family I was sent after this time? You never interfere with my missions.”

Aldric remained silent for a moment before answering.

“You shouldn’t concern yourself with that. All you need to know is that I am doing everything I can to protect you.”

“Protect me?” she snapped. “Protect me from whom? Are you saying they’re more powerful than I am?”

“Keira,” Aldric replied gently, “not everything can be solved with raw strength. And despite you being stronger than all of us combined, that doesn’t make us weak.”

She stared at him for a long moment before speaking.

“Tomorrow, I’ll return to my previous destination. Don’t come to see me off. I’ll pretend I never saw those files you gave me.”

She paused.

“And don’t worry. I won’t report what you’ve done.”

Her voice carried the unmistakable determination of someone who had already made up her mind.

A faint smile appeared on Aldric’s face.

“Then let me say goodbye now.”

He opened his arms, inviting her into an embrace.

After a brief hesitation, Keira stepped forward and leaned into him.

Suddenly, she felt a sharp prick against her neck.

No…

I can’t trust anyone…

Her vision blurred as darkness swallowed her whole.

“I’m sorry,” Aldric whispered as he gently laid her unconscious body on the bed. “I can’t allow you to go back there… not yet.”