Timeless Assassin

(Dream World, Leo's POV)

The Timeless Assassin studied Leo intently, his gray eyes calm yet piercing, as though sifting through long-buried memories while searching for a trace of familiarity in the boy's face that refused to surface.

His black hair fell neatly to his shoulders, streaked faintly with silver at the temples, indicating that he was a middle aged man who, although within his prime, still had a few gray hairs of wisdom.

Overall, there was a gentleness to his features that made him seem more like a kind father than the universe-feared killer his legend proclaimed him to be, and instead of the instinctive fear Leo expected to feel upon meeting him, what stirred within him was a quiet, almost unsettling calm.

"Your eyes and ears… they carry my father's shape, and I can feel my blood flowing in your veins. Who are you, child? Are you one of my own?"

The voice struck Leo harder than the words, for its depth and tone reminded him of Jacob.

Not in accent, but in pitch, in timbre, in the way every syllable carried weight, sounding steady and mature.

It was like listening to a ghost of home, and the familiarity made Leo's chest tighten.

*Push*

Leo rose to his feet, brushing the dust from his clothes, before extending his hand forward, in a steady and respectful manner.

"I'm Leo Skyshard, sir. A descendant of yours."

He introduced, as the Timeless Assassin's expression broke into a smile that warmed his whole face, softening the sharpness of his gaze.

He clasped Leo's hand firmly, shaking it with surprising warmth.

"Ohhh… a descendant! That explains why you look like my father. Hahaha!"

His booming laughter filled the dreamscape as he placed his hands on his hips with exaggerated cheer, a gesture so carefree it made Leo's left eye twitch in disbelief.

This man before him looked more like a doting uncle than the peerless assassin whose name had once shaken empires.

"But tell me, son… how did you come across this vial? I left them only for Kaelith and Soron. I trust my children are faring well?"

He asked, as Leo scratched awkwardly at the back of his neck, his voice lower than usual.

"Well, sir… it was your son Soron who gave me the vial. He told me that if you asked about him, I should not say much, because he wants to tell you the story of his life himself. Preferably on the last day of it."

The Timeless Assassin's smile softened further, pride glimmering in his gray eyes as he chuckled deeply.

"That sounds exactly like Soron… Hahahaha! I am proud of that boy."

But then his expression grew curious, his voice thoughtful.

"I created these vials a few days after I attained god-hood, so I don't know what happens in the future or how my life ends.

But I left a Will entrusting these vials to a confidant, who was supposed to give them to my children after my death.

Assuming Soron already has his vial, and is saving it for the last day of his life…..

May I ask why he gave Kaelith's vial to you?"

The Timeless Assassin asked, as Leo's gaze dropped, pity shading his features.

"Well… I was not there that day, so I do not know every detail. But around 2200 years ago, the records say you were betrayed by Kaelith, and that was how you died. So… Soron felt Kaelith no longer deserved his vial, and he entrusted it to me."

The words left Leo hesitant, as though he had ripped open an old wound. Yet the Timeless Assassin's face showed no shock, no anger, only a steady acceptance.

As instead of outrage, a faint smile curved on his lips.

"So that is the thread of fate that finally unraveled, eh? If Kaelith's hand ended my life, then it was always meant to be.

I saw the possibility of it when he was still just a boy.

And if I could not stop it even with all my foresight, then perhaps I was never the father I thought myself to be."

He said without any bitterness or resentment, as he only expressed a quiet melancholy that made Leo's heart ache.

Here was a man speaking of betrayal by his own blood, yet instead of fury, there was only a weary acceptance of what was written in destiny.

"I am sorry for your loss, sir," Leo said softly as the Timeless Assassin waved him off with a small gesture, his steps unhurried as he began walking through the shifting dreamscape, while gesturing for Leo to follow.

"What is lost is lost, child. I am already dead, and grief holds no power here. Come, walk with me. Tell me how the Cult fares, how the other Gods behave, and whether mortals live in peace or continue in suffering.

I know Soron must have sent you here for a reason….

And I'm sure that he wants me to give you something before our time here ends.

Which I will.

But indulge me for eight minutes first, tell me what has become of the universe I left behind, and then I will spend the last ten minutes of our conversation teaching you something that you truly need."

The Timeless Assassin offered, as Leo nodded readily, falling into step beside him, as he told him about the current state of the Cult's affairs.

"Well sir, the Cult Of Ascension is still a force in the universe. So at least it exists and that's good.

Your son, Soron, he's a powerful God now and he leads it.

But apart from that there's nothing good to say.

The people are happy, but their pride is wounded, for the Cult is no longer what it used to be.

Legends say that at the end of your life, you controlled close to 85% of the rainbow stream, while the current Cult only holds 5% of that land, which comes out to be a handful of planets.

The remaining cult members are fiercely loyal, but they yearn to regain the lost pride and territory, which is what they're obsessed with.

But progress is slow and the ones who betrayed you are too powerful to push back.

It's a mess sir, but Soron is trying his best, and although the progress of regaining lost pride is slow, I think the worst is behind us and that the Cult is on the rise once more."

Leo shared, as the Timeless Assassin winced slightly at that piece of news.

"That's not exactly how I envisioned the Cult to be 2200 years after my passing…..

I thought, by that time it would become a paradise for its people, but I guess I was wrong.

If I could go back in time, perhaps I'd focus more on making the Cult more self-reliant instead of me micromanaging everything, but I can't change what happened.

So I'll try to advise you instead son, hoping that you fulfill the dream that I could not."

The Timeless Assassin said, as he took in a deep breath and looked towards the sky with a soft, regretful smile on his face.

"Let me tell you a small story son, this was a lesson I intended to pass on to Soron or Kaelith…. But back then I was too stubborn about how I wanted to be as a father, so I never shared my weaknesses with them.

In hindsight, maybe I should have.

Maybe I need not be so hard on them all the time.

But hey…..

I guess I got the karma for my bad parenting.

So I'll try make-up for it now."

He said, as he placed a gentle hand on Leo's shoulder and let out a deep sigh.