Solus Sum - I am alone.

Chapter 1

Cavner Bar - Wingstone road

The warm tips of my fingers and palms were wrapped around my icy mug of apple cider. I took deep breaths, allowing the chatter of the bar to disappear and the low music playing in the background to enter me. I closed my eyes, and almost dozed off. I don't know how many cups I had, maybe this was the first. I was tired, my body was sore at every point, everything was stiff. Bladen, my leader, had put me on edge, literally. Hanging on a cliff for a few minutes was much harder than I expected it to be.

Soon, the melody began to smooth out into something more upbeat, one where people began dancing in circles by a table in the corner of the room. The wooden planks creaked as their boots clanked against the floor once to the rhythm of the music. I sighed and opened my eyes, which seemed stuck together like glue, twisting on my stool, facing the dancing crowd. They were clueless, weren't they? So carefree. I observed in admiration as I saw smirks and laughs show up on their faces.

My eyes darted to their badges, all yellow and light green, of course. They were from the Trade league and the Health league, the names speak for themselves. I was in the Stealth league, where we are trained and hired to be professional assassins, but this title is covered up, and we are considered detectives, which is technically true. We did work on that. And as a Stealth, I had to swear on my life I'd never reveal what we truly do in our league. I'm only a detective. Nothing else.
Our reticent society consisted of a council of unknown commanders, who would send in tasks and information to the various leaders of the various groups, and each group, or league, had a badge. Mine was a blood-red badge with an eye being watched through a spyglass.

We were ordered to have our badge with us at all times, not necessarily viewable to all, but at least with us. Usually, when multiple members of the same league were together, they'd use their badges. Since I was alone, I had my badge clipped onto my shirt under my coat, as most people did.

One thing that makes my blood boil about this all is the fact that we never know when we're being watched. Since I'm someone who watches those who think they are alone, moments before their death, I wonder if there's anybody watching me, when I think I'm alone, moments before my... possible death.

I've come to accept I'm never alone, and I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing - to not be alone. I know cases of people who have disappeared for unknown reasons, with no evidence whatsoever for what could've happened to them. What if I disappear? I don't know where I'd be disappearing to. I don't know if I'd die, I don't know anything about what goes on behind the scenes of power. The silent and secretive administration of our people was frightening.

We have no laws, but instead recommendations of what to do. I have no idea what is wrong in the eyes of the council, I don't know what could be an offense to the commanders, I don't know anything. I want to know, and I don't know if that's a bad thing. Should I want to know? Everyone seems like they don't care, they just eat whatever they're fed! Every single word from the News league is the absolute truth to them. Am I crazy for doubting that? I already know our administrative power lies about who the Stealth are, and I know we have to keep it a secret, but what else are people keeping secret? Am I insane for being sure there are things going on in the outside world we'll never know about? They all seem... carefree. If they doubted, they wouldn't be so ignorant.

Suddenly I snapped back from my thoughts, realizing I was now staring at an empty space where the dancing people once were. How long had I been staring at nothing? A shudder went down my spine. I shook it off, and right when I turned around, a group of men from the ages 18 to 40 barged into the bar. I looked back and saw them all wearing a dark green badge, a Protection league badge. The badge had a pistol emblem that matched perfectly with the pistols attached to the belts of each man. They were the male branch of this league.