Mobile Legends Oneshots || 𝙻𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚡 𝚆𝚊𝚗𝚠𝚊𝚗

#19 - Masquerade of the Damned

Short Note: Hello! Here's the promised story for this month for anybody still interested ^^ No warnings for this one, maybe it deals with dark themes, but nothing particularly grotesque happens, so rated G!

____________

Everyone has their own mysteries. They have their own secrets to conceal. Be it a simple secret or one that would condemn you to hell, it is what it is: a secret to hide.

Ling wasn't an exception. He himself had many dark truths. As a seasoned assassin from a hidden organization, there was plenty to hide, and in his opinion, no one was an exception, no one was entirely pure - no one is exempted from keeping a secret.

And if it seemed that they truly didn't have any, well, that only meant one thing.

They hid it behind masks. A carefully constructed wall that showcased a fake reality, camouflaging what truly lies within.

Take the king who rules their kingdom, for example.

"Ready?" Zilong, his partner, had asked him. His question snapped Ling out of his thoughts, but before he could answer, Zilong handed him a mask, one that covered only the area around his eyes. It was silver and patterned with intricate blue lace and cyan feathers. Ling twirls the sturdy stick that holds the mask in place, finding it to be extremely pretty.

"More ready than you'll ever be," He remarked, donning a daring smirk.

Zilong only laughs it off before crouching down and unfastening a red and golden mask from the unconscious man on the ground. They had tackled and sedated a pair of unknowing guests before they could reach the castle gates. The only purpose of this was to rob them of their party masks and invitations and to conceal their identities and intentions.

Because after all, they weren't invited.

Zilong tries to cling on Ling's arm and laughs out loud, walking towards the main path along with the other partygoers.

"Cut it out, moron," Ling only tells him, shrugging him off.

"But we need to act normal!" His partner whispered loudly.

"That isn't normal, it's abnormal."

After that, they just walk in silence, with Zilong pouting like a child.They sneakily squeeze themselves into the line, avoiding eye contact with the people all around. Ling holds the handle of his mask close to his face while Zilong quickly fastens the ties of his red mask around his head as they near the grand double doors of the castle.

This was happening. Their mission was about to take place.

Ling and Zilong are skilled assassins part of a rebellion that lurked in the shadows for the past few years, silently gathering evidence about all the dirty decisions and mistreatment tolerated by the king, Yu Zhong. They were about to free the kingdom from the shackles of the current unjust monarchy, and they planned to do this by assassinating the king. After he was removed from the picture, they, along with their organized group, would reveal the truth to the public, uncover all the secrets he held under a thick blanket.

They could no longer stand Yu Zhong's ignorance towards the people who starved at this very moment, living in poor conditions due to his negligence. This masquerade ball itself is proof. He and his council treated the people with bias, and their economy was rapidly deteriorating because of it. The castle was built on a high mountain, where only the rich were allowed to live nearby. At the edge of where the last luxurious house stood, was a tall stone wall guarded securely to keep the less fortunate out, segregating the poor from the privileged.