Constellations Strung With a Shooting Star | Sherliam

Chapter Fourteen

The dramatically increasing amount of unrest only built up faster after the latest, and most likely final, Moriarty tea party.

With the unfortunate case of MP Whiteley, the final act of the Moriarty plan seems even nearer than it was previously. Not only that, but records of a certain old case were pulled out by Charles Augustus Milverton, who has a very explicit intent of researching William. Faster than initially expected, William has to resolve the last remaining pieces to his lifelong plan, using the circumstances enclosing him.

At this rate, he hardly even believes that he'll have a tangible amount of time to make him and Sherlock's dinner a reality.

From what he knows of Milverton, he does pose a concerning threat that must be eliminated as hastily as possible. He already set a proposal to aim for the media king, but had yet to set it into motion when Whiteley's presence stepped into the picture and postponed it. However, he also incidentally proved the need for Charles' riddance further.

The awful blackmail artist sent associates to have each member of the MP's family murdered, and promptly enticed him into murder himself. Adam Whiteley was wiped of any wider chance of making a difference to the country, all within the snap of Milverton's wicked fingers. Only one solution resided as the most logical one, which was to publicly murder the MP before his crime could become public knowledge.

He agreed to the plan, as he will still be viewed as a hero to everyone but those who know what he's done. And the country needs figures to set good examples like Whiteley, so letting him pass with that legacy is what shows to be the best and most convenient conclusion. And with the addition of it being a public death caused by none other than the Lord of Crime, it forms a figure for commonfolk to begin to despise alongside the wealthier.

It structures directly back to William's goal, and despite it being improvisation, it works out almost perfectly. It strings right into his previously planned first occurrence of the crime lord out in the open. No longer will he be a rumored individual; now, with Adam's demise, everyone knows that he's a very real person with intentions they can't even begin to predict.

Instead of being a Robin Hood figure, he's now dissolved into an enemy to the people; exactly as it was meant to be. However, taking this huge step prompted an ill feeling to spread through William's being, one that he resents strongly. He's quite sure that it has to be his back speaking for him, as even it may already foresee the events bound to take place afterwards.

Whatever it is, one thing has not changed. He has to ignore it, shelve it and stuff it into the deepest crevice of his mind. At this point, he cannot even consider himself a person bearing a mark like this. He is not William Moriarty with a soulmate mark bound to Sherlock Holmes. He's the Lord of Crime, plain and simple, tied to a rivalry with London's greatest detective.

He almost considered scrapping the mark off of him with a knife. It was an extreme thought, one he's too much of a coward to commit to. No, the soulmate mark will die with him, and him alone. William can no longer bear the thought of his brothers or any of his friends following him through the gates of death. Not that he could from the beginning, but it's become increasingly difficult to pretend that the original plan will still play out.

The last evil in this world would be himself, and so he'd be the very last soul for the flames to claim.

With uneven breath, mind and body overwhelmed from the events that he performed tonight, Moriarty settles himself into his study's armchair. In front of him lies his desk, littered with various papers; some organized, some less so. But centermost is his latest and final draft of his edited Moriarty plan, and in it includes the major change. The major change that would indefinitely upset most of his organization, but they'll have no choice but to go along with it.