Aligned

Prologue:

Wiping the blood off my knife, which I always keep securely strapped to my thigh, I couldn't help but reflect on the intricate web of contradictions that had become my life. It's a life that, at one point, appeared deceptively simple, yet beneath the surface, it was a swirling vortex of chaos. Those were the days when simplicity was a luxury I could occasionally afford, moments when I could draw breath without the burden of endless thoughts. But I've come to despise that very act of breathing because, for me, it's synonymous with thinking, and thinking, in turn, often feels like a relentless descent into darkness.

However, that's all in the past now, and so are you, or at least, you should be. You kept reappearing in my life, a haunting specter that refuses to be exorcised from my mind, no matter how fiercely I've tried to cast you aside. You, my dear, are the reason I've found myself ensnared in this peculiar existence where I am, by definition, an assassin. I live in the shadows, unseen and unknown until the moment I stand before my target, watching the color drain from their eyes. It's a profession where mistakes are a luxury one can't afford, and yet, everyone, be they virtuous or wicked, makes them.

There's no universal label for these mistakes, except when it comes to you. You, the one person who has etched an indelible mark on the canvas of my existence, are the most colossal and, perhaps paradoxically, the best mistake of my life. In a world defined by ruthless choices, you stand out as the enigma I cannot decipher, the puzzle piece that refuses to fit neatly into the mosaic of my turbulent existence. It's as if you and I are inexplicably Aligned, our fates intertwined in a dance of destiny that defies reason, inviting me into a world where past and present blur into a complex tapestry of intrigue and emotion.