Trace sat up with a jolt. His body tensed and his neck stung from pain, but he didn't care. Why should he? His dream predicted he'd die anyway.

He wouldn't die shamefully in a bed not even his own. It would ruin his pride.

Not that he had any.

He tore the IV from his arm and swished his long locks around him. His entire body felt weak, but again, he couldn't form any negative thoughts about his situation. He just wanted to live.

He found himself calling out a strangely familiar name, over and over again. There seemed to be some sort of meaning behind the name, but he couldn't put the meaning into any coherent thought.

"Kira," he winced, sliding off of the bed.

"Kira."

He looking down, dizzy, at his clothes. Soaked with dark, hardened blood, he looked like a woman who just went through hard labor.

"Kira," he called again, his voice growing distant to his ears. He kept calling, even though he could no longer hear himself.

His legs carried him out into the hall, and everything appeared red. Covered in blood. A haze of madness.

Trace knew for sure he was going insane. But, still, he had to find whose name seemed so familiar. He must find her...

"Kira!" His voice grew louder and his ears yearned for an answer.

Limping down the hall, Trace slumped against a wall.

His neck was numb from pain, probably for the best. His entire body was losing feeling. He started to both look and move like a corpse.

And he fell to his knees. Blood clotted around his head and streams flowed down his cheeks. Hot, in pain, and filled with doubt he'll be okay, Trace tried calling again.

"K-" His mouth froze and his eyes stayed open, glistening in the light. He looked like he was spacing out, his tongue limp in his opened mouth.

He also looked dead.

And so his soul fled from his flesh.

~~~~~

Teresa looked at Hailey for guidance, but WP7's leader was preoccupied with her thoughts.

"What's going on through her head, do you think?" Teresa whispered to Dereck, who was watching the poor spectacle along with her.

"She's worried for our previous members' life. He's most likely dead by now." Dereck's voice was nonchalant and careless, almost as if Trace were just a boring piece of metal in a junkyard. He simply didn't care about Trace's well-being.

"Why would he be dead? Did... Did Phantom kill him?" Teresa swallowed her words as she leaned against the tall building. They were in a dark alley, hidden from the true scene where their mission took place.

Dereck's expression was dark as he replied. "Something like that."

Hailey seemingly snapped out of her own world and smiled sadly at Teresa. "Sorry, I was thinking about something. Nothing too important, really." She looked to Dereck, and, grabbing his hand, gave it a gentle squeeze. Then, looking back to Teresa, she nodded. "In your cloak, there should be a myriad of weapons. They are weapons of your supposed ability. Choose them well, and you will be fine. Kill your opponent. Don't die. Got it?"

Teresa nodded as she stuck her hand in her cloak. She retrieved a pair of nunchucks from within and swung the chain around her finger playfully. "Seems easy enough."

Hailey smiled. "Yeah. Let's go!" WP7 raced off ahead of her, but she kept up eventually.

They slid into a baseball field, empty, and paused in the now arisen dust. Their visibility was extremely low. Extremely dangerous for an assassin.

Hailey cursed under her breath.

"Phantom Assassins? How quaint to meet you here." A cackle sounded from around them, like a booming stereo-surround sound speaker.

Hailey cleared her throat. "What Association might you be from?"

"Tainted. But that information isn't needed. You won't remember it, anyway." The voice seemed sarcastic, and it was extremely deep.

The dust cleared, revealing seven sharply-dressed assassins. Each man wore a black tuxedo and a unique mask concealed each face. The one who was talking wore a white fox mask, decorated with blood-red ornaments.

Hailey turned to Teresa, and, under her breath, she spoke to her. "I'm truly sorry you have to deal with an assassin battle from the beginning."

Teresa nodded but her face was like stone: emotionless and prepared for anything.

"We didn't come for battle," Dereck tried to console, but in a flash of a second a Tainted assassin held a knife to his throat.

"That doesn't mean we didn't."

In less than a second, all of the Phantom assassins were pinned at the throat. Their group leader stood back, probably grinning beneath his mask.

"We were only here on a mission. The exam for our new member." Hailey explained. "Teresa."

The little girl was expressionless with the man's knife against her neck. She could knock him back a few feet if she were to knock his body with her nunchucks...

The Tainted member lifted his mask up and over his head, an evil smirk across his lips. This feature truly defined him, however the peculiar gleaming of his one yellow eye called to question.

Hailey closed her eyes and clenched her teeth.

"Listen, we don't want to fight you, okay? So just leave us alone and do whatever you came here to do. Other than harming us. You're wasting our precious time." Hailey respectively flicked back her hood. It was only polite to reveal her identity as well.

The man grimaced, making a noise like a duck. It was most unpleasant.

"We have a deal. We'll do what we came to do." The man looked to one of his group members and nodded once.

WP7 was quickly engulfed in a black fog, unable to escape. The members of Tainted formed a line in front of the haze.

"We did come here for bounty, after all. I'm sure you'll obey, if it's a bargain between life and death." The leader flicked his mask back over his face and turned around. Then, the group performed a force-teleport to their own headquarters.

Hailey could do nothing to help.

~~~~~

"Hello, Mylo. How are you feeling?" A warm, bright, all-powerful voice sounded in Trace's ears.

He slowly opened his eyes. And what he saw was simply breathtaking. So breathtaking in fact, that he was surprised he didn't faint.

A being made of pure light hovered over him, his hands pressed against Trace's heart. There was no pulse. Nothing.

Trace stared at the being, and then came to a sudden realization. He was in the presence of God. He didn't know just how this thought seemed so true, but he couldn't help but believe it.

He didn't only know this, but also so many other things. Things like the fact that he had a sister named Kira. His name was Mylo. His family was dead...

"Are they here?" Mylo asked, looking at God. He was an amazing sight to behold.

Beautiful.

God's warm smile brought Mylo to tears.

His sister and mother, both happily smiling at him, approached. Kira was in a wonderfully-knitted white dress and she glowed. His mother was a beauty to behold as well.

Slowly, his other family members, ancestors, and friends gone appeared. Every single one of them grinned from ear to ear, and every body glowed heavenly.

Mylo's own body glowed as well, and he felt no pain. He felt only happiness, and he loved it. It was a wonderful feeling to let soak in. His tears were never-ending. And they were warm with happiness.

"Mylo," God's wondrous voice boomed. "I have a big favor to ask of you."

Mylo immediately accepted the task, because he immediately knew what the heavenly Father wanted.

He would go back to Earth. Save the people of Phantom.

Mylo didn't know why he had to do this, and he desperately wished to stay in Heaven with his beloved family, but knowing they were safe led him to believe that he would see them again soon.

So, with a loyal nod, Mylo headed down to mortal Earth.

To save Phantom's assassins.

To protect humanity.

To make his family proud.

To serve God.

Hopefully it wasn't too late.