UNDISCLOSED LOCATION

Sitting outside his shack, Nelanian struggled to wring out the water from his drenched clothes. The relentless downpour throughout the night had turned his humble dwelling into a puddle-filled space, soaking his belongings.

His clothing, huddled in a corner of the cabin, had been immersed in water all night. The next morning brought with it an annoying cough and a stuffy nose.The rest of the day was dedicated to staying warm and salvaging whatever he could from the aftermath of the rain. Remarkably, he had managed to fall asleep during the storm, a feat that even those in more well-off homes down the hill couldn't achieve.

Thunderclaps woke sleeping infants who would then cry throughout the night. The strong gusts would rattle their fragile windows, ushering in a cold breeze that was impossible to ignore. Raindrops collected on their rooftops, leading to leaks in their grass-thatched coverings. When the town awoke, they found broken branches and strewn leaves decorating their once-pristine lawns.

The situation at the market was even worse, with stalls and kiosks blown off their foundations and scattered into the nearby woods.Nelanian eagerly awaited the sun's ascent, looking forward to the warmth it would bring. His plan was to venture back downhill and reconnect with the elderly gentleman he had encountered the previous day.

This introspection was new to him. He had never before felt the need to inquire about himself or his past. Although their previous interaction had ended on a sour note, Nelanian believed the man to be reasonable enough to grant him another meeting. As Nelanian stirred awake, he was met with unwelcome news.

Water appeared to have leaked into his prosthetic bionic limb, causing it to twitch at random. He was concerned that the harm might be worse and hoped that it would not be. He had bought his prosthetic arm on the Seolaran black market, and he had no idea if it was durable enough to endure that long.

It would occasionally act up for a few hours before returning to normal, but it didn't appear to go away that day. Nelanian couldn't pull it out and examine it since it required special equipment and a technique that needed to be performed by someone who knew what he was doing.

Unfortunately, Nelanian had no idea where he was, and he needed to figure it out so he could travel to the man who had put the prosthetic arm in the first place, a black market merchant who had assisted Nelanian in escaping Seolara.

The elderly man had ventured to the village gates to readjust the ornaments he had hung up earlier. From a distance, Nelanian could be observed descending the hill, gradually approaching the old man, both figures not being spared from the relentless winds that had affected the rest of the hamlet. Amid his work, Nelanian's figure became more distinct as he made his way down the hill, drawing closer to the elderly man.Upon his arrival, Nelanian hesitated, spending a notable amount of time standing awkwardly, occasionally attempting to evade the elderly man's gaze whenever their eyes happened to meet.

"Well, why are you just standing there? Come up here and give me a hand!" the old man exclaimed, his patience with Nelanian's furtive glances wearing thin.Nelanian swiftly grabbed an additional string of ornaments and scaled a pole on the opposite side of the road, one that held the frames of the small gate together. Wrapping the string in a cloth, he began hanging the decorations across the wooden frame that spanned the road.

"I apologize for what I said yesterday," Nelanian remarked, pausing from his work. 

"Sorry for what?" the old guy replied as he continued to tie the ornaments with minimal effort. "All we did yesterday was talk,"

"Well, you seemed irritated when you walked away from the conversation. So I figured it might have been something I said?"

"You said some stupid things, child. However, this does not imply that I was offended by them. I was just trying to escape getting rained on," the elderly gentleman explained, laughing at the end and coughing weakly.

Nelanian nervously laughed at the man's attempt at a joke. He kept trying the ornaments until the two of them had decorated the entire entrance. As they conversed, they both climbed down and sat on the broken pillars by the road.

"How did you stop being The Necessary Evil?" As the man handed him a cup of tea, Nelanian inquired.

The man took his time returning to his seat. "Well kid, like all the other men, I aged and grew too feeble to serve the watchers a purpose, so they had to look for another one," he said after he was fully comfortable in his sitting position.

"But aren't they frightened you'll reveal their secrets and expose their existence?"

"And who is going to believe an elderly guy who claims he was summoned by mystical, celestial, and malevolent entities known as the Watchers, and that he carried out heinous assassinations across the kingdom for many years?"

As he sipped his tea, Nelanian laughed.

"I had reached my breaking point. The remnants of my youth were squandered. Then, one day, a new mission was bestowed upon me. I was summoned into their chamber and granted a new target. He was a businessman residing on Lorth's seashore. He ran a small local trade, dealing in goods like leather and grains. But beneath the surface, he was operating a narcotics operation right under the nose of the Lorth government.

I was given a month to eliminate him and escape before time ran out.So, I purchased a bus ticket to Lorth. My initial encounter with the scorching heat was an adjustment. I loaded my belt with the necessary vials and set out. Gaining entry through the guards at his front gates was relatively straightforward.

Yet, as I penetrated deeper into his mansion, the security grew more formidable and skilled. Eventually, I tracked him down. Our confrontation traversed his estate, with vases shattered overheads in the midst of battle. Ultimately, I managed to plunge a knife into his chest before fleeing, just as authorities descended upon the premises.

His home office unveiled a cache of drugs that had recently arrived – a shipment he awaited for distribution on the streets. I escaped, but glancing down, I saw half my abdomen laid open,

" the elderly man recounted. Upon removing his shirt, Nelanian saw the extensive scar running across his chest.

"At that moment, I knew I couldn't endure it any longer. I went into hiding for days, awaiting the storm to pass. Yet, three days later, despite my best efforts, he remained alive. He had survived the assault, the knife narrowly missing his heart. The watchers summoned me to the council. It was then I invoked my final death list request, and he perished.

That's when I declared my unfitness to serve as a necessary evil any longer, and they relieved me of my duties. They offered me retirement on this island, with the prospect of starting my own family. I've never wed or fathered children.

Yet, upon my arrival, I was met by a woman and two young boys who regarded me as their grandpa. Evidently, I have two sons and a daughter now. I spent a year with them, listening to tales of experiences I never lived, events implanted in their minds by the watchers." said the old man.

 Nelanian was captivated by his tale, and when the elderly man didn't continue speaking for a while, Nelanian decided to ask him a question: "Is this the fate that befalls all Necessary Evils?" He wondered aloud, "Is this what happens? they get old and are forced back into society with makeshift families?"

"I am one of the lucky few," the elderly man replied, smiling at his question. " The majority of the Necessary Evils die before they reach their forties. This is not a respectable title. We commit heinous acts and refuse to stop. It is our fate to become a Necessary Evil, no matter how much we try to avoid it or fight it,"

"But, we kill evil people in this world? Isn't that the right thing to do?" Nelanian inquired. The old guy stared at him for a long time before realizing that his memory had been erased.

"You forced yourself to forget what you had done. That is something I am certain of. My memory is only erased once in my instance. The watchers summoned me one night, gave me his name, and informed me he was going to die before midnight. I imagined it would be a common criminal, a drug lord, or a crime boss. I was told his name and location, so I drew my weapons and donned my mask. When I first arrived in this neighborhood, I noticed that it was a close-knit community.

I thought to myself, what kind of drug lord would come to live in a community like that as I strolled across the loans and leaped over the children's bikes. It was a modest existence, intended for individuals who weren't as wealthy as the others I'd killed previously. I located his residence and slid into his room silently. He was still awake and watching television in the living room. I crept up behind him and slashed his throat with a dagger before fleeing as fast as I had arrived.

I could hear children screaming and dogs barking as I was fleeing. All of the ruckuses were heard by the neighbors, and the entire neighborhood was soon awake. I was scared of being seen, so I dashed away from the scene and drank the potion that whisked me back to the watchers' chambers. They discharged me once I told them the deed was completed. I returned to my daily routine.

Then, one day, when I was at school and my lesson was finished, I returned to the staff room for a cup of coffee, and that's when I heard it. The death of a man, a plumber, was reported on the news. He was married with two girls and a sick wife.

He was slain in his own house, according to authorities, when someone broke in and slit his throat. Nothing was taken from his home, and no notice was left behind. They questioned the neighbors, and I overheard everything they said about me, including how much of a monster I was. I couldn't bear it any longer after killing a man in his own home, so I walked out of the school that day.

When I returned the next day, I learned that the wife had passed away. She committed suicide in her own bedroom, and her children were the ones who discovered her.

I couldn't take the guilt any longer and was going insane. I would think about that day night after night. I stopped going to work and was finally dismissed, and I got psychologically ill. When the watchers approached me, I begged them to wipe my memories, which they did.