It's time. I knew it was coming, but damn! Vallyn believes that it doesn't bother me because I put on a good show. I usually quip, throw a little joke here and there, and occasionally charm him, just to keep him off his toes. But it would cripple him if he really knew how much it hurt. I'm callous, however, I'm not heartless. I mean, you'd have to be heartless to do what we have done, what we continue to do, and not feel an undeniable sense of guilt. I have been around long enough to know how fleeting and insignificant life can appear to be. But method and motive will always matter. Taking a life, any life, is hard, even more so, the life of an unsuspecting, undeserving person. And not just for the sake of my own survival, but for the sake of thriving. Yup. I think what we do is pretty low. People, in general, are pretty low.

I sometimes try to justify my actions in my mind. I think to myself, maybe the person was some sort of serial killer and we had to take him out. Futile, to say the least. I try to atone for our actions with extra time that I was blessed with. For what it's worth, I have saved the lives of countless children. There is no doubt in my mind that the world is far a better place with the Missing Girls division that I created. Our presence is international. But is it enough? Nothing will change what we are and why we do this cruel act, in order to remain as a society. We are, after all, immortal.


I owe Vallyn a debt, but that's not why I assist him on his mission. Granted, he was the one who practically blessed me Immortality. And believe me, I am surely blessed! Nothing compares to wealth and freedom, especially after being raised in a brothel. But that's not why I do it. I do it because no one should do what he has to do alone. Carrying that kind of a burden by yourself would drive any man insane. And he is my friend, the closest thing that I have to a brother. So, who better to help him than me? I keep him off the ledge. I make our search systematic, I handle the logistics. Data collection, dissemination of relevant information that might provide clues, anything that will quicken the end. Anything to make taking a life seem less personal. All this, while providing an air of comfort when I can feel him slipping into an ocean's current of guilt. But we all have guilt, but he wears his like an anchor. I, on the other hand, hide mine at the bottom of a wine glass, amongst other pleasurable things. Uggh! I just need this thing to begin so we can hurry up and get it over with! Oh boy, here he goes, calling again.


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I was on my fifteenth shot of snake venom in a black market lounge of Lagos. The toxins just started to kick in, tilting the room off it's axis. I was reveling in my element; dangerous women pouring my drinks and watching two 130lbs gladiators pummel each other half to death. A hundred thousand dollars was on the line and my blood was rushing, waiting for the results. The Eternal Council must have sensed my enjoyment because it was then, a notification alerted on my watch. Now I find myself on a red eye, three hundred grand richer, overlooking the ocean, on my way to New York City to examine the body of a fallen colleague, Tavares.

Heads turn when an Immortal dies. Everyone pays attention. It upsets the natural order of things. The idea of an Immortal being unable to die is not entirely true. We can die, but it takes effort and dedication, and a strong stomach. Whoever murdered Tavares had all three. Another thing they had was knowledge, only a select few know what it takes to finish us off, and while he had a lot of enemies, this bit of knowledge narrows the pool of suspects. Now that makes my job as an Chief Investigator of the Eternal Council a tiny bit easier.

Another useful resource is the old dog, Vallyn. He usually keeps his ear to the street in regard to certain underground activity, especially now that he's begun his search for the Key. Even he doesn't know directly, he may know some folks who may provide useful Intel. There is no overstating how crucial finding whoever is behind this execution and eliminating them. It's been years since an Immortal was killed. For added pressure, The Council suggested that I take bit of time to check in on Vallyn. Directives aside, it has been awhile since I've seen my long time friend. And one can make pleasurable use of my newfound winnings with a night on the town, in the company of seductive women. And if I know my friend, I think Vallyn would be game for search a night.

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The idea of chance and choice are two of the biggest lies ever told to people. The universe created those ideas to make us believe that we have a say in what happens to us. It's nonsense, you don't. You can't tell someone that they have a choice in what happens to them and then watch their entire family get wiped out by a plague or foreign invaders. What's a kid supposed to do? Run? Fight? Convert to a new God or die? Those are their options.

The universe creates the circumstances around us and then forces us to make choices within those scenarios. Chance and choice are akin to freedom. If we can't control the weather, how the earth spins, or when it's our time to die, then we are not free. But it does not mean that they trapped us like rats in a cage. I guess it just means that we're all tethered together somehow. I love gambling for that very reason. Yeah, I know owning the Underground Palace, which allows immortals to gamble, is me perpetuating the lie, but I don't care. Betting is fun. It's me constantly testing the universe. Win or lose, I know exactly how the universe feels about the people playing the game. There is no choice.

I figured this out centuries ago, when I met Vallyn. Years before, I had a recurring dream that about a mysterious hooded figure holding a blade painted in blood. The figure lunges at me right before I wake up. Oddly enough, Vallyn was the envoy that Lotan and I escorted, assisted in his own protection, when the Broken Circle ambushed us. Until that time, Lotan was the only man who fought with the same ferocity as me. Vallyn, despite his title, was one of us. In the heat of battle, he held that bloody blade and charged directly at me. For a second I froze, confused, wondering if it was a frenzied bloodlust. Before I could react, he cleaved the attacker that was seconds away from taking my head off. Vallyn was the hooded figure from my dream. I never shared that with him.

The man saved my life and then recommended Lotan and me for immortality to the Eternal Council. To this very day, Vallyn credits us with saving his life. I had nothing to do with it. For me, it was fate. I try not to think about the end of my time. Being an immortal makes that's fairly easy, but it crosses my mind. Death doesn't scare me though, a life without enjoyment and charity, that's a hard life. So until then, Lotan and I will provide pleasure for our friends and associates. I will help the children that fate gave a bad break. And I'll remain an available resource to Vallyn, even if that means trusting folks that I normally wouldn't.

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