The Deceitful One

Sunday, 15th May 1581.

Wilmington Cemetery.

The atmosphere around the cemetery was heavy with the weight of grief as a large crowd gathered around. Due to the incident that had taken place a week prior, a large number of funeral ceremonies were taking place.

The people were all dressed in black as they came to bid farewell to their loved ones who had passed away. The air was filled with a sense of loss and melancholy.

As the mourners stood around the graves of their loved ones, the priest's voice echoed through the air, offering words of condolences.

Memories of the deceased were shared, as well as their stories of inspiration, laughter, and impact on others. The emotions were overwhelming as people continued to sob and felt the emptiness left behind by their deceased loved ones.

The funeral ceremonies for most of the members of the Silver Owls were over, and that included those of Henry and Emma. Now only one was remaining, and that was Detective Watson's.

His funeral ceremony was personally overseen by Bishop Walls himself. The latter solemnly recited Detective Watson's funeral rite as four men slowly lowered his casket. They were Victor, Robert, Old Larry, and finally Bryan.

Bryan's face was devoid of any emotion. Not that it could be seen, with the white bandage covering half of his face.

The surrounding people all looked at him with pity. Not only because he was Detective Watson's student but also because of the state he was in.

Bryan too was dressed in all black and the people clearly noticed how grievously wounded he was. His shirt's left sleeve was freely waving in the air, a clear indication of the arm that he was missing.

Moreover, his eyes and forehead were also bandaged and one could still see two circular patches of blood in the area of the bandage right in front of his eyes. Although, Bryan had a stoic face, the bandage on his face kept getting bloodier and bloodier.

And soon, streams of blood began to stream from his eyes. However, his expression remained deadpan. After he laid down his teacher's casket into the ground, he stood there silently.

At that moment, he finally knew that his teacher was gone forever. Amidst the sound of sobbing from the people around him, Bryan thought back to the first time he had met his teacher.

At the time, Bryan had wanted to con Detective Watson into giving him a job. As a young man who wanted to escape his miserable life in the slums, he looked for an employer. But as fate would have it, he found a father figure instead.

As Bryan recalled all the happy memories he shared with his teacher, his shoulders began to tremble and he tried his best from breaking down.

Robert approached him and patted him on the shoulder, reminding him that Detective Watson's casket still needed to be covered in soil. Bryan snapped out of his daze and joined the three as they began to shovel damp soil over the casket.

A few feet away, right in front of Detective Watson's grave, a middle-aged lady with brown hair was sobbing incessantly as she saw the four men burying the grave.

In her arms, was a toddler, no older than a year old. She was wearing a small black dress. She had blonde hair spilt into two short ponytails on the side, and her eyes were bright blue in color.

As the little girl stared at the casket being covered in soil, her eyes reddened. She pointed at the grave with her small finger and muttered, "Papa..."

She then looked at the woman holding her and muttered in confusion, "Mama..."

After that, she pointed at the grave again, as if asking 'Where is papa going?'

"Little Amy..." The woman looked at her daughter's innocent and sorrowful face, she couldn't help but begin to sob harder.

The woman's name was Abigail Watson. And the little girl in her arms was none other than Detective Watson's daughter, Amy Watson.

The mother and daughter duo began to cry louder and louder, catching the attention of the people around them. The sound of their wails was contagious as everyone was soon engulfed in overwhelming sadness.

When Bryan heard the sound of a child's wailing, he turned his head around and released his spiritual sense. He was then able to 'look' at the child who was crying.

As Bryan laid his eyes on this little girl, disbelief was etched all over his face. In an instant, he was able to make out the facial similarities between this little girl and his late teacher.

'Little Amy...' He thought inwardly.

He soon turned his head around. Because he didn't have the courage to face his teacher's family. What was he going to tell them? That he had seen Detective Watson die saving him? That he couldn't do anything while he watched Detective Watson die?

Bryan didn't know how to confront them. After all, he still blamed himself for the death of his teacher.

Hence, he continued to shovel soil onto his teacher's casket until it had been covered up completely. Soon, flowers were adorned on the grave as people came to pay their respects and then leave.

Bryan stood there motionlessly, lost in his own thoughts.

All of a sudden, a grief-stricken voice echoed in his ears, "Are you...Bryan?"

Bryan turned around and saw his teacher's wife and daughter looking at him with reddened eyes. His body trembled, he didn't know what to say. In the end, he just nodded ever so slightly.

"Do you blame yourself for what happened?" Abigail asked.

Bryan finally couldn't hold it in anymore and broke down and dropped to his knees. Blood streamed down his face as his chest heaved up and down, "I-Its all my fault!"

"I-I couldn't save him."

He clenched the dirt beneath his left hand as drops of blood cascaded down from his eyes.

"He died protecting me..."

"I am truly worthless..." He cried until he choked on his words.

"I-It's all my fau-" However, his words were cut off as he felt Abigail kneel down in front of him and embrace him tightly.

"Hush, child. It is not your fault. Don't you ever say that." Abigail stated gently as she patted Bryan's back.

Hearing his teacher's wife say that to him made Bryan cry even harder, "Forgive me... I couldn't save him...

"F-Forgive me..."

Abigail hugged him for a long time and gave him words of comfort. After they separated, she took out a handkerchief and wiped the blood away from Bryan's face.

Amy who was still in Abigail's arms tilted her head and looked at Bryan curiously. She then stretched out her chubby little hand and gently patted his head.

Bryan looked at Amy, his lips quivering, "Little Amy..."

Amy nodded her head, "Yes, yes!"

When Amy patted Bryan's head, the black bracelet on his wrist vibrated ever so slightly. This bracelet was none other than the transformed version of Detective Watson's God-Level artifact!

When Bryan felt the bracelet vibrate, he instantly understood, 'I see... It's only right.'

However, now was not the time.

"It's unfortunate that we had to meet under such circumstances," Abigail spoke with a bitter smile, "James has told me much about you."

Bryan remained silent as he continued to listen to Abigail.

"You know, James was much like you in the past. He too was an orphan growing up and had to work hard to get to where he was.

"You reminded him much of himself. And after he took you in as his student, over time he became very fond of you.

"And unknowingly, he had come to recognize you as his son," Abigail spoke with a reminiscent smile, her eyes starting to redden.

Bryan's shoulders trembled and he began to sob once again.

"He loved you very much and cared for you deeply. So don't blame yourself for what happened, that would only make James sadder." Abigail smiled gently.

Bryan realized just how selfish he was being. He had lost a teacher, a father figure. However, Abigail had lost her husband and Amy, her father.

He wiped the bloody tears off his face and forced a smile. He decided to be strong, not for himself, but for Abigail and Little Amy.

Abigail hesitated for a few moments and asked, "Bryan, if it's okay with you...Can you tell me about his last moments?"

Bryan was taken aback, he then smiled faintly, "I will. In return, can you tell me about teacher's past? Can you...tell me how he lived?"

Tears streamed down Abigail's face as she nodded with a bright smile, "Yes, let us share the memories we cherished with James."

The duo then got up to their feet. They looked at Detective Watson's tombstone which was adorned with white flowers. Abigail walked in front of it, her face etched with grief.

Her hands trembled as she caressed the headstone. She whispered words of love, her voice choked with melancholy, "Goodbye James, I will always love you."

When Bryan heard her, he couldn't help but begin to cry. He looked at Amy who was similarly looking at his teacher's grave with eyes filled with sorrow.

He looked at the headstone and made a firm commitment in his heart, 'Teacher, don't worry. I will make sure your wife and little Amy lead a good life and that no harm comes to them. I promise you.'

As the sun began to set, casting a warm golden hue over the cemetery, Bryan, Abigail, and little Amy looked at Detective Watson's headstone one last time before they soon departed.

Amy looked at her father's headstone with watery eyes and waved her tiny hand, "Bye-bye... papa."

They left with heavy hearts but also with a hint of closure, knowing that Detective Watson would always be remembered and cherished in their memories.

Now and forever.