The Ripper

The Last Night

In a harried frenzy, Erik scooped up his sword and stumbled out the door and down the stairs.

"Erik, you're up," Rein said in surprise. "Shouldn't you be resting?"

Erik ran up to the table, a bit dizzy and out of breath from standing up so fast then sprinting down the stairs. He took a few deep breaths then started speaking.

"I--"

Once he thought about what would happen when they caught Jean, Erik paused. In Meryl, murderers were shown no mercy. A life, for a life. If they caught Jean now . . . Jean would die.

"Erik, what's wrong?" Erik's father asked.

Erik gripped the edge of table for support. If he didn't stop Jean, someone else would die tonight. Erik glanced up at his father and his uncle. After coming home injured so many times, Erik doubted he could stop Jean on his own. Somehow, Jean had overpowered Erik multiple times already.

Either Erik had to let the wicked guard die and keep Jean alive, or he had to condemn his best friend to an execution and spare the vile man.

Erik's arms shook.

"Erik?"

Erik closed his eyes. Jean, the boy who was Erik's friend, was still in there somewhere. The boy that wanted to do good and help the world was still alive. Even if Jean couldn't see it as The Ripper--Erik opened his eyes--his decision to purge Meryl would erase the memory of that boy, Erik's friend, forever.

Erik couldn't let Jean do that to himself.

Even if it meant his execution.

"Father, Uncle Rein," Erik said. "I know who The Ripper is."

......

Erik knocked on Jean's door. After confessing to his father and Uncle Rein about what happened at the brothel, the two adults set to work on capturing Jean right away. It was easy enough to imprison Jean at the bakery, but Rein wanted proof. He wanted to catch The Ripper once and for all and be sure they had the right man this time.

"Erik," Jean said as he opened the door, "You're better?"

Erik smiled a crooked smile. His heart ached at what he was doing to Jean.

"I am. I'm going to go question the guard who ran into The Ripper last night. They're releasing him," Erik lied. "Do you want to come with me?"

It was a perfect set up. If Erik followed the pattern Jean left, then he would take advantage of Erik's offer to get close to the guard and kill him.

Jean smiled and nodded. When he stepped outside and shut the door, Erik couldn't help but think that this would be the last time he would walk the streets with his friend. The two kept to the main roads since it was dusk, and the streetlighter hadn't gotten around to lighting all the street lamps yet. The two ended up walking alongside the river running through town.

As the two strolled, Erik let himself feel the bittersweet peace. If he emptied his mind, he could pretend that this was a normal day, a normal walk home. This could have been them running home after a day of school, a mad rush to the bakery to get Jean to his shift before his father noticed he was gone.

Erik glanced ahead. Even though he couldn't see the hidden guards, he knew his uncle and father were lying in wait to capture Jean.

Jean stopped walking and pointed at a bird ahead.

"Look at that," Jean said. He chuckled. "It's kinda chubby."

"Must've eaten lots of the bread people throw at it," Erik said.

Erik glanced at the knife on Jean's belt, which was well-hidden by Jean's loose shirt, at least most of it. At the sight of the knife, Erik's sense of peace vanished. It was time to end it once and for all.

"You know," Erik said He stopped walking. "You're a good friend for going along with this."

"If I didn't, you'd probably get hurt. Always happened when we were kids," Jean said. He turned to face Erik.

"Yeah, you're always looking out for me," Erik said. "So I gotta tell you."

Jean, as Erik expected, nonchalantly moved his hand near the hidden knife on his belt.

"Yeah?"

Pulling out his sword would tip Jean off too much. Instead, Erik stepped forward and hugged Jean. It was a short, normal hug. But for Erik, it was his last goodbye, a silent farewell to his best friend.

"You've been more than I could ever ask for," Erik said. "You've been a second brother to me. And I'm sorry."

As Erik pulled away, he watched Jean's eyes narrow.

"Erik?"

"Let's go."

Erik walked ahead of Jean and took a deep breath. Now, they were past the hidden guards. Jean was exactly where his uncle wanted Erik to lead him. Without looking back, Erik said five words. Five words that would start the end.

"I know you're The Ripper."

Erik turned just as Jean lunged at him with the knife, but unlike all those other times before, Erik was ready. He dodged Jean's attack, grabbed his friend's arm, and wrenched the knife out of his hand. The weapon clattered onto the ground.

Erik tackled Jean to the ground and pinned him down.

"How did you know?" Jean asked.

"My sword blocked your memory erasure," Erik said. "I'm sorry I had to do this."

Erik touched his sword. Lightning lightning raced up his body and electrocuted Jean so that he couldn't run away anymore. Within a few moment, Erik's uncle and the other guards came to take Jean away. Jean didn't resist. Instead, he looked up at Erik and smiled his half-smile.

"Don't be sorry," Jean said.

With what little control over his body he had, Jean discreetly kicked the knife over to Erik's feet. In the midst of the excitement of capturing The Ripper, the guards didn't notice Erik pick up the knife and tuck it into his belt.

"You're going to take your last breath," one of the guards said.

As the guards took Jean away, Erik trailed behind. The knife seemed to burn against his body. Erik had expected Jean to fight, to run, to curse him for betraying him. That smile, his giving up so easily, and the sad parting were nothing like Erik's expectations.

The weight that had settled over Erik's body only became heavier.