F/N has been bested in combat and now is hearing from the man who killed his only friend Anne that Anne was in fact a psychopath. He does not want to believe it, however he cannot help but wonder what is in the basement of the house that the family was so keen on keeping from him. As F/N stands staring at the man that killed his friend he thinks, "Perhaps this man is telling the truth. At the very least I will learn who he is if I go with him. Plus I don't really see another option at the moment as fighting him will only get me killed."
Seeing no other option F/N follows the man to the basement of the house. He also has to admit that he is curious what exactly is in the basement. When the door to the basement opens, F/N sees that there is another door right after it. The second door is solid metal. The man casually walks over to it and pulls out a key that he took from Anne's father. The man then unlocks the door.
As soon as the door swings open, F/N is overwhelmed by the stench of rotting bodies. Walking into the basement room, F/N sees that it opens up to a prison type of set up. There are cages along all of the walls, each with a body in them. There is dried blood covering the floor. Hanging from the ceiling F/N sees more bodies, all of which he can tell are dead.
F/N: "What is all of this? Did you kill all these people?"
Man: "Of course I didn't. These were people that this family you care so much about were torturing to death."
F/N: "They would not do that. This family was a good family."
Man: "No they weren't. Do you think just because they appeared caring and friendly they were good people? Nothing could be farther from the truth. This family liked to buy up western slaves and torture them to death. Perhaps that may not seem so bad to you, but it is wrong to torture anyone to death."
F/N: "I agree with you. I still cannot believe that Anne would be a part of something like this."
As F/N says this an eerie laugh pierces the air. F/N and the man turn to see a naked man that is thin enough you can see his bones inside one of the cages. He is covered in spots, and has holes all over his body. The man continues to laugh, until he finally stops to cough. As he coughs blood comes up.
Caged Man: "Of course she was part of it. I think it was her idea some of the time. She loved to spend time breaking people's bones as they were strapped to that table over there. That whole family was a bunch of monsters. I lived my whole life as a slave just because I am from the western tribes, yet none of that was as bad as the two days I have been here."
F/N: "So Anne was a part of all of this."
Caged Man: "She definitely was."
Man: "Let me get you out of there."
Caged Man: "No need to waste your time. I will be dead soon enough. There is nothing that can save me now. It is a miracle I even survived the purging they did when they came down here earlier today."
F/N: "Purging?"
Caged Man: "Something must have spooked the parents. They came down here and started to kill everyone. Usually they tortured people to death from what I understand, but this time it was like they wanted to just kill us all off. I was stabbed repeatedly through the chest. By some miracle I survived, but all of the others are dead. I will be soon too."
Man: "It is not uncommon for people to react that way when I get to town."
F/N: "Just exactly who are you? You said if I came with you, you would tell me."
Man: "I am The Reaper."
F/N: "So you are the assassin that everyone in the Capital was so scared of early today."
The Reaper: "That is right. I have worked as an assassin for over thirty years now. I have killed thousands of people in my time. Never once has a target survived, and never once has anyone that has seen me lived."
F/N: "So you're telling me this because you are going to kill me?"
The Reaper: "Shut up and just listen. I hunt down and kill bad people just like this family here. Whether they are part of the Empire, Revolutionary Army, slaves, or anyone else, I kill them if they are bad. I don't limit myself to just people in the Empire either. I kill anyone, anywhere that is corrupt. I see myself as weeding the wicked from this world. Yet I am starting to slow down. I have been doing this job for too long now. Soon I may slip up because of my age. So I need someone to take my place, just like I took the title from my mentor all those years ago. You boy have some skill. In all my years no one has ever survived a fight with me for so long. Also no one has ever managed to cut me. You did. Maybe it is because I am slowing down. I don't think so though. I think you are just that good. You came here equipped with a sword and a dagger. That is no coincidence. You know how to fight well. Also you have no aura. I am looking right at you, yet I cannot sense you. You boy would be the perfect replacement for me."
F/N: "You want me to replace you? You kicked my butt, so I cannot be that good."
The Reaper: "No you are good. I am just much better. I know a sword technique that has been passed down from one Reaper to the next for about a thousand years. No one has ever countered it. That is how I beat you. If you accept my offer I will teach you this technique."
F/N: "If I accept, would I only be killing people that I thought were bad."
The Reaper: "That is the way it works. You judge people as corrupt or just and then execute the corrupt. Since you were not able to tell this family was corrupt I will say you have much to learn before you are ready. You have promise though."
F/N: "To be honest I have been working as an assassin here in the Capital for about five years now, killing people that I thought were evil. I guess I would be doing the same thing if I accepted your invitation."
The Reaper: "So you already work as an assassin. That is even better. I will teach you my style. In exchange you must learn to determine if someone is corrupt or not. Then when the time is right and you are ready seek me out. We shall duel to the death. Defeat me when that time comes and take my place."
F/N: "Very well. I am ready to learn from you."
The Reaper: "Good. I will teach you for the rest of the time I plan on remaining in the Capital."
For the next two weeks F/N undergoes intense sword fighting training from dawn until dusk. It is far more demanding than even the training that Gozuki had F/N undergo. Just as promised, The Reaper is training him on how to fight using a new sword style. A condition is given that F/N never uses this style against anyone until he becomes The Reaper. He is to only practice the method daily in private and then not use it in combat. Once he has defeated The Reaper he will be allowed to use it whenever he deems it necessary.
As the two weeks of training comes to an end, The Reaper tells F/N that he now has the basics down. All that is left is for F/N to continue to practice and master the technique. The Reaper is planning on moving to a new city to clear out the corrupt people that are in that city the following day. After their last practice session ends The Reaper decides to leave F/N with some advice.
The Reaper: "Remember F/N to learn how to determine if someone is corrupt or not. If you are not sure, assume that they are not corrupt until you are sure. However, make sure to investigate everyone. Trust no one fully, and constantly scrutinize them. You will likely make friends again, which is good. Make sure they are good people before you trust them. You have a lot of talent as an assassin, and will one day become even better than I am."
F/N: "I appreciate all you have taught me. I will continue to train and get better. One day I will defeat you just as you asked me to."
The Reaper: "I look forward to that day. Now I shall take my leave."