Lies.
We all commit one, at least once a day. Sometimes twice, or even three times. Others can do a minimum of ten and others a hundred.
There are some individuals in this world whose entire lives are based off these little lies. Lies that help to keep those individuals at the top of the success charts, or that are fabricated to maintain their freedom long enough to be proven innocent or guilty.
Some people chose this life. Others have no choice for the sake of staying alive.
As for me? My option was neither.
I didn't decide to become a Reaper of Beauty. Nor did I inevitably choose this path to save myself or my loved ones. No...I was born into this world.
Born as the first reaper child to be brought into this man-made universe of lies and corruption. Some would say it was a blessing.
I was raised around luxury and was taken care of not by one woman but many. I was given the finer things in life, wearing the richest clothes of our culture and eating food worthy of royalty.
I'd been taught by the highest trained masters from swordsmanship to alchemy, combat, and archery. I'd learned the best ways to defend myself as well as the deadliest methods to rid the world of an enemy.
It was a privilege given to me because I would be the best Reaper our master could ever ask for. I'd be easy to manipulate and would do anything, and I mean anything, to get his praise and adoration.
All of that began with one lie.
As a Reaper, you have to prove yourself, and that was decided by the number of lies you committed. One, ten, fifty, or even hundreds appeared to be more than enough to prove one's loyalty, but our master wasn't like others.
He declared that it took one thousand lies to gain his trust and until then, you would slave your life away until you reached that moment of glory.
Being born into this world meant that I was a step ahead of everyone. I wasn't taught lying was wrong by those who raised me. They supported my mischief, and such “bad behavior” rewarded me by getting me closer and closer to the final four-digit number.
Closer to gaining my Master's everlasting trust.
Living this life was all I knew, and I had accepted the reality that it would be all I would ever know. Until one fateful night; one in which I celebrated my 1000th Lie. The task was so simple with my comrades at my side, but I soon realized the price.
I never worried about failure, because I had never experienced it. But what I had no knowledge of...was love.
Only four steps mattered, or that was what I was taught.
- Love that seems to silence the room.
- Passion that pulses between the individuals of interest and pulls them into a trap of confusion and growing lust.
- Desire that resonates through the body, rendering the need for pleasure unbearable.
- Temptation to do sinful actions that remained in the bedroom.
I thought I had the steps down pat, but that all changed when my eyes landed on his.
At first, there was only one who made my heart skip a beat. Then there was number two, who made my body warm with tingles. Three came along so swiftly he made my mind whirl, and four, he was a trickster, and that only excited me more.
Four men so dangerous in the game of lies and in their ultimate goal of war, but who were they aiming to challenge?
My Master.
It was my turn to decide what I truly wanted.
Continue my new life as a Reaper of Beauty? Or fall into the lovely battle of lies and, ultimately, war.