I switched legs, teetering on the cable as I digested the info. The revelations didn't shock me. They were just threads in the tapestry of my unusual life. My mother being an assassin made much more sense than being an insurance salesperson or some other normal occupation. "But … why?"
Auntie paused, wiping her brow. "For the same reason that I tend to this garden. The desirable plants thrive when the undesirable ones — the weeds, are removed. In this world, there are many weeds, Merlin. The job of a Wrath is to prune, to pull, to remove the unnecessary bush, vines, and seedlings. Otherwise, they would rise up and choke the life out of the desirable ones. Daiyu should have told you this."
"Auntie, have you ever killed anyone?"
"Wraths do not call their craft killing, little one."
"What do they call it?"
She grunted as she yanked a clump of weeds from the earth, shaking dirt from the roots. "They call it pruning."
Shortly after that conversation, Daiyu brought Mouse into our home.
There was no explanation. He simply was there when I came back in from the city. I had spent the afternoon watching the Bayside daredevil tourneys, caught up in the crowds of adoring fans even though I knew I could best most of the contestants even at my tender age. I didn't need to ask Daiyu about it because I knew she'd strictly forbid me to continue.
So, when I came back and found her home unexpectedly early, I thought she had found out about my extracurricular activities. But she made no mention, simply nodded to the boy eating shoyu-ramen soup at our kitchen table. Mouse hadn't hit his growth spurt yet, and was just a cute little runt with a mop of unruly hair.
"Merlin, this is Mateo. He will be staying with us for a while."
He smiled and waved. "Hi."
I stared at him wide-eyed. "Hello."
Daiyu gave me a stern glance. "It's not polite to stare, Merlin. Wash up and join us for dinner."
"Yes, Daiyu."
A few minutes later, we sat at the table and ate as if Mateo had always been there. I had a million questions, but I knew better than to ask before Daiyu was ready to tell me. The moment came after she sent Mateo to his room for the night. I helped her wash dishes, feeling slightly nervous from the length of her silence. Daiyu was never particularly talkative, but it seemed as though she was carefully arranging her thoughts. Finally, she spoke.
"It appears you've been spending unsupervised time in the city, Merlin. You know I disapprove."
I sighed. "I know. It's just … I need things to do."
"You have things to do."
"I mean fun things. All I do here is chores and train."
"I told you why you must do so."
"To protect myself — I know. And I can. You know what I can do."
"You are formidable, child. But you have no idea the type of enemies that you will face one day. You will only survive if you are the best. And you are not the best, not yet."
"Auntie says it is vanity to strive to be perfect. She says no matter how hard one may try, there is no such thing as true mastery because someone will always be better than me at something."
Daiyu's mouth tightened. "Your aunt believes herself a philosopher. I say you continue to improve because you can always be better than you were yesterday."
"I'm tired of training all the time, Daiyu. I go to the city because I want to see and try new things. And because there are people there."
"People are not your friends."
"I don't have any friends. That's the problem!"
I don't know who was more surprised at my shouted words: me or her. I had never dared to raise my voice at Daiyu before. But to my greater shock, she didn't reprimand me. She just nodded, eyes deep in thought.
"I … forget some things at times, Merlin. I forget that you did not get to choose this life. And I often forget how young you are. I will try to be more mindful if you try to be more careful. Do we have a deal?"
I smiled. "Deal."
"Good. I hope you and Mateo will become friends. You are of the same age, and he is gifted as well."
My curiosity piqued. "His parents were Elites?"
"His mother was a Wrath like me."
"Where is she now?"
"She is dead. His father as well. Mateo has no relatives left, so we will become his family."
I studied Daiyu's face, searching for clues. There was much she held back, secrets she meant to hold from me. Her face was even more thoughtful than usual, her eyes stressed. And suddenly, I knew.
"They were pruned," I whispered.
Surprise flashed across her face, quickly suppressed. "Yes, child. But there is no need to look at me like that. They did not die by my hand. His mother was … an ally. She was there for me in a moment when I thought I had no friends in the world."
"What happened to her?"
"It doesn't matter now. What is done is done, and I made a decision to harbor the boy. Be kind to him, Merlin. He didn't see what happened and will never know. But he needs a friend, as do you. It is my hope that you both grow together, help each other, and learn from one another."
"Learn from him? But he's just a … mouse. He's small and helpless."
A small smile touched her lips. "I told you: never judge a person's appearance. Many have done the same to me, and they paid the price for their assumption. You will see, Merlin. The two of you have more in common than you know."
I landed on my back in a cloud of dust, wincing more from the damaged pride than the impact. Mouse practically floated in front of me, bobbing on his toes like a prizefighter, pupils dilated, hair flailing, a wide grin on his face.
"I didn’t hurt you, did I?"
I flipped back up to my feet, smiling in return. "No. Just woke me up."
He laughed as he launched a flurry of blurred attacks, switching styles in mid-motion, moving so quickly that he appeared to have multiple limbs. I barely managed to block and evade, harassed by a boy who barely reached my shoulder. But Mouse was far from ordinary, and his ability to summon the Rush proved it. The mental focus allowed him to tap into adrenaline levels beyond normal, boosting his speed, strength, reflexes, and stamina to match mine, if not exceed them.
I loved every second of it.
Even at that young age, I was physically beyond most people, practically peerless. Daiyu was the only person I considered superior, and even that gap shrank with every passing year. So encountering Mouse's raw abilities was a thrill, a gift to my competitive nature. His style was wild and unpredictable, an amalgam of disciplines that he instinctively melded into his own method. He was the wind in physical form: overpowering and untouchable.
And just like the wind, his power would vanish as suddenly as it appeared.
When the Rush drained from his system, he nearly collapsed, tottering on unsteady legs while bubbling with giddy laughter. It was all a game to him — sheer, unadulterated joy from the adrenaline kick. He didn't know about assassins or games of death, and was equally enthralled by nursing injured animals or eating a delicious meal as he was at training to kill. He was easily distracted, wildly undisciplined, and easily amused.
He was my complete opposite.
And like Daiyu predicted, we rounded out one another as we grew up. Mouse was the yin to my yang and vice versa. We tested each other, pulled and pushed, fought and laughed until I couldn't even remember what things were like before he arrived. We became more than rivals, better than friends.
We became family.
And despite Daiyu being the one to bring Mouse into the picture, I somehow felt that she disapproved. There was a look in her eyes when she'd watch us erupt in a burst of loud laughter, a tightness to her mouth when we'd side against her, protesting some small restriction that shouldn't have mattered much at all. I think she feared open rebellion, the growing lack of control as we entered our teen years.