Dark Talion's POV:

Text - Text

"Text" - Dialogue

Text - Thoughts

Text - Talion's wraith voice

I bear Isildur's ring on my left hand. My hood was up and I adorned my Nazgul crown. Celebrimbor was one with Sauron atop Barad-dûr. Eltariel was still out there. She left me to die. She needs to be brought to justice.

I was patrolling around Minas Morgul. The ring called to me, tempting me. I grow weaker every year, and I accepted the fact that one day, I would submit to the ring. I am of darkness now but my mission remained the same: hold Mordor.

"Hey, boss, it seems that things are going quite well. There haven't been many raids in a while. The fortress in Seregost, Gorgoroth, and Núrn are well secured," Vukog the Sun-drinker said, my bodyguard in Minas Morgul.

"Good job," I complimented. "But we need to make sure that, under no circumstances, the forts will not be taken by Sauron's forces ever again. Any ideas?"

"You could find a machine tribe orc. They could help fix up some new defenses." Vukog said.

"Do you know where to find one?"

"Not really, no. I've been busy with checking up on the fortresses." Vukog was a powerful Uruk. He was almost invulnerable to all types of attacks and could summon graugs whenever he wanted.

"We're going to need fire from above. Can you tame drakes, Vukog?"

"I can't. But I could capture wild ones and bring them to you. I'll let two drakes circle around every fortress in case of an invasion."

"Alright, I'll let you take care of that." Then dizziness overtook me. I kneeled on one knee and my vision was blurry.

"Boss, are you all right?" Vukog asked. The blurriness in my vision faded but I was no longer in Minas Morgul. I was in a market place. People stared at me. Guards around the place eyed me suspiciously. Where was I? Where was Vukog?! It was dark.

I wandered around the place a bit more, trying to get my bearings. What kind of sorcery was this? Where was I?

"Hey, are you a wanderer?" A little child grabbed at my arm. It was a blond little girl with innocent eyes.

"Where am I?" I asked.

"You're at the capital. My name is Aria, how are you."

"My name is Talion. I've never heard of the capital before."

"If you want you can come home with me-"

"Aria, you can't keep bringing peasants home," Her guard said.

"I'll have you know I was a former ranger of the Black Gate," I corrected. "But it would be nice if you could tell me where I am in Mordor."

"What's Mordor?" The little girl said. What? "Anyway, please come back home with us," She pleaded. I didn't have a reason not to. These people were willing to help and they might know where we are. And this was the request of a child so I didn't mind. Then I felt an unsettling feeling from the girl. Her smile was almost… too wide. It just didn't feel right. There was a red spot on her dress. I knew the color all too much. Was that blood? The guards looked at me every few seconds or so like they were waiting. But I wasn't nervous. I was tolerant against pain and if I died, I would come back. It was a gift yet a curse.

I stared at them, suspiciously and enjoyed the ride back to their mansion. Aria brought me in and told her parents about me. They were excited to take care of a guest. How… inviting. Aria brought me to my room and I thanked her. It was quite extravagant. The bed was large and it was spacious. But more important things were on my mind. Where was I? I needed to get back to Minas Morgul.

There was something rotten about this place just like Mordor. Yet, more subtle.

During the night, I sensed a presence nearby. I left my room and checked outside the window. A small group of people with the moon to their backs stood atop a rooftop looking in. Intruders? I broke through the window and landed outside to confront them.

"What do you seek?" I asked them, sternly. A girl with long, straight black hair, and red eyes, jumped down to greet me. She pulled out her blade and I did so as well.

"You're not a target. So you would be an unnecessary kill. Move aside and we'll spare you."

"No matter how many times you kill me, I'll always come back," I told her. "Now, begone. Who are you? Assassins? Do you relate to Eltariel?"

"I'll guess I'll have to kill you," She stated and then rushed me. I easily deflected her blade but she was quick. Really quick. Better than any orc I've come across but I survived because of my experience. My hatred of the feeling of death was only more motivation to stay alive. The others circled around just to watch. They really don't expect much of me. Then I will give them something to fear.

I parried the red-eyed girls blade aside and took the opening to thrust my left hand to her face. I heard searing of flesh and saw terror enter her eyes. She was horrified by my wraith form.

"Who are you?! Where do you come from?! Give me answers or suffer the consequences!" I interrogated. She struggled to counter my attack on her brain. Her mind was strong and gated but the ring will break her down. "Do not resist!"

"I-I am Akame from the group called Night Raid. I'm here to kill Aria and her family," Akame admitted. "We fight against the corruption of the capital."

"Why? Tell me what she's done wrong! Why send assassins after her?!"

"S-she's tortures innocents. Aria and her family like to bring in peasants and torture them until they die," She revealed. I let go of her and she let out an audible exhalation of relief. She panted heavily and I stared her.

"I knew something about that girl was off," I said to myself.

"Woah, what did that guy do to Akame?!" A guy in heavy armor with a polearm asked, bewildered. There was also a girl with pink hair and an odd-looking weapon. There was a boy with green hair and a blond woman as well. A girl with long purple hair carried scissors. In all my time, fighting orcs, I've never seen somebody use scissors as a main weapon. Granted, they were double my size.

"I'll have to confront Aria. You guys stay here or just leave. I'll handle the rest," I said to them.

"We can't. We have to confirm she's dead."

"I'll make my judgment before you kill her," I said. Thoughts cannot lie. If that was what Aria was doing, then maybe she and her family were better off dead. I walked with the group of assassins and went back inside the mansion. I kicked in the door to Aria's room and she bolted awake. "Come here, you little rascal!" I yelled at her, grabbing her arm.

"What are you doing, Talion?!" She questioned, angrily.

"I'm confirming a suspicion," I explained. I looked over at Night Raid and they led me to a warehouse just outside. "Open it!" I forced Aria. She hastily opened the door to the warehouse and what I found inside were bodies strung up on chains with large cuts on their chests. People in cages. I think a boy was still alive. He looked at me with joy as if he were saved but then he fell onto the floor, weak and bleeding out. He died. "Care to explain?" I asked Aria.

"Those peasants should've been grateful anyone paid attention to them!" Aria took on a devilish expression. Orcs would cower before her. "You low-class people should just all die. You're all worthless! Nothing you do is significant! You all just deserve to-"

"Silence!" I reprimanded. "I should execute you where you stand but you don't deserve my blade." The group called Night Raid looked at me, confused as to what I was about to do.

I opened my left palm and dominated Aria. I readied my other hand and slammed against her face, shaming her. "YOU DISGUST ME!" Aria screamed in pain. I was melting and jumbling her mind. This was a child so it would do so much more to her than an orc.

When I finally released her she crashed onto the ground, curling up into a ball.

"St-stay a-a-away from me, wraith demon," She uttered out, quietly.

"What did you do to her?" The blond woman asked, petrified.

"I broke her," I replied, casually. "Anyway, do what you want with her. Kill her if you must. But just so you know, if she's left alive, she'll never do anything cruel again. I made sure of that." I walked out of the warehouse and started trudging away.

"Hey, you seem strong. Do you want to join us?" The blond girl asked.

"Leone, we're not here to recruit people," The pink-haired girl stated.

"You saw what he did. He could be useful."

"I don't care, Leone. Let's just go kill Aria's parents and get this mission over with." Their bickering went on for quite some time longer before the black-haired girl, Akame, stepped in and shushed them.

Quite an eccentric group.

So I ended up being brought to their base of operations. Foolish. I talked to their boss, Najenda, about what we were going to do. I told her I needed to get back to Mordor but she had no clue what Mordor was. It was strange. But, if this place needed help against corruption then I should help. I decided to join Night Raid temporarily until I can find my way back to Mordor.

Najenda told me about the best general in the region. A general that could control ice and had no mercy.

Esdeath.