Humans fear many things. Darkness, insects, animals, the depths of the ocean… Death, hunger, disease. But in this age, what people feared most could be summarized in a single word: Creatures.
The morning sun had not yet risen, but the horizon was already tinged with blue. The group, walking silently towards the city's north gate, was slowly leaving the boundaries of civilization behind.
Rafael, his voice low but impatient, spoke: "Why are they so quiet? How many times do I have to say it – we'll handle this smoothly. We'll get into the Academy, and then everything will be fine."
Eren, his eyes fixed on the horizon, his voice calm but firm, replied.
Eren: "Nothing will get easier. I don't know why those two are so pessimistic, but... I have a reason to be pessimistic."
Raphael, with a mocking smile, asked
Raphael: "What reason is that?"
Eren responded
Eren: "My fear isn't just a small monster hunt. I... I'm afraid of what comes after. Kayra is too. He's not at ease either."
Rahael, with a hint of anger, retorted
Raphael: "What's after this? We'll just swing swords and learn magic tricks at the academy. Then we'll butcher monsters, collect our pay, and the public will applaud us. What more could there be?"
Eren paused for a moment, scuffing the ground with his foot
Eren: "How do you think hunters perform those spells?"
Rahael, grinning, suggested
Raphael: "By working hard and with three grams of protein per kilo?"
Eren, a grim shadow on his face, stated
Eren: "No. With rituals. I know from my father. To become a hunter, you enter rituals. You bind your soul, your mind... to something. You gain magical power, but in return, you lose your mind."
Raphael, a little quiet, a little defensive, asked
Raphael: "Are you trying to scare me off so you can be a hero alone?"
Eren raised his eyes and looked at Raphael
Eren: "I don't care what you do. But know this — at the end of the day, I won't turn back from this path. I will become a hunter. No matter what."
Just then, they reached the north gate. Guards and a few hunters were on duty, as always. Rafael had stepped forward to speak with the guards when... a voice came from behind. It was familiar.
The group reflexively turned around. Kayra was following them with a very calm walk.
Raphael asked
Raphael: "Why did you come? I didn't even notice you were here."
Kayra replied: "I decided to come with you so you wouldn't get yourselves killed."
Eren questioned: "Are you sure? You said it would be dangerous and I shouldn't go."
Kayra responded: "I did say that, yes. But you're still going. So I'm coming after you."
Then he turned to the others: "I don't mean to offend, but... you guys are actually quite weak."
This statement touched Rafael's nerves. Lightning flashed in his eyes.
Raphael roared: "What did you just say!"
Raphael angrily lunged at him. But Kayra merely stepped aside. Raphael fell to the ground.
Kayra stated: "I said: You guys are quite weak. That's why I'm coming to protect you. If you have a plan, tell me. Otherwise, we'll have to make one."
Raphael, clenching his teeth as he got up from the ground, muttered: "I hate you."
Kayra responded: "Everyone doesn't have to love everyone else. But we should get going. If we slow down, we won't reach the campsite before dark."
A brief silence followed. Then the group gathered themselves and started walking again. Along the way, Kayra and Rafael discussed the plan. Kayra approved the plan.
After a while, Luna asked curiously: "So? You weren't going to come. Why did you suddenly appear behind us?"
Kayra replied: "Like I said. You're weak. And you need someone to protect you." Rafael mumbled to himself: "How are you so strong, man... Anyway, let's continue on our way."
The group continued on their way. After a point, they got tired and decided to rest for a few minutes. At that moment, Raphael took off his backpack.
He offered carefully prepared sandwiches and water bottles from his bag to his friends. Eren, Kayra, and Luna silently shared them. A short while later, their fatigue had eased a little. Kayra was examining the forest, her eyes scanning the surroundings. He was on alert, as always.
Kayra said: "We shouldn't stay here too long. We need to reach the campsite before dark. This forest becomes even more dangerous at night."
Raphael, swallowing his last bite, replied: "Don't worry, Kayra. With a protector like you, nothing will happen to us."
Kayra didn't respond to Rafael's sarcastic comment, merely shaking his head. Eren understood Kayra's concern. His father had also told him how merciless the forest could be at night. But there was something strange. He thought he had just seen a few faint green ripples in the air. But it was most likely an optical illusion.
Eren said: "Kayra is right. We should get up. The sooner we arrive, the better."
The group set off again. The sun was beginning to set, and the sky was painted in shades of orange and purple. The shadows of the trees lengthened, and the forest took on an even more eerie appearance. As they walked, they began to hear strange sounds from a distance. Rustling, whispers... as if the forest was talking to them.
Luna, approaching Eren in fear, whispered: "What are these sounds? I've never heard them before."
Eren squinted, looking around. The sounds were getting closer. His heart began to pound. This wasn't just the sound of small monsters. Something bigger, more dangerous, was approaching.
Kayra suddenly stopped and raised his hand. A serious expression was on his face.
Kayra commanded: "Be quiet. Something's coming."
Raphael drew the sword he had hidden from the entire group from his bag. His eyes gleamed in the darkness. He was no longer in a mood for jokes. The growls coming from the depths of the forest became clearer. But this time, instead of the Night Stalker they expected, a zombie, reeking of decaying flesh, stumbled out from among the trees. It was alone.
Raphael grinned: "This is it! The plan is working perfectly. Watch me now."
Raphael lunged at the zombie. He was fast and agile. He swung his sword and severed the zombie's head from its body with a single blow. The zombie fell lifelessly to the ground. Raphael triumphantly brandished his sword. A smile spread across his face.
Raphael exclaimed: "See? Smooth as butter!"
Just then, another zombie, appearing from nowhere, lunged from behind Raphael. Raphael's joy was cut short. As the zombie extended its claws towards Raphael's throat, Kayra suddenly intervened. He plunged his knife into the zombie's head with lightning speed. The zombie collapsed onto Raphael.
Kayra, in a cold voice, stated: "This is the price of carelessness."
As Eren watched in astonishment, he noticed movement on the other side of the campsite out of the corner of his eye. Another zombie was advancing towards them. Eren, as his father had taught him, aimed and drew his pistol. He hit the zombie in the head with a single shot. The zombie fell to the ground.
Eren took a deep breath. They had succeeded. A momentary feeling of relief enveloped his entire body. As Raphael got up from the ground, Luna and Sahra were huddled together, trembling with fear. Everything seemed to be falling into place.
However, this relief was short-lived. The hum of the forest suddenly ceased. It was as if everything around them was already aware of the coming storm, the terror that was about to unfold. Eren saw the ripple he had noticed on the way again. The ripple vanished and took the form of a silhouette. Blood-red, fire-like shimmering aura. A sharp and terrifying silhouette. But the others, let alone the red aura, could only tell the creature was there by its sound.
Suddenly, the darkness was torn apart. A shadow sprang from among the trees. The hum in the air stopped in front of Luna. The shadow was too fast to be seen with the naked eye. Luna wanted to scream in fear, but unfortunately, she couldn't. The metal-hard hand of the gradually more defined silhouette plunged into Luna's neck like a knife. A crunch. Her bones broke. Her head fell to the ground. Fear was still on her face. The head separated from the body, blood gushing like a waterfall. Luna's eyes were still wide with terror.
As her body fell to the ground, Sahra's scream filled the forest.
Sahra shrieked: "Raphael, I'm scared, you brought us here—!"
Raphael was frozen. Kayra angrily lunged at the vampire, swinging his knife. However, the vampire, with superhuman speed, dodged Kayra's attack and, using his hand like the knife, cut Sahra's neck as well. Sahra's lifeless body collapsed next to Luna.
Kayra recoiled in shock. Lightning flashed in his eyes. He whispered:
Kayra: "Sleep is the chain of the night."
Kayra's feet cracked the ground, and blue glowing chains burst from the earth. The chains wrapped around the vampire, binding him tightly. The vampire struggled to break free from the chains. This was an opportunity for Raphael. His eyes burned with the fire of revenge. He lunged at the vampire to plunge his sword into him.
However, the vampire broke free from the chains by tearing off his right arm and plunged it into Raphael's stomach. As Raphael's scream ripped through the forest, the vampire's hand was still in his stomach—but that momentary pause gave Eren a chance to aim. Eren, with trembling hands, raised his pistol and aimed at the vampire's head. He pulled the trigger. The bullet hit the vampire in the forehead. The vampire fell lifelessly to the ground. Raphael lay on the ground, bleeding, but he was alive. Eren looked around in shock. Luna and Sahra... were gone. This was a nightmare.
Raphael gasped: "Damn... I'm dying... help me..."
As Raphael struggled, losing blood, the rustling of leaves was heard again. As the survivors of the group looked towards it, they saw men in fedora hats, cloaks, and most importantly, wearing the wolf-head emblem of the Safe Haven Hunter's Guild on their chests. One of them had this emblem in gold.
The Senior Hunter said: "What the hell have you done right in front of my eyes?"
No sooner had he spoken than Eren's pistol was taken and he was handcuffed.
The Medic shouted: "Bring my equipment, we have an injured person!"
He then began to attend to Raphael. At that moment, the senior hunter pulled Kayra aside.
The Senior Hunter asked: "What were you doing here with them? Did you see the patrols? Of course, you didn't. And those fools didn't see you either."
The hunter turned around.
The Senior Hunter asked: "Hey, any news from the patrols!"
Hunter 1 replied: "Commander, no sign of the patrols. Only one of their horses was found dead."