The afternoon sun spilled into the classroom, turning the desks into golden blocks. Serina Rosendel leaned her chin on her hand, staring out the window. Her mind wasn't on the lecture; it was on the strange, heavy pressure she felt in the air lately.
"Serina... hey, Serina! Are you daydreaming again?"
Serina flinched, her dark hair swaying as she looked up. Her friend, Sam, was leaning over her desk.
"Oh, Sam. No, sorry," Serina sighed, a small, tired smile tugging at her lips. "I was just wondering when this long day would finally end."
"Well, it's over now!" Sam chirped. "Are you coming with us to the cafe? We're going to chill and forget about exams."
Serina's eyes brightened. "Of course! I can't miss my daily reward. I've been thinking about that blueberry jam cheesecake since second period."
At the cafe, the atmosphere was light. Serina was just about to take the perfect bite of her cheesecake when her phone vibrated aggressively on the table. She looked at the screen. The caller ID was blank—just a string of encrypted symbols.
Her playful expression vanished. Her eyes grew cold and sharp.
"Sorry, guys," she said, standing up and grabbing her coat. "It's an important call from... family. I have to take this."
She stepped into the alleyway behind the cafe and pressed the phone to her ear.
"Hunter Serina," a distorted voice crackled. "A Level 2 Demon has manifested two blocks from your current coordinates. Civilians are in the area. Terminate it immediately."
"Understood," she replied, her voice dropping an octave. "Commencing the hunt."
The next morning at school felt heavy. Serina walked to her seat, but before she could even sit down, her phone shrieked. It wasn't a call this time—it was a Red Alert.
"Serina! Get out of there! A Level 5 is manifesting directly on your school's coordinates! It's—"
BOOM.
The windows shattered. A massive, grotesque shadow towered over the school playground, its presence rotting the very air. The principal's voice screamed over the intercom: "Serina! It's a Code Blue! To the front gates, now!"
Serina didn't hesitate. She leapt through the shattered window, sliding down the roof. If I don't stop it here, everyone dies, she thought. To hell with my secret identity.
As she charged, she noticed something strange. A shimmering Light Barrier had encased the entire school. Is the demon doing this to trap us? she wondered, grit in her teeth.
She unleashed the Rosendel family's shadow arts, but the Level 5 demon swiped her aside like a doll. She crashed into the brick wall, blood coughing from her lungs. She was a Level 3 hunter at best—this was suicide.
The demon loomed over her, its claw glowing with killing intent. Serina closed her eyes, tears of frustration leaking out.
"Please..." she whispered into the void. "Someone... save me."
Scene 4: The Gods Intervene
The blow never came.
Instead, a voice—calm, melodic, and terrifyingly powerful—vibrated through her very bones.
"Stop."
The demon's claw halted an inch from her face, frozen in time by a single word.
Serina opened her eyes. In front of her stood a man she recognized from the back. Above him, another figure was levitating in the sky, his eyes glowing with a cold, celestial brilliance. It was Allen Leonhart. With a flick of his wrist, chains of pure, blinding light erupted from the ground, binding the demon in place.
Then, the man in front of her moved. With one casual swipe of his hand—not even a weapon—the Level 5 demon was sliced into ribbons, dissolving like butter in a furnace.
The man turned around. It was Alex Rosendel. He looked at her with that same "perfect guy" face he wore at family reunions, but his aura was different. It was the Darkness that gave birth to the world.
"Are humans really this weak?" Alex asked, his voice playful yet ancient.
He leaned down, looking directly into her blown-out pupils. A dangerous, knowing smirk played on his lips.
"Are you okay?"
Serina's heart hammered against her ribs. "A-Alex? Wait... aren't you my distant relative? The one who only shows up at weddings to eat the buffet?"
Her brain was spinning. "How? How can you use the secret power of our family? Only I... the descendant... are you a Hunter too, Alex?!"
Alex chuckled, the sound like falling stars. He tilted his head, his smirk widening as he dropped the ultimate bombshell.
Serina could barely find her voice. "Contract? Alex, what are you talking about? My family... we were chosen by the Gods centuries ago. We don't make contracts with 'relatives' who show up late to weddings!"
Before Alex could answer, a heavy thud landed behind them.
Allen Leonhart descended from the air, his boots clicking on the pavement. He looked as grumpy as ever, dusting off his blazer as if the Level 5 demon was nothing more than an annoying fly.
"You're talking too much again, Alex," Allen muttered, his voice cold and flat. "The Association's cleanup crew will be here in three minutes. If we don't leave now, we're going to have to fill out paperwork. And I'm not doing paperwork for a Level 5 that you killed in five seconds."
"Oh, come on, Allen! Don't be so grumpy," Alex laughed, gesturing toward the trembling Serina. "Look at her! She's a Rosendel. She has that 'End' energy in her blood. I couldn't just let her get flattened, could I?"
Allen glanced at Serina for a split second—a look that felt like a thousand suns burning through her—before turning away. "Whatever. Do what you want. I'm going to the convenience store. They're having a sale on those milk breads I like."
Serina scrambled to her feet, clutching her injured side. "Wait! Both of you! You can't just leave! Allen... Leonhart? You're the 'dumb but smart' cousin from the main branch! How are you levitating?! And Alex... if you made the contract... then who... WHAT are you?"
Alex paused, his back to her. For a moment, the fun-loving "perfect guy" mask slipped, and the air around him grew heavy, cold, and infinite.
"A relative?" Alex mused, his voice echoing in her mind. "Let's just say... I'm the one who gave your ancestors a reason to fear the dark."
With a wink, he stepped toward Allen, and before Serina could blink, both of them vanished into the shadows.
Author's note: This is an original work. Please do not repost without permission.
© Abemo Murry , 2025. All rights reserved