‘This is it,’ Alhen found himself facing the exit of the church for the first time in nine years.

  Behind the exit, another door stood, making sure that the moonlight didn’t filter into the inside of the building.

  Having this in mind, an important question arose.

  “How are we going to avoid looking at the moon?” Alhen asked.

  He currently wore an outfit similar to his mentor's, a gift from Father Vincent.

  He was clad in a leather jacket and pants, boots, and lastly, a fingerless leather glove on his left hand.

  Alhen remembered when he was about to leave the church with his mentor, but this one looked at him with disgust before ordering him to change his clothes.

  Alaran, hearing his question, quickly handed him some glasses that wrapped around his face tightly and had a red filter, making the world look as if it were full of blood.

  “Will this really be enough?” Alhen asked, unsure of the efficiency.

  “Just put it on, kid; nothing will happen to you,” Alaran responded.

  He urged him, looking impatient to get out of the church.

  Alhen wore the glasses, feeling them press against his face and shifting the color of the world to crimson.

  Next on the list was checking once more if his thuls were in place.

  His silver revolver stood perched on his left hip, while the axe was strapped to his back.

  The bullets of the revolver were in a pocket near the bottom of his jacket.

  He could feel his body constantly twitching from nervousness.

  It would be the first time he would leave the church, and he had no idea of what to expect besides wihts.

  He took a deep breath, and his body gradually relaxed.

  He allowed himself to feel the weight of the weapons that would allow him to defend himself on the outside.

  Alaran approached the door before pushing it open, allowing Alhen to see what was out for the first time since arriving in this world.

  A noticeable absence of light could be seen.

  Buildings stood too close to each other, barely allowing room for people to pass through the desolate streets.

  The area was devoid of human presence.

  Multiple Victorian-style buildings had plain old lamps and torches that illuminated the space.

  “Tak!” Alhen stepped foot on the cobblestone street and felt the rough texture through his boots.

  The trash that infested the streets invaded Alhen’s senses, making him hold his nose from disgust.

  Alaran, looking at his condition, snickered.

  “There is a serious problem with trash in this area, but you will get used to it eventually. You should thank the ‘Lords’ that we are not staying here, and are going to the forest instead,” Alaran commented, looking at his expression.

  “I really don’t think that I will get used to this smell,” Alhen replied with a gag at the end, making Alaran laugh.

  Alhen watched this man, whom he thought would end him as soon as they set foot outside the church.

  Looking at him now, he seemed like a good person.

  With no further delay, they walked through the empty, tight streets.

  The moderate illumination didn’t help much looking ahead, the red glasses making him see less light in general.

  Alhen had to walk somewhat faster as his mentor had long legs and he took longer strides.

  After a few minutes of walking, he started tiring, and the streets were looking the same.

  “Where exactly are we headed?” Alhen asked, some impatience and tiredness evident in his tone of voice.

  “We are headed outside the Kingdom of Yhia. There’s a spot known specifically for the overpopulation of lesser-rank wihts,” Alaran replied, and Alhen nodded in understanding.

  “It is near a waterfall. Do not start getting tired now, we will have to walk for much longer,” Alaran responded without lessening his pace.

  ‘Shit!’ Alhen cursed mentally.

  Unfortunately, he hadn’t run much his whole life, and his body was clearly not adapted to moving around for so long.

  Alhen avoided talking, focusing more on his internal world and breathing as he watched the Kingdom with the curiosity of a newborn.

  He saw some structures, a clock tower, and a castle in the distance, and he wished he could just go there and explore.

  Thinking about the dangers of it, however, made him remove that thought from his head.

  If one of those places ended up being like the lunar district where Henry was born, he would definitely get in trouble sooner or later.

  Right now, they had to focus on their primary task, the hunt.

  They kept on walking until reaching a huge grey wall extending well over many kilometers.

  Alhen gulped with the thought that there could be wihts of colossal sizes and he hadn’t thought about it.

  Now he wasn’t so sure anymore if he wanted to step outside these walls if that were to be the case.

  Alaran, to the side, grabbed his attention, pointing to a steel gate looking small in comparison to the massive wall.

  It was guarded by two people dressed in red armor.

  Their helmets had the shapes of demons with sharp, elongated teeth and eyes that pierced your soul.

  They held halberds in their hands and looked ready to kill or stop a confrontation despite the clear lack of human presence in these parts.

  “We have to go through them, come with me, they should let us pass with no problem,” Alaran commented.

  Alhen nodded and began following after him with sweaty palms hovering near his thuls.

  The guards, ignoring their presence until that moment, stopped them once they approached the gates.

  “What business do you have outside these gates?” One of the men asked.

  “We are heading outside to hunt some lesser wihts, let us through,” Alaran responded.

  The guard’s eyes scanned both of them with discerning gazes.

  Looking at their weapons and attire, they asked for identification.

  Alaran took out a delicate but fine-looking golden pocket watch from his jacket and showed it to the guards.

  They then shifted their focus to Alhen, who stood still as a rock without uttering a word.

  “What are you waiting for? Identification,” The shorter guard asked.

  Alhen, not knowing what to do, remained staring in Alaran’s direction with his left hand dangerously close to his revolver.

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  The tension mounted for a split second before his mentor broke it.

  “He is soon to be an official hunter. Let us go through this time, we will not cause any problems.”

  Alaran took some steps towards the guard, who tensed and gripped his halberd tighter.

  The guard only calmed down once he saw something Alaran had taken out of his pocket.

  Alaran took out a single gold coin with intricate carvings of a dragon and gave it to the guard.

  Not a single word was spoken between them before the guard nodded in approval.

  “Good, I have verified his identification, have a good hunt,” he said, and Alhen, not knowing what else to do, nodded in their direction.

  “Creak!” The guards, showing tremendous strength, pushed the heavy gates open.

  Alhen watched the show with his mouth wide open.

  ‘How is this possible?’ He wondered.

  He knew that super strength existed.

  Watching Father Vincent and Alaran, who was next to him, but he didn’t know that someone could be this strong.

  The door must have easily weighed over many tons, and despite their struggling faces, they managed to open it.

  Alhen, for the first time in his life, took a step outside the walls, officially leaving the place he had lived in his whole life.

  The doors closed behind them, leaving only the scene in front of him.

  The forest had dull, multicolored plants and grey trees with red leaves.

  Sounds that could not be made by any human being were often heard, making Alhen’s hair stand on end.

  From the thick vegetation, he couldn’t help but feel as if a wiht could pounce on them at any second, raising his vigilance to the maximum.

  They walked through it at a moderate pace.

  Now that he had noticed, somehow, even with his mentor’s limp, he still surpassed him in speed.

  No matter how much he tried to be in front of him, he could only be behind.

  “Are you done yet?” Alaran asked.

  Alhen gave off a nervous laugh before focusing on the clearing he saw ahead.

  They arrived; a waterfall came into view.

  Water poured endlessly, and the sound of their steps was muffled by it.

  The trip was surprisingly fast.

  He had expected to be walking for minutes on end before arriving, but that wasn’t the case.

  Alhen avoided getting lost in the appealing dance of the water falling as he saw multiple wihts walking and doing their business near the waterfall.

  His body tensed as he got ready for a fight, his left hand gripping his revolver and ready to fire at any second.

  These wihts walked with a hump on their backs.

  They had scarce hair throughout their bodies, big dark eyes that seemed to swallow you, long, sharp ears like those of an elf, and claws longer than a forearm.

  They walked on two legs, and with each step, Alhen could hear a low guttural sound come out from their mouths.

  Looking at their eyes, they seemed to hold no intelligence besides the primal instinct to kill and feed themselves.

  This was something he saw as they ripped apart a corpse of their own kind and ate it without mercy.

  Alaran, noticing his stare, said, “These wihts are called ‘Grimlens,’ they often engage in cannibalism and are highly aggressive, but mostly inoffensive.”

  Hearing his words, Alhen turned to look at his mentor with a raised eyebrow.

  “They are only lesser rank wihts so they should not pose much of a difficulty even with your missing arm,” Alaran casually commented.

  Alhen, however, doubted that these creatures could be inoffensive; those claws looked like they could tear straight through his body like paper.

  ‘Do I really have a chance against these creatures? There are more than five, and I only have one arm and a limited amount of bullets,’ he frowned.

  ‘I can barely hold my axe with one hand, so that’s out of the question. I don’t even know why the Father gave it to me,’ he thought heavily.

  “Don’t forget to activate your Luna Signum. You will have no chance against them if you don’t.”

  Now that Alaran mentioned it, he had forgotten about his sign that had saved his life on his first wiht encounter.

  Bringing his attention to the scar below his neck, he placed the intention for it to activate, and it did.

  A dim white light illuminated the inside of his jacket.

  He could feel the strength gradually entering his body, nourishing it.

  The feeling of being stronger was intoxicating, as if the previous version of himself was someone inferior, and this was his true self.

  The gain in strength wasn’t massive; it only amounted to a child gaining the strength of an adult who lifted weights somewhat heavily.

  “Before you go and hunt down the wihts, what do you need to know about your Luna Signum? How much do you know?” Alaran asked.

  “Well, only that it gives you strength if you use it; that’s basically it,” Alhen responded, clearly waiting for a full explanation.

  “A Luna Signum does much more than just give you strength; it improves your breathing, energy, reflexes, regenerative capabilities, perception, speed, you name it. It is essential for a hunter, but it does not last forever,” Alaran paused, letting his words sink in.

  “Top hunters can hold the activated sign for about a full day, but you, who are starting, will only be able to hold it for about five minutes,” Alaran explained with patience.

  “I see, and how do you charge it back or become strong enough to hold a full day with it activated?” Alhen asked, intrigued and wanting more information.

  “That is quite a simple thing to do. To charge your Luna Signum, you will have to bask in the moonlight with it exposed and pull the energy towards you. Moving greatly reduces the efficiency, and closing one’s eyes improves it.”

  “To have a stronger sign, you will need to kill wihts and take their energy. I will explain how to do it after you have hunted down the wihts in this area,” Alaran explained.

  “Ugh, that’s a lot of information, but I think I got the gist of it. Basically, killing wihts and absorbing their energy makes you stronger, and meditating in the moonlight gives you energy back; got it,” Alhen stated aloud to ensure he wouldn’t forget.

  “There is more to that, but it is fine for now. You do not need to know everything right this instant; it will only hinder your progress,” Alaran commented.

  “Now that you know the basics, I want you to kill all the wihts.” Before Alhen could complain, Alaran continued.

  “Stop with your excuses, you will not die; I have you in my sight and will protect you if things take a turn for the worse; now go,” he ordered.

  Alhen raised an eyebrow at his mentor, and he fortunately didn’t comment on it.

  ‘Just as I thought, he doesn’t seem like a bad guy.’ Alaran noticed Alhen looking at him intently and frowned.

  “What are you looking at? You should be looking forward; think about how to kill these disgusting wihts.”

  “Sorry.” Alhen focused his gaze ahead and saw the group.

  In total, there were about eight grimlens, all of them doing their own thing.

  He wondered how he would take care of the situation and, analyzing his surroundings.

  A big rock appeared in his vision up ahead and crept towards it, using the nature around him as his cover.

  The red grass that touched his skin left behind a viscous, red liquid that adhered to his jacket, making it smell strongly of freshly cut grass.

  Alhen smeared off that liquid with his glove as soon as he arrived at the rock.

  He climbed it with some difficulty with one hand, but thankfully, it wasn’t steep enough that it was impossible.

  Down below, there they were, grimlens; they were distracted, eating one of their own.

  His left hand took hold of the handle of the revolver on his hip and took it out of its holster.

  He aimed it at the nearest wiht, making sure that the safety was off.

  His hand kept on shaking; he tried to stabilize it with no result, as he still hadn’t gotten used to using his non-dominant hand for doing anything other than existing.

  Making sure to steady his aim somewhat, he had the target locked, and as he was about to pull the trigger, he remembered something.

  Activating his eyes, the world became dark in his vision.

  The wihts looked like terrifying ghosts shaped somewhat like them, and multiple spots of light illuminated their bodies.

  He locked his view on the nearest grimlen, aiming at the light on its chest to the best of his abilities.

  ‘Better safe than sorry,’ he thought.

  The shot was lined up, and all he had to do now was to press the trigger.

  Instead of doing that, however, he stopped dead in his tracks and made sure that the gun was loaded in the first place.

  Alaran, who observed from afar, shook his head at the sight and seemed eager to go up to him and smack him in the face.

  Alhen then touched his pocket area and felt the weight of the extra bullets.

  Now that Alhen had made sure that nothing was amiss, it was time to get to it before his mentor lost his temper.

  ‘Alright,’ he thought.

  Aiming his revolver once more, he locked onto the same target for the third time.

  He took a second to breathe before managing to stabilize the handgun and fire.

  “Bang!” The shot rang out.

  His arm shook from the recoil, his ears buzzed from the sound, and he remained momentarily frozen after firing his first shot.

  When the smell of gunpowder entered his nose, that’s when he snapped out of his thoughts.

  He had just shot a wiht dead.

  As soon as the bullet entered its chest, hitting the bright light, it dropped to the ground, stiff as a board.

  Alhen didn’t have time to celebrate his first kill as their group didn’t take long to locate him following the sound of the gunshot.

  They growled in his direction before darting towards him.

  Alhen’s heart skipped a beat as he aimed his revolver again in a hurry and fired two shots that hit nothing but the ground.

  The grimlens moved erratically, and predicting their movements seemed to be nearly impossible.

  Firing off his remaining three shots, he hit two more grimlens in non-lethal areas before being forced to run away.

  Reloading his revolver with one hand was a laughable idea.

  He placed it back in its holster before taking the axe from his back.

  Despite him using his luna signum, he couldn’t swing the axe effectively as the weight was still too much for him.

  Using nature to his advantage, Alhen evaded the wihts for about ten seconds by relying on his eyes, being able to see their movements ahead of time.

  Despite this, they caught up to him.

  The grimlens surrounded him, leaving no room to escape.

  He could feel his heartbeat accelerating and the nerves starting to mount up.

  His back was drenched in sweat, and his gaze darted all over the place, extremely aware of his surroundings.

  The next second, they all lunged at him at the same time.

  His eyes worked overtime.

  The ghosts separated from the wiht’s bodies and allowed him to see their movements before they moved.

  In his vision, one of the ghosts was ahead of the others, and he darted towards it before swinging down his axe with all his strength at its head.

  “Splat!” The axe effortlessly cleaved its way through the brain but got stuck in the process.

  ‘Shit!’ Being left with no choice, he abandoned his axe and ran past the wiht.

  He noticed a ghost rushing at him from his left.

  A claw made its way towards his back, leaving him bleeding heavily.

  Had he been slower, his body would’ve been split in half by now.

  Alhen pushed down a scream as he fell to the dirt and looked around with wide eyes in search of something.

  “Alaran, help!” he pleaded desperately, screaming to get his mentor’s attention.

  A grimlen managed to reach him, extending its long claws at his head.

  The world slowed down, the claws shone under the moonlight, and his brain kept sending him signals to run away.

  Alhen could feel his imminent death approaching.

  He was certain that nothing he did would help him get out of this situation.

  “Bang!” A shot rang out.

  Before the claws could reach him, the grimlen’s head exploded, leaving a mess of brain matter all over Alhen.

  The others died soon after in the same manner, barely having time to realize what had happened.

  “T-That was close,” he said out loud, understanding what would have happened if his mentor hadn’t intervened.

  “Tak, tak,” Alaran came out from behind a tree with his revolver in hand, still letting out smoke from the barrel.

  “You have got a lot to learn, kid,” he said.

  And with that, his first hunt had ended.