“Clatter, Clatter!” Back in ‘The Crying Halberd,’ Alaran stood at the counter, giving the report and handing over the artifacts.

  Alhen sat in a chair and waited for the interaction to end.

  Contrary to his expectations, he didn’t just hand over the artifacts to get his hunter's licence.

  Alaran followed the receptionist to a separate room, leaving him alone with his thoughts.

  Boredom was starting to get to him; there wasn’t much to do in this world apart from socializing or being lost in thought.

  He didn’t want to socialize with anyone here, however.

  The same feeling was apparently not shared, as he felt the stare of someone piercing his back.

  He discreetly looked around, but didn’t know where it was coming from.

  The feeling grew stronger, Alhen placed his hand near his revolver, ready to deal with a problem before it started.

  ‘Why would someone be interested in me right now? What did I do to catch their attention? We are in a public space, so I don’t think they will try anything drastic, but I might be wrong.’ Alhen thought as he kept his guard up.

  ‘This is only my third time outside the church, and I still don’t know about the world surrounding me. I have to be careful.’

  He felt the grip on his revolver tighten, and his alertness reached its peak.

  The feeling only got stronger from there until he felt it directly behind him.

  He didn’t know if it was his paranoia playing tricks on him, but he wouldn’t take any chances.

  Without thinking, he turned as fast as possible, slightly drawing out his revolver, but just enough so it was concealed to wandering eyes not to cause a ruckus.

  Alhen was surprised by his quick movement, as was the person standing before him, who wore a shocked expression.

  Alhen assessed the situation quickly, putting away his revolver, and letting out an imperceptible breath he didn’t know he was holding.

  It took a few seconds for the person to stabilize themselves, being surprised by his action.

  A girl about six years older than him struggled with her words as she tried talking to him.

  He could guess it was not often the times when she was surprised, like she had been a few moments ago.

  “I-I’m sorry, did I startle you?” She asked, and Alhen could tell it was the first thing that had come to her mind.

  She shifted awkwardly under his inspecting gaze, not really knowing what to do.

  She had dirty blond hair that sucked all the light, wore high heels and a long, dark green skirt, making her look like a luck fairy, a purple shirt, skin whiter than the moon, and yellow eyes fixed on him.

  After a brief silence, and just when the awkwardness was mounting, Alhen responded.

  “What are you doing sneaking up on people?” He asked a question of his own after noticing there was no immediate danger.

  The girl, on the other hand, seemed relieved that the tension had broken and was more than happy to talk about her motives for approaching him.

  “Oh, I am sorry, I did not mean for it to look like that. My brother and I accepted a hunting job, but we need at least a three-person party. Could you join us? Here are the details if you are interested.” The girl handed him a scroll, which he briefly glanced at.

  The scroll, summarized, read, “What is thought to be a lesser blessed wiht is attacking the village of ‘Drosrria’, villagers requested hunter aid. Payment totalling fifty silver.”

  Down at the bottom, he could see the number three with a plus symbol on the side, representing the party size. Alhen looked at his arm and then at the girl.

  “Are you sure that you want to accept someone who is disabled? Look, I’m missing an arm; I don’t think I would be able to do much in your group.” Alhen pointed out, and she stood with the same expression.

  “Even if you are not able to fight, that is fine; we just need the numbers. If you are worried about your safety, we can protect you. No one else is willing to go with us because they think we are just kids,” she said with a sigh at the end.

  Now that he understood the situation, his body relaxed a little.

  He had just tested her a little to see what she thought about him, but his worries seemed to be for nothing.

  Alhen heard the creak of a door and saw his mentor coming out with the receptionist.

  He promptly excused himself, promising to return, and approached the counter where Alaran stood waiting for him.

  Alaran looked around, seeing Alhen leave the side of a girl and walking towards him.

  “I leave you alone for a few minutes, and the first thing that you do is find a girl to flirt with? You should be more careful with the people you talk to; not everyone has good intentions.” Alaran warned.

  Alhen rolled his eyes at his words.

  “I’m not flirting, she approached to invite me to a hunting contract. Apparently, their group needs one more member, and no one wants to work with them because of their age,” he said.

  His mentor immediately frowned.

  “And they are going to accept you?” Alaran swept his gaze, looking at Alhen up and down, and shook his head.

  Despite knowing that his mentor was right, it still stung that his appearance resembled that of someone disabled.

  “I do not know what she saw in you, but you really do not look capable of fending for yourself, especially with your missing arm. What are they giving you in return? Do you know yet?” Alaran asked

  “Well… not really, I don’t know,” Alhen replied.

  “I feel like group work will be beneficial at the beginning of your journey, but always be careful. I will strike a deal with her.”

  “Alright, by the way, am I an official hunter yet?” Alhen asked.

  “Yes, I have your badge right here.” Alaran took an analog golden pocket watch out of the pocket of his jacket and handed it to Alhen.

  Alhen took it with caution and inspected it closely; the carvings on the gold resembled a mighty dragon head.

  He inspected the work of art with fascination until he noticed an engraving on the back that showed a white line.

  “What is this?” He asked.

  “That is your rank; as you advance, more will be added. " Alaran commented.

  "Thanks for the information. I thought that I would feel happier being an official hunter, but it seems that's not the case," Alhen responded.

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  "Kid, avoid dying on your next contract, or it would be pathetic. Let me talk with that girl alone; I do not want you to listen,” Alaran said.

  Without waiting for Alhen's answer, Alaran walked over to the surprised girl who watched their interaction from afar, and they began talking.

  Throughout the conversation, he could see many emotions on the girl’s face.

  She was stiff as a board at first, smiling awkwardly, until she relaxed, and her smile became natural.

  However, the conversation lasted for a few more minutes before his mentor returned, leaving a wide-eyed, pale girl behind in the end.

  “Very well, I have talked with her. She and her group member should not try anything funny, at least during this contract," Alaran commented.

  "You will go hunting with that group for now, but this will be temporary. Remember to be cautious; betrayal is easier than breathing in this line of work," his mentor added after a brief silence.

  "Alright, I will go speak with her," Alhen said.

  Go ahead, but you will still be training with me," Alaran said with a smile.

  Alhen rolled his eyes and nodded in understanding before Alaran left the establishment, leaving him alone.

  From a distance, he could see the girl staring at him, so he approached.

  “I hope my mentor wasn’t too rough; it’s a pleasure to be working with you. When will the job take place?” He asked.

  “Hello, your mentor seems like a kind man, although he can be a little… intense. Well, I am glad you decided to join us,” she paused.

  “We will leave for the job early next cycle; We will be here for the first few hours of the cycle. You can come at any time, I want to leave introductions for then,” she ended with a smile.

  Alhen nodded, and without further ado, excused himself.

  He could feel the stares burning at his back, and he didn’t want to stay in that place a second longer.

  He left The Crying Halberd and headed straight for the church.

  He sighed heavily as he traversed the hallways filled with prayer.

  Once again, Alhen found himself feeling nervous, breathing rhythmically to calm himself down.

  Alhen stood before a door and pushed it open with his left shoulder.

  His gaze hardened as he stood in the arena, recalling unwanted memories from his previous training session.

  His bravado lasted for a few seconds before his shoulders slumped, and his eyes seemed to have lost their luster.

  “Kid, stop being so dramatic,” his mentor said.

  Alaran had been waiting for him, reading that book without a cover that he always read when alone.

  “It is time to train. Give me fifty laps, and then we will begin.”

  Hearing that this seemed to be only the warm-up, Alhen sighed and accepted his fate.

  His body moved, and he began running, motivated by what happened back in the city.

  He kept pushing forward with a clear mind but with an exhausted body.

  Alaran didn’t take his eyes off Alhen, making it harder for him to rest or slack off.

  During his nearly three hours of running, his mentor seemed to enjoy the show presented to him.

  Alhen gradually lost his strength and had to crawl to move forward, eventually finishing the fifty laps with a broken body.

  He collapsed at the end, struggling to catch his breath.

  Alaran approached from the wall and stood a few meters away from him.

  “That is enough of a break, get up,” he said.

  Alhen didn’t bother responding and stood, facing his mentor.

  Knowing Alaran, he would slap him senseless before he could utter a word of complaint.

  His body ached and trembled despite his attempts to remain still, making him look like a cowering duck in front of a predator.

  Before Alaran could give out instructions, someone talked from behind him.

  “Alaran, how is my son’s progress?” Alhen frowned as he heard those words.

  Father Vincent had appeared holding something small covered by a yellow cloth.

  Hearing the word ‘son’ coming out of his mouth only reminded him of the time he was forced to kill Henry, and he hated him for it.

  Father Vincent kept on walking until he stood facing Alaran with a slight smile.

  “At this moment, his skills are rough; with a little training, he is going to get better in a short time,” Alaran said before turning around.

  Father Vincent gave off a pleased nod and looked at Alhen as he walked towards him.

  Stopping just a few centimeters away from him, he presented him with the object in his hand.

  “This is for you, Alhen. It is the reward I promised for finally becoming a hunter.” With a raised eyebrow, Alhen took the cloth off and saw a golden bracelet.

  He inspected the carvings on it, which glowed dimly, almost imperceptibly.

  He could feel some kind of energy oozing out of the bracelet, similar to those artifacts he picked up in the sunken city.

  ‘Could it be that this is an artifact?’ He thought to himself.

  Alhen saw the bracelet glow, as if it was calling out for him.

  “What is this for?” Alhen asked.

  The more time passed, the stronger it called out for him.

  “Of course, it is an artifact. Let me put it on for you.” Father Vincent grabbed the artifact from Alhen’s hand and asked him to take off his jacket.

  He did as requested with hesitation, and the Father proceeded to place the bracelet on the stump of his arm.

  “You have to focus on your energy and give it to the bracelet. It’s going to give you an arm, but be careful. Make sure that you only use it when necessary, as it will deplete your Luna Signum,” Father Vincent cautioned.

  Alhen, hearing the Father’s words, closed his eyes and focused on the energy surrounding his chest.

  He forcefully pushed it towards the bracelet with his intent, and it lit up brightly.

  Slowly, an arm made out of blue light materialized, and Alhen had complete control over it.

  “Wow! This will come in handy,” Alhen said, staring at his new arm in fascination.

  He didn’t want to take his gaze away from it, feeling like a kid who had just gotten his favorite candy and didn’t want to eat it, but save it for eternity.

  It emitted a strong blue light; he could feel the lunar energy surging from his new limb.

  Father Vincent, looking at the happy Alhen, frowned.

  “What? You are not giving thanks?” He asked.

  Alhen looked at him with narrowed eyes, his earlier enthusiasm being replaced by something far colder.

  Father Vincent could swear he saw flames deep inside them.

  He shook his head, muttering under his breath something about not being grateful before saying, “Forget it,” and leaving the arena soon after.

  After Father Vincent made his way out of the arena, Alhen returned to glancing at his new arm, feeling complete after a long time.

  Alaran glanced at him, shaking his head; he slapped him on the back of the head, making him wince.

  “Do not lose your focus, let us train.”

  “G-got it,” Alhen said, still dizzy from the slap, and half an hour later, he stood with his new arm, aiming his revolver at a dummy.

  His right arm had lost most of its shine and now stood in a mild blue light, contrasting with its earlier vibrant color.

  His body shook as he struggled to maintain concentration and felt it was getting harder to keep his new limb for much longer.

  When Alhen’s hand pressed the trigger, a shot rang out, and it landed straight in the dummy’s head.

  He raised his arm to celebrate, only to realize that there was no arm.

  The revolver fell to the ground, and he gave off a defeated smile, only to get better the next second, smiling widely.

  “It seems that your limit is about eight minutes if you only focus on maintaining the artifact activated. You have to increase your capacity for holding Benedictio Lunae; it would be tragic if you died because you ran out of it,” Alaran commented from the side.

  “And how do I do that?” Alhen asked while looking intently at the artifact.

  “I already told you, you have to absorb it from fallen wihts and humans. When you reach a sufficient amount of ‘Benedictio Lunae,’ your sign will change color; that’s what you saw with those hunters in the sunken city.”

  “Yeah, I remember. Could you tell me what the colors were again? I forgot,” Alhen asked with a nervous smile.

  “This is the last time I am saying this, so listen carefully. From weakest to strongest, we have white, yellow, orange, blue, purple, black, and finally red. The same goes with wihts, though the ones you had been facing so far were not blessed.”

  “But they were so strong! How is it possible that they were not blessed? Whatever that means,” Alhen asked, remembering the struggle against them.

  They had almost ended his life, but still killed a cultist with a yellow sign, meaning that lower-ranked wihts still posed a threat to higher-ranked humans.

  ‘I will be smart in remembering this information for my sake,’ Alhen thought.

  “If they did not have a sign somewhere in their body with one of those colors, then they are Lesser wihts,” Alaran said before stopping, letting his words sink in.

  “The next stage is blessed wihts which have signs and you can feel their power. You will eventually be able to sense a wiht’s power when you become better at controlling your luna signum. For now, look at the wihts for signs on their bodies.”

  Alhen stood thinking about his near-death experiences with these creatures and slumped his shoulders.

  ‘I still have a long way to go, don’t I?’ He thought, already imagining having to wait years until he became good enough to be a proper hunter.

  “Stop looking down, look forward. I will make sure that you become strong enough as long as I train you. Now, you have to bathe in the moonlight to recover the lunar energy you lost. After that, we will practice with the axe,” Alaran said.

  Alhen nodded, and they headed out to charge his sign, which had been exhausted from training.

  As they walked in the hallways, the ambience this cycle was different; he could feel it.

  The halls were not filled with the usual prayers; instead, the men and women who usually prayed looked at him with wide eyes.

  Their gazes made him shift in place.

  As he walked, they turned their heads to follow him.

  He looked beside him to his mentor, who confidently walked forward without a care in the world.

  ‘He could probably end everyone here in the span of a few seconds. Why should he be scared? Why should he be nervous? He is more than capable, the way he handles himself… I wish that could be me,’ he thought.

  Alhen cranked his head to look at the towering height of his mentor, who had his shoulders squared and walked at a moderate pace.

  Without him even thinking about it, his body shifted to mimic Alaran, appearing more confident than his usual self, though on the inside, he still felt somewhat weird.

  Next cycle, it would be his first mission without his mentor’s safety net.

  He thought he was alone when he went to the sunken city, but apparently, he was not.

  Now he would have to prepare for that village mission and complete it without major problems, unlike his last contract.

  Without him realizing, they arrived at the door when he met a wiht for the first time and survived.

  As he lay basking in the moonlight, negative thoughts about his next mission invaded his mind.

  Feeling his heartbeat rise, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

  “I will not fail.”