I lost my parents before I even gained cognition. Frankly speaking, I have no recollection of their appearances. From then until now, I've been wondering who between them I shared the same features with. Are they still alive? Are they as morbid as me? Would they not die if they were to come back? It doesn't matter. It's been a hopeless 19 years of living for me, and they're most likely not to return.
Just like any other child, I was an innocent, frisky toddler. I was taken into an orphanage when I was two, and not long, a family adopted me. My newfound parents that took me in their serene home are both male. I had two fathers. As a kid, I often looked at them, wondering why couldn't they just conceive their own child instead of taking a random kid in. I was perplexed, but they were generous enough to put food on my plate, so I couldn't complain. I was behaving indifferently. However, as months passed, I was enlightened by the liveliness under that roof. Slowly and surely, I'm starting to rejoice and soak in ecstasy—as if I had felt the pinnacle of family relationships.
Unfortunately, that dream-like glee ended rather prematurely.
One fateful night, a Gate opened just down the street from my parents' home. Demonic forces swarmed the town with alarming speed, forcing my fathers and me to scramble in panic, interrupting them and me mid-dinner. With chaos reigning around us, they hid me in a closet, powerless to protect me. That night marked the final time I saw them. The next day, a DH rescued me, and for the second time, I found myself back at the same orphanage.
I was only about to turn three, and mourning wasn't programmed in my brain yet. Not knowing anything made it easier for me—I just slept cluelessly as the caregivers treated me delicately, aware of what I had just gone through. Their sympathy and care led to a new adopter taking me in within a day.
My second adopters were a young couple in their early twenties, a stark contrast to my previous family. Their love and warmth matched that of my former parents, enveloping me in a sense of belonging and security once again—the pinnacle of family relationship as I said.
My young parents weren't married, but they were engaged and had their wedding scheduled just a week after they adopted me. However, fate dealt me a cruel hand once more. On the very day of their wedding, a Gate broke out at the church. Much like before, I was the only one who survived.
Yet again, I was back in the same orphanage after only a week. It felt as though I was destined to be locked up in that place—like a bird trapped in a cage. That thought of isolation consumed me as no family dared to risk becoming the next victim of this seemingly cursed fate that followed me. Pinnacle of family relationship? I had come to surmise that such things are unattainable.
Within the orphanage, rumors of my tragic adoption history spread, reaching my ears despite my blindness to their whispers. The other children kept their distance, casting wary glances at me from afar. Even the caregivers, who once showed pity, became cautious, fearing I might disrupt the tranquility of their place.
As expected, two years passed without a family choosing to adopt me. During that extended period, I endured profound isolation, living in a world where interactions with others were rare and fleeting.
When I turned five, something miraculous happened. Just as I had resigned myself to the belief that bad luck clung to me like a leech, a glimmer of hope appeared. For the third and final time, I was adopted. This time, I was old enough to understand the potential risks, yet I also realized that I stood on firm ground—no longer fearing the ground beneath me might crumble—because my new parents were both Demon Hunters.
I don't need to worry about demons robbing the pinnacle of family relationships away from me. If a demon were to come to destroy this family, my parents could defend me and themselves. It's the perfect counter for my curse. To top it all off, I wouldn't be alone as they had a daughter around my age. It was a perfect family of four. Although my sister acted hostile towards me on some occasions, I viewed her as a courteous, caring sister. I caught glimpses of her friendly side many times—once when she shared the last slice of pizza with me, let me borrow her bath towel when I was new, and even gave me instructions on how to prevent Mom and Dad from getting hot-headed. Everything was perfect.
Or so I thought.
Eight months after settling into our perfect family, my parents were dispatched to clear a Gate—and they never returned. With Mom and Dad gone, I found myself alone with my sister. I had believed that having Demon Hunter parents would be the ultimate checkmate against this curse, but it appeared that my fate was destined to unfold this way, despite any countermeasures. Fighting against fate, especially when it involves the devil, never seemed to work out for me.
Ever since that day, I began to take this curse seriously. It all might be coincidence, or God himself bore hatred towards me, but regardless, it's getting out of hand. People that cared about me were becoming casualties, so from there forward, I pushed everyone away. My sister would be the last, and if she died too, I'm as good as dead.
A relative took my sister and me in, but we were treated more like slaves, so we escaped. Despite her youth, my once-hostile sister began to act like an older sibling, devising shady ventures to keep us afloat. It was enough to make ends meet, until one fateful moment. As I schemed to snatch a man's wallet, it turns out that he is a Demon Hunter and caught me red-handed.
That's how I met Franklin.
Instead of turning me in for my crime, he took me into his place, offering me an amount of money I can't refuse in exchange for accomplishing missions. Since then, I have killed, and killed, and killed people, awakening my blessing in the process. My philosophy about this heinous act grew the more missions I accomplished. Eventually, I learned that demons are not the only devil. It's the humans themselves too. Even I.
With my hard-earned money, I secured a home for my sister and me, ensuring she attended the most esteemed school. Since then, life has been smooth sailing. She's the last family I had, and I am resolute in giving her everything. No demon will ever harm her while I'm around.
My sister's well-being became my unwavering priority, even if I get blood on my hands, as long as it's for her, I don't care. After all, those people I had killed were engulfed in the same shadow as me, so instead of murder, I call it a salvation—a gift from their likes.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Once done resting, we continued our way back to the cabin and found the rest of the students waiting for us. Pou was still unconscious as we walked towards the aircraft. Upon spotting the silhouettes emerging from the distance, the students rush towards us in worry while puffing a sigh of relief. The males took Pou from me and brought him towards the frontage of the cabin. We followed after them with Aubrey still clung onto my arms.
As we got to the place, I noticed the decayed trees nearby and its dried leaves scattered across the forest floor. They settled Pou into a wooden bench, and soon Grace cast her blessing to heal Pou. Several more trees in close perimeter lost their color while Pou received replenishment, instantly jolting awake in a lively energy. Grace then moved next to her sister, treating her paralyzed leg in the same way, but only a short area of grass ashened beneath.
Having witnessed Grace's blessing three times, I finally understood its true nature. Typically, healing abilities stem from light magic, but Grace's power is far more sinister. Rather than traditional healing, she uses reverse healing, consuming the life force of other living beings and transferring it to those she treats.
It's a blessing that a devil would possess, but I guess it's normal since even Aubrey has a scythe that literally looks like Satan would wield.
Once everyone is in good condition, it's finally time to go home, the most anticipated part of the day that I've been longing for. However, it became clear that it's not yet possible as Victor went out to search for us. Thankfully, the senior student from his group named Lester, had a radio Victor left him with. After contacting him to inform that we've returned, he began to make his way back.
For God sake, it was getting dark and the departure will even be delayed for another 30 minutes. I sulked in a corner while the students celebrated for this triumphant victory. Seems like a few of them would receive a high initial rank after encountering and defeating the Demon Poachers. Speaking of the devil, those poachers secured near the choppers, their entire bodies wrapped like sushi with Victor's restraining light magic.
Their heinous crimes warrant absolute death, regardless of their pleas. In this world, anyone guilty of evil deeds is condemned to a 'purgatory'—a final stop before executioners cast them into the demon realm. Traditionally, purgatory is a place for souls to be purified before ascending to heaven. However, in this world, purgatory serves as a guaranteed ticket to hell.
If I were to get caught by the Demon Hunter association, I would surely find these poachers' skeletons lying around in the pit of hell.
After a 20-minute wait that felt like an eternity, Victor finally returned, and we boarded our respective aircraft, departing the forest. Additionally, there's also those freebies we had captured. I'm certain that this will go down in the news tonight, featuring the Esperanza twins with their significant role in subduing those poachers. The media, as always, are a bunch of hypocrites.
We arrived at the academy at quarter to eight. In the wide track field, parked the other nine out of the eleven aircrafts used by the other groups. It appears that we performed poorly, finishing third to last. Technically though, my group finished at around 2 or 3pm earlier, and there's no doubt that my group would've topped the race if Victor's group hadn't run into trouble.
After submitting the grade sheet into the faculty office, I left the academy, and parted ways with Pou as he went for a stroll around the streets in search for a new stray cat he could play with.
Instead of heading straight to my flat, I made a quick stop at HQ. From the outside, the place appeared dim and deserted, just as I had expected. Franklin wasn't around at this hour, but he wasn't on my agenda tonight anyway. I went inside and made my way to the dark counter, passing by dusty tables in this fake coffee shop that never had any customers.
Next to the counter was a hallway leading to the room where Franklin's niece resides. From the other end of the hallway, I spotted a light gently illuminating the door frame. Without knocking, I stormed in and found her wearing a sleeveless pink shirt, seated in a wheeled desk chair. Her eyes, protected by anti-radiation glasses, were fixed on one screen among her three-monitor computer setup.
"There's no mission at the moment," Euna said, knowing it was me after getting the familiar thudding noise my walk made.
"That's not what I came for," I replied, strutting beside her before staring into the monitor, not understanding what was on it. "Can you look up this person for me?"
Euna raised her feet, resting it on the cushion of her chair as her sharp glance darted at me. "Have you no consideration? You can't just waltz in here and order me without asking properly."
"It's just a simple task."
"We're not colleagues here in Headhunter. Everyone here is a family as per Franklin, and that's not how to ask a favor."
"As if I'd ever think of you guys that way…" I muttered under my breath. But then I realized that this attitude won't get my request fulfilled. Reluctantly, I shifted my gaze at her and stifled a sincere countenance, but failed as my expression remained serious. "Please, look into Ms. Esperanza's death," I implored, quite forced to utter the word 'please.'
Euna slid her gaze back at the monitor, replying, "So you can ask politely, after all."
She closed the application on her monitor screen and began searching for articles about Ms. Esperanza. Her sudden demise had made headlines back then, especially since she was Froilan's wife, so it didn't take long for Euna to find relevant results.
By just going through a few headings, it clicked onto Euna.
"I remember now." Euna pulled her eyes back at me, not needing the articles to tell the story behind her passing. "Have you forgotten that you were the one tasked to kill her?"
Without a reply, I subtly nodded.
"Ah, I suspected as much... You were only seven at the time, and your memory can't possibly match mine. I'll enlighten you a little. An unknown party hired Franky to eliminate Ms. Esperanza—and you were tasked with the mission. You succeeded in taking her life, but it was also your first and only mission failure. Your objective was to eliminate both Ms. Esperanza and her daughter, yet you spared the child."
What she said was hard to believe. I never failed a mission, and I'm a merciless murderer that doesn't spare a soul.
But at the same time, I can faintly remember it. The reason I spared her life.
~~~~~~~~~
8:30pm.
As every student left the academy, Marco, the person who ran for help when his teammates were paralyzed, had other plans that would put the Headhunters in serious jeopardy.
He followed Klyne, the class delinquent, into his way home. However, Marco realized he wasn't headed home when Klyne ended up in a small pizza shop. Marco watched him get in and after a little while, Klyne came back out suited in that of a delivery rider, and he went towards a motorcycle with a delivery container on the rear rack.
Klyne hopped in the motorcycle after placing several boxes of pizza in the container, and while he was fastening the strap of his helmet, Marco ambushed him.
"What are you doing here?" Klyne spotted Marco walking towards him through his lifted visor.
"I have something to show you," Marco replied, his smartphone in his hand one click away to play a video. "This could change our lives."
"How did you find me in the first place?" Klyne asked cantankerously. Sliding his visors down, he added, "I'm busy. Get straight with your business already."
Marco showed him the video of a person in a cat mascot torturing a man, to which Klyne could only respond with a frown through his translucent visor.
"Where do you even find this dark web-type of shits?" Klyne mumbled.
"In the dark web itself, of course," he humorly replied. "But didn't you notice his slightly pitched voice?"
"I guess it's somewhat familiar."
"Look," Marco paused the video on a certain frame, pointing his finger towards the corner of the screen, where a black cat slips by. "Don't tell me you don't recognize that cat."
Klyne quickly took his helmet off and grabbed Marco's smartphone to look closely. A grin spreads across his lips, letting out an exhilarated smirk.
"Just letting you know, Cat has a bounty of 19 bil-"
"I know," Klyne cuts Marco off, his face that always looks annoyed is now overflowing with excitement. "We're rich, baby!"