"And that's how I ended up here," Viola finished.
They were seated on the same bench she woke up on. Eliana listened quietly to her entire story.
"My only goal is to become strong enough to protect my parents, so I can live with them without fear," she continued. "I don't care about being a Void Hunter."
Eliana blinked. "Wow…knowing you, I thought you'd be the type to jump straight into it. Protecting people from things only the extraordinary could beat. I was certain being a Hunter is what you were gifted for."
"I still prefer living with the ordinary." She smiled faintly. "And I thought the same about you. I expected our reunion to be…normal." A small chuckle slipped out. "Your turn. How did you become a Hunter?"
Eliana hesitated for a moment. She took a deep breath.
"It was shortly after you left," she said in a quiet voice, "my parents…they—" Her voice faltered, and she looked away. Viola reached out, taking her hand.
"So, you were attacked by creepers too—"
"No." Eliana turned back to her. "They became creepers."
Viola froze. "What…?"
"It happened all of a sudden. No signs. No warning." She gulped. "I thought I was done for. And I was, had Emily not arrived when she did."
"So…she recruited you, too," Viola said. "And did she ask you to join her?"
"I did."
Viola gasped. "You did? Why?"
"I had nowhere else to go," Eliana answered. "My life had no meaning otherwise." She paused, then smiled softly. "And…it felt like something you would've done. Learning about the Hunters, about what they fight for…it reminded me of you. I wanted to follow your footsteps."
Viola looked down. "I understand that, but I still question my choice." Her voice quivered. "Was this really the right path? Especially after what I've done…what it's turned me into…"
Her breath hitched. Tears fell on the bench below her.
"Why didn't anyone tell me?" she whispered. "Why didn't anyone tell me I was killing humans…not monsters?"
Eliana pulled her into a tight embrace, pressing Viola's head against her chest. She brushed her fingers through Viola's hair.
"Had I known," Viola murmured, "maybe I wouldn't feel so awful…"
"But you'd hesitate," Eliana spoke softly. "If you'd known from the start, you might not have survived your first fight. You'd feel less guilt, but you might've lost far more."
Viola trembled. "Then how long were they going to hide it from me?"
"Until you were ready," Eliana answered. "Aurelia probably never expected you to find out on your own. I think she wanted to tell you herself."
"There's so much she doesn't tell me." Viola pulled back, wiping her tears.
"If it helps," Eliana added, "only those who've wronged others can turn into creepers. You'll never have to kill an innocent...at least."
"And why is that?"
"The Void only feeds off of humanity's darkest and evil desires. A Slave is as strong as how many it has killed. And for creepers, if they're killed enough, they'll evolve into an enchanted."
"Your parents, too?"
"They neglected me," Eliana growled, clenching her fist. "You—someone I had just met—noticed what they never did. If they'd shown me even a shred of care…I wouldn't have considered something so extreme. And I wouldn't be here today had you not stopped me."
Snow began to fall again as they remained in silence. Viola gazed at the train tracks and the land beyond. A gentle wind rattled the grass nearby, and she could hear a distant siren from the city.
"Can they be…cured?" Viola asked.
"The creepers?" Eliana asked back, and when Viola nodded firmly, she answered, "No, they cannot."
Viola shut her eyes and shivered in response, despite expecting the answer. "Are you…sure?"
"They'd have to be killed first," Eliana said. "Even if you could revert them, they're still a corpse." She sighed deeply. "If anything, we're saving them…by letting their souls rest."
"Did Aurelia also tell you that?" A frown appeared on Viola's face. "Do you even trust her?"
"Everyone does." She smiled, turning her face to Viola's weapon. "You doubt her and yet, she made you that, didn't she?" Chuckling, she turned her gaze to Viola again. "Knowing that the only two people who need weapons don't have a particular design choice, you must've been the first. At least, recently."
"Just because she's kind doesn't mean I can trust her!" Viola looked away and pouted, crossing her arms. Eliana laughed.
"Speaking of Aurealia," Eliana asked, "did she send you on a mission here?"
Viola nodded. "I killed an enchanted creeper earlier. So, according to her, I should be done, and this city is safe again. But we both know by now that it won't be so simple." She sighed. "And did she send you too?"
"My pursuit of an abnormal creeper led me to this place," Eliana said. "Have you seen anything out of the ordinary?"
"Well, it's my first mission, so I wouldn't know what's odd and what isn't. But…I did find a snake-like creeper." She furrowed her brow and crossed her arms. "It definitely wasn't normal, but also too weak to be an enchanted."
"So, it's here after all." Eliana frowned. "I have to finish it before it escapes again!"
"And I have suspects on a hooded boy," Viola said, "who's most likely a Slave of the Void…"
"Are you sure it was him?"
"It's my only lead." She sighed. "No one else was present there. Aside from…that snake creeper."
"Creepers cannot turn others. And even if this abnormal one could, it is far more interested in consuming its victims."
Viola gasped sharply. "They eat too?!"
"Not really," Eliana corrected. "This one is a special case, and very dangerous to be left alive. Which is why I've been chasing it for several weeks. Long enough to miss your training." She chuckled. "And you've picked up the same weapon as me. Did Sensei teach you, too?"
"Who's that?"
"Oh, right! You probably know her better as Yukari." She grinned while rubbing the back of her head. "Only I call her that."
"Why would you call her that?" Viola frowned in confusion. "And no, she did not teach me personally. Instead…I had to fight her for the final test."
"Really?" Eliana's expression widened. "I suppose you won, else you wouldn't be here."
"She didn't use magic. I'm nowhere close to her."
"Judging by your weapon choice, I thought she'd personally train you." She gazed at the snow piling up on the grass. "Sensei was a member of the Samurai Clan. They were just like us Hunters, but everyone used the same magic and sword techniques."
"Was?" Viola blinked. "She didn't get…kicked out, did she?"
"The Clan…" Eliana paused and took a deep breath. "It was completely wiped out by The Witch."
"The Witch?" She gulped. "Like the one in the book?"
"Who knows?" Eliana shivered slightly. "All I remember is that they're a Slave of the Void, and we're lucky as long as we don't encounter them." She looked at Viola and calmed down. "Only Sensei and that boy they call the strongest can deal with them."
"You don't know his name either?" Viola laughed softly.
"Never got a chance to talk." She grinned shyly. "Maybe when I return, I will speak to him."
"Don't bother. He has personally trained me, and he still won't reveal his name." Viola sighed softly. "Therefore, I've given him a nickname—Silver."
"S-Silver?" Eliana's face turned a faint red. "Isn't that your…favourite colour?"
"Yes? Why are you—" The realisation hit her, and she blushed along. "W-Wait, no! It's not like that! I…I gave that nickname to someone a long time ago, but she rejected it. So…I saved it—"
"For someone just as special?" She smirked.
"Ye— NO!" Viola waved her arms frantically. "IT'S NOT LIKE THAT!"
"That's what they all say~"
"N-Not you too!" She covered her blushing mess of a face with her hands.
"I've never seen you like this." Eliana giggled softly, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Well, getting him to train you is a great start. I'm sure it won't be long before he reveals his name."
Viola peeked between her fingers and saw a wide grin on Eliana's face.
"And when he does," she continued, "let me hear it too!"
Uncovering her face, she couldn't help but smile back. "Alright…I will. For now…" Her voice trailed off as she stood up and walked to the train tracks. "Let's complete this mission and save the city."
"We will." Eliana followed behind and stood beside her. "And I'm glad to have you by my side again."
"Me too." Viola let out a breath of relief. "To have someone I can actually trust with me. I'm so glad I won't be alone anymore."
"Hey, have you noticed?" Eliana gazed up at the sky, gently lifting her hand to collect a few snowflakes on her palm. She laughed softly, recalling a memory they made on a certain rooftop.
"It snowed the first time we met, too!"
…
A few hours passed. The sun had come up, melting whatever little snow had piled up on the ground, and the clouds were fewer. Birds began chirping again, and the city noise remained constant.
"Are you okay with splitting up?" Eliana asked, placing a hand on her hilt.
"I hate it," Viola answered, sighing softly. "But we'd cover more ground that way." She made sure her sword was properly covered with the same cloth before hanging it on her back. Noticing her friend's weapon, she asked, "Won't you conceal yours?"
"Won't be necessary." She winked. "I'm only investigating abandoned locations after all. No one will see me. And even if someone did, it won't be an issue."
"Good luck, then." Viola smiled. "And if you find that thing, please be careful."
"You too." She chuckled. "I know they most likely won't instigate a battle in front of the whole crowd. Even so, if you find him, observe from a distance and confirm your suspicion. Do not fight him all alone, okay?"
"Aurelia said the same thing." Viola furrowed her brow. "Are they really that dangerous?"
"Viola, the only difference between a creeper and a Slave is intelligence." She turned to the forest. "There's nothing more dangerous than a human that can plot schemes, memorise your attack pattern, and adapt in the heat of the moment. Especially one that can use magic."
"U-Understood." Viola gulped. "I will stay clear of them."
"Make sure to return here after sunset. Or I'll be worried sick!" She flashed her a wink before disappearing in an instant. Viola stepped back in horror.
"You can do that too?!"
…
He's nowhere to be seen!
Later that afternoon, Viola's investigation led her to a park full of flower patches. Few people were present—some walking around and looking at the flowers, while some were seated on the benches. She even passed by a painter and was impressed by his sketch.
My senses wouldn't betray me. I know there's a void aura here somewhere! It's faint but…it's better than yesterday!
Walking around, she stumbled into a flock of pigeons pecking at scattered grain someone had thrown across the ground. However, they all flew away at her presence.
"Oh," a voice spoke up behind her, "that's unfortunate."
"I-I'm sorry!" Viola turned around, already bowing with guilt. "I-I wasn't looking—"
"Quite the greeting," the other continued, "my lily~"
Huh?
Viola lifted her head and found a familiar blindfolded girl smiling at her. "It's you…"
How did I not see her?!
"Speaking of," Rosaline said, "what happened to the one I gave you?" Her smile faded. "Did you…lose it?"
"I…I was caught up in something." Viola rubbed the back of her head and grinned nervously. "I apologise—"
"No worry." Rosaline looked around the place, her face darting from one patch to another. "I can always pick out another—"
"N-No don't!" Viola grabbed her hand before she even moved. "There are people nearby. It'll be much harder to go unnoticed!"
"You're worried about the audience catching me and not the action I'm committing?" She laughed softly.
"They're the same thing, Rosaline!"
She let out a barely audible gasp, seemingly taken aback. A faint blush appeared on her face as she gazed down before eventually smiling at her friend. A smile that wasn't small or eerily wide. Viola was almost lost in it.
Right…I never told Eliana about her…
"Then I will buy one from a shop and gift it to you," Rosaline said, gently squeezing her hand. "Just like you bought a gift for me."
"Yes, that's a much better idea." She smiled back.
Oh well, it wasn't important for the mission anyway.
"Will you keep me company for a little?" Rosaline asked. "Perhaps if you fed the pigeons, they wouldn't run—"
"I'm sorry," Viola said, letting go of her hand, "I would love to…but I am quite busy today."
"Oh." Her smile faded again. "I…understand." She stepped away and gazed down, and immense guilt struck Viola.
"Okay," Viola said, "maybe for a bit—"
The chills ran down her spine, and a horrid sensation took over her every nerve. She caught a dark figure out of the corner of her eye, and when she turned, she found him. The hooded boy walked on the pavement passing by the park's entrance. His face was still half-covered by the hood, and he had his hands in the jacket pockets.
It's him! I've found him, finally!
"I must leave," she said, already walking away without a single glance at Rosaline.
"There's something I wanted to ask of you," Rosaline whispered, and Viola stopped.
"What is it?" She never turned back.
"That place where we gazed at the sunset yesterday," Rosaline said, "you'll find me there again today. Please, come visit me."
"I'll try," she answered, before following her suspect.
Wait, why would the void traces lead me here if he was outside the whole time?
Walking on the pavement, Viola maintained several feet of distance between her and the boy. He moved in a straight path, face fixated ahead and never once glancing to the side. Viola focused her hearing to listen to him talk, but he did not speak a single word.
It doesn't seem like he'll do anything…are my suspicions even in the right place?
A large group of people walk out of a store to her right, blocking her vision on the boy. And by the time the crowd dispersed, he was already gone.
Impossible! He couldn't have just disappeared in seconds! There's not even a path here—
"You must be the one from yesterday," a voice spoke up. When she turned to the right, she saw him leaning on a wall with his hands still inside his jacket pockets. She gulped. He continued, "You've been following for quite a bit~"
Viola remembered a conversation she had with Eliana at the station.
"How do you recognise a Slave of the Void? Do they all look human?"
The boy stepped closer. "I'd rather you confront me head-on."
"They do, most of them. However, there is one defining feature that they cannot hide, and one that distinguishes them from the ordinary."
"Why don't you face me in that alleyway just nearby?" He towered over her, holding a wide grin. "Or would you prefer I empty this place of every witness?"
"Their eyes will always have one of the two shades of red."
When she looked up at him, her eyes widened in horror.
"Scarlet-red like a creeper's…or crimson-red like Draven's."
"Are you curious how many of these will run rampant as creepers?" Scarlet-red eyes glared into violet. "The choice is yours~"
So it's him…the reason behind every missing poster in this city…
Snickering aloud, he turned and walked ahead towards an alleyway. Viola stood there for a minute, long after he had disappeared into the darkness. Her limbs shivered and refused to listen. "S-So dense," she whispered. "H-His aura…an enchanted creeper doesn't even come close! It's cold…colder than winter."
"Do not fight him all alone, okay?"
"But if I don't face him now…" She observed the place around her. A group of friends returning from school, parents with their kids, an elderly couple seated on a bench, and many more. "He will…kill them all."
"At your current level…you will not win."
"I don't even want to fight him…" Her heart raced, and she shut her eyes. "This is much worse than the first time I fought a creeper!"
"That otherworldly power within you is meaningless if you can't overcome a single human emotion."
I'm sorry, Eliana.
Opening her eyes again, she clenched her fists and gritted her teeth. She retraced the boy's steps into the alleyway.
When it comes down to sacrificing myself or those around me, even strangers…
She entered the familiar darkness, turned a corner, and found the boy standing at the same spot where she discovered a dead body and a harsh truth the previous day.
I would always sacrifice my own.
"You did very well against my pet earlier," he spoke up. "That was my very first victim~"
That enchanted creeper?!
"Alas! It was to be expected of someone directly under His gaze!" He laughed. "And now, to personally test you myself~"
He turned to the side and grabbed something from behind a dumpster before throwing them before him. Viola gasped aloud.
"Look what I found!"
A mother and her child sobbing on the cold floor, the former staring at her with pleading eyes.
"L-Let them go!" Viola shouted.
"I will, but only one of them." The boy snickered, kneeling to gently brush both their hairs. "Say, why don't you decide who gets to escape?" Dark energy manifested in his palm, shaping into a black knife. "And who doesn't?"
Viola was reminded of Aurelia's words.
"When that fated day arrives, what will you do?"
"Go on, pick one!"
"Draw your blade through their heart and save them? Or choose to flee, so they can continue suffering?"
The knife came dangerously close to the mother's throat. "Pick one—"
Manifesting violet energy on her legs, she dashed forward at the speed of sound, grabbing both civilians in her arms and placing them far behind and away from him.
I did it…I didn't hesitate this time! I saved them both—
They both lay limp on the floor with visible cuts on their necks, and blood immediately pooled below them.
"Choose what you'll feel in the moment."
"Should've gone for my heart!" He laughed. "Perhaps you would've saved them!"
"But more often than not, the other person will choose for you."
Viola stood up and turned to him, fists clenching hard enough to make her knuckles crack. Veins appeared on her skin, threatening to pop open.
So this is…a Slave of the Void…
"You said you'd let go of one of them," she spoke in a cold tone.
"What? You really thought I'd let you pick?" The boy snickered. "They were both dead from the moment I caught them!"
He stepped forward as several black knives manifested in the air around him, all pointed towards Viola.
"Now then, let me formally introduce myself." Scarlet-red eyes shimmered from a distance as he pulled down his hood, revealing curly black hair.
"Gideon, Number Four of the Ten Scarlets! And it will be my greatest pleasure to spar with the one He despises the most!"
They glared death daggers at each other.
"You know," said Viola, "I still feel guilty killing creepers. Even if they're dead, even if they were evil, they used to be human. And hurting another living being would always hurt me, too. But for you…"
Violet eyes glowed while the same hue coated her fists.
"I will gladly have none of that!"