A NEW life.
For Hunter, it was an irony.
Everything was already taken away from him, and so how on earth could he move forward?
"You know, ever since father died that day . . . I've hated you, right?"
"I know."
"But you were truly a child of misery, that I thought I'd try and be your friend. Who would have thought I'd grow fond of you?"
Hunter was brought back to that moment, when he was a kid wandering in the forest and then found by Phoebe's father. He was so young, and so frail, and so lonely, that all he had was the trees for shelter. A former child who had been abandoned and left to die.
He remembered how that old man took him into his care and how, at that very same moment, he had to be protected from a beast that left the old man wounded. Hunter had been confused as a child why the old man even did that, why he had to sacrifice himself just for him to live, but then he heard him say one thing:
"You are young, and I am already old, and you have a life ahead of you, while I may die at any moment, so take this as a lesson and make your life meaningful."
Perhaps that was the very reason why Phoebe hated him when they were kids. Because that very same day, her father was taken away from her forever. All because of a child he never even shared a drop of blood with.
Now, looking at the burning house emitting embers and black smoke, Hunter felt estranged.
There was a terrible agony in him that could not subside nor ease.
He drowned in his tears and heard the mother he grew up with ask a question.
"Little child, what is your name?"
"I . . . I . . . am Hunter."
"Like a hunter?"
". . . Morningstar."
"Oh, little morningstar, it suits you well."
His new life was this family he vowed not to leave behind.
It was also the reason why he intentionally failed the ceremony.
He used his nightmare as an excuse and fainted.
Just so he could go back and live a normal life in this district.
In this simple home where he could be with his mother and sister.
And let his sister be the one to awaken instead.
"So what's it gonna be, mister?" the woman asked politely.
Hunter's mind was in disarray, and he could not think of anything else. He could curse them and just go to the forest. He could suffer and blame himself for the rest of his life, whatever and however it would deem him.
But he was always reminded of Phoebe's father.
". . . so take this as a lesson and make your life meaningful."
So he turned to the woman and saw her emerald eyes.
"I," he paused and tried to console himself with an embrace, "want to live."
The woman sighed in relief. "That's good."
An arm dragged him once more.
"Wait!" Hunter pleaded. "At least let me bury them—"
He looked back at the burning house, a tear escaped from the side of his eyes.
Until they went farther and farther.
"We don't have much time." Someone wearing a strange hat walked beside him. "They're going to be here at any moment."
Hunter's brows creased. "What do you mean?"
And who are they these figures in black are referring to? he thought, even when his heart was burdened.
"Reverend Elphis, prepare the portal." It was the man with the strange hat. "Reverend Zilant, keep dragging this man, lest you want him to suddenly change his mind."
"As you wish, Highness Gareth."
Reverends and Highness?
Hunter rubbed his temple.
"Can anyone tell me what is happening?"
They were now striding through the forest.
Miss Elphis, the woman with emerald eyes, whispered with a finger on her lips. Phantom leaves swirled around all of them, appearing like a tornado. A rustling sound cried through the air.
Is that her special ability? Hunter was bewildered by the display, even more shocked than when he was in his dream loop.
They halted for a second.
"They are here." It was Zilant in front of them, as he stopped dragging Hunter. "There are four strange auras surrounding us. It's the scent of Hope's Heirs."
Hunter's eyes widened.
"Excuse me, what do you mean by Heirs?" he asked, but everyone ignored him.
Hunter knew that Heirs were the ones who awakened, but what he did not know was why they would chase after them, especially since they were specifically called a group of Hope individuals. Did that mean there were other factions different from Hope that were also distinguished as Heirs?
"We'll talk about this later." At last, Mr. Gareth replied to him. "But right now, we must get you as far away as possible from the Heirs."
He was troubled by something and could not resist asking once more.
"If you keep referring to them as Heirs, then what does that make you?"
Mr. Gareth fixed his hat before glancing at him. "The same as you."
"Which is?"
The man smiled hideously. "Late bloomers who are forbidden to awaken after they already failed."
"In other words, we are called Orphans." Zilant's right hand glowed deep blue. "Ever heard of Blessedness? It's the spiritual energy flowing inside us. Normally it needs to be triggered through one thing, which can only be attained through the ceremony. I suppose you experienced it when you were seventeen, but then failed to awaken it."
No, Hunter would have said that, but only in his mind. He was not even aware of how the whole thing worked. He was too embarrassed to admit it.
The phantom leaves swirling around them seemed to dig a hole into the ground as they sank lower and lower.
Then outside, Hunter noticed four figures ahead wearing strange green suits of the same design as the Orphans, and he realized those must be what were called Heirs. The design was strange enough that Hunter could not focus to describe them.
"Fortunately, we are free from them already, and it's also best that it's Hope's Heirs we encountered. Had it been the others . . . sigh." The deep blue glow on Zilant's hand vanished and he tapped Miss Elphis's shoulder. "All thanks to this lady right here who carried us!"
"It's only because we have Highness Gareth." Miss Elphis fixed her composure and looked at Hunter. "You're lucky we were deployed in your district and noticed a leaking aura from the area where we found you unconscious."
Hunter had many questions that kept bugging him, but he needed to shrug them off for now and focus on his reality.
When the swirling leaves disappeared, he noticed they were no longer in the middle of the forest.
What appeared before him were three towers. There was a primary tower covered in mist that even the moonlit night could not unravel. At the bottom right was a ruined tower where vines and moss loitered, connected to the primary tower through a ruined bridge, while at the top left stood another tower of darkened bricks looming over it, also connected to the primary tower through a bridge.
"Come to think of it, we haven't learned your name yet. Not that we didn't want to know, it's just that you'd have a new one." The woman smiled at Hunter and offered her hand. "You can call me Miss Elphis."
"My name is Hunter Morningstar, Miss Elphis." Hunter accepted the hand.
"Just as promised," Miss Elphis's eyes twinkled, "we would like to tell you everything you need to know."
She continued.
"But before that, we welcome you to the faction of Orphans."
Miss Elphis ruffled Hunter's hair.
"I hope we'll have a great journey ahead of us."