A strong, sudden hum shot through Zack's head like a sharp blade. It wasn't an attack pain, it wasn't the Void trying to dominate him. It was different – deeper, more personal. Memories. Fragments of a past that had been lost, buried under layers of trauma and darkness.
As he walked beside Orpheus towards the camp, images began to surface in his mind: dawn training sessions with an even younger Orpheus, conversations around campfires under starry skies, the first time he taught the boy how to properly hold a sword. Moments he had forgotten, or perhaps had chosen to forget because the pain of losing them was too great.
Zack looked at Orpheus – this fifteen-year-old Orpheus, with eyes still bright with hope and without the scars the future would bring him. Something shifted within him. A warmth he hadn't felt in years spread through his chest, and a genuine smile formed on his lips. A positive energy emanated from him, something good, unique, that came from this time that no longer existed.
"What an annoying and kind brat you are," Zack said, the words escaping before he could contain them.
Orpheus looked at him with a grimace of indignation, his eyebrows furrowed in an attempt to appear serious and mature. Zack couldn't resist – he put his hand on the boy's hair and vigorously ruffled it, letting out a laugh that echoed through the alien forest.
"Stop!" Orpheus protested, swatting Zack's hand away with an annoyed slap. But there was a twinkle in his eyes, a poorly disguised joy at receiving this rare display of affection.
The young man straightened up, adjusted his clothes, and, with exaggerated seriousness, pointed his finger directly at Zack's face.
"You're going to respect me and be proud of me when I get the first kill!" he declared, his voice oscillating between the determination of an adult and the enthusiasm of a child. "You'll see, master... Our years of training will pay off... just trust me this once!"
Orpheus's expression was so intensely serious, so comically determined, that Zack couldn't help but burst into another wave of laughter. He bent forward, clutching his stomach which ached from laughing so hard – a sensation he had forgotten how good it felt.
"You have one condition," Zack finally said, catching his breath and wiping a tear of laughter from the corner of his eye. "You'll have to carry my load until the end of the year. That way, I'll let you hunt alone. I promise!"
Orpheus's eyes widened. For an instant, he seemed to weigh the proposal, mentally calculating the weight of Zack's load against the opportunity of his first solo hunt. It didn't take him two seconds to decide.
"YES!" he shouted, jumping into the air with explosive enthusiasm. He began to run in circles around Zack, celebrating as if he had just received the greatest gift of his life.
Zack watched the celebration with a smile, his eyes fixed on the katana swinging at Orpheus's waist – the Coyote. It was an extraordinary weapon, with a slightly curved blade that seemed to absorb light rather than reflect it. The hilt was wrapped in black leather with silver details forming ancient symbols, and the guard was shaped like two intertwined wolf heads. A weapon so rare that its price could not be calculated – no one would sell an object like that.
Zack remembered the day he gave it to Orpheus. The boy had just turned thirteen and had gone through a brutal test that left scars on his back he would carry for the rest of his life. But he hadn't cried, hadn't begged for clemency. He had endured everything in silence, with a determination that impressed even Zack. The katana was his reward – and the beginning of a new level in his training.
While watching Orpheus run and jump, Zack instinctively felt the absence of the Black Moon at his own waist. It was strange not to feel its weight, not to hear its constant hum in the back of his mind. He felt lighter, as if a burden had been temporarily removed from his shoulders.
For the first time in years – perhaps decades – Zack didn't want to think about anything. He didn't want to know how he had returned to the past, or why. He didn't want to question the reality of this experience or its purpose. For the first time in so long he couldn't even remember, Zack just smiled and felt alive.
"Stay still and bring the map!" he shouted to Orpheus, interrupting the celebration. "Show me where our camp is and how far it is to the city."
Orpheus stopped immediately, seriousness returning to his face. He knelt, took a folded map from his bag, and spread it on the ground. With a charcoal pencil, he began to draw lines and mark points.
"We are southeast, sir, of the Black Lake," he explained, pointing to a dark spot on the map. "Our camp is one kilometer from here. The city is close, but we have to go through the Forest of the Damned to get there, Master."
Zack nodded, impressed by the boy's precision and knowledge. He gave Orpheus two light taps on the face – not to hurt, but as a gesture of approval he rarely showed.
"You're a good boy," he said, his voice softer than usual. "Now you know how to read maps..."
Orpheus smiled, clearly embarrassed by the unexpected compliment. He carefully put away the map and stood up, studying Zack's face with an intrigued expression.
"Master, you're acting strange," he finally said. "Is everything okay?"
Zack didn't answer, but his face was lighter, the lines of worry and anger that usually marked him temporarily softened. Orpheus hesitated, then asked another question, his tone now serious and concerned.
"Master, why did we come to the Red Continent? Here... well... I don't want to say this, sir... but..."
"Just say it!" Zack ordered, his voice regaining some of its usual firmness.
Orpheus was silent for a few seconds, as if gathering courage, then spoke again:
"Master, the monsters here and the fog... it's impossible to live."
Zack smiled, running his hand through Orpheus's hair and ruffling it again.
"Let's go to the camp," he said simply, standing up.
Orpheus followed him, casting worried glances at Zack's waist, where his weapon would normally be. They had traveled all this way, to the most dangerous place in the known world, and Zack was completely unarmed. In Orpheus's mind, there was only one explanation: his master was testing him, letting him take responsibility for the protection and the fights that would surely come.
They walked in silence for a few minutes, Zack absorbing the strange and disturbing details of the Red Continent. The gigantic trees with their exposed red roots seemed almost conscious, their canopies of orange leaves whispering secrets to each other in the faint wind. The black soil beneath their feet was soft and slightly damp, as if it were alive and breathing. In the distance, strange sounds echoed – not exactly animal, not exactly human, something in between.
Orpheus walked tensely beside him, one hand always near the Coyote's hilt, his eyes constantly scanning the shadows for threats. Zack noticed how the boy already moved like an experienced warrior – silent, alert, ready. He felt a pang of pride, immediately followed by a wave of sadness as he remembered what the future held for this promising young man.
"Master," Orpheus said suddenly, breaking the silence. "You've been looking at me strangely since we left the lake. Did something happen?"
Zack noticed the genuine concern in the boy's voice. Something within him stirred – an impulse he hadn't felt in a long time, a desire to share, to connect. Before he could think better of it, the words began to come out.
"Did you know I always thought about singing, playing guitar?" he said, surprising himself as much as Orpheus. "I did it for a long time. It was my hobby, I loved doing it. However, the life of a hunter and mercenary doesn't give me time to love or have pleasure."
Orpheus stopped walking, looking at Zack as if he had just transformed into someone else before his eyes. In three years together, Zack had never shared anything personal, nothing about his tastes or his past. The boy seemed simultaneously honored and disturbed by this sudden revelation.
Zack smiled at the impact of his words. "But even though I don't do what I love, I found something that makes me feel as good and happy as playing."
"What would that be?" Orpheus asked, genuinely intrigued.
Zack stopped, knelt to be at the boy's eye level, and then, with a quick and unexpected movement, flicked Orpheus's ear. Immediately after, he burst into a loud, carefree laugh.
Orpheus rubbed his ear, initially angry at the provocation. But then, something in his face changed – a silent understanding dawned in his eyes. A shy smile formed on his lips.
"Thank you, master, for taking care of me," he said softly, the words laden with a meaning that went far beyond the present moment.
They continued walking, now in comfortable silence. As they approached the spot where they had set up camp, Zack realized something was wrong. He gestured for Orpheus to stop and be silent. The boy obeyed instantly, his hand going to the Coyote's hilt.
They advanced cautiously to the edge of the clearing where they had left their tents and supplies. What they saw made Orpheus gasp: a group of strangers was around the campfire – an old man with a white beard, an elderly woman with gray hair pulled back in a tight bun, a young couple who looked nervous and exhausted, and a dark-haired woman with curly hair and eyes red as rubies.
All were armed, rummaging through Zack and Orpheus's belongings, preparing food as if the place belonged to them.
Orpheus didn't hesitate – with a cry of anger, he ran towards the intruders, his hand already pulling the Coyote from its sheath.
"Calm down!" Zack ordered, his voice cutting through the air like a whip.
Orpheus stopped instantly, halfway to unsheathing the katana, looking at his master with confusion. Zack had never prevented an attack against intruders before.
Together, they approached the clearing. Immediately, all the strangers turned to them, weapons pointed – knives, a short sword, even a bow with an arrow already nocked.
"This is our camp," Zack said calmly, as if commenting on the weather, "but you can stay."
Orpheus looked at his master as if he had gone mad. The elderly and the young couple looked terrified, but the red-eyed woman maintained a firm posture, her sword pointed directly at Zack's heart.
Without showing any concern for the weapons pointed at him, Zack simply sat on a log near the campfire and gestured for Orpheus to lower his katana. Reluctantly and clearly confused, the boy obeyed, but remained tense, ready to act at the slightest sign of danger.
The dark-haired woman, seeing what she interpreted as an opening, quickly advanced towards Zack, her blade gleaming in the firelight. Before Orpheus could react, the old man shouted:
"Stop! I don't see them as a threat, but as kind people."
The woman hesitated, her red eyes never leaving Zack's, who continued to sit calmly, as if there wasn't a blade inches from his neck.
"Madam," Zack said, looking at the elderly woman sitting on the other side of the campfire, "I see your foot is swollen. Looks like you were running from something."
The observation caught everyone by surprise. The elderly woman looked at her own foot, visibly swollen and bruised around the ankle. Zack slowly stood up and began to approach her.
The dark-haired woman reacted instantly, placing the tip of her knife against Zack's neck, preventing him from advancing.
"Don't go near her," she hissed, her red eyes glowing with an almost supernatural intensity.
The elderly woman, however, smiled gently and placed her hand on the dark-haired woman's shoulder.
"It's alright, dear," she said with a soft, tired voice. "Let him."
Reluctantly, the woman lowered her weapon, but continued to watch Zack's every move with absolute distrust.
Zack knelt before the elderly woman and, with surprising gentleness for his calloused warrior hands, touched her swollen feet. Orpheus watched, fascinated and confused – he had never seen his master act like this.
Then, something extraordinary happened. A black energy, like dense but solid smoke, began to envelop Zack's hands and the elderly woman's feet. It pulsed softly, as if it had its own heartbeat. The elderly woman gasped, not from pain, but from surprise.
Slowly, before everyone's eyes, the swelling subsided. The purple bruises lightened until they completely disappeared. When Zack finally removed his hands, the elderly woman's feet were completely healed, as if they had never been injured.
A stunned silence fell over the group. The elderly and the young couple looked at Zack with a mixture of fear and admiration. Orpheus seemed equally surprised – he knew his master's combat powers, but had never seen him heal anyone.
The dark-haired woman, however, stared intently at Zack with a different expression – recognition. She knew what that black energy was, what it meant.
The atmosphere subtly changed. The elderly man, now more relaxed, offered a piece of roasted meat to Zack and Orpheus.
"My name is K," the dark-haired woman finally said, still watching Zack intently. "Black eyes are rare," she continued, "because hunting and killing is a common practice for those born with that color."
Orpheus looked at his master with surprise. He had never heard of this before, had never considered that Zack's black eyes could be a reason for persecution.
"If you touch my master," Orpheus threatened, his hand returning to the Coyote's hilt, "I will cut off every limb of your body."
The threat, coming from a fifteen-year-old boy, should have sounded comical. But there was something in Orpheus's posture, in the intensity of his gaze, that made it clear it was not an empty threat.
To everyone's surprise, Zack let out a loud, carefree laugh. After a moment of shock, the young couple also began to laugh, followed by the elderly, and finally even K allowed a small smile to curve her lips.
The atmosphere changed completely, becoming almost welcoming. The tension that had hung over the group from the beginning seemed to have been partially dissipated by the unexpected sound of Zack's laughter.
"We were going to the next city," K said, without elaborating on the reason.
Zack noticed her hands trembling slightly, despite her confident posture. He also observed the tired, heavy look of everyone in the group – not just physical exhaustion, but the kind of tiredness that comes from being constantly on alert, constantly fleeing.
"Who is hunting you?" Zack asked directly, his voice calm but firm.
K stiffened, her hand instinctively going to her sword. "How do you know we're being hunted?" she questioned, holding the weapon more firmly.
"I'm a hunter," Zack replied simply. "I know how it works. But rest assured, I'm just looking after my pupil. I have nothing to do with what happened or is happening to you."
K and the others exchanged glances, clearly unconvinced by Zack's explanation. The silence that followed was heavy, laden with distrust.
"I'll pack my things and leave," Zack announced, breaking the silence. "I'll leave the camp and the food for you."
"Wait!" the young man said, stepping forward. "My name is Matheus, and this is my wife, Loren." He indicated the young woman beside him, who offered a nervous smile. "We need help. We'll pay for your work, just like we're paying K. We urgently need to take my wife and grandparents to the Red City."
K looked at Zack and Orpheus, then nodded reluctantly.
K stopped walking, looking at Orpheus with absolute horror. "What kind of sick master is this?" she murmured, her red eyes scanning the surrounding forest, as if expecting Zack to appear at any moment.
What none of them knew was that Zack was indeed nearby. Hidden among the giant trees, he watched the group advance, a small smile on his lips. This was the true first hunt he had promised Orpheus – not against monsters, but a real mission of protection, a test of his skills and judgment.
Zack silently followed the group, keeping enough distance not to be detected, but close enough to intervene if necessary. He was determined to give Orpheus the chance to grow and prove his worth.
As he watched, something caught his attention – a movement in the shadows on the other side of the trail. It wasn't human; he was sure of that. The form moved incorrectly, too fluid, as if it had no bones. And it seemed to be following the same group.
Zack hesitated, torn between remaining hidden to allow Orpheus to face the challenge, or revealing himself to protect the group from the imminent danger that not even K, with all her keen senses, seemed to have noticed.
The creature in the shadows stopped, as if it felt it was being watched. Slowly, it turned what appeared to be its head in Zack's direction. It had no visible eyes, but Zack felt himself being studied, evaluated.
Then, as silently as it had appeared, the creature retreated into the depths of the forest, disappearing among the red roots and black earth.
Zack remained motionless for a long moment, his instincts screaming that something was deeply wrong. But when he looked again at Orpheus, he saw the boy helping the elderly woman through a difficult stretch of the path, his posture confident and protective.
With a sigh, Zack decided to continue observing from the shadows. For now.
The true hunt had only just begun.