Lloyd and Mizuno's mission lasted for days, traversing the sprawling village from end to end.
The village was larger than they had imagined, each neighborhood with its own distinct character… and its own predators.
Every time they approached a group, they sensed rejection before it was even spoken:
Warning glances, hands close to weapons, and a silence heavier than snow.
An Unexpected Encounter
In one of the stone alleys near the old market, Lloyd spotted a group standing in a circle.
They weren't hunting… nor were they fighting.
They were talking quietly, but their posture and their gazes suggested they were not ordinary.
Lloyd stopped without realizing it.
Their auras were different… disciplined.
They weren't a gang, and they weren't ordinary hunters.
He looked at them for a long time, as if something inside him was warning him… or calling him.
Mizuno whispered, touching Lloyd's arm, "Let's leave them alone… They don't seem to want any trouble. Let's keep searching."
Lloyd took a deep breath, then slowly turned his back.
"Yeah… Let's go."
The Feeling That Didn't Go Away
They took a few steps, but Lloyd felt something strange.
His steps felt heavier, as if the predatory instinct within him hadn't subsided.
"Mizuno… Did you feel that?" Lloyd said suddenly, without looking at Mizuno.
"What?" he replied hesitantly.
"That group… They're not hunting. They're looking for something bigger… Just like us."
Mizuno stopped, then turned around for one last look.
But the group had disappeared into the alleyways.
He frowned. "Strange… I didn't hear a sound from them."
The Beginning of Suspicion
They continued walking, but silence hung between them.
Lloyd knew deep down that this encounter was no coincidence.
And that ignoring that group…
might be a mistake that would come back to haunt them later, whether as allies… or as enemies.
Lloyd raised his head and looked up at the village's somber sky, saying quietly,
"The village hides more than it reveals."
Mizuno replied in a serious tone,
"And any alliance we don't form today… could become a threat tomorrow."
They continued walking,
unaware that the eyes watching them from afar…
had already begun to make their decision.
Lloyd approached slowly, unnoticed, and stood near one of the wooden stalls as if inspecting the wares, while in reality, he was listening to every word.
"Seiko Madrugada… yes, he's incredibly powerful. He has gangs in every corner of the village," a villager said in a low voice, as if afraid someone might overhear.
"I heard they don't show up much… but their influence is everywhere. Even the guards don't interfere," another man replied, glancing around cautiously.
Lloyd froze for a moment, his predatory instincts kicking in.
A name like that… couldn't possibly be ordinary.
"And they say they send coded messages to any powerful predator in the village… an invitation to join them," the man continued.
"Coded messages? That means they're watching everyone… and choosing carefully."
Lloyd didn't respond immediately. He was looking at the ground, but his mind was racing.
If they were looking for the strongest predators… then they had already spotted him.
"We don't need to look for an alliance anymore…" Lloyd said softly.
Mizuno looked at him, surprised.
"What do you mean?"
Lloyd raised his head, his eyes sharp. "They'll come for us."
At that moment, a small boy walked past them, dropping something wrapped in cloth without pausing.
Lloyd and Mizuno exchanged glances.
Lloyd bent down, picked up the object, and slowly unfolded it…
It was a black piece of paper, with a strange symbol drawn on it that resembled a claw piercing a silver crescent.
And beneath it was just one sentence:
"A predator is not born… it is chosen."
Silence fell.
Lloyd smiled faintly, but it wasn't reassuring.
"Looks like the game has begun," he said.
Lloyd and Mizuno moved toward the address marked on the black paper. It was on the edge of the village—a place rarely visited.
The snow was deeper, and the wind whistled as if warning anyone who approached.
"This place doesn't look like it belongs to a village," Mizuno said, looking around. "It's completely isolated."
"A good place for someone who wants to stay in the shadows," Lloyd replied calmly.
After walking for a few minutes, a huge iron gate appeared, embedded in the ice. It bore the same symbol:
A claw cutting through a silver crescent.
Before they could touch the gate…
"You're late," a voice called from behind them.
They turned quickly.
A tall man stood on a snow-covered rock, wearing a dark coat that reached his feet.
His eyes were sharp, as if reading every movement, and on his forehead was a black mark like the print of an old claw.
That was Seiko Madrugada.
He didn't move… yet his presence weighed heavily on the entire place.
"This…is their leader?" Mizuno whispered.
"I'm not a leader," Seiko replied unbidden, as if he'd heard the whisper. "I choose who deserves to be a true predator."
He descended the rock with slow steps, each one leaving a deep trail in the snow, though he didn't appear particularly large.
He stopped directly in front of Lloyd and stared into his eyes for a long moment.
"You…are not like them."
"Your scent carries a struggle…a human…and something else trying to be born."
Lloyd's gaze hardened, but he didn't flinch.
"And you sent me the message. So say what you will."
Seiko smiled faintly, not friendly…more like a test.
"We don't make alliances."
"We create a dynasty."
He gestured toward the iron gate, which began to open slowly on its own.
From within, a cold wind, more intense than a storm, blew out, as if the place itself were alive.
"If you want to join… it's not just talk," Seiko said.
"Inside… you'll face what you truly are."
Then, in a low voice, he added,
"And if you're not ready… the snow here swallows the weak."
Mizuno looked at Lloyd. "Clearly, this isn't just an invitation."
Lloyd replied, his eyes beginning to flash with the hardness he'd acquired in the wilderness,
"I came here to become stronger… not to retreat."
He took his first step into the darkness inside the gate.