1 #1 - The dream.

The new moon appeared earlier than expected over that dark, cloudy sky, an icy air and a faint scent of blood. The darkness wants to consume me.

"Fuuuh… Wooooosh…"

I hear a flapping of wings and a strong smell in the strong wind of something badly washed. I look around me, I was on top of a kind of scaly creature, his neck is wide, his jaw is giant with a maximum of 100 sharp and pointed teeth.

The animal's outer covering would be similar to that of reptiles: covered with scales. As the legends say, the skin was almost impenetrable. The texture would be similar to the back of a crocodile, which is quite resistant. But, of course, it is quite possible that this creature, which I am on, had a much more rigid leather. The creature also has a grayish color, a factor more for camouflage, as with some lizards. With wings that could be compared to bats, which have four points, with long fingers attached to a membrane.

There were 3 long horns on his head, a little smoke coming out of his nostrils as he exhaled. The creature was also about 25 to 30 meters high and 2 meters long.

His body was hot, as if it had fire inside his intestinal interior.

In conclusion, despite all its size, the creature would not have a very heavy bone structure. To be able to fly and support itself in the air, the creature would have to have hollow bones, like those of birds.

There was no doubt, I was in the skies of some region that I don't remember the name and on top of an adult Dragon.

With a glance I look back and I no longer see those people who promised to be by my side until my last days as alive.

Until I see lights coming from below.

I stand on top of that huge and frightening creature - who had no intention of doing anything bad to me - I close them and feel that strong breeze of the wind blow over my belly, face and hair.

And, on my back, I throw myself off the Dragon. Falling straight towards that light.

I calmly open my eyes and spot a small military district surrounded by walls reinforced with firearms. The wall in question was somewhat lit - careless... - most likely it is the base that I was sent to carry out the mass massacre and to recover that Artifact

"To achieve world peace, 100 innocent people must succumb to another 1000 innocent people to stand up."

Those words are still sealed in my head. Why can't I get rid of that damned memory?

"Swooish…"

As I fell straight towards that base, a kind of sinister dark orange aura appeared over my eyes. Then that aura covered my whole body with this fire orange, dark and bright. A detail that covered this aura was small rays that had a color that resembled a Garnet Red.

Meanwhile, inside that military base: everyone perceives the presence of the << Battle Dragon >> in their skies. Some were nervous, others were afraid and few took courage and armed and took aim to shoot the creature. When they were going to shoot, the dragon withdrew from his domain and went away.

However, something shone in the sky as soon as the dragon was gone. An orange light that fell towards him like a meteor impacting the ground.

(…): Hey, look. What is that?

(…): What the hell is that?!

(…): Would it be a plane?…

The soldiers questioned themselves about that approaching light.

I pull my double swords in my scabbard and grip the sword's handle hard as I fall.

The soldier who should be responsible for maintaining order on the spot takes the lead:

(…): That is certainly not an airplane. Get ready for a terrorist attack!!

I get even closer to them, when they were about to start shooting at me, my speed is increased.

Ready to cut the first one I saw, one of the soldiers caught my attention.

One of the soldiers dropped his weapon on the ground, smiled nervously and held out his arms to me, as if he were surrendering or asking me to free him from the suffering of being in the middle of this war with my own hands.

(…): It's so close… Goddess!… Is it you?! Take me with you, goddess!

I thought quickly:

(…): I'm sorry, I know it must be difficult for you. So young and already being put into battle. I promise to bring you a quick and gentle death, I promise you won't feel any pain.

I pass the swords over the neck of that child, victim of the war.

And, as promised, it was a quick and painless death. I was as kind as possible when making the cut.

My feet touch the ground and the dust around me has lifted and covered me.

(…): Cable jones!…

I hear the voice of the person who was supposed to be that of the superior of this dead young man beside me. I look at his neck and notice that his head is no longer connected to the rest of his body. The young boy's head rolled to his superior's feet, leaving him scared and shaking when he saw his freshman dead.

(…): Ugh… to open fire!!!

All the soldiers on that base, who seemed to be dozens and dozens, started shooting at me constantly until the magazine ended.

(…): That should be enough to avenge Corporal Jones. He was a great-

He couldn't complete the sentence to say goodbye to his dear freshman. I couldn't, because I cut it in half. In an absurd speed I jumped on him, making a cut that went through his belly. His body is split in two, the top shatters on the floor and his guts start to come out.

All soldiers are scared and unresponsive to see their superior get killed so easily by me. They stared at me with wide eyes when they realized that I was still alive. On top of that, keeping that aura active around me with a calm expression, as if I were already experienced in coldly killing my enemies.

Instantly a purple aura that most resembled an intense black flame grew around me.

A soldier wearing a white uniform saw that and said:

(…): Not this… This aura… Those eyes… Those golden hair… It's her… The demon of Lake Ikeda!!!

I revert to him and move forward, taking him by the neck and throwing him against the floor, using only one hand. I take one of the swords and put it over his neck.

Whisper in your ear:

(…): Never… Never repeat that name in front of me. Never!

I lift the sword up and make a deep cut in his throat, get up with hands bathed in blood and let him corrode with pain and die slowly.

All of his men start shooting at me, but this time I don't let any bullets touch me, repelling the shots with my double swords.

I cut all the bullets using the swords and my surprisingly fantastic reflection, the bullets that ended up escaping the cuts caught me. However, not even if they had any drastic effect, the cause was that intense aura around me that provided me with an absurd resistance against attacks.

A fearful soldier sees the whole scene and yells at the other companions:

(…): She is the devil himself! Run away!!

All the soldiers present there begin to flee according to that soldier's words. Which led me to believe and conclude that he was not just a simple pawn in this war, and that more truth was that he was another higher who worked in the same area as the one I had annihilated.

How did I come to that conclusion? Simple. A normal soldier in the middle of war has no authority to give orders, if the superior does not give the order to retreat, then the battle must continue.

If I kill him, the other soldiers will be left without a leader and will act on their own, completely disoriented because they are just young men inexperienced in the war. That's where I come in, killing one by one.

As he turned to run the other way, I threw my sword and it went through his lungs.

I run to the body, nail the low heel of my boot to the head of the deceased, and withdraw my sword mercilessly from his shore, and then run after the other escaped soldiers.

I ran as fast as I could to find them and I see a huge brick wall in front of me that led to another path. If I kept going I would have to turn to the left.

They must not have gone far, it is only a matter of time before reaching them.

I turn left and, when there, I find a war tank waiting for me, ready to attack. The tank fires at me, but I use my swords to defend myself from the powerful fire attack.

The impact of the shot against my blades hurled me away and hit me against a huge brick wall. Part of the wall breaks with the impact force and then, the wall falls.

With a little difficulty, I lift my strength to another level and get out from under the rubble of the wall. When I leave, I find an entire army pointing their weapons at me. This army was formed by: 5 tanks; 10 cannons; and dozens and dozens of soldiers.

Everyone waiting for the order to open fire.

Damn you, I fell into their trap!

And on those soldiers, another soldier, a , appears. What worked this whole plan, 'from end to end'.

(…): We meet again, demon.

(…): Ugh~

I didn't know what to say at that moment, so I pull a <<Walk Talk>> out of my pocket and pass a message to the person behind this mission, which I was sent to, which for some was a suicide mission.

(…): Exchange, Don. The plan failed. Permission to execute plan B.

A voice comes out of Walk Talk in response to my request.

Don: Permission granted, Banshee 06.

(…): Understood… Exchange, I hang up.

I brush them again, but this time with a serious expression, with eyes as dark as night. A cloak of a more intense red aura covered my body even more, the tips of that aura were dark purple, but a little shiny.

My swords are also covered by that intense aura, so that aura that covered me became more intense, reaching the point of looking like a crazy flame.

The pains that came with the impact instantly healed. I walk to them in a calm and unhurried way and…

(narrator): Stoooop!!… hi, hi. This is not where the story begins. For you to understand the history we will need to go back a few years in the past.

This story did not begin with the birth of a child, but it was after a world event that shook the entire planet Earth many years ago.

This story starts 50 years ago, at the end of 2012, when a world event happened. On the day in question it was raining cold and thunderstorms could be heard in the distance, and with a dark sky. When did that come from heaven?

Something like magic symbols appeared above our heads. It was something that resembled a magical portal that you, until then, could only witness watching movies and series or even in books of the time.

That alone was enough for people of that time to think that it was a biblical event, called "the final judgment". Everyone was terrified.

To increase everyone's fear, something bizarre and somewhat scary happened. In an instant, magical stairs appeared from inside the portals and went down to our soil. Many elderly people had a heart attack when they saw it come down from the portal.

In closing, something even more frightening happened.

From those shiny stairs, which seemed to be made of some brilliant crystal still unknown, mythological beings descended, which until then only existed in fictional works.

From Elves to Dwarves, from Centaurs to Goblins, from Ogres to Orcs, from Dragons to Hydras, from Griffins to Phoenix, from Werewolves to Vampires, from Mermaids to Basilisk, from Wyverns to Jellyfish, from Live Witches to Trees, from Ghosts to Zombies, from Angels to Demons and many other countless creatures.

My grandfather, who now rests in peace, witnessed the arrival of those mythological beings even when he was a young man at puberty. Once, when I was still a child, he said to me: "that day everyone was paralyzed, unable to move a muscle, they were so amazed that we were".

The largest nations in the world such as the United States, Russia, China, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Japan, Israel, North Korea and so many others came together and welcomed these creatures. However, before the humanity of the time could get used to its new neighbors, something terrible happened. A revolt by the creatures, all revolted against humanity and a war was fought. And from a war that lasted months and months, came more and more wars, countless wars, infinite wars that only came to an end when the number of each opponent reached zero.

Countless wars have been fought across the world, causing deaths and more deaths. Billions of humans died in these wars, bringing our near extinction.

Humanity fought bravely using all the necessary resources, but all that could be done was to prevent a future death. There was a time that was each one for itself.

But, one day that changed...

When everything seemed lost to humanity, special weapons were developed by a certain person.The weapons that someone developed were able to easily kill any creature, depending on the warrior who wields such a weapon, he could decimate armies with just the swing of swords.

That weapon could be anything. Sword or ax, hammer or spear. Made of a strange metal. The good news is that, there is not just a special weapon, but one for each warrior trained enough to wield it.

This weapon helped a lot in the battle for our survival and territory expansion.

And then humanity came back on top.

Many years have passed since we managed to rise and counterattack. However, the war against magical creatures still prevails, but, for our happiness, it has calmed down. For, instead of continuing to attack, everyone preferred to survive.

It is estimated that more than 7 billion human beings have already been killed and practically all countries have fallen, leaving only a handful of living humans and only a few countries that remain today, which are the United States, France and Japan.

We are currently in the year 2062, today, at least in the country where I reside, all humans live in "strong cities". I live in the huge fortress city of Hokkaido, japan.

There are a total of 4 cities spread across Japan, housing all survivors of the wars.

The fortress city of Hokkaido, until then, is the largest of all, with the best protected and safest wall. The wall that surrounds the city is around 30 meters. Everything was necessary to keep us away from the creatures, to live isolated and safe.

Living in the best protected city is almost a blessing, because then I was able to grow up without worrying about my fears and regrets of the anxiety of discovering what is out there.

Now let's talk about me.

I don't get into this story at birth, but when I turned 12.

My story begins in a small complex of houses within the city of Fortress, in the center of all these houses, there was a water fountain and all the houses surrounded this fountain. In this small complex there was a house, this house was a house like any other, it was big enough for a humble family to live in. In this house there was also a big yard, in that yard there was a tree, on top of that tree, a tree house and finally, inside this house there was a child, a small child of 12 years old, with light skin and blue eyes, his hair was straight and golden, without marks on his skin and he had a huge smile on his face when he hugged his teddy bear.

That child was me. My name is Emilia Baldric, I was a girl who stayed at home all day, every day, for health reasons.

A sincere smile would be plastered on my face, because I learned to live with what is inside me.

I always fought for life, even before I was born. My heart stopped countless times while I was still in my mother's womb. The struggle for life in childbirth was my first victory.

However, I didn't cry when I was born. The midwives started to sweat cold.

The midwives examined me and told my parents that I was dead. There was no pulse, no breathing.

When they were about to cremate me, I fought and kept fighting to get back to life and keep going.

In the instant to go to the crematorium:

- "Ah, ah."

According to the midwives, they stared at me while I murmured in my sleepiness.

Months later I was diagnosed with a disease that weakened my bones, preventing me from having a normal life. This disease was called Osteogenesis Imperfecta.

Osteogenesis imperfecta is caused by defective genes that affect the way the body produces collagen, a protein that helps strengthen bones.

It has treatment, but it is incurable.

My Mother was shaken, desperate and desolate. He said that the fault of this happened was the irresponsibility of the doctors present. All without exception.

And, somehow, those words of hers closed the hospital.

Years later, when I turned 9, my mother told me about the situation my bones were in, about them being extremely fragile and weakened. At the time I was shocked and a little scared, but the doctor prescribed various medications, treatments and sent the best users of healing magic to take care of me. He also prescribed that I should collaborate by doing basic daily exercises that did not require much of the rapid wear and tear my body suffered.

Which takes us for 3 years in the future, on the date in question I would already be 12 years old.

I was still a fragile child, but, unlike 2 years ago, at 12 I was able to leave the house accompanied. It was one of the best moments of my life to be able to leave the house and have contact with the floor outside the house and be able to feel it without worrying that any bone would break at any time.

The doctors gaped at my extraordinary achievements in recent years. When I was 8 I only stayed in bed, and when I was 10 I crawled and, finally, at 12 I walked on two legs. With much effort and difficulty, but still, I walked.

Among doctors and my neighborhood, this was considered a miracle. Until then, the disease had no cure and no explanation for why I recovered so quickly. Everyone then came to consider that it was part of yet another miracle of the Goddess.

Every Sunday I went for a walk in a park near my house with my mother and sisters, most of the time we went downtown to walk in that field, feed pigeons and watch the sun go down. It was always a remarkable experience, even with my mother's old jokes about doors.

Even though it was fun to walk around the city, I wanted more.

I studied and learned all the teaching materials of the new and old generation all at home. It was a lot of free time, so I specialized in a lot of things. I am a gifted person, what life took from me, I returned with my willpower. Today I learn, adapt and memorize things like a professional in everything. Still, it was still very weak.

I wanted much more...

In my studies in confinement, I learned that outside the fortress city, soldiers are sent who specialize in exterminating the magical creatures around the fortress and around the trunk train line that connects the fortress city from one corner of Japan to another.

I am going to tell you now about the day I met these people who face the monsters and protect our home.

It was late Sunday afternoon, I was already coming home with my mother and sisters.

- "Gaaaaaahhh!!!"

That's when I heard a cry of fear and dread. I couldn't identify who or where those screams came from. The screams were extremely scandalous, you would hear those woman screams even from a distance.

That was when everyone around us started running, running in the opposite direction from where the screams of horror were coming, and my mother would have done it differently.

My mother carried me on her back and started to run while my older sister helped my Mother to continue standing by making our Mother rest her hand on her shoulder, and the other younger sister came after us crying.

Maybe I was scared, but that feeling was gone when he appeared.

As we ran, a man with a confident look, standing in the crowd, carrying a sword at his waist. This man took my fear away with just his presence.

That was when, like a lightning bolt, the man ran towards the girl. You could only hear the sound of your sword cutting something.

"Fuuuuuim…!!~"

The girl's cries of despair ceased when that man stood up and raised the head of a lizard-man, and then he said:

(…): It's okay, because the hero is here.

That was when I remembered something that my mother said to me: "there are people above the soldiers of the city, they are called" the Moon Hunters ". They are people who will protect the citizens, even if it costs them their lives". It was then that I decided my life goal.

I would become a Moon Hunter, protect today's children, even if I have to break my bones in my arms and legs. To fight for a future without wars, this is my dream. It may seem ridiculous to you, a girl with a bone disability wanting to become a military force in the country, but that is my dream, and no one will take that dream from me.

When I told my mom about this dream of mine, she and my brothers said I was crazy about wanting to take that risk, even my younger sister laughed at me. But there was a person who believed in my potential, his name was "Merlin".

We always met in front of the house, him in my yard and me in the window. This was the only method of talking without having to leave the house.

Merlin: What? Did they say that?...

Emilia: Yes... They are all fools, they will see, I will become a military power, and then my Mother will be proud of me...

Merlin: I understand that this is difficult for you, you are still weak...

Emilia: I know that. But if I train my body enough to withstand battles, maybe I-

Merlin: E- Emilia!!... Listen to me, please! I.. I… I want- I want to protect you! I want to take care of you! I want you to be mine...

I blushed for a moment and sweated cold at the situation, however, I did not know how to express what I was really feeling. So I expressed myself with a wide smile on my face, I mess up his hair and say:

Emilia: Eh- ehehe! Right! I count on you, so take care of me!

He also blushed and smiled, so he looked away, refusing to look me in the eye for being embarrassed.

He was a year older than me, his hair dark and straight that the breeze from the wind blew him easily. His eyes suffered from Heterochromia - the left eye was the color of light blue Iris, while the right side, the color was blue-green Iris - his skin was never completely white, as he lived on the streets playing with the other boys in our district .

He was always very attentive and the only one who listened to me. He always blushed when I said it was cute how much he was always helping me.

But, on a certain day in late autumn, he accompanied me and my family on one of those walks on Sundays, my Mother said she was going to buy ice cream and took my sisters with her, she asked merlin to keep me company while, and he accepted willingly. Being alone, Merlin was nervous, so he approached us to talk on a bench in front of the Ferris wheel.

Merlin: Emilia, I need to tell you something.

While eating popcorn, I replied to him:

Emilia: Chomp, chomp, chomp!... I know ... Nhac, nhac, nhac!... UGH! ... Uuuahah! You can say.

I was confused, not understanding anything. He on the other hand was shaking and on top of that he was all flushed.

Merlin: Eh... Would you accept dating me?...

The way he placed the order along with a shout that could be heard across the street.

I was embarrassed and didn't know what to say, because he was my best friend since I was about 6 years old and at that time, when I was 12, he made me really confused. But I was sure of one thing at the time, it made me happy, and I also wanted to be happy with the one who always supported me, even though at the time I couldn't respond to his feelings with the same intensity.

"Is that what they call love? Maybe I'll accept it, as long as it helps me become a hunter."

That's exactly what I thought about that day.

Emilia: Err… Erm… I accept…

All red with shame, I accepted your request.

From that day on, our history would change. It can be said that it changed for the better, because the bridge that united us was strengthened and our ties became stronger, we started to depend on each other from that day on.

We spent almost two years together, two years of pure fun and affection. After a year together, he stole my first kiss, I was really happy, because I felt it could be forever, I imagined it could be lasting.

And, during all this time together with him, I ended up forgetting my dream.

However, for every good start, there must be a sad ending...

One day he came to my house with a backpack on his back, saying it was an urgent matter, he was also saying that he needed to take me somewhere. He came just on a Sunday, so my mom went along.

The three of us went to the park, sat on a square stool, the same one he asked me for dating 2 years ago.

My Mother said she wanted to eat something, we all made a brief bet and I won, so I ordered ice cream for the three of them. My mother then accepted this and then went to buy the ice cream and left us alone.

He looked at me and asked me to sit on that bench in that park. I sat and looked him in the eye without really understanding what he wanted or what was going on. He sat next to me, put his backpack on the floor and looked at me with a sad look.

Merlin: I need to leave... We can never see each other again. It's not your fault, it's mine. I'm sorry and... I'm sorry.

He gathered his backpack from the ground, put it on the shore and started to walk away, when he reached a certain distance, he started running without stopping on the infinite sidewalk of the district, until he disappeared from view.

I was puzzled and speechless. Her heart was pounding and her throat was dry. At the time, I didn't know how to express my feelings in the face of such a situation. I didn't think about what really happened until my mom came back and asked where Merlin was. I didn't answer anything.

That night I cried, cried a lot and blamed myself for everything.

Emilia: It's my fault!… He took care of me and I never said "thank you" for seeing such kind situations he did for me... Once he told me that he loved me and I had nothing to say!!…

I covered my face with the pillow and cried more and more, calling myself stupid several times, until I fell asleep.

For months I blamed myself for our breakup, until one day I decided to wipe away the tears and move on with my dream that was lost along the way.

And that brings us to the present day, now 15 years old. Now I can say that I am closer to my dream. My body is not in the dreamed "100%", it is still far from it, but at least I can run without worrying if any bones will break just by taking a few steps.

I have a new boyfriend now, his name is Keene, he is about my age and I have been with him for 2 months. He's a nice guy, even though we haven't kissed at all, nevertheless, he treats me with affection.

But we are not here to talk about him, but about what happened "that" later afternoon.

It was a cold and quiet late afternoon, between Keene and me the mood was happy because we were returning from a small event that was set up near the house that talked about the "Hunters" everyday. After the event, we went to the park to talk and the park home. But, halfway through, something stole our attention.

Who knew that all this happiness would end in a few moments.

We were crossing an alley when we saw a lady lying on the mud-stained floor. I said we should help her and he agreed, when we got to the lady, Keene put a hand on the lady's shoulder and asked if she was okay. The lady raised her head and looked directly at him. The old woman's face began to deform, her eyes popped out, her skin started to fall, her long hair started to fall, her jaw breaks and it is tremendously open, and thus she pulls out Keene's arm.

He starts screaming in pain over and over and gets out of control. When I realized, that lady had become a kind of demon. Or rather... Something very much like a young red dragon. Which, according to some books, can be as powerful as adults.

Red fiery sea dragons are experts at using high-level magic, but this is the first time I've seen anything like it.

A dragon using transformation magic...

In an instant, she used her long arms to attack us, it was a quick attack that pierced Keene's belly, leaving a huge hole in her belly.

"Nhuac! Nhuac! Roaaah!!"

My legs went limp from being so terrified that I was.

The creature bit it more and more, until its body was dismembered. She saw me, and stopped biting him and slowly approached me.

I could already smell death, I could feel that this was the end of me, to be killed by a demon... What an irony, that's not how I thought I was going to die.

I always imagined myself dying after becoming a hunter, after facing a strong enemy. To have an honorable death, to die like a hero, to have my name engraved in the memory of thousands, to have statues in my honor, to be recognized...

It is really ironic...

The dragon opened its mouth to devour me.

"Are you sure it will be here that you?"

These words resonated in my head, as if they had come from beyond, for I had already given up.

And, for some reason, it motivated me to keep trying.

"You can only be kidding me.Dying lying on that dirty floor where rats pass... Do you want to die? Why? Don't be silly, Emilia. If you die here, you won't be able to contribute to your country. You can't allow such nonsense happen! I can't die!!! "

Who implanted those words in my head? I couldn't stop thinking about them, as if something had said it in my ear, but I didn't even notice.

I get up, put my hand on my elbow and say:

Emilia: Hey!... If you think I gave up... Then you are very much mistaken, shit lizard!!

I was scared, my legs were shaking just at the sight of it, but I couldn't weaken, because this is not where I would die.

I need to at least try…

The dragon began to drool and then became enraged. I close my fist, intending to want to punch the dragon.

Emilia: YOU CAN COME, BASTARD!!

And in the blink of an eye, when the creature was going to attack me, a bright white light cuts the demon in half, its body split in two and collapses on the floor. The creature died in front of me and I didn't even realize what or who had killed it

When I opened my eyes, my clothes, hands and face were covered in blood. When I drew the creature's blood out of my eyes, I could see what had killed the dragon.

There was a man wearing a smooth white plaster mask, he was on the roof of a house, so he went down from the roof to the floor with a sword in his hands.It was not the same at that time, but the sensation and inner aura that it emanated was the same. He didn't seem like a normal person, he could only be a Moon Hunter.

He's my "savior"!

"My savior": Are you okay? Didn't you get hurt?

He seemed concerned for my well-being, even with my boyfriend on the floor, dead, he worried about me. Is this how they should feel in these situations?

Emilia: My... Boyfriend... Did he die?...

Despite everything, I was still scared and terrified, I was shaking from head to toe like never before.

"My savior": Unfortunately, yes. I'm so sorry…

He seemed frustrated to see Keene's body on the floor bathed in blood.

I took the sleeve of his uniform and with eyes full of tears I looked him in the eyes with a determined look.

Emilia: Please, I beg you, take me with you!! My dream is to kill everyone... No. Annihilate! Clean up the world of these creatures!… Please, I need you to help me. I need…

Still scared and terrified, I made the request for fear of her response. He looked at me with a look of sadness.

What did he mean by that look?

To be continued…