Chapter 08:Eve

"I don't remember much about my family. At least for the most part, I can't seem to remember their faces, I remember their voices, yet the voices themselves sound muffled. The loud cheers of my kid brother…I guess some part of me wanted to forget…everything…This is my story…this is the story of 'Eve'...A story, long wanting to be forgotten."

Previously after The man(Kevin) and Eve's departure and disappearance. The village residents planned to assassinate V. Ultimately they failed to do so. The story now shifts to Eve's perspective.

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Eve wanders around the dark woods alone after getting separated from the man(Kevin). searching. searching. searching," She searched for clues about The man(Kevin)'s whereabouts but could not find any information about him or anyone else."

Eve-" KEVIN?!....KEEEVIIIIINNN!~~...Where are you man…there's nothing but these big ass trees….It's getting darker…is the sun coming down or something?? If so, I'd at least like to hunt dinner before I get stranded out here..."

Eve looks around, observing her surroundings. The dark woods where the trees reach the sky, the cold mist and the humid atmosphere, The nerve-wracking silence.

Eve-"... not the best place to be right now….Where's Kevin..he was with me just now though.."

Not even a single sound could be heard in those woods. After some time, nighttime fell, and in the middle of them was Eve camping out. Alone…

Eve-" Haaa~...Count to think of it..it's been a while since I've been on my own, Kevin would always get worried back then…But I've spent most of my time alone so I don't mind it, honestly…..Staying alone in these woods is making me insane…I'll head out at dawn I guess."

She was sitting beside the fire she made. With her guard down, a figure covered in white silk sat right next to her, whispering into her ear-

"Wanna play Hide and Seek, big sis?"

That sentence sent Shivers down to her spine. She stepped back and readied her shot, but the woman in white silk was nowhere to be seen. She looked around in cold sweat, something was off, very off, something that made Eve tense up.

Eve-"....What..the fuck…Where'd she go.."

"C'mon, big sis! Play with me!"

Eve looked back to see the woman covered in white silk, standing right in front of her face, staring, without a sound, just staring into her eyes. Even though she was at Range, Eve couldn't move a single muscle. so far as to say she even stopped breathing, fearing it would trigger something.

"...I Wish Big Sis played with me more…"

Eve snapped out of it and found herself somewhere else. A place filled with thick mist, never seen before. A mist that would remind her of her Hellish nightmares.

Weird images started to pop up in her head, then soon the mist turned into said images.

Now came Eve's mental monologue.

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"I don't remember much about my family, nor do I remember their faces, I wonder why it was like that...the only memory I could remember was me and my family, sitting down at the table having supper. I remember it very fondly…But what comes after that?... I wonder…I try to remember but it's all just static…"

A Voice whispered into her ear, stating,

"Do you want to know?"

"Yes"-said Eve.

Just as Eve agreed, The thick mist changed. Her voice started narrating what was happening in front of her eyes.

"The world was still in shambles from the news...But where I had lived the people there weren't affected by it. They went on with their life like normal…it was the only peaceful place in this world. I was 12 at the time…It was a time, unlike today, when I would come back from the playground after the day had ended. I was looking at my younger self walking alongside a woman, My mother, holding my hand as I skipped. As they were walking home I started to walk alongside them."

Young Eve-" Mama! Mama! What's for dinner tonight?"

Eve's mother-" Hmmm~ What do you want to eat dear?"

Young Eve-" STEAK! I WANNA EAT STEAK!!"

Eve's mother-" OK! Let's get home first, then I'll make your favorite steak okay?"

Young Eve-" Yeahhh!"

…"What a strange sight" I thought…my mother whom I'd forgotten everything about…seemed genuinely happy…smiling at me…I felt this warm sensation in my heart…The sensation was hard to explain.

The scenery shifted, I was inside a house, in the living room. Looking around I saw my kid brother, Mitsuki, I thought I had forgotten that name…He was drawing something in his book. I went over to look at what he was drawing, And a sense of Emptiness fell onto me.

It was a picture of our family…he colored my parents and him in a shade of red, I thought he was imitating the color of our skin. But oddly enough when he tried to color me in the same red, My younger self walked up to him, giving him a nudge on the head. we started to wrestle after that. It was Fun. My mother called us for supper, and we hurried our way to the dinner table, I wanted to look and the scenery in front of me was exactly like the last dream I had about them, But this time I remembered their faces, The conversations my parents were having, The loud chewing noises that my brother made every time he took a bite of his food…I watched them eat…The warm sensation in my heart grew bigger and warmer…I felt as if I never wanted to go back…I never wanted to go back to my reality…but…"

"No concept of reality is ever kind…"

"The scenery had shafted again, This time I was sitting alone in a room. I wasn't in my house this time, The room was dim and dark; all I could hear was this loud siren outside with heavy rain on top. I tried to investigate but the windows in the room were sealed tight. I looked to the side and there was a door that I hadn't noticed before."Strange' I thought to myself. I went in closer and closer to the door, my head started to ache more and more, Voices flooded my mind…Memories..that I had long forgotten had flooded my mind, making me go insane. But I persevered and went in closer and closer and the voices got louder and louder. My hand was on the doorknob. I open the door and right before my eyes…"

"Static-"

"My mother disfigured into ruins, The face of my kid brother pealed right off like a peeled apple…My father's head was sliced open, exposing his brain, filled with screws. The horrid scene in front of me made me puke, All I could hear was their screams of being tortured alive. The images replayed in front as I was on my knees…They got killed again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again…Make it stop…make it stop …MAKE IT STOP….PLEASE…..

"GOD…make it stop…"

"This is what you get sis…."

I looked up and saw my face-slit brother looking down on me as if he'd looked at me in disgust.

"Sis…You just looked at us… You watched this happening to us and yet you did nothing…. that's not very nice sis…"

"He pointed his finger to his left and I looked at myself locked up, senseless, I saw my younger self…watching all the pain of my family..the torture…I saw everything there was to be seen…Why. I asked myself why I had blocked off this memory of mine…was it too much for my mind?.. Did I blame everything on myself? My pathetic self? Not being able to do anything? Not being able to save my own family? Not being able to save…even myself?

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The scene left me speechless…And all I could see was the noose in front of me..calling my name…

"Such pitiful creatures…"

"The woman, clothed in white silk stood in front of me, She put her hand over my head as if she were trying to comfort me…comfort me from my past…As I succumbed in despair I let myself go…The soft touch of the woman reminded me of my mother. The gentle pat...I could feel myself falling asleep...My eyes flicker from how tired they were...But something had kept me from going insane..something-

((Eve))...I gotta wake up…This isn't where I'm supposed to be…This isn't…

Eve-" I AIN'T DYIN' LIKE THIS!!"

Eve snaps back to her senses, seeing the woman in silk hidden in the shadows…... Eve looked around her surroundings, Pitch-black mist was all she could see. She heard a child's cry behind her. The cry turned into a loud static noise when she looked back. And the scene shifts.

"The Scene cuts into a new one. I got transported into a different place but this time it was a place I knew and remembered….Yes, this was the headquarters for the organization. But it seemed incomplete...I wondered what had happened to the headquarters…Or…am I just back in time? To one of my memories that I had long forgotten?... I knew this was another one of those tricks of that woman…but oddly enough this time I was fully aware of what was happening to me..this time I had full control and consciousness of what was going around me…no the environment around me was much more detailed much more real than the last one I had…about my family...I progressed forward and Saw Kevin on the training grounds…He looked in my direction so I assumed that I had returned to the real world and so I ran towards him But he walked right through me...I looked back to see him with another version of me..a slightly older version of me after that incident…I remember this memory...This was when the Organization was at its Development stages, It was also the time I debuted as a Hunter…Why this memory? I thought to myself. There wasn't much of an event in this part of my life…I looked at myself, still noticing that I hadn't moved on from what had happened to my family…Despite all of that I tried my best to become a full-fledged Hunter. Ah..looking back. I did work my ass off just so I could be helpful this time…maybe that's why I became a hunter in the first place..just so that I don't become useless like last time."

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Memories,

Events, and information that the mind acquires and stores in its consciousness. To us, memories hold a deep meaning to one's being…Happy moments in one's life, Embarrassing memories, painful memories..all hold a pillar into making a person's origin. But what are the memories of the soul? Are souls capable of having Memories?.. In a human's mind, there are so many abundant memories that they tend to forget the more they live on. But, some memories can never be forgotten…some memories can alter a person's very existence..Memories that can erase other memories…And those memories are the ones that leave a mark on the soul.

"The scene shifts again, this time I look back to see myself pairing with my first-ever mentor, Pam…Pam Agustine. She was a full-fledged Hunter while I was still a novice. Under her supervision, I was allowed to train. She was like a very kind big sister…

Pam-" You gotta have more confidence in yer' abilities, Eve, when the time comes if yer' unable to engage then you'll get yer'self killed"

Eve-" Sorry Pam I'll be more vigilant next time"

Pam-" And? there may be no next time…Look I know you just got your license yesterday and I know you are nervous but That nervousness isn't going to protect anyone…It won't bring back anyone from the dead..but if you cast it away..you'll be able to move on from all the shit we face here…In this shitty dying world of ours..have a lil' faith in yourself…like I have on ya.....Kay?"

Eve-"..Thanks, Pam..I'll do my best!!"

Pam-" That's the spirit, Now let's spar again."...

I remember this scene…Me and Pam were sparring the next day after getting my license to be a full-flegged Hunter…We were sparring due to nervousness because tomorrow would be my first-ever mission. But..there's only one question in my mind…

"Why did I forget Pam?..."

As I said those words the atmosphere around me changed. Suddenly I became more and more frightened about the idea of what was going to happen next. I was expecting it, prepared for it and yet I couldn't stop shaking…

The scene shifted, It was the next day, My first day at the job. It was me, Pam, and a few other veteran Hunters. Our destination was Hel. The biggest and most dangerous labyrinth known. Our mission was to deal with the stray monsters that'd been coming out of there. The area around the place is a great source of minerals…yeah funny as it is even though it looks like the world is ending it just doesn't fucking end.

We were looking around, killing off whatever was in our way. Surprisingly enough even though it was my first time fighting demons and monsters…I felt no fear. I felt no anxiety. Killing those ugly bastards seemed natural to me…But not everything goes according to plan.

A higher-ranking demon ambushed one of the Hunters, leaving a huge dent in our defenses. We tried everything but one after another got killed or eaten alive. Ultimately we got overwhelmed by the sick bastards…

Nighttime, It was me, Pam, and another veteran with an injured leg. Barely escaping those fucks, It was apparent that we wouldn't last long. Despite all of this…I still felt no fear, no worries, no anxiety…I felt nothing.

Hunter-"..Urk*...I'll be fine..sorry for being deadweight.."

Pam-" Reinforcements on the way…hey..we'll survive ok?.."

Hunter-"...*Nods*"

Pam-"...How're you holding up Eve?"

Eve-" Barely! My back hurts as shit-"

Pam-" Well at least one of us is in high spirits"

Eve-" Hey man It does hurt a lot…Haaaa~ I wanna take a bath-"

Hunter-" WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU SERIOUSLY!"

The shouting of the injured hunter shocked both Eve and Pam.

Hunter-"...How can you be this calm…they died y'know? EVERYONE'S DEAD…Don't you even feel a little remorse??!..."

Eve-"..."

Pam-" I think you forgot the premise of this job bucko…"

Hunter-"..W-What?"

Pam-" Being a Hunter means you're at the end of your life"

Hunter-"...."

Pam-" Being a hunter means you've sold your life to protect what's left in this shitty world, you're expected to die in situations like this without even getting a proper burial, The more time ya spend in the organization the more you start to lose yer'self literally…And the only people that strive in the organization are people on that same level of insanity..someone like you, Eve.."

Eve-"...Hey..that doesn't sound like a compliment-"

Pam-" Ya can it as a compliment~"

Hunter-"..Y-You guys are sick down to the core-"

"Right at that moment, A monster came behind the Hunter, slicing his upper body into bits, Blood splattered everywhere as if the Hunter had pooped like a balloon."

Eve-" PAM TAKE COVE-"

"Before I could even do anything, The hunter got killed and Pam's arm had been severed…..

I don't remember much after that, It was as if my mind had blacked out. The scene had shifted again. We fled but got pushed back into a dead end. But there was a pocket in the wall. Pam pushed me into the pocket in the wall, I tried so hard to pull her in with me, To save her, I didn't want this, I didn't want to be useless again…All I could do..was to see some of those demons defile her…Every bit of it…I saw everything…Even after that, those fuckers cut off her limbs, her head...Even after having pleasure, they had to fill their guts up…Before all that could happen, I saw Pam look at me and all I could do at that moment was to listen to her dying words.

"Avenge me..Kay?"...

"What was the point of showing me all this? To remind me how much of a failure I am? How could I even save the people I held so dear to my heart?... Ahh..This sickens my core…

Eve puts her hand on her face as if she wants to tear her face, her body, and her soul into shreds. from the pure guilt of not becoming more.The guilt of not being enough. As the woman in silk stands beside her, she glares Eve down as if it's her last warning. The woman smiles as she holds out her hand, turning into a big gapping mouth with millions of ragged teeth.

Eve-" All that and you still ain't shit-"

Eve glares back at the woman with her eyes shaking like crazy out of pure insanity, The woman jolts back. Eve evades the gaping mouth and knee-strikes the woman. She bites the woman's ear off as the woman screams. Right after that, she follows it with a kick on the woman's ribcage. Sending the woman flying.

Eve-" I remember very clearly now what I'm supposed to do at times like this…"

"You thought I'd be swayed by some dead people I used to know?-"

Eve-"...Hahahaha…If that was the case then I wouldn't be able to call myself a Hunter can I now?"

Eve walks towards the woman in silk with dead cold eyes, thinking nothing but killing what was in front of her.

Eve-"..Ah..come to think of it..that murderer that killed my family while tying me into a chair…You wanna know what happened to that guy?"

*Eve strolls toward the woman with a big grin on her face*

Eve-" ya see…The insanity got to me..so I busted myself out and the last thing I remember was my uncle looking at me with fear in his eyes…as he saw his niece brutally slicing the murderer into itty bitty pieces….ha..haha.."

The woman lets out a high-pitched screech which distracts Eve but before the woman could conceal herself Eve catches onto her and yeets her on the ground and deadlocks her. Eve tries to choke the woman but she retaliated. Eve lunges in and hits a solid body shot, the woman coughs out blood, and without wasting a second, Eve's knee strikes her in the face multiple times. The woman had enough and screeched again making Eve lunge back. Eve pulls her bow out to deliver the final shot. But alas not everything goes as planned.

The woman in silk, in an instant, teleports right behind Eve, Eve turns back, ready to shoot but the ground underneath her crumbles and breaks apart. Eve jumped back and readied her shot again, but it was too late. Eve looks back to see the woman in silk holding onto a baby. But something was wrong with the baby.

Eve-" What this? Out of tricks? Gonna use a fucking baby as a hostage huh??!"

As Eve says that the woman holds the baby up...And devours it whole. Leaving Eve speechless. The woman morphs into a humongous and hideous monster.

Eve-"...Well I'll be damned….All those teeth on your face, maybe you should use some mouthwash!!!"

Eve charges up another arrow but before she can do anything the monster teleports and hits Eve right in the gut, which leaves her flying into a wall. Eve coughs up a lot of blood. Unable to move, her ears ring like hell.

Eve-"....Aww man..I'm losing a shit ton of blood…moving hurts like hell…broken ribs huh...hahaha..is this it?.. Karma's come for my ass or something?...."

The monster came closer and closer to Eve.

Eve-" You look…too damn happy huh- *coughs blood*...Man…last night's steak…was hella good…I could kill… to have some… right now…"

"All that and the ends still the same…at the end of it all I'm still a failure huh…i wish…at least i could atleast avenge pam before i died…sorry Uncle kevin…sorry pam…I'm so sorry Mom and Dad.. I'm sorry I couldn't play with you more Mitsuki….I guess in the end, my life didn't mean any value huh…Goodbye-"

"Don't devalue your life, Eve-"

In her last breaths, she remembers the voice of someone very close to her…

"..I'm sorry mom and dad…I'm sorry mitsuki…but you guys will have to wait a bit longer…I …don't want to die yet…God..if your still there…help me…please..V..help…me"

The monster stands before her, looking down on her…In the next brief moment, silence fell, As the beast commenced its attack. All Eve could do…was hope.

Eve-"...V..help me.."

At that moment, the ceiling shattered into shards of glass, The monster's head gets pummeled by the man descending from the ceiling. The monster screams in agony as its blood gets splattered everywhere. He stands tall in front of Eve, seeing that someone whom Eve had asked help from, she smiles.

Eve-"..Took you long enough dummy…"

V-"Yeah…you've done enough…

V looks at the monster with anger in his eyes, The monster regenerates and sees V standing before it. V puts his fists together.

"Leave the rest to me!!"

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_______________Chapter end______________