The Hunter

Alene's POV

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"I am almost certain, Abi. You escape to lock yourself away from the truth. Alene Fu... You can't forget AnLing at the ends of the earth, so how could you forget him?" said Goyang Jen.

The entrance to Zenthor is on the Magic Willow in AnLing, a town near Wei River. It's the place where I grew up and trained to hunt.

"You haven't forgotten him." Goyang Jen emphasized as he comes even closer.

He is born half elf and half yokai, so his feature was a mix of both. He is tall and lean but his muscles are fit in good shape, his eyes reflect like agate under the moonlight, his single-eyelid slightly tilted up. The eastern called this the Phoenix Eyes. His skin glittered in light but it was not pale.

"Have you, Abi? Have you?"

"Shut up!" I snapped as I grit my teeth. I don't like the way he speaks to me. This is the tone he used for extorting confessions from criminals during investigations. I am not a criminal, and there is no need for punishment. "Catch me if you will, or... you wanted me dead?"

"I wouldn't. The Nine Rune order clearly states that they want you alive, and I can't afford to be ashamed. Besides, if I ever want to get you arrested, we should have been on our way back now." Goyang Jen said.

I look down, fix my gaze on the dull grey carpet, and smile wryly without a word. He is right, if he wanted to do it, I wouldn't have the ability to parry. He is an excellent hunter!

"Is the Scroll of Ethos with you?" Goyang Jen asked reluctantly.

I looked up at him, a little flustered.

"He may be gone for good but I won't believe that he leave nothing behind." He went silent for a while, then murmur in a soft and calm tone, "If his feelings for you are true, he will give it to you." At least, he thinks, that is what he would have done as well.

I pretended to be calm as I said, "Is that what you are here for?"

"No, I just need to know if you're safe." He put his hand on my shoulder, and the faint scent of mint fills the air. "Halloween is in three days, you know what it means. Take care, Abi."

His voice began to fade. The weight on my shoulders was lifted as he finished his words. I turned around to find him disappearing, seeping through the door gap like a gust of wind.

I faced the wooden cabinet where the Yankee candles were placed, and approached hesitantly, leaning over to remove the two curled balls of fur in the second compartment, and behind it was a long cylinder wrapped in dark purple velvet.

I spaced out for a long time, and finally pulled away the layer of velvet with a faint halo. It is a solid quilled scroll, all inlaid with gemstones and gold threads, and right in between are silver threads that tangled and form a lock to it.

It's the Scroll of Ethos.

Indeed, he could take it away, but it would be a waste to bring back a lock with no key. He must have thought that his excellency Gong would have set a spell or a specific password that he needs to crack his head on. Unfortunately, he is never the smart one, he follows only his intuition.

We, adults, tend to be over-scrutinised despite who we are and where we come from. Like the Scroll of Ethos, his excellency Gong set the password using the date he left. He simply wants to keep everything on that particular day! However, in the eyes of the higher-ups at Nine Rune headquarters, he seemed to have deliberately planned a conspiracy to devour them.

There were footsteps outside the door. It seems like my housemates had come back for dinner. I opened the door to find myself in wrong. Kang Chin is leaning by the wall with his shoes and windbreaker on, while he watched Chen Yang tying shoelaces on the stairs.

"Going out again?" I asked.

Kang Chin nodded instinctively and asked, "Do you want to tag along? "

"The report is due next week." I voiced my concern but I'm obviously not worried about that. I just couldn't think of any better reason to reject their kind invitation.

"Be calm and don't mess with yourself," said Cheng Yang, starting with all the random Chinese proverbs and old sayings again. "A bird could only fly well when it's steady. You don't fly when you are not ready... Or was it the other way?" He looked confused about his own words and spaced out a little trying to find the right proverb for me.

I chuckled. I think what he is trying to say is "The early bird catches the worm" or "The clumsy bird has to start flying early." Anyhow, it wouldn't be appropriate to use them on me. It's against his words in the end.

"How about free coffee? We always go for the coffee when our minds are foggy," said Kang Chin.

Ah, so that is where they are going. They are heading for the casino. "I see the God of Gamblers make a comeback. Both of you should go, I shouldn't get in the way." I said. They have been frequently visiting that casino, since the day they discovered it on their way back from the Morrisons.

"No, no. You made a mistake, I'm not the god of gamblers, I'm a sidekick." Cheng Yang got up and took his violet windbreaker that was hanging on the wall, and continued, "He always wins and I lose, so I am going to set him off the track this round."

Kang Chin lowered his head and smiled, but did not refute.

Cheng Yang shook his head, "What is life without some challenges, my friend? Maybe we need to reconcile before we head for the war."

I laughed and casually ask: "So what is the meaning of life to you?"

Cheng Yang looked rather remorseful and he ended up dodging my question completely: "She is the only one who stood in front of me, so I let go of the whole forest I had behind, is it worth it?"

"Well, just like the old sayings. The old won't go, then the new won't come." Kang Chin put a hand on his shoulder and comforted him, like a partner fighting alongside. "I'll pay for a carton of Strongbow on the way back."

"I haven't been drunk for a long time." Cheng Yang turned his head to meet my surprised gaze, lowered his eyes and said, "It's not that I don't want to, I just can't." He turned around to open the door and walked out.

"He is depressed, don't mind him. Please close the door for us." Kang Chin said as he walked.

"Siao Fu, we will bring you dessert." As soon as Cheng Yang's voice fell, they disappeared around the corner.

Well, this may be the ordinary life I yearn for, simple yet everyone gets along in harmony.

After leaving home, I found myself at home again.