Terrible Monsters.

The moon light was luminous.

It made the well known fog of Ravenguard, the Northern Kingdom of Secrets, strangely alive.

Twirling and unsophisticated.

Sombre yet naive. All the same so beautiful. Ravenguard always had the consistent fog that cloaked the land. It was everywhere.

In the morning, it's traces of it were cold and free.

In the night, it came out more alive as if possessing a mind of its own.

Watching from above and dancing.

Always dancing.

No matter the mood, no matter how fucked up things that occurred in this kingdom were.

It kept on dancing, twirling and curling to a music she might never know. It always seemed to stare at her dauntingly and mockingly. Then accompanied with a whisper that almost felt like a lover's caress with words that felt like.

If I don't dance... then who will , You puny human?

She always had a connection with this strange fog that ruled the skies of Ravenguard. The day it started she couldn't recall. But she always had the same feeling. It never did change even when she grew up. She felt...

Jealousy.

She was jealous of its naivety....and more importantly it's freedom.

She wanted to be free too.

Free from all of this...

Bloodshed.

Carolina struggled to compose herself admist the pained screams and slaughter of men who fought alongside with her only recently. Men she almost sacrificed her life for, to ensure they survived.

All her hardwork and even the revival pill went up in flames.

Along with the fire.

And a disgusting stench of burning corpses.

"Please no!!!! I have a daughter at home it's her birthday today..... Pleaseee don't kill me. I promised to come home today!! Arghh...!!!"

"No??!! Why...are you doing this!!? My wife, she will be a widow! Please I don't want to leave her sad..... We need to..m.meet.... Please, at least let me say..m.my goodbyes ....No more! Pleaseee!...Arghhhhhh!!"

"Please no!!! My nephew is only two.... He only has me.... Arghh... please noo. I don't want to leave him, yet. He will cry too much!!!"

"My family I want to see them again... I won't say a word...don't kill me.... Captain!!! Please... Arghhhhh!!!!!!!"

Their cries and screams made her cry too. Her chest was heavy she couldn't breathe.

Why was this happening?

She closed her ears tightly with her hands. Squeezing her body into a ball on the carriage's seat.

There were other ways to keep the secret of a red coded monster in the possession of Russex. So why does it have to be....Slaughter?!

They could bribe them! They could also threaten!!

So... why...why this option?!

Why did the superiors of the HGA choose to kill their own men. That fought side by side in battle?!

Why?!

Her nails dug it's way deep into her flesh as she clenched her fist. Blood seeped down to the floor of the carriage as she watched from the window. Her vision were blinded by tears.

She was powerless. She couldn't do anything! Anything to save the people she risked her life for in battle. That she fought side by side with.

They were fathers, uncle's, husbands....

Their families would be lied to. Told they died in war between the monsters. When there wasn't major casualties...when they could come home... Alive. How many people, families have been lies to in this manner!!!?

A desperate knock came from outside the carriage. Carolina bent her head from the window to see a young lad no older than her Probably younger than eighteen.

She heard of vagrants who were underaged, that picked up scraps in the street as meals, that joined the HGA to have a better life or forced into it because of their outstanding abilities.

Her eyes widened.

He probably escaped the bonfire that lit the whole area. That was filled with burning flesh to survive.

He was crouching at the wheel of the carriage. Crying unabashedly. Knocking and scratching the carriage's surface.

Which was a rare sight. Men never cried wherever she was. It was a kind of emotion that just didn't happen. It was a form of manliness to their gender. But seeing him like this about to meet his untimely death.

Her heart was wrenched.

Their eyes met for a moment. The young lad's eyes was filled with a hysterical, frenzied fear that intertwined with hers. Blood all over his face.

"Please I want to live. Help me."

He begged, tears streaming down more like a flood. Red energy encircled his neck. It was the HGA's collar mark. Or more like a slaves' mark.

A forbidden thought crossed her mind to save and hide him. Then later find a way to remove that collar mark inscribed into Hunters who are from the HGA and swore utmost allegiance. It was a mark of hunters who were from the HGA. But also an authorized examination to avoid rebellion and disobedience of orders. So they can be easily be eliminated, quietly.

It was a high-level magic made from the Magic Tower.

But maybe with Griffen's help, they could save him. She made up her mind ready to help.

Before she could move.

She saw one of the HGA's superiors. The one that was called Mr. Fred.

The man walked up towards the lad. Like a predator. Enjoying himself.

Enjoying the chase.

Why? He is your fellow human.

A memory resurfaced from the hidden depths of her mind.

You are weak, Carolina.

Do you know the difference between you and your sister that is powerless....?

She doesn't have any ability whatsoever. While you carry Palmer's bloodline.

She fearlessly uses a gun to kill those monsters even without the comfort of an ability, while you struggle?

It's simple... You keep holding back! That's why you will always remain weak!!

Carolina watched as Fred approached the lad.

'No! we are supposed to be killing monsters not ourselves!!'

She mentally screamed, refuting and pushing down those memories. Painful memories she tried hard to forget.

Fred held the head of the lad who yelped, crying.

No please no...!!! Don't do it!

Why aren't you hesitant? He is only a child with hope. Why are you crushing it?!

She couldn't accept the cruelty before her. She couldn't understand.

She also couldn't move no matter how hard she tried.

She couldn't stop him. She couldn't do anything!!

"What is the most terrible monster known to mankind, young Carolina?"

The voice of her teacher rang wildly into her mind. Echoing repeatedly. Until it was only she could hear. All she could think of.

Urghh!!

She remembered how her younger self stood up jumping holding a particular lazy white cat with strange dazzling blue eyes.

"Wyverns! Dragons! Typhoons! Hydras! Right teacher? Did I get it... Did I?"

Excitement shook her small body as she sought for approval from her strange middle aged teacher. The cat in her arms yawned, rubbing itself on her. Sharing in her excitement.

"Stop that Angel. Hahaha!!"

She giggled.

Carolina bit her lips that trembled so hard. Her heart skipped a beat as she gazed at Fred who released a whole inferno at the lad's skull. Cruelly burning him...inside out. While laughing, enjoying...

'Enjoying what?!'

Her mind was in shambles trying to understand what she was seeing. What was he enjoying from all this?!

"Arghh... I want to live...."

The body went limp before falling down. Dead.

The chilling smile Fred had after killing a boy younger enough to be his brother.

Made Carolina's mind go blank.

Her teacher's message ringing in her mind.

"No, Carolina. The most terrible Monsters known to mankind are....no other monsters but..Humans.

They hide terrible darkness within them more vengeful than Demons and Tyrants. More corrupt than Dragons and Typhoons. You keep holding back cause you think all humans are the same as you which makes you weak. And then the darkness in their hearts will devour you until there is nothing left... remaining."

Carolina's body froze exactly how it froze years ago. When her teacher whispered those words to her.

Fred's eyes met hers. She gulped almost cowering and accepting the impulses to hide inside the carriage. His face morphed into a good-natured smile. That once seemed genuine but now looked incredibly fake and hollow. A practiced technique developed certainly for years to hide his real self. For some reason it made her more chiller than before.

"Sorry my lady, for such disturbing scene. I will clear out the trash."

Trash?

A lad who became a hunter as such age. A fellow comrade, trash?

Anger swelled in her trying to engulf and consume her. She unconsciously tried to crush him with an overwhelming force from above with condensed gravity.

But the thought of killing a human, stopped her. Even though the question lingered in her mind. Betraying her sense of humanity.

Was he truly human?

Who were truly Monsters in this world?

She watched him drag the burning corpse to the large bonfire that smelt of burnt flesh and death.

Seeing him carry the corpse a certain image was replaced. She was seeing a corpse covered with white sheets instead.

Cassie.

Was her older sister's death, planned like this? Or did she truly die to save people as they were told years ago?

Cassie, what did happened to you?

Her eyes closed, wearily. Images of her sister replacing the lad easily came to her mind. Each more gruesome than the last. She felt so cold.

Too cold.

She was tired of everything. Wondering whether she truly held any purpose in her life. People that would want her to stay?

Afterall, she was just a depressed, worthless girl who tries to rein back in her dark side from completely losing it. Still wishing desperately for a world filled with color, dreams and fairytales.

A stupid child that never really grew up. Of course, it would probably be better if she just disappeared and never came back. No one would remember her. Right?

A warm wet tongue licked the tears she couldn't control that trickled down her cheeks.

She stiffened. Her senses on alert.

She didn't want anyone to see her in this state. How did someone enter the carriage without her knowledge. Was she so engrossed in her self-pity. That....

She abruptly turned ready to give Griffen a piece of her mind. Cause it was only a sneaky sorcerer who could slip into this carriage without her knowledge. He always had a sadistic pleasure of making her squirm and uncomfortable. It became more irritating whenever she did something to him.

Something like pill-napping.

But who she saw made her gulp down the cacophony of curses she already had at the tip of her tongue.

The brilliant blue gaze that haunted her dreams and memories. Eyes that made her feel jealous each time she compared them to her light blue ones, that paled insignificantly to his.

"I have found you, Carolina."

She was hallucinating again, wasn't she?Maybe from Allen's wine that she mistakenly drank thinking it was water.

Let it be that...

But it wasn't a sick joke a brain was playing with her.

It was him...

Cain, Her once upon a time, Angel.

Apart from a sneaky sorcerer... A sneaky shapeshifter could also slip in without her knowledge.

Damn.