The Hunters History

"The history of hunters?" Ethelred seemed intrigued by the question Mei asked.

"Yes. No matter how hard I try to use my authority to find any information about you. It only led to one dead end to another," Mei spoke in a soft tone, it seemed like her mood was getting better, but Ethelred knew better than to fall for a mask.

"Your frustration is leaking Mei. You need to better control your mask if you want to convince people who are centuries old,"

"Yes," Mei lowered down her gaze as she closed her eyes. Taking a deep breath she relaxed her face before looking back up to him with a soft gaze.

"That's better. If you can master facial expression you will be able to control your battles to a certain extent," Ethelred was satisfied with her facial control.

"Mei you still haven't answered the question I asked you," Ethelred stood up and approached Mei.

"Do you wish to become my apprentice?" Ethelred asked and Mei took a few seconds but she couldn't find an answer.

"You asked about the history of hunters. If you agree to become my apprentice, I will tell you, but of course some oaths must be spoken," Ethelred added as he took out a scroll and a dagger.

"I.." Mei stopped before she remembered, she remembered why her life was like this. Why her father become like this. It was because she was too weak. Her knuckles tighten as the seal in her core starts to shake. Some small whispers clouded her mind. With gritted teeth she focused back to Ethelred.

"I want to be your apprentice," Mei answered, her voice filled with resolution and determination.

Ethelred nodded in satisfaction and handed her a scroll and dagger.

"Read the contents first and when you're done you can drop some of your blood into the sign area," Mei started to read the contents of the contract and the only thing she asked was "Do I have to erase my identity?"

"No, you are under special circumstances, you will not follow normal procedures. I myself will see through your training and apprenticeship. But remember. When your path requires you to walk through hell. Walk as if you own it," The moment Mei's blood touched the scroll the scroll glowed red and disappeared.

"The contract has been fulfilled. Now you may enjoy the show for the next few hours," Ethelred said. Mei was confused what he meant by that, but before she could step forward and ask she lost control of her legs and fell down to the floor. Looking up, Ethelred picked her up and headed towards the sofa.

"Wh..what's Go..going on?" She asked in a weak voice, but before Ethelred could answer Mei had already lost consciousness.

Many people have asked. Who are the hunters? Many have tried to find the answer to the existence of us hunters, but little has succeeded. The first twelve hunters that founded the hunters had their first hunt ten thousand years before Fire Moth was founded. The twelve hunters had injected and consumed Honkai blood from small amounts to amounts that would kill a normal hundreds if not thousands of normal people. This happened because of their crazy discovery that if they managed to survive they would have power never before known. They soon tested their newfound powers by hunting all Honkai they came across and recruited people they saw potential in. From then to five thousand years later that time period was marked as the 0th generation.

The 1st generation began when they had tens of thousands of hunters, but lost more than half of their numbers when the first eruption of the previous era happened; that generation was called the generation of flourish and loss.

From that time until the second era it was marked as the 2nd generation. A generation of survival. Hunters started to hunt alone and cultivated the Honkai blood inside them to better enhance their capabilities. After the second eruption had passed Fire Moth took notice of their existence, but they could never find their exact base of operations. Fire Moth tried many attempts to converse with them, but they never responded.

*Puts in a summary of Fire Moth's history and their members* A/N definitely not lazy

After the 2nd generation until the third eruption it was the age of the 3rd generation. Hunters became too stretched. Their numbers spreaded across the globe. A hunter dying alone and more soon followed as they hunted solo instead of a team. This led to another near extinction for the hunters.

During the third eruption a man took a flag and raised it high. Calling all hunters that saw this flag and gathered them into a meeting. That hunter soon banded together the divided hunters into one banner of order. This was the 4th generation. The generation of unity. At the start of the 4th generation ten thousand hunters were officially counted, some decided to keep on hunting solo while others died before they could attend the gathering. Some of their corpses were found heading towards the gathering place and who knows how many were never retrieved. From that day until the first contact with Fire Moth the 4th generation flourished, but happy days never lasted long.

When first contact with Fire Moth was scheduled the hunters kept their past a secret and conversed shortly with fire moth members. The first time the two sides met Fire Moth was represented by Kevin Kaslana, Dr Mei, and Yae.

"They're strong, well apart from the obvious looking scientist," A man stated to the man beside him. Mei looked closer to the man. His silver hair being blown by the gentle breeze, his Onyx black eyes were gazing towards the three as they slowly made their way towards three hunters. There was no mistake. That was Ethelred.

"It is an honor to meet Fire Moth," Ethelred took one step forward. Kevin's eyes narrowed as he grabbed his weapon by instinct, but Dr Mei slapped his hand from the handle of his weapon and stepped forward to meet the hunter.

"It is an honor to meet you as well," Dr Mei greeted back, Fire Moth had never known the name of the group and that was one of the few things the hunter told them.

"Hunters. We refer to ourselves as hunters," Ethelred introduced themselves and one of the two behind him took out a book and handed it over to Dr Mei.

"Those are our terms and conditions of co-existing. If you're too lazy to read the summary is. You don't fuck with us we will not fuck with you. Help is something that exists both ways. We help you, you help us," Ethelred ended with a smirk before Kevin took out his guns and pointed at Ethelred. The two behind Ethelred seemed unbothered as they were looking around nonchalantly.

"Is that a no from Fire Moth?" Ethelred asked calmly as the sky darken and where the sun was supposed to be was replaced by a red moon hovering above their heads.

"My kind has endured thousands of years of destruction and self destruction. Do not think that a mere lighter would faze me," Ethelred turned to Kevin who had his ice powers out.

"You merely took the safe way to gain that power. I on the other hand…" The moment Ethelred stopped, the ground shook and the open area they met was slowly turning into a forest. The trees had blood red leaves as the grass was slowly turning blood red.

"I drank the blood straight from the vein," Ethelred spoke in a stern and cold voice. There was no way to hide it. The reason how Fire Moth found us was because of their discovery of many hunter corpses. They found Honkai Blood running through their veins and were interested in the hunters.

Mei who saw this power was amazed.

"What kind of power is this? This was never recorded in any of our records," Dr Mei asked as she squatted down and touched the grass only to be stopped by Ethelred.

"Everything you see here as long as it's red, it contains Honkai energy. The only reason you haven't suffocated to death is because I can control it," Mei soon nodded and retracted her hand and Ethelred let her hand go.

"The beast was called Lunaes. It was an anomaly amongst Honkai beasts and the last one who set eyes on the beast was me and me alone. I've yet to see its appearance again so far," Ethelred answered. It was the truth he had never seen the beast ever again after he had drunk the beast's blood.

"I see," Mei furrowed her eyebrows, but remained calm. The six continued their negotiations under the protection of the blood forest.

When they parted ways the hunters simply disappeared leaving the three behind.

After the negotiations a few hunters were not happy with having their movements limited. While some decided to part away some stayed. This was the 5th generation. The division. Two major groups were formed. The hunters and the reapers. The reapers were a more destructive force than the hunters, but whenever the two met on the battlefield they would never clash. It was until some forbidden relationships were formed.

Mei saw a man with silver hair similar to Ethelred holding hands with Sakura. His blood red eyes gazed at the setting sun as they saw the sun slowly disappear. Sakura's head resting on his shoulder as he wrapped his hand around her shoulder.

"Edmund. How much longer do we have?"

When they managed to contain The Herrscher of Corruption who was none other than the sister of Sakura the hunters offered to help seal the Herrscher, the reaper offered to protect the child even if they had to be in Moth. This was a rare opportunity to find a way to help humanity, but Fire Moth itself ruined the chance. Edmund could be seen kneeling beside Rin who was now dead. Beside Edmund was a man with red hair and golden eyes, the man held Edmund's shoulder as he told him that it was not his fault.

Sakura suddenly entered the room and when she saw Rin's body she collapsed down on her knees. Tears that were not spilling spilt out like a broken dam. The man beside Edmund looked towards the soldiers who shot the girl with no expression and without any sound one of their heads exploded.

"Luka no!!" Edmund shouted as he pulled Luka and slammed him to the wall.

"Wake up!! Wake the fuck up god dammit," Edmund had his dagger pressed to Luka's neck.

"Humans are disgusting. To think they would go this low to kill a child," Luka turned to the rest, but Edmund slammed the handle of his dagger to his temple hoping that would knock him out, but a hand pierced through Edmund's chest.

"If you are not with me then you are against me. I'm sorry Edmund, but I'm itching for a slaughter," Luka's voice was mad.

"L..Luka.. Y..you," Edmund coughed out blood, pulling back his hand Luka left behind a hole on Edmund's chest. Sakura immediately struck Luka with her sword, but she too was met with the same fate.

"Everyone in this facility will die today. I will relish the feeling of your deaths one by one," Luka laughed out insanely as he looked towards the trembling soldiers with eyes that were insane and soon he didn't hesitate for a moment to kill them all. That day marked the end of the 5th generation.

The 6th generation started when they realized they could've prevented this just by sticking together. They weren't taken seriously when Fire Moth found out of their divided state, so when they offered to help with the Herrscher of Corruption they were ridiculed. This sparked a flame between the two sides and in the end the hunters returned back under one banner and as a funeral for the death of a hunter from the 1st generation they hunted Honkai beasts for a year with no rest. The world felt almost as if the Honkai never even existed. When the time came when the world was unsuitable to be habitable. When the world used project S.A.V.E to put the world to sleep the hunters had a trick up their sleeves. A hunter from the 0th generation was one who had the chance to feast upon a Herrscher's blood. To be specific the Herrscher of void.

The hunter's new base of operations was moved into another space. Five 0th generation hunters along with a few from the other generations volunteered themselves to stay behind and try to help the others as much as possible. This marked the end of the 6th generation. The generation of refugees.

The new space was named the hunter's dream as it was the dream of all hunters. Some peace and quiet. This is also the first time hunters were born and not made. The 7th generation. The generation of peace. This went on until the hunters found out that 50.000 years have passed and the world was now repaired. During this time Luka was suppressed and trained to control his blood lost. Luka was one of the few survivors of the 3rd generation and he was one of the few people who was chosen to be injected with judgement infused with emperor class Honkai beasts.

The hunters got out of that space and explored. Years they spreaded around the world helping some small villages and cities to rid of the Honkai, but they felt that the world had changed too much and this time they would not repeat the same mistake. They would work in the shadows so that the world can see the light. They began to hide their traces better until no one could find out their existence.

The first one to interact with a hunter was the Phoenix herself.

"So you're still alive I see," Ethelred spoke through a distorted voice, his face covered with a mask. But Hua knew the sword Ethelred was wielding all too well.

"I see you are as well, old timer," Fu Hua loosened her sword as she walked towards Ethelred in confident steps before opening his mask herself.

"The same man that had worked together with me 50.000 years ago and the only sane man that dated me," Fu Hua pulled him for a short kiss before letting him go. But soon Fu Hua slapped him and glared at the man.

"You hid all this time" Her voice was icy and cold, while Ethelred chuckled and rubbed his cheek.

"I missed you too Hua," Ethelred spoke in a soft and gentle tone, one that Mei never heard him use.

Nothing could stay hidden forever and the 7th generation ended when they were found by Schicksal and the archbishop at the time Otto Apocalypse struck a deal similar to the one Fire Moth did, only this time the hunters didn't interact with Schicksal as much as Fire Moth, they saw how crazy Otto was and stayed at a comfortable distance away from him. The generation of Shadows.

The 8th generation is from that time till now. As of now no significant events have happened. With that Mei woke up and she saw that it was 2 O'clock in the night and Ethelred was no longer there, but there was a note on his bed.

"Since you already have a Herrscher core we won't bother to inject Honkai blood into you,"