The Rising Threats
In a forest people could be seen walking around the forest aimlessly without any purpose. Simply walking around to suppress their own boredom. The quiet life that once fought for turned into a prison.
In the middle of the forest was a fortress. A big fortress that would act as the last defense if the space was ever discovered and attacked. The hunters were old. They learnt from past mistakes. No place would be safe forever. In one of the buildings a few people could be heard talking with each other. From the window it seemed like they were having a civil conversation. That was before Ethelred slammed the table making all that was on top of the table fall down.
"So you want to play God now? Meddling with fate? Is that what you want to do?" Ethelred asked towards a hunter across him, his voice laced with hostility and anger.
"It's not like we're playing God, we are merely using what we have. Years ago we made this devine key for this purpose. The Divine Key Aurora Requiem or in short a fate reader. A Divine Key capable of seeing glimpses of the future. The hunters accidentally created this and at first they didn't know what the use of the Divine Key was, but as experiments were conducted they finally found out the use of this Divine Key. The Divine Key was how they knew the world was now habitable. They never received word from the people who left behind and are still searching for signs of them.
"The 0th generation hunter codename Chronos has deployed himself to antarctica. Rumors had it that traces of an anomaly were recently found. Suspected to be of the Vipralopa class," One spoke up as an image of Antarctica was zoomed in and a beast-like figure was seen walking around the snowy land.
"In Africa a worm like Honkai beast was reported swallowing villages in the deep sides of the deserts. the 0th generation hunter codename Lotus deployed himself there. Honkai signatures similar to those located in Antarctica," The man continued and the screen was split while the left side was still the antarctica the right side of the screen was now the desert in Africa.
"In the Bermuda Triangle a leviathan-like beast. Leviathan like, not leviathan class need I remind you. Was sighted in the center of the Bermuda Triangle. The 0th Generation hunter codename Poseidon self deployed to the Bermuda Triangle. Honkai signatures are the same from the previous two," The screen split again and this time the screen was split into three the top right and left were Africa and Antarctica while the rest of the bottom was the Bermuda Triangle.
"When was all this?" Ethelred asked in a serious tone as he finally understood why the hunters took drastic measures.
"This happened during your deployment to Nagazora,"
"How long has it been?"
"A week and the latest report we received was static. We assumed the worst and took drastic measures to use Aurora Requiem,"
"Jacob. Make me a fake identity to St. Freya," Ethelred told the man who reported all of this and said the man raised an eyebrow.
"If things are this dire. Then I want to oversee the training of my Herrscher Apprentice myself," Ethelred spoke up before Jacob could ask and the room was loud for a while before they all agreed to Ethelred's request.
"Name?" Jacob asked.
"Edmund. Edmund Valentine," Ethelred repeated the name with nostalgia as he stood up and turned his back to leave the room.
"I expect my identity will be ready next week," Ethelred left the room and when he closed the door he could see a woman in front of him waiting for him, the woman sat down on a wheelchair and on her wrist was an infuse tube that was slowly injecting purple substance to her veins.
"You didn't bother to visit me," The woman pouted while Ethelred let out a sigh of disbelief. Even in her condition she was still the same.
"I see nothing has changed," Ethelred went behind the woman and pushed her wheelchair.
"I met her," Ethelred suddenly spoke up while the two were now in front of a building, Ethelred let go of the wheelchair and walked in front of her to open the door.
"How is she?" The woman was interested in hearing his reply.
"The girl inherited more of Seigfried, brawns before brains, but brave and strong," Ethelred opened the door and pushed the woman inside.
"Cecilia. Please wait for a bit longer. Let your body heal properly. I know you're excited, but the healing process must not be rushed or you might never recover or even worse you will die," Ethelred walked in a room and parked the wheelchair beside her bed and picked her up from the wheelchair before laying her down gently on the bed.
"I'm just bored and excited," Cecilia smirked, her smirk as akin to a mischievous child planning on doing something dumb again.
"I wonder how bad Seigfried rubbed on you, the first time I met you, you were more calm and collected. But this change is certainly refreshing to see," Ethelred pulled up her blanket and tucked her to bed.
"Patience Cecilia. Patience," With that Ethelred left the room and went to the room beside hers.
When he entered he stepped on some papers that were scattered around the room and as he went deeper into the big room he found a woman similar to Mei typing on the computer and occasionally writing down some stuff on her notepad beside the keyboard.
Turning to the side, Ethelred saw a mountain of instant noodle cups that were empty and turned back to the girl before letting out a soft sigh and flicked the light switch on. The woman who was too focused to notice the change was suddenly picked up by the collar and like a cat Ethelred carried the woman by the collar towards the kitchen.
"Dr. Mei I know that a hunter's physique is durable that they don't need to mind the nutrients of a normal body would, but there are limits to the hunter's body and you are by far the craziest one to push your body that far," Ethelred scolded the woman before taking out some ingredients from the cabinets and turned on the stove.
"I was doing something important," Dr. Mei groaned, but soon her stomach let out a roar that was possibly worse than a Honkai beast's cry. Looking at her with a deadpan gaze Ethelred had an I told you look while Dr. Mei averted her gaze to avoid meeting Ethelred in the eye.
"Whatever," Dr. Mei muttered under her breath and stayed quiet while Ethelred prepared dinner for the two and himself.
"How is Cecilia's condition?" Ethelred asked the doctor who was managing Cecilia's health.
"She's doing better. I suspect she should be able to walk again next week," Dr. Mei answered before stuffing her mouth full with food.
Ethelred nodded in satisfaction before picking up a plate of food and headed to Cecilia's room.
"Cecilia food's ready," Ethelred entered the room and saw that Cecilia was trying to get on her wheelchair without his help.
Chuckling a bit he gave her a hand and pushed her into the dining room.
"Good evening Dr. Mei," Cecilia greeted Mei who had already finished her food. Ethelred just left for five minutes and Mei had devoured three portions worth of food.
"I really can't wait to return you back to Kevin," Ethelred spoke in an amused tone while Mei nervously chuckled. Ethelred pushed Cecilia next to Mei and served her some food he made sure to save up because this kind of thing happened frequently. Ever since Mei became a hunter she barely cared about her physique thanks to the blood running through her.
"Aren't you going to eat?" Cecilia asked when she saw that Ethelred was just sitting down.
"I'm heating up some food right now since someone was so hungry," Ethelred narrowed his eyes towards Mei who just huffed and turned to the side.
"It would be easier if you taught me how to cook,"
"Nope. I'm not ready for another explosion in the kitchen," For Ethelred letting Mei cook was akin to letting her enter a lab with a lot of explosive substances and she would just mix them up together.
"We do not talk about that! It was an accident!!" Mei screamed in embarrassment before coughing out uncomfortably from her break of character.
"I've taken you two under my wing for a while now. Mei it's about time you go back outside no? Surely you miss the outside world rather than this space?" Ethelred brought out a topic that Mei had avoided for years.
"I.. I don't know. I'm tired of it all honestly. Besides, I'm already dead. I'm just treating this life as my after life,"
"If you did, you wouldn't have locked yourself inside your room for years reviewing every new Honkai related material the hunters that went outside brought back. That just shows that you still care,"
Ethelred's weathered face carries the weight of countless years as he addresses Mei, his voice filled with both compassion and caution.
"You must remember," he begins, his gaze fixed on Mei, his eyes reflecting the wisdom of centuries.
"...that this is not the afterlife," he continues, his tone gentle, as if reassuring Mei of her existence. Ethelred reappeared beside Mei, his hand reaching out to rest on her shoulder, grounding her in the present.
"You are not dead," he states firmly, his fingers lightly squeezing her shoulder, a gesture of reassurance. His eyes meet hers, conveying sincerity.
"You are very much alive," he adds, a hint of pride in his voice, as if acknowledging Mei's strength. His hand then drops to his side.
"...like the rest of us here," he says, his gesture encompassing their surroundings, emphasizing their camaraderie as hunters.
"A hunter's duty is to protect," he reminded, his voice steady and resolute, as if invoking their purpose. His hand moves to the hilt of his weapon.
"But immortality tends to bend things around," he continues, his expression becoming solemn, as if revealing the darker side of their eternal existence. His eyes carry a hint of sadness.
"The older a hunter is," he pauses, his voice lowering, as if reflecting on the cost of ageless life.
"The more twisted, insane, unpredictable, and bloodthirsty they become," he reveals, his tone haunted, hinting at the challenges he's faced. His gaze flickers with shadows of the past.
"This is a well-known fact," he states, his voice tinged with resignation. His shoulders slightly slump, bearing the weight of undeniable truth.
"That we've accepted and adapted throughout the years," he admits, his voice softening, as if finding solace in shared understanding. His eyes seek Mei's, forming a silent bond.
"I'm almost 60,000 years old," he confides, his voice hushed, there was no pride nor disappointment in his tone, it was as if he was just stating a fact.
"And I've lost my way and duty on multiple occasions," he confesses, his voice tinged with remorse. His gaze becomes distant, as if revisiting past struggles he'd rather forget.
"That I am never proud of," he admits, his voice now filled with vulnerability, revealing the wounds of his journey. His hand reaches out, as if seeking solace.
"I've fallen so low," he says, his voice barely above a whisper, as if confiding in Mei. His eyes glisten with unshed tears, remembering the depths of his own darkness.
"That it was hard for me to climb back up," he reveals, his voice tinged with sadness. His eyes hold Mei's, conveying the weight of his journey.
"The enemy of immortality is insanity," he warns, his voice now grave, as if urging Mei to heed his caution. His hand gently cups her cheek, closing his distance between the two, his pupils slightly constrict.
"And that very insanity will be the one to lead you to your death," he concludes, his voice filled with urgency and concern. His eyes search Mei's, willing her to understand the peril that lies ahead.
Ethelred imparted his experience to Mei, sharing the harsh realities of immortality and the challenges they both face as hunters. His gestures and tone reveal both his vulnerabilities and his strength and most importantly his fears.
"I have walked this earth for many years. I have seen things worse than you. Remember. If people can't make you go crazy. I assure you that the world will," Ethelred let go of her and turned around letting her some time to think of her decision.
Cecilia who was done eating was soon wheeled back to her room by Ethelred, leaving Mei behind in the dining room to think of her decision more carefully.