Chapter One

## What makes you great?

And that's how my story began, with a man who has a goal and a dream for the chaise. To find purpose.

As our hero prepared to find a way to get exiled, something caught his eye.It was a young girl who was sitting near a dumpster, crying and rocking back and forth.He decided to approach her and see if he can help her.As he got closer, a hunter started to stare at him.He was getting suspicious of his actions, so he took his blade out.Johan got as close as he could to her and started to whisper to her."Hey hun, is everything ok?Did you get lost?Where are your parents "?She looked up and her eyes opened in fear and her face was filled with disgust. The hunter was getting closer to Johan and the girl was screaming at him. Throwing a tantrum right there and there, the hunter decided to arrest Johan and take him to court. In a matter of seconds, Johan achieved what he wanted. As he got locked in a cell, he was smiling. The people that were with him started to move away slowly. They didn't want to engage with him." What a weirdo…" one of them said." He deserves to die outside…" the other one followed up.Johan had spent the night in that cell, waiting for a call.Once the guard came, the prisoners started to beg him to get Johan out.He didn't sleep nor eat that night, all he did was sit there and laugh.The guard took Johan out and handcuffed him.Even while walking into the courtroom, he was still laughing.The courtroom on its own had one big desk right across the entrance, that's where the judge sat.In the middle was one single chair where the person was going to be exiled sat.On the sides were witnesses, the jury, and other people.In the back were two statues of executioners who held an ax and a torch in each hand.This is where my fate changed, this is my 9th symphony."There is no need to debate this, you will be publicly executed in the town square.You will be burned alive and your ashes will be fed to the pigs, just so you'll have a chance to be reincarnated as one".As the judge said that, I started to cry tears of sadness but my face was still smiling.For the first time, I had nowhere to go.Mr judge was talking to me but I couldn't hear him.The voices inside me were laughing and all I heard was laughter." He tried to save the girl, but she overreacted ".A voice so deep and raspy came out from behind me.It was him, the ax hunter.He was standing behind me and vouching for me." And who are you? You have no right to walk in here, you second-grade scum".The hunter didn't say anything, he just stood there.The guards were knocked down and everyone inside the courtroom was shocked." I demand him to be exiled, not killed. That's all".As he said that, he turned around and left.For some reason, the judge obliged.He let me live and I got exiled.I got out of the courthouse and I had an hour to collect my stuff and leave Traum. I was dancing with happiness and joy, I was officially free to do what I want. I took what I needed the most:

a picture of my parents, a bag to carry the picture and some bread.That's everything I owned.The guards arrived and they walked me towards the entrance.I could hear them cuss at me but I wasn't bothered.Some woman threw a knife at me but missed.I took it and thanked her, she gave me a weapon.How nice of her.She also threw some vegetables and a broom.She must've cared for me deep down.Too bad I won't see her.The gates opened right in front of me.I walked out and one of the guards told me that I'm going to beg to come back.I waved at him and started to walk into the fog.Once I managed to leave the fog I regretted my choice.All I saw was death.There were corpses all over the place, some rotten and some fresh.Some weren't even dead yet, they were holding onto their life.I fell onto my knees.I couldn't even stand. I dug up my own grave." I'm dead. I'm a walking corpse".With that, I officially became a dead man walking.A living failure as some would say.Tears were running down my pale cheeks, death was right behind me. That's when I remembered my father, the only man who was sane enough to leave the city and come back unharmed.He did it all for the bag I carry, for no other reason.He would always say that what he makes is the purest form of art, the perfect symphony between an artist and a maker.I wiped my face with some cloth, grasped a staff that was close to a corpse, and used it to carry my bag.I taped the knife on the side, just to have some kind of weapon.Accepting my fate is just one step closer to victory, sitting down and crying won't change shit.Only God himself can save me now.I started to walk towards a small ruined village.It looked like there wasn't anyone there.As I passed through I heard a girl crying.She has crouched down into a ball, covered in ash and dust.I approached her and started to talk to her calmly." Please mister, any food if you pose. I will do anything, even the worst of deeds for some food".As she said that, she started to show her chest to me." I do not look for that, young lad. I came to aid you, that is all".She stood up and run up to me.What I thought was going to be a hug of hope, turned into a stab of hatred." You can't trust anyone in the wasteland, not even children".She stabbed me with a knife she hid in her pocket.She started to swing it around, trying to finish me off.I pushed her over and she fell.I took my cane and put it against her throat." May you find peace in death, young scum".As I said that, I crushed her neck. She suffocated to death and I buried her. Scum is scum, that is true. But even the worst deserve a proper burial. Once I had her on the ground, I went to search for some resources. I found a gun that worked, meat on a bone, and two bottles of water. Not a bad find if I can say so myself. It started pouring, so I hid under a tree for some time.I thought about what to do now.I could either continue going rogue like this or do something better.Join the den, Hunters Den.I could get some better clothes, weapons, and food.The only problem is that I didn't know where I was and where the base of the den was.My brain couldn't handle all of this thinking and all the deeds I did.I decided to sleep for a bit and rest my mind and soul.I woke up at sunrise and the rain stopped.I got up and picked up my stuff.Along the way I met numerous hunters, some were direct copies of the grim reaper and some looked like they just joined.None of the spoke though.I asked them about the den but they would just pass by me.Like they didn't see me.I was just a ghost there.I did eventually stumble on one who spoke.He said that I should follow the signs left behind, usually carved in wood or rocks.I did as he said and in return, I told him the way to Traum.We went our separate ways." Ou ya also, be aware of the lying hunter. He's…he's dangerous ".I started to ask him what he meant by that but he only waved with his hand.Again, I was alone and confused.I assumed that I wouldn't run into that "Lying hunter".Knowing my luck though, I probably already passed him.With this in mind, I kept walking.The world started to look brighter all of a sudden.It started to look like a fairytale.The trees were as green as a jade and the sun was glowing like it was about to explode.Maybe this is what life is.The calm before the storm.The constant fight between good and bad.As I started at the beauty of this world, I noticed a dead hunter.He was in a barrel but I saw that he had a nice pair of clothes.I could steal those and change up.As I got closer, the corpse grabbed my hand." A corpse should be left dead, digging someone's grave and taking what belongs to them is for scum ya know".I kicked his hand and I fell to the ground.I started to beg for his mercy.I dropped all of my weapons and raised my hands." I won't hurt ya, I just toy with hunters for sport".He started to laugh but something was off.His laugh sounded like a bunch of bolts clinging." Are you…a real person".As I said that, he started to look at me.His name was Pinocchio, the lying hunter.A man who is considered dangerous plays with people for fun and he isn't even human.He is a man/robot hybrid.He was more than friendly as well.He gave me some of his food since I ate all of mine.Maybe I can trust him.He kept telling me about all the beasts he slained.He mentioned how he met a girl who could turn into a werewolf at will.She was the only opponent he couldn't defeat.His goal is to find her, that's it." So Johan, why do you want to join the den", he said." I lived all of my life as a coward, a dead man walking I guess. I never had a reason to live, no family to care for and no friends to talk to. I suppose that I'm looking for a purpose in this world".He nodes and offered to show me where is the base of the den.We started to move on and walk towards their base.We traveled for 3 days and we met a lot of hunters along the way.One stayed in my mind for a while, his name was Simon.Simon The Brave.He was a kind-hearted hunter, who had no intention of attacking us.Before we split with him, he gave us an invitation to the den.It's an easier way of entertaining since usually you need to go through special training and a lot of paperwork.This way I could start to work right off the bet.We said our goodbyes and went our way.Once we got there, we noticed that it was a little town.It was filled with outcasts who managed to find their way here.In the central area of the city, there was a church.In that church, you become a hunter.Once we entered, we were greeted by Father Stain.He was glad that Simon found us and that we managed to find our way into the den.I bowed down in front of the altar, kissed the Father's hands and I was deemed the hunter of the den." What is your name, young hunter?", he asked me." Johan…Johan Gott".As I said that he smiled." No no young one, I meant your hunter name. You know the ones, Simon The Brave, Brim the Tyrant, like a…like a title".I thought about it for a few seconds and I settled on one.

"Johan, The Walking Corpse"