Humans and creatures of the night have been at each others necks for long centuries. Hundreds have died on both sides. Now it seems, the breaking point has been reached.
Fueled by centuries of smoldering hate, both sides openly declare war, killing...
The air was filled with arrows as Dawn methodically fired shot after shot at the straw target set over a hundred meters away, across the cobbled courtyard. Each one of them landed two rings from the center, forming a perfect circle when the last arrow thudded into the target, the protruding shaft thrumming softly.
She lowered her bow to examine her handicraft.
Definitely fatal.
"You are growing sloppy, Frau." A young man stepped out of the dark shadows from a nearby doorway, walking towards her. "One of those arrows nearly missed the ring."
"Must be your eyesight, Alex. That circle is perfect down to the last inch," Dawn said, not glancing in his direction. She'd know he was there all along; it would take much more than that paltry attempt to keep himself hidden from her.
"Maybe you are growing tired. Or old, ja?" Alex asked confidently, hands in his pockets.
Dawn pulled a bow from her quiver and aimed it at Alex in the blink of an eye. Before he could react, she released it, and it whizzed an inch past his head, smashing into the stone wall behind him and shattering into a dozen shards with a sound like breaking glass.
Dawn lowered her bow and bared her teeth at him, glaring. Alex stood stock-still on the spot, his smile frozen to his face as he blinked furiously in surprise.
"I've had you threaten me before, but shooting arrows... 's a new one." He finally managed, hands reaching up to smooth his wavy hair as though he was afraid the arrow had damaged it.
Dawn stared for several more moments before finally deflating, her shoulders and head dropping in exhaustion.
"Sorry. I'm just really stressed," she answered, walking back towards the stairs that led into the castle behind her. She dropped onto one of them, staring at her target.
"Worried about the Test?" Alex drawled, as he sauntered towards her again. He joined her on the steps, staring intently at her face.
"More than worried," Dawn answered, sighing.
The Test was the culmination of a student's years of training, a massive assessment of all their Hunter skills, and the time when they were gifted with mage control over the four elements. It was also just a day away.
"Come on, Dawn." Alex snorted derisively, turning his face to the evening sky. "You know you've probably passed already. You're an amazingly good student, and you're going to be an amazingly scary Hunter. Give yourself some credit."
"I'm not worried about passing, Alex." Dawn gave him a disappointed glare. "My worry is about the Element I'll be gifted."
At the end of the Test, the Hunters-to-be were gifted control over an element of nature by the Magi, an order of sorcerers with natural-born magic.
Hunters with the Water magic usually ended up behind the front lines, assisting civilians where they could and aiding with healing. Most of those with Air magic became scouts and messengers. The Earth magic helped most in the defense of cities with their destructive strength, in the event of night-beast attacks.
But those with Fire...
That's where I belong. I need it, she thought.
The Hunters with Fire were true soldiers, sent out to fight against the night-beasts, all across the land.
Of course, there were exceptions, but those didn't happen often.
"You know what I think the sorcerers will give you?" Alex suddenly said, laying a hand on her arm thoughtfully. "They'll give you Black magic. That way, you can complete the legendary status thing. Dawn, the Black mage."
"You can be irritating. You know that?" Dawn asked. Though her expression was stern, her voice was fond. He was her friend in the first place because he was not afraid to irritate her.
"It's one of my attractive characteristics, so I've heard," Alex answered absent-mindedly, getting to his feet and dusting off his tunic. "Come on. Pick your arrows from the target and let's go grab dinner in the mess hall. And hurry; my stomach seems to have begun sobbing from abandonment."
Dawn rolled her eyes as she got to her feet, ignoring his comment. She left him on the steps, walking to the target.
As she pulled the arrows from the target, she couldn't help but feel Alex hadn't truly solved her problem. She appreciated his effort, but she honestly didn't know what she would do if she got any mage power other than Fire.
₪₪₪₪₪₪₪
If the mess hall was a pot of emotions, then it was overly seasoned with tension.
Students everywhere seemed too animated, laughed too loudly at simple jokes and some had strained expressions on. More than a few sat at tables in shadows, watching the hall with unhidden suspicion.
Most, if not all of the people taking the Test tomorrow, would pass, but there had long been tales circulating of students who failed their Tests. Those where the failed students were kicked out of Hunter school without a second chance, were usually chased into the black forest, where weaponless, they would be devoured by the night-beasts.
All very melodramatic.
"Is it just me, or does this hall feel like an explosive about to go off?" Alex asked as he dropped his tray on the table beside her and slid onto the bench. Dawn rolled her eyes at his question, but she didn't disagree. She herself was watching for potential weapons and escape routes, should a brawl begin.
"Do I smell an underfed miserable rat?" A pristine, haughty voice with a slight nasal accent asked. Its owner was strolling past their table, and she stopped behind them, glancing down disgustedly. "Oh, I'm sorry. It was only you, Alexander."
"It's Alex. And try something new; calling me rat gets old rather quickly," Alex said with deceiving cheerfulness, blowing on a sumptuous-looking apple and rubbing it on his shirtsleeve so it shined.
"Jacqueline," Dawn said, her voice delving into a low warning growl.
"Hello, Dawn. Nice to see two birds of a feather sticking together," Jacqueline said, walking around their table and dropping onto the bench opposite them.
"There's a saying," Alex mildly said, biting into the flesh of his apple. "Two heads are better than one. Or in your case... none."
"Quiet, rug rat. I wasn't speaking to you." Jacqueline's smile dropped and her expression became frosty.
"Are you being willfully stupid, or just naturally stupid? I'm having trouble telling," Dawn growled almost silently, anger flaring at the insult to her friend. The calmer, analytical part of her realized that the hall had become significantly quieter, and she might start the very brawl she feared. The other raging part didn't care and wanted to start swinging.
Jacqueline leaned in to whisper, grinning conspiratorially. "It takes one to know one."
She never saw the swinging fist coming.
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If you were to be gifted with any Element of your choice, which would it be? Fire, Water, Air, or Earth?
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