Line Hunters

2. Book of Humanity

For the last couple of years, the woman only had Arvak as her company. As she made her way to a town, the woman wondered if they were alright. Her home had been attacked a couple of times, and even though the attacks decreased, she worried they'd come back upon smelling a new scent. Arvak could protect himself, but from what the woman knew, Ian was vulnerable like a toddler in front of an adult. There was something unique about the boy.

What would have happened to him if she had decided to go to town at a different time? Meeting Ian was a surprise to her, who was on her way to buy herbs and other necessities. Perhaps, if she'd gone earlier, she would have seen who hurt the frail boy. But whoever did hurt him was not human... How would she have fared if she did meet Ian's enemy?

The woman was ready to return home, but her eyes passed a book that intrigued her.

Another woman passing by saw this and smiled. "I bought this book and it's rather interesting. It's a childish book but the author does a wonderful job of expressing human emotions. It's a long book, but the chapters and pages have words as many as it would be in a children's book."

"What is it about?"

"I think the story's strange, but beautiful. It's about a mother raising a human-like creature who's been abandoned and the mother teaches the boy about humanity."

When the blindfolded woman returned to her cabin, she stood in the doorway, staring at the boy quietly sitting in front of the fire. His long bangs that didn't go longer than his eyes were cut—too short. Even the cut wasn't straight, so the boy's bangs were just above his eyebrows, diagonal. The strands of his long, lovely light green hair laid neatly stacked on the floor. Now that his long hair was gone, the woman realized how he was so young—young in a way that brought a heavy feeling to her heart because he was only a child. The woman felt it harder to look into his innocent eyes so lifeless.

"You cut your hair," the woman stated.

"Could you explain why my hair was so long?" Ian said. His health looked a lot better now that he was warmed and dry, but his voice was as soft as it was before. Just more audible.

"And you couldn't find the answer in your memories?"

"My memory starts from me walking alone in the snow."

His memory's been messed with. But was it intentional or an accident?

"Is there a particular reason you cut your hair?" the woman asked.

Ian paused, his eyes looking at the ground. "It was bothering me," he answered.

"Really?" The woman extended her hand to Ian, who was still holding the knife he used to cut his hair. "Well, you seem familiar with your way around knives. People usually cut their hair with scissors. Let me fix your hair, Ian.

The boy handed the woman the knife, and the woman began to fix Ian's hair, starting with his diagonal bangs, then to the rest of his hair, where some of them were chopped to his shoulders and some were still long strands. Once she was done, Ian watched her put his hair into the fire.

"It reminds me of who I was."

The woman looked over her shoulder, understanding he was answering her earlier question. "Who were you before?" the woman asked.

"I don't... Who... Whoever I was before I cut my hair." There was a short pause. "It is the person no one loved."

He cut his hair, because that was who no one loved? The woman turned back to the fire. She wondered who it could be that'd hate a child so much to break him like this.

"Not a single person?" the woman asked.

"There was one, but I lost her."

The woman noted the lack of emotion from Ian regarding his loss. She thought it looked like he wanted to feel the sorrow.

After making the medicine, Ian drank it. He frowned and looked at the woman. "Is this the kind of food humans eat?"

'Humans.' What exactly is he?

"Medicine is not the same as food." The woman handed him a book. "Read the first chapter, then come to me when you are done."

Dinner came, and Ian was tasked to cut vegetables while the blindfolded woman stirred the soup. Ian grabbed the knife, turned it around, and stared at his reflection.

"Get to cutting, Kid," the woman said.

The boy pressed his index finger against the tip of the knife and felt a faint sting. Then, a drop of red liquid appeared, and when Ian touched it, the round liquid dispersed and he found his other finger tainted with red.

"Madam, something leaked out of my skin," the boy said, slightly panicked.

The woman turned around, seeing Ian point his index finger at her. She sighed. "It's just blood, Ian."

"Oh. It hurts more than I thought."

"You're unfamiliar with the term?"

"I've never seen it come out of me," the boy said, looking up at the woman. "Will I die?"

"It's just a drop of blood, you have plenty more left." The woman knew how naive and... She knew this world was new to Ian, but she was still surprised by his limited knowledge. He was thirteen years old, but his intelligence was like a toddler's.

"Madam, I've seen someone with a nose like yours."

The woman was not offended, knowing he meant it as a fact and not an insult. "And who has a nose like mine?"

"I don't remember. I just know that I know."

"..."

Ian's first training session started in early spring. Starting on the other side of the hill from where the cabin was, the woman told Ian to run up the hill, and when he went down, he had to walk backward. However, the woman, laying on the hill, realized too much time had passed and Ian was yet to arrive at the top. So, getting up, the woman walked up to the top of the hill and saw Ian lying face down halfway up the hill.

"..."

She had overestimated the boy's physical strength. But it was odd how weak he was. The woman's medicine supply was usually low because her immune system was strong, but with Ian's presence, there was a shelf dedicated to all sorts of medical treatment for the boy who not only got hurt easily—due to his curiosity and lack of knowledge—but also caught fevers. At first, the woman thought it was because he wasn't dressed warm enough or was unknowingly exposed to poisonous things in nature.

The woman couldn't figure out why Ian was so weak, until two years later, during one of their training sessions, they were finally attacked. Ian had suddenly paused and looked over his shoulder, and it was then the woman saw them.

"Ian, get back!"

The boy glanced at her. "You can defeat creatures made of pure moonlight?"

The woman displayed a shocked expression.

"Madam, you've always put so much effort into me and I continue to disappoint you. I'm sorry."

"Ian, what are you..."

Then, Ian raised his hand, and the moment he aimed it at the creatures and closed his hands, the creatures shining like the moon dispersed, and the silvery fog that surrounded the creatures flowed toward the boy. The woman realized he was absorbing the moonlight. Ian sighed, breathing out of his nose. His eyes slowly opened, meeting the woman.

"Madam, let's not have that dinner tonight. I'm full."

Full. Is that why he's so weak? Because he was being starved?

Ian looked back at where the creatures were. "What are they?"

Who is he?

The woman regained her composure and sighed as well. "My apologies, Ian, I never told you about the Line Predators, didI?"

The boy gave her a blank stare. "You also didn't teach me about human emotions."

Before the woman could speak, Ian spoke again. "I remember."