A Haunting Melody: The Golden Lyre

03 | Beta

The symbol Beta (β), gives hunters incredible physical strength. They can receive this mark by killing a Siren while it is taking on its original form.

***

Astrid felt a small pang of guilt as she considered how excited she felt to be going to a meeting with Adras. A meeting with Adras usually meant she would be given a new assignment. A new assignment meant she would be allowed to go out and kill some Sirens.

Was it wrong that she enjoyed killing? Most certainly, but she supposed that it wasn't quite the same thing as murder. Sirens weren't people anymore. They were monsters.

Occasionally, Sirens could be born through genetics, but that scarcely happened anymore, as Sirens had become more desperate and blood-thirsty over the years and didn't often spare men for long enough to mate with them or turn them. If genetics had been the only thing keeping Sirens alive, they would have become extinct a long time ago.

Most of the Sirens nowadays were once human. For a human to become a Siren, they would need to rip out someone's heart and consume it. Most of the time, women would be compelled to do it without having any actual choice in the matter. This was why it was so important for Siren hunters to exist - to preserve mankind.

"Hey there kiddo," Neil's friendly greeting grabbed her attention.

She looked up from her phone to see Neil standing beside the couch, staring at her.

"Hey," she replied.

She tried her best not to seem too excited.

"I know that look," he said in a slightly concerned tone.

Astrid smiled weakly, wringing her hands together.

"You're going on a hunt," He said grimly.

"Probably," she shrugged.

"Astrid," Neil said sternly.

'Here we go' Astrid thought.

"I know that hunting is important to you, and I don't blame you for wanting to avenge dad. I just worry about your safety sometimes. Please be careful," He said gently.

Astrid didn't dare look at her brother. She could picture his face already. It was probably concerned and resigned. He always knew how to make her feel guilty.

She walked into her bedroom and looked around for her knife belt. When she found it, she opened the hidden doors inside her cupboards. She could feel her muscles tense with excitement as she laid eyes on all of her weapons. The throwing knives glinted in the light and Astrid carefully selected her usual weapons, sliding them affectionately into her belt.

"I'm always careful," She muttered to herself.

"I know," Neil leaned against the doorframe with his arms crossed, "it's just that what you do is so dangerous. I'm supposed to be your guardian and I let you put yourself in life-threatening situations all the time. What kind of brother am I?" His voice cracked a little.

Astrid turned around and stared at him sternly.

"Neil, what happened to dad was totally unprecedented. There was nothing anyone could have done differently to save him. Sirens are evil. They tear people's lives apart and they don't even care. What kind of person would I be if I just sat back and let them get away with it? I know you worry, and that's a reasonable thing to do, but you must understand that what I do isn't just for us, or even for dad. It's for everyone."

Neil's eyes darted from Astrid to the floor.

"I know," He sighed, "I just wish you didn't have to."