Chapter Text
The warmth of the morning sun crept through the curtains and settled across my face, pulling me out of sleep. I let out a groan, burying my face in my pillow for another few seconds before finally giving in and sitting up with a stretch. Another day. Another day closer to becoming a hunter. It was a dream I'd had ever since I was little. Most people thought monsters were nothing more than old fairy tales told to scare children into behaving, but I knew better. The village I grew up in sat just outside the territory of a minor hunter clan, close enough that everyone here knew the truth. Monsters were real. Vampires that hunted humans under the cover of darkness, leaving nothing behind but empty bodies. Werewolves that became savage beasts beneath the full moon, tearing through anything unfortunate enough to cross their path. Witches that could curse entire bloodlines, sirens that lured people to watery graves, and countless other creatures that hid in the shadows while the rest of humanity lived blissfully unaware they even existed. Hunters were the only thing standing between monsters and ordinary people. At least, that's what I'd always been taught. Ever since I could remember, I'd admired them. They were strong, fearless, and dedicated their lives to protecting others. Maybe one day, if I trained hard enough, I could become one too. Throwing the blankets off of me, I climbed out of bed and walked over to my dresser, pulling on my school uniform before straightening the wrinkles out of my jacket. I caught my reflection in the mirror and couldn't help but grin at myself. I still had a long way to go before I could call myself a hunter, but everyone had to start somewhere. Giving myself one last look, I reached for the doorknob, opened my bedroom door, and made my way downstairs.I made my way down the old wooden staircase, the familiar creak beneath my feet echoing through the cottage. As soon as I reached the bottom, I cupped my hands around my mouth and called out, "Grandpa! I'm up!"
"Then quit standing around and get in the kitchen before your breakfast gets cold!" my grandpa shouted back, his gruff voice carrying easily through the house.
I couldn't help but laugh as I followed the smell of freshly cooked eggs and rice into the kitchen. This had been our routine for as long as I could remember. It had always just been the two of us living in this little cottage. My parents had been killed by monsters before I was old enough to remember their faces. At least... that's what I'd always been told. Grandpa never liked talking about that day, and I stopped asking a long time ago. He'd done everything he could to give me a happy life despite what we'd lost. If I became a hunter one day, I'd make sure no other kid had to grow up without their parents.
"Morning, Grandpa," I said with a smile as I pulled out my chair and sat down at the table.
Grandpa gave a small grunt as he set a steaming plate in front of me before taking the seat across from mine. "Morning, brat. Eat while it's hot."
"Yes, sir."
I picked up my chopsticks and dug into breakfast while Grandpa quietly sipped his tea. It wasn't awkward. It never was. We didn't need to fill every silence with words. Just sitting across from him was enough.
After a few moments, Grandpa set his cup down on the table with a quiet clink and looked at me with a serious expression. "Yuji."
I looked up from my plate. "Yeah?"
"You're strong."
I blinked. "Huh?"
"Stronger than most people your age." He folded his arms across his chest. "I've watched you grow since the day you were born. You don't realize it yet, but you've been blessed with strength that most people can only dream of."
I glanced down at my hands. I'd always known I was stronger than some of the other kids at school, but hearing Grandpa say it so seriously made it feel... different.
Grandpa leaned forward slightly, his eyes never leaving mine. "Strength isn't something you use to make yourself look impressive. It isn't for winning arguments or showing off."
He pointed a weathered finger toward my chest.
"It's for protecting people who can't protect themselves."
I found myself staring at him in silence. Grandpa didn't usually give long speeches. When he spoke like this, I knew he meant every word.
He let out a quiet sigh before the corners of his mouth softened into a small smile.
"And another thing."
I tilted my head. "What?"
"Make lots of friends."
"...Friends?"
He chuckled quietly at the confused look on my face. "Yeah. Good friends. The kind that'll laugh with you, fight beside you, and stay by your side."
His smile became almost wistful.
"When it's your time to die... you should be surrounded by people you love."
The kitchen fell silent.
I didn't really understand why he sounded so... sad.
But somehow...
Those words settled deep inside my heart.
"I will," I said quietly. "I promise."
Grandpa smiled again before waving a hand toward my plate. "Then finish eating before you're late."
"Right!"
I quickly finished the rest of my breakfast, thanked Grandpa for the meal, and carried my dishes over to the sink. Before heading for the front door, I walked back over to him without saying a word and wrapped my arms around him in a quick hug.
"H-Hey!" Grandpa grumbled, though I could hear the amusement in his voice. "What's that for?"
"I just felt like it."
"Tch... weird kid."
I laughed as I pulled away and grabbed my school bag from beside the door.
"I'll see you after school!"
"Stay out of trouble."
"I'll try!"
Stepping outside into the cool morning air, I closed the front door behind me and started down the dirt road toward the village school. Grandpa's words echoed in my mind with every step. Use my strength to protect the weak. Make lots of friends. I clenched the strap of my school bag and smiled to myself. One day, I'd become a hunter worthy of those words. No matter how hard the road ahead was, I'd make Grandpa proud.
Later That Night
By the time my friends Iguchi and Sasaki and I finally left the village square, the sun had long since disappeared beyond the horizon. The streets were lit only by scattered lanterns hanging outside homes, while a bright full moon bathed the village in a pale silver glow. Most people had already settled in for the night, leaving the roads unusually quiet as the three of us wandered aimlessly toward the edge of town.
"I still think they're real," Iguchi insisted, clutching a notebook so stuffed with loose papers that it barely stayed shut. "The Gojo Clan, I mean."
"The Gojo Clan?" I laughed. "Come on. I've heard of them, but nobody's actually seen one."
"Exactly!" Sasaki chimed in, pointing a finger dramatically at me. "That's what makes them so mysterious! Some people say they're monsters."
"They're not monsters," Iguchi argued. "They're supposed to be incredibly powerful warlocks."
"I heard their leader can make monsters disappear with a snap of his fingers."
"I heard he lives in a castle floating above the clouds."
"I heard--"
"You two hear a lot of things," I interrupted with a grin.
They both huffed at me before immediately falling back into their argument, throwing increasingly ridiculous rumors back and forth. I couldn't help but chuckle. Ever since we'd become friends, they'd been obsessed with anything related to monsters, hunters, or old legends. If there was a rumor floating around our village, chances were they'd heard it before anyone else.
As we wandered farther from the center of town, the distant tree line came into view, dark and still beneath the moonlight.
A long, haunting howl echoed through the night.
The laughter instantly died.
Every hair on my arms stood on end as another howl answered from somewhere deep within the forest.
"...Did you guys hear that?" I whispered.
Neither of them answered.
Another howl rang out.
This one sounded closer.
I found myself taking a step toward the woods.
"...Maybe we should go see what—"
"Stop right there!"
A sharp voice cut me off.
Five hunters came sprinting down the road from the direction of the forest, weapons already drawn. Dirt kicked up beneath their boots as they rushed past us before one of them skidded to a stop in front of me.
He placed a firm hand against my shoulder.
"Head home. Now."
I blinked. "What's going on?"
"A werewolf's been spotted in the area."
My stomach dropped.
"A... werewolf?"
The hunter gave a grim nod.
"We're tracking it. This isn't a game, kid. Get your friends and go home. Immediately."
Before I could ask another question, he turned and sprinted after the rest of his squad, disappearing into the darkness beyond the village.
None of us spoke for several seconds.
"...We should probably listen to him," Sasaki muttered.
"Yeah..." I said quietly. "Let's call it a night."
The two of them nodded before heading toward their own homes, waving goodbye as they disappeared down another street. I started walking in the direction of my cottage, but after only a few steps, an uneasy feeling settled in the pit of my stomach.
Something felt...Wrong.
I slowed to a stop.
The village had become completely silent.
Bang!
A gunshot cracked through the night.
Another.
Then another.
The sound echoed from somewhere inside the forest.
I spun toward the trees just as a deafening roar shook the air.
Branches snapped.
Something enormous barreled through the woods, moving far too quickly to be human.
My heart lurched into my throat.
Without thinking, I turned on my heel.
"Sasaki, Iguchi!"
I sprinted back the way I'd come, my feet pounding against the dirt road. They couldn't have gotten far.
"There you are!" I shouted as I spotted them farther down the street, both frozen in place after hearing the gunfire.
"Yuji?" Sasaki called.
"No time! Come on!"
Before either of them could protest, I grabbed one under each arm and took off running.
"H-Hey!"
"Put me down!"
"Sorry!" I yelled between breaths. "This is faster!"
The wind rushed past us as I ran through the empty streets, carrying both of them as though they weighed almost nothing. My pulse hammered in my ears, but it still couldn't drown out the distant sounds of gunfire behind us.
Whatever those hunters had found...It was still alive.
I didn't stop running until the familiar outline of our school came into view. The grounds were deserted, every classroom dark, the building looming quietly beneath the moonlight.
I finally set my friends down, all three of us breathing heavily as we listened.
For a moment...
Nothing.
Then, somewhere beyond the school grounds, a chilling howl split the silence.
It was answered by a deep, guttural growl.
The sound was close. Too close.
"Inside!" I shouted.
The front doors of the school weren't locked yet, and the three of us stumbled through them before slamming them shut behind us. Our footsteps echoed through the empty entrance hall as we tried to catch our breath.
"This... this is insane..." Sasaki gasped, leaning against the wall with a trembling laugh that sounded more frightened than amused. "It's just a werewolf... right?"
"I hope so," I muttered, trying to convince myself as much as her.
Iguchi cautiously peeked through the small window in the front doors.
"I don't see anything..."
Before anyone could relax, a sickening wet squelch echoed somewhere deeper in the building.
...
Squelch.
Crunch.
Another followed.
The three of us slowly turned toward the dark hallway.
"...Did you guys hear that?" Sasaki whispered.
No one answered.
A foul smell drifted through the corridor.
It smelled like something had died.
Then...
Something shuffled into the faint moonlight pouring through a classroom window.
I froze.
It...
It wasn't human.
Its body looked like someone had taken piles of pale blue flesh and carelessly stitched them together. Bones jutted through its skin at impossible angles, while too many arms dragged uselessly across the floor behind it. Its face barely resembled one, with tiny sunken eyes and a mouth stretched far wider than it should have been.
And clutched tightly in one twisted hand...
Was a single rotting finger.
The thing lifted it almost... lovingly.
Behind it...
More emerged from the darkness.
Each one looked just as grotesque.
"What..." Iguchi whispered, his face draining of color. "What are those things...?"
The creatures all turned toward us at once.
Their empty eyes locked onto ours.
One let out a shrill, unnatural scream.
Every single one of them lunged forward.
"RUN!" I yelled.
The three of us scattered.
Iguchi bolted straight back toward the entrance while Sasaki grabbed my sleeve as we sprinted down one of the school hallways.
Behind us came the sound of pounding footsteps.
Dozens of arms scraping across the floor.
"Iguchi!" Sasaki cried.
I glanced over my shoulder just in time to see him dive through the front doors.
He shoved them closed with all his weight.
"I'm sorry!" he screamed from the other side as he locked them. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"
His terrified voice faded as he ran.
Neither of us had time to think about it.
"They're still coming!" Sasaki cried.
We raced through hallway after hallway, our shoes pounding against the polished floors.
The monsters never slowed.
They just kept chasing.
Their bodies twisted unnaturally as they crawled across walls and ceilings.
I could hear them getting closer.
"Aah!" Sasaki screamed.
One of the creatures dropped from the ceiling, wrapping several malformed arms around her before dragging her to the floor.
"Sasaki!"
Without thinking, I spun around and threw myself at the creature.
"LET HER GO!"
I slammed my fist into its face.
It barely reacted.
I hit it again.
And again.
Finally its grip loosened just enough for me to yank Sasaki free.
She stumbled backward...
Then collapsed.
"Sasaki!"
She didn't answer.
Her eyes were shut tight.
She'd fainted.
"...Come on..." I whispered desperately, trying to lift her.
A sharp pain exploded around my ankle.
I looked down.
One of the creatures had wrapped its hand around my leg.
Then another grabbed my arm.
Then another.
More poured from the hallway.
They dragged me toward them inch by inch.
"N-No..."
I struggled with everything I had, but there were too many.
Their cold hands tightened around my body.
The creature carrying the rotting finger slowly approached me.
It opened its mouth impossibly wide.
This...
This is how I die...
CRASH!
Glass exploded inward.
A massive black blur tore through the classroom window like a cannonball.
The nearest creature was sent flying before it could even scream.
Another disappeared beneath crushing jaws.
A third was ripped clean in half.
The monsters scattered in terror.
Standing between me and the creatures was a gigantic wolf.
Its fur was as black as the night sky, thick and wild, while crimson markings stretched across its forehead like ancient scars. Moonlight poured through the shattered window, outlining the beast's enormous frame as it let out a thunderous growl that shook the entire hallway.
The monsters fled but the wolf didn't chase them. Instead, it stood silently, its piercing eyes fixed on me.
My breathing slowed and the pain in my arms suddenly disappeared. I looked down and the rotting finger the creature had been carrying was now lying in my hand.
Confused, I slowly lifted my gaze back toward the giant wolf.
To Be Continued