“Don't wait for life to come knocking on your door. Open the door yourself and step through” ~ Lord Luck

Only a handful of hours had passed, with the message left for the representative who would be there within the next day at most, and Marama stood by the entrance to the village. The weather seemed to at least get brighter now even if it still rained.

"Wait! Wait, please!"

Marama turned around and noticed Arima by the chief´s side. The two babies were in the chief’s arms.

There was no longer any blood in Arima’s mouth, and he was dressed in the traveler cloak she provided to him last night. There was a bag tied around his waist.

"Please, before you leave… Can you take him with you?" The elder spoke with fatigue and plea in his voice.

"That is not my responsibility."

The man ignored her answer

"Please, take him as away from us as possible. We don’t want anything to do with him."

Arima didn’t say anything and seemed to not even care about what the chief said. After he had laughed for an hour he had simply shut down and appeared to live in a world of his own.

"You understand right? You saw it! We can’t handle such an unstable child here. Can’t you take her with you?"

The words were altered but this was just a way to get rid of relatives connected to the mist corrupted. After all, the risk was that they could become monsters.

Marama knew that if she denied them, then the boy would be thrown out into the forest anyway by these heartless people.

After an inner discussion with her mind, the huntress sighed. “Give him to the representative when they arrive.”

Arima’s hands shivered as his body grew tense and his heart appeared to stop in his chest.

"Can’t I come with you?"

Marama shook her head. "I am sorry. I can´t take you with me."

"Why can’t I…"

"I am part of a world no sane being can understand or comprehend. People shun my kind because of our bond to it. Arima, you must understand that I fight monsters far worse than the mere ogres. I don’t want you to get involved in that nightmare." She pulled the hood over the head and bowed down. "Humans shouldn’t get involved with things like me. You were given a second chance, so don’t let it be wasted."

He walked out of her sight without a single glance back.

"Farewell, Arima."

Marama arranged her cloak to conceal her body and inhaled the cool fall air. She felt the distant presence of beings like herself and planned to leave at human speeds so as not to alert them. She bit her lips tightly and moved further away.

"Wait!"

The desperate voice forced her to turn around and a small figure clung to her.

"Please don’t…" His grip around her uniform trembled as he opened the cloak and pulled her ax closer to her body. He pressed the edge closer and harder until she expected a thin line of blood to flow from the edges.

Arima looked up at her with tears in his onyx eyes. "Please don’t leave me!"

Marama put a hand on his shoulder and frowned with concern. "What are you doing? Don’t do anything you will come to regret. This thing can cut you in half!"

"Then please don’t abandon me!" His tears poured out and she clung to the ax tighter. Its edge threatened to cut through his pale skin like melted butter. "I have nobody left. I have nothing. Only you… And if you too abandon me, then what else do I have left to live for?"

"You can’t come with me."

He pressed the edge tighter and he winced from the pain. A thing trace of blood lined the edge of the ax.

Marama pushed him away and raised her voice. "STOP IT!"

Arima fell to the ground. His tears fell and mixed with the rain and Marama wiped the blade clean.

"Arima, you must understand that our worlds are far too different. You wouldn’t survive mine, and I was robbed of my place in yours long ago."

"I don’t care. I don’t want to be alone."

Marama remained silent as she bowed down and offered a hand.

"I am afraid that what you want will never be more than a dream. The line between us runs deep." She removed her ax and made a line in the dirt street. “All that you need to do is to turn around and leave. Walk and never look back. Forget about this misery. You can’t cross over to my world as I don’t want to see you die. All I can do is offer a helping hand over the line. That’s all and you will be happier if you don’t get involved with my kind for any longer than this."

"What if…"

Marama looked puzzled and then he turned his eyes up at her.

"What if I become a hunter?"

Marama laughed, believing it to be a joke, and stopped when he saw the determination in his eyes.

"Arima, you can’t be serious. Do you want to cross over to my world? A world full of nightmares and darkness? Blood and death as far your eyes can see? There´s no going back and you will be hated for the rest of your life. It will be a world devoid of emotion and eternal pain."

"Could it be worse than this!?"

Marama looked around and remembered the bloodshed and destruction. He had already lost everything, and his village was discarding him. She had to agree that this could be the worst part of Hell.

"I offer you a chance for a normal life, and yet you refuse it?" Marama questioned, just to make sure.

"My choices are mine! And nobody else´s!"

Arima glanced up with determination and Marama took a deep breath of consideration.

"If you became a hunter, then what would you do with the power and responsibility that comes with it?"

"I will use it to protect everyone! You showed me that you are a hero, and I want to do my best to become one."

Marama gazed down at him for a moment and sighed tiresomely. "Okay, I will help you, but you must promise me something in return. Can you do that?"

"Tell me!"

"You must take care of the two orphaned babies currently at the Chief’s house. You can name them whatever you want, but they should be allowed to live happy and long lives. The Institute is many things outside of being known for housing and training monster hunters."

"Thank you for everything. Will we meet again?"

"If you survive, then I am sure we will.”

"I will find you. You are my hero, Marama." His voice trembled as he looked up at her. Time ran short. "I will repay everything you have done for me…"

They both smiled. The sounds in the distance closed in and Marama said one more thing. "Goodbye, Arima. I look forward to the day we meet again."

Marama disappeared faster than he could blink.

Arima looked around and remained for a short moment in thoughts of lingered sadness. He sobbed as she departed, but made a silent vow to enforce his belief.

He would get stronger so she could help everyone and protect the two children. He was going to name them after some people who were the first to die. There was no way he was going to let them suffer or be in pain. He couldn’t protect his loved ones, but Arima refused to let them endure the life he had.

Arima waited for the source of the sounds to reach him.

He didn’t have to wait long.

Three huntresses arrived at the scene, with one of them cursing heavily at missing the target.

"Damn it! Marama escaped again!"

"What would you expect?"

“All this drama just so she isn’t called in for duties beyond the Mist. What a lazy girl.”

A hooded man arrived at the scene with the huntresses and looked around with cold, calculating eyes.

The huntresses chatted amongst themselves again as they discussed the next step.

"The trail has gone cold. Do any of you feel anything? Can anyone sense her?"

"Her mana just disappeared into thin air. She is far from here by now. Wait…"

The other huntresses also picked up the aura and aimed their weapons at the spot with one hand. They prepared to face down anything that might come out and attack them. The fragment waited around the corner of the next ruined building.

"Who is out there? Step forward!"

They rounded the entrance to the village and noticed a little boy with black hair and eyes standing there. Beside him was a very confused and fed-up old man who was holding two newborns. Both of them sent shivers down the experienced monster slayer’s spines, but couldn’t quite tell why.

The little boy looked at them with anticipation and breathed heavily, shaking from the cool breeze. He stopped when he saw the dark-dressed man walk up and stop a few meters from him. He looked down at the three children with a curious and sly smile.

The well-dressed man tilted his head at the oddity before looking at the babies. “I take it that Marama wants the Institute to raise the two children here. Very well. We will come out ahead with this transaction.”

He looked at the elder who frowned as the two newborns were taken from him by one of the huntresses. “Speaking of transactions, I believe we need to talk about our payment.”

The old man regretted contacting the Moira Insitute as he led the group back to his house. He could already tell this would hurt his pockets more than the initial price did.