Despite being located on the opposite sides of the city, it would be hard to judge anyone for mistaking the Royal Palace for the main building of Lostvail Academy and vice versa, for how grand the academy and its surrounding grounds were. Four ancient spires pierced the grey pre-dawn sky, the tips vanishing into the thick cloud cover above, arches carved into the solid limestone of the building connecting them all together. Stained glass depicting renowned daemon hunters of the past were inlaid deep into the stone, and it wasn’t uncommon to see children and adults alike peering through the wrought iron gates desperate to catch a glimpse of those training to protect them, and the famous hunters overseeing them.

Behind the main building, surrounding the rear of the academy itself was a dense, verdant forest that rested at the base of the Dragon’s Perch. Gathered at the entrance of the forest was a large crowd of people, and in the middle of the crowd, broadsword strapped to her back and revolver holstered at her hip, stood Alexi. Her hood was pulled up over her hair, her hands firmly planted inside the pockets of her hoodie. The air felt charged with a mix of emotions, and as Alexi scanned the crowd she could pick up looks of excitement, fear, and hesitation written over their faces. There were men and women of all ages, some chatting amongst themselves while others stood in silent solitude, just as she was.

“This is quite the mixed bag. There has to be at least a hundred people here.” Alexi muttered, her breath coming out in a short puff of air and a shiver running down her spine. “How long are they going to make us wait?”

As if to answer her question, a hush fell over the crowd as a lone figure appeared at the podium situated on the collapsible stage that stood before them. It was a man who Alexi guessed was in his mid-fifties, with dark skin and short black hair cut close to his scalp. He wore an elegant cream-colored suit, the jacket hanging open and he studied them with his deep hazelnut eyes, sharp eagle-like gaze sweeping over the crowd before cracking into a brilliant smile.

“Welcome!” his voice boomed, easily carrying to those in the back of the crowd. “While you all come from different backgrounds, while you are all different ages and sexes, you’re here for one reason. You are here because you believe you have what it takes to hunt daemons. To hunt the very plague that has darkened the continent since the war with their foul existence over four hundred years ago. I think you underestimate them. Or perhaps you simply overestimate yourself. This exam will weed out those not fit to step foot in the academy. If you wish to become registered to legally hunt these foul beasts, you will need to prove that you belong here. The rules of the exam are simple: You will enter the forest behind me, making your way through it by six this evening. While in the forest, you must find one of your fellow examinees and form a pair. Only those who make it out together by six will pass the exam. Now, are there any questions?”

That’s it? Get through the forest with a partner? That’s way too simple. There’s more to this that he isn’t telling us. Alexi grinned darkly, her excitement coiled like a spring ready for the pressure to be released. Perfect.

When no one raised their hand, the man nodded, seemingly pleased. “You will wait fifteen minutes before finding your partner, and there will be absolutely no attacking other examinees. Now, with all that out of the way…” He raised his right arm high into the air, before throwing it down in a single, smooth motion. “LET THIS YEAR’S LOSTVAIL ENTRANCE EXAM BEGIN!”

Instantly, the crowd exploded to life, rushing past the stage and into the forest beyond. Alexi sprinted deep into the forest, kicking up loose topsoil, ducking under long hanging branches, and leaping over exposed roots. She kept her breathing steady, knowing that there would be no point in exhausting herself this early on in the game. This was a marathon, not a race. She didn’t stop until the distant blaring of a siren echoed through the thicket. “That must be the fifteen-minute mark.” Coming to a halt, Alexi slowed her breathing and took the opportunity to examine her surroundings.

She was sure that she was a good distance away from the edge of the forest, but considering the timeframe they had been given, she knew there was no way she had even put a dent into it. There were no other signs of life in the immediate vicinity, leaving her completely alone in the forest. The foliage only grew thicker and darker ahead of her, giving off an ominous feeling. It would be easy to get disoriented if she wasn’t careful.

“Well, here we go.”

Taking a deep breath, Alexi straightened her back and pushed forward. She needed to limit her running from this point onward, conserving her energy for emergencies only. As she made her way further into the depths of the forest, the terrain began to change drastically. There was almost no light able to penetrate the thick canopy above her head, having long since seen any grass or low-growing plant life of any kind. All that was left were the rotting carcasses of fallen trees, the perfect environment for fungus and clumps of moss to grow.

As time passed, solid ground would soon begin to give way to steep inclines where loose earth could lead to a nasty fall, and sheer cliffs needing to be scaled. Studying one such cliff, her breath coming out short and slightly labored, Alexi knew that she needed a break. Slumping against a nearby tree, Alexi pulled her hood down and gazed up at the canopy above her. While impossible to tell just how long she had been walking, Alexi figured it had been a few hours at least, the shifting terrain was a good indicator she was nearing the mountain. She had yet to run into anyone else despite how long it had been, and while traversing the forest had proved to be a bigger challenge than she had anticipated, the lack of contact with anyone else only solidified her earlier suspicions.

“What am I missing?” Alexi asked herself out loud, taking a sip of water from the thermos she had packed, careful to ration her water. There was a feeling of dread in the pit of her stomach, the unknown factor tugging at the back of her mind.

A scream cut through the creeping silence of the forest, and Alexi was on her feet in an instant, the sapphire eyes of her sword cutting through the air as she drew it. She remained still, every nerve in her body on high alert as she surveyed her surroundings, straining her ears as she listened intently. The scream had sounded human enough to her, clear and loud enough it couldn’t be too far behind her. Another examinee in trouble?

If it is, is it even my problem?

Biting her lower lip, Alexi weighed her options carefully. She knew that there was every possibility that it could be a trap, but even if it wasn’t, why should she go out of her way to help a possible rival? In her mind, the less competition for spots, the better. Another scream ripped through the forest, this time accompanied by a panicked voice.

“Help me! Daemon!”

Alexi’s legs moved before she knew what she was doing, dashing back toward the source of the screams. It wouldn’t take long for Alexi to find her, a girl running full throttle in her direction, her strawberry-blonde corkscrew curls bouncing almost cutely in stark contrast to the look of utter terror on her face. Scuttling closely behind her, digging up roots and soil with dozens upon dozens of spindly, spike-tipped legs, was a daemon. It was at least 5 meters in length, snaking its way through the forest floor. Alexi couldn’t help but compare it to a millipede, with rows of jagged, drooling teeth in place of a head with chunks of rotting flesh caught between them.

Charging forward, Alexi passed the fleeing girl and put herself in the daemon’s path. It stopped as if it had sensed her, rearing back to let out a piercing screech. Taking in a deep breath, Alexi lowered her stance and tightened her grip. It struck with the speed of a viper, only giving a split second to react. She jumped backward as the monster slammed its maw hard into the ground, letting out a sickening smack. Alexi lunged forward the moment she hit the ground, burying the tip of her sword into its flesh with all her might. She twisted her blade as it writhed in its death throes, shrieking in agony before falling silent and still.

“Disgusting.” Alexi groaned as she pulled her blade free, coated in thick, mucus-like blood. “I have nothing to clean this off with.”

“That...was amazing”

Alexi whirled around, having completely forgotten about the girl. She was pulling herself up off the ground, dusting herself off before timidly walking towards Alexi. Reaching into the pocket of her plaid skirt, the girl handed Alexi a matching handkerchief. It looked handmade. “I don’t know if this will help at all with your sword, but you do have some blood on your face.”

“Oh. Thanks.” Alexi took the folded piece of fabric, noticing the fine white scars along the girl’s slender fingers. After wiping the blood from her face, Alexi used it to try and get as much blood off of her sword as possible, all while her new companion smiled silently, hands behind her back as if to bring attention to her outfit. She was wearing a white, frilly blouse, paired with a waist-high and voluminous skirt with white stockings. She tapped the ground with her black loafers, before adjusting the beret she wore on her head. “You’re not exactly dressed for this event. Are you sure you’re in the right place?”

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The girl turned a bright red, bringing attention to the freckles splashed across the bridge of her nose. She began to twist one of her curls. “I uh…I sort of made these?”

“Ok, cool. But what does that have to do with hunting daemons?” Alexi felt a flare of annoyance at the situation she had found herself in. Was this girl actually taking the exam? Was she even trying? Alexi turned to leave, she didn’t have time for this.

“Wait!” The girl cried, throwing her arms open as she stepped in front of Alexi. She looked at her, her navy blue eyes were set with determination. “Please, just hear me out. Press the tip of your sword against my shoulder.”

“What?” Alexi said, completely taken off guard by her companion’s sudden, strange request.

“Please.” The blonde girl repeated, showing no sign of budging. “Poke my shoulder. You’ll understand everything.”

“Fine.” Alexi sighed, gently pressing the tip of her blade against her shoulder. Instead of skin, Alexi found her blade met something sturdy yet flexible. “Armor? There’s no way you can fit body armor under these.”

Seemingly pleased with Alexi’s reaction, the girl beamed and took a step back. “As I said, I made these myself. It’s a Lacey original and all Lacey originals come with flexible yet durable armor sewn between layers of fabric. Now hunters can be both safe and stylish. Public image is important for a hunter after all.”

“That’s an impressive sales pitch.” Alexi was genuinely impressed. Even now she was wearing body armor under her hoodie and while it provided extra protection, it could be cumbersome at times. Weaving a layer of protection into the fabric itself could potentially aid in mobility. “You came up with this concept yourself?”

“Yup! I’m sorry, I haven’t even introduced myself yet. My name is Lacey Flos. It’s nice to meet you, partner. Thank you for saving me back there.” Lacey reached her hand back out, attempting to shake Alexi’s.

It was then it dawned on Alexi that Lacey would be her partner for the remainder of the exam. Someone, Alexi groaned internally, who couldn’t even hold her own in a fight.

Shit

Suppressing the sigh that threatened to escape her lips, Alexi instead forced a smile and shook her hand. “I’m Alexi. Nice to meet you too. Just answer one question for me? Why did you run from such a pathetic daemon?”

All the confidence and determination drained from Lacey’s face, and she glanced away from Alexi. “They didn’t tell us there would be daemons in the forest. It snuck up on me and I just panicked.”

Great. Just. My. Luck.

“You wouldn’t happen to know what time it is, do you?” Alexi asked as she returned her sword to its strap.

Lacey reached into the pocket of her skirt, withdrawing a silver pocket watch, linked to the fabric by a delicate silver chain. Flicking it open, she responded, “It’s noon.”

Alexi frowned. “That leaves us with six hours. I have no idea just how far we are. Chances are we’ll run into more daemons the deeper in we go. I knew this seemed too easy.”

Lacey’s body shook slightly, but she held her chin up high. “I won’t slow you down if we run into any more of them. I promise.”

“Yeah, please don’t.” Turning back towards the direction she had come from, Alexi headed back to the cliff that had blocked her path before. Break time was over. Together the pair scaled up to higher ground before finally heading deeper into the forest. Alexi, who was a few feet ahead of Lacey, glanced back and raised an eyebrow. “You’re wearing white. How are your clothes so clean?”

“Oh, you noticed?” Lacey grinned, once again puffing out her chest. “I use fabric that is both dirt-repellent and stain repellent. Trust me, even the toughest blood stains will be gone in a flash.”

This time, Alexi couldn’t hold her sigh in, sorry she had asked. “No offence, but is this really the time for another sales pitch? I get it, you make clothes. I’m not interested. Right now, I need to focus on getting us through this. Why are you even here?” Lacey remained silent before muttering a muffled apology, causing Alexi to feel a twinge of guilt. She hadn’t meant to be so short with her.

For the next few hours, the pair pushed through the forest in relative silence, Alexi taking the lead, with Lacey close behind her. Eventually, they reached a wide stream that cut the forest into two distinct halves, the mountain range looming over them in the distance. They took the opportunity to refill their thermoses, before searching for a safe path across the stream.

“Soooo, Alexi?” Lacey asked once they were on the other side. “You already seem to know your way around a sword.” She giggled awkwardly.

“Your point?” Alexi asked, glancing back.

Lacey rubbed the back of her neck, trying to find the right words. “Well, I was just curious if, you know. Your parents-”

“No.” Alexi snapped. “They weren’t hunters.” Scowling, she passed under the shadow of a rocky outcropping and froze. She reached for the hilt of her sword, causing Lacey to freeze on the spot.

“W-what’s wrong?” Lacey fretted, only for Alexi to promptly hush her. Their heads shot up towards the stone above them as something crashed against it, before falling limply at their feet. A broken mass of bone and fur lay before them, unmoving and impossible to identify. Following close behind, gracefully landing in front of them was a boy that Alexi recognized.

“Nathan!?”

Nathan looked just as astonished to see her, doing a double take as the realization sunk in. “No way. Do you have any idea how unlikely this is?”

Alexi couldn’t help but break into laughter, their conversation from yesterday at the forefront of her mind. Some part of her had honestly thought she would never see him again once they had parted ways at the bookstore. “I’m guessing not likely.”

“No.” Nathan laughed, lightly punching her on the shoulder. “It’s good to see you, Alexi. And who is this?” He turned his gaze onto Lacey, who was silently staring at him, her eyes wide as saucers.

“Y-you’re” Lacey muttered, causing Alexi to tense up. “You’re perfect!”

“Uhm… excuse me?” Nathan asked, bewildered.

Lacey began to circle Nathan like he were prey, studying him with an unusually sharp gaze. “You must model for me! I have so many designs that would fit you perfectly.” Lacey leaned in close to Nathan, their faces inches apart, before she abruptly pulled away, her face crimson. “I-I’m sorry. The artist in me took over for a second.”

“I’m still confused.”

Alexi sighed. “Nathan, this is Lacey. She uh, makes clothes. Lacey, this is Nathan.”

Sliding his hands into his pockets, Nathan flashed Lacey a grin. “Nice to meet you. Not sure I can be your model though, sorry. Would probably do more harm than good.” He winked at her, before turning to look behind him. “My partner should be here any second. I may have run ahead.”

“I’ve been here for a few minutes.”

Alexi turned on her heel, reflexively reaching for her sword. His voice was smooth, slightly deep. It had caught Alexi off guard, and that was the issue. Leaning against a nearby tree was a young man with piercing golden eyes, a look of boredom written over his face. He was tall and broad-shouldered, and as he pushed himself off the tree, he ran a hand through his slicked, pitch-colored hair. Alexi narrowed her eyes at him.

“Vincent!” Nathan laughed, stepping towards him. “Don’t sneak up on us like that. Kinda weird man.” Patting Vincent on the shoulder, Nathan turned to face Alexi and Lacey. “Guys, this is Vincent, but he lets me call him Vince.”

“No, I don’t.” Vincent drawled as he continued walking, undeterred. He completely ignored Alexi and Lacey as he passed them, giving Alexi the chance to take him in. He was well dressed, sporting a black double-breasted coat, a twin set of gold buttons adorning it, with a white fur-lined collar. Her gaze slid down to the sheathed sword in his left hand, a katana. “Come on Nathan, we don’t have time for this.”

Undeterred, Nathan trailed behind Vincent. “Actually, I was thinking that the four of us could team up. It would make the rest of the exam a lot more enjoyable. And besides, there’s no rule against two teams travelling together, right?” He looked over to Alexi, then to Lacey. “What about you guys? Wanna team up?”

Before either of them could give a reply, Vincent calmly said “No. They’re dead weight.”

“Excuse me?” Alexi growled, almost instinctively. “Who the hell do you think you are exactly?” She knew he was looking down on her, on all of them, even Nathan. It oozed from every pore of his body, and she couldn’t stand it.

Vincent stopped and half-turned towards her, locking eyes with Alexi. “You two would just slow us down. Especially her.” He nodded towards Lacey.

Alexi gritted her teeth, glaring back at him with a cold fury. “You sure got a lot of bark, huh?”

Nathan jumped between them, laughing uncomfortably. “No need to fight guys, especially since that’s definitely against the rules. We all want the same thing here, there’s literally no downside to this. Besides, we’re nearly there.”

Alexi, feeling her anger subside slightly as she looked at Nathan, gave him a confused glance. “How can you tell exactly?”

Giving Alexi a wink, Nathan strolled over to a nearby tree, effortlessly hopping onto the nearest branch. “I’ve been scouting from the trees. I spotted a field that separates the mountain and forest.”

Alexi couldn’t stop a relieved smile from spreading across her face as Nathan jumped back onto the ground. Once she was done with this exam, she’d be well on her way to earning her license and becoming a full-fledged daemon hunter. “Come on Lacey, let’s go.” With a new wave of resolve washing over her, she turned towards her partner and felt it all melt away at once as a chill washed over her.

Something’s watching us.

Alexi, watch out!” Lacey cried, pushing her out of the way just in time as a broken tree trunk crashed into the spot where she was standing just seconds before, flinging dirt and dust into the air. Coughing, Alexi turned her head in the direction the tree had come from and felt her heart stop. Standing at over twice her size, with matted, filthy fur that may have been white at one point was a daemon like nothing she had ever seen before. Its limbs were abnormally long but tightly coiled with muscle, five-fingered hands armed with vicious-looking nails. For the first time in eight years, as Alexi looked into black beady eyes set in a raw, pulsing mass of meat where a face should be, she was scared of a daemon.