Before the beasts' onslaught, Felix had made camp within the forest. The sun waned over the leafy trees as he prepared for the night. A fire raged within a circle of hastily acquired stones, battling the encroaching darkness. A succulent morsel of meat rotated on a wooden pike over the blazing flame, spreading its aroma in its surroundings.

"Aren't you afraid of attracting wildlife?" Sofia asked.

Felix looked up from the fire, meeting her gaze. His only response was an intriguing smile. She shrugged, not intending to push further. During their short travels together, she noticed that the man would never lie but often withheld his answer. She sat down opposite Felix, staring into the blazing heat.

"Weren't you going towards the Capital? What made you change your mind?" Sofia asked, puzzled.

"Circumstances have changed," Felix replied curtly.

They had been travelling together for two days already, but their relationship had taken a turn for the worse. Sofia wondered what had changed. Although Felix hardly talked about himself, he responded appropriately when asked. She gathered her courage and asked the question she dreaded.

"Have I done something wrong? Why the sudden change of heart?"

Felix turned to face her. A simple look in her violet eyes threatened to rob him of his rationality. As time went on, Felix managed to better resist her charm. Looking back on it, one can see that his actions in town differed from his nature. The feeling of being so easily manipulated had left a bitter taste in his mouth. After a moment of silence, Felix sighed.

It's not her fault that I took action back then, he thought. I am still so very weak.

"I am sorry," he said. "I shouldn't take my frustrations on you."

Sofia's mouth hung open, taken aback by the sudden apology. She hadn't known him long, but she knew he was prideful. To hear him sincerely apologize was unexpected.

Noticing the look in her eyes, Felix added, "I'm not a child. I can acknowledge my wrongdoings." Silence hung in the air for a moment before he continued. "Back to what you asked, my goal was never the Capital. With the information I gathered, I have a better chance of finding what I want in Redwaters, so that's where we are headed. Speaking of which, are you sure you want to come with me? I don't exactly lead a safe life."

Sofia took a moment before answering, "There's nothing for me in that town anymore. I endured because I thought I could see my brother again. Nothing is tying me there anymore. Besides, I feel my best chance to find my brother is to go with you."

"You heard what that guy said, right? People in this country consider me a traitor, which means they will think the same of you. Are you alright with that?"

"This country never did anything for me or my brother, so why should I care?"

"Suit yourself, I just hope you won't regret this. A piece of advice if you are truly intent on following me. You will be responsible for your own life, as my goal will take precedence over everything."

"Could you not put it so bluntly?"

"I don't lie. I have no need for it."

As she formulated her response, Felix heard a sound from the bushes. He motioned for Sofia to keep quiet as he unsheathed two knives, which he held in the crevasse of his fingers. If it was only a wild animal, it wouldn't pose any problem for Felix. This forest, however, had grown restless recently, and the number of monsters making their way to the outskirts had risen lately.

While Sofia was on edge, Felix patiently waited for the sound to reach them. He took a stance so that he could attack at any time. However, no beast or monster came out of the bushes but a man. His appearance was rugged, like he had spent too much time away from civilization. Despite his dishevelled look, Sofia found the man quite attractive. His blond hair and blue eyes were quite striking.

On the other hand, Felix paid more attention to the man's gear. His clothes were mostly made of leather, with multiple pouches hanging from the many hooks on his belt. A strange stick was attached to his back. Its tip was wrapped in cloth, forming a bulge. Felix frowned; he had seen many with similar attire. They were called blood-hunters. Unlike peasants who hunt wild animals, the blood-hunters' prey were monsters. Like the name suggests, they sought the blood of rare creatures.

While Felix kept a firm grip on his knives, the man threw his hands in the air and said, "Easy now! I mean you no harm. I heard noises and came to investigate."

Despite the man's seemingly friendly intentions, Felix didn't relinquish his knives. "Which clan are you from?" Felix asked.

Taken aback, an uneasy smile appeared on the man's face. He hesitated before reluctantly answering, "I'm not part of any clan."

Felix frowned. "You expect me to believe there are still independent bloodhunters?"

"Alright. Alright," the man said as he took a step back. "I used to be part of a small clan, but they threw me out. Satisfied."

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Knowing the man wouldn't tell him anything more, Felix reluctantly withdrew his weapons. Sofia watched the whole scene play out with interest. It was rare to see Felix on edge.

"So... what are bloodhunters?" she asked, perplexed.

"You used to be a noble, right?" Felix replied, still keeping the man in his field of view. "Have they never told you how the Kingdom came to be?"

"There were... circumstances."

Felix paused, observing her. Their gazes met, but she looked away, ashamed. Felix sighed, and then a gentle smile graced his lips.

"It's fine. Everyone has something they'd rather not talk about," he said. Sofia felt uplifted by his words. "You've at least heard of the First Queen, right?" he added. Sofia nodded.

"Legend says that a thousand years ago, the First Queen of the Kingdom of Althera had slain a dragon and bathed in its blood, thus becoming more than human," the stranger said, interrupting them. "She had used her newfound strength to rally the people and founded the Kingdom. Following her example, many tried to replicate what she did, and many succeeded. Seeking to acquire the monster's strength, bloodhunters were formed."

While still wary, Felix reluctantly offered the man a seat next to the fire as Sofia listened to his tale, enthralled. He positioned himself between the stranger and Sofia, always wrapping a hand around the sword on his waist. The man noticed. A slight smile appeared on his lips, but he let it go.

"Back then, monsters were everywhere on the continent, but as more and more were hunted, they became mostly extinct." the man added. "Their last refuge is this massive forest, the ocean and some last wild cradles away from the reach of man. As the monster population diminished, bloodhunting became less lucrative. Thus, bloodhunters also became an endangered species of sorts. Some big clans still train their own hunters to further enhance their bloodline, but the amount of blood needed is much more than the current monster population can sustain. It isn't an exaggeration to say that monsters are on the verge of extinction."

"Isn't that a good thing? The world just became safer, right? Why so wary of bloodhunters then?" she asked.

"It's not that simple..." the man said before Felix interrupted him.

"Are you under the impression that humans are somehow special in this world? That only they deserve to live?" His tone was harsh, and his expression grim, sending a chill down Sofia and the man's back despite the raging fire in front of them. The heavy silence lasted for a while until Felix's expression finally softened.

"Some of those 'monsters,' as you call them, view humanity as nothing more than a plague to be eradicated. We simply have a different viewpoint. Besides, not all their tribes are hostile to humans," he added.

"You talk as if you've spoken to them," the man said derisively.

"Think of it what you will."

Felix took out a small knife and cut into the meat over the fire, removing its charred exterior before revealing its moist centre. Some of its fat fell onto the embers, creating a small explosion of light amidst the forest's darkness. The trio ate in silence. Once Felix was done, he sheathed the knife and spoke again.

"As for why I'm wary of people like him. It's because they are dangerous. Not all of them limit themselves to harvesting demons."

"Demons?" Sofia said. "You mean the ones mentioned in that weird religion spreading in the Kingdom? The ones coming for 'Hell'"?"

"No," Felix said, shaking his head. "Those are devils—completely different beings. Demons are what monsters call themselves. Actually, every tribe has its own name, just as every country does for us. 'Demons' is the same as 'humans.' Even Altherans loathe to call themselves humans; it's just a word that makes it easier to categorize them."

Felix ran a stick of wood into the embers, sparking the flames anew, ruminating over his words before he added. "I just can't stand the clans that make use of bloodhunters. Their greed knows no bounds. The demons are already on the verge of extinction. Do you think they will be satisfied once that happens? I don't think so."

The stranger listened to Felix speak with an apparent dark expression. Felix noticed but ignored it.

"By the way, we haven't introduced ourselves, right?" Sofia said.

Her voice broke the man out of his thoughts; his expression vanished, replaced by a slight smile.

"My name is Emil," the man said. "As you know, I was a bloodhunter, but now I work as an explorer. This forest has been strange lately; I figured I could test my luck and maybe find something valuable. What about you two?"

"I am Sofia, and this is Felix. We are travelling to Redwaters and chose to take a shortcut."

The man's eyes lit up. "Fantastic! Redwaters is my home base. I've been here for a while and found nothing, and now my supplies are running low. I intended to return for a while, so let's go together. What do you say?"

Sofia frowned. It seemed like too much of a coincidence. Emil, however, was quite pushy, and she found it hard to turn him down. She turned to Felix for help only to see him shrug.

"Suit yourself," he said. "Keep in mind, however, that you are responsible for your own life. I won't lift a finger if you get in trouble."

Sofia was surprised. Ever since Emil's arrival, Felix's attitude had been odd. He even offered to share their meal. Something didn't add up. She decided, however, to follow his lead and didn't make a fuss when the man joined them.

Night fell, and Felix volunteered to watch over the camp for the night's first half. As his shift ended, Felix woke Emil up to replace him.

"Anything happened?" Emil asked, still drowsy.

"No, and that's the problem."

"That is troubling indeed."

Both men had experience with this forest and noticed how different it was. The night had been much too calm, as not even the sounds of birds could be heard.

"What could have happened to make them all leave?" Emil asked.

"I think we are going to find out soon enough," Felix answered.

Emil frowned and got up to his feet in a hurry. Something was coming towards him. The forest was dead silent except for the sound of footsteps growing closer. Emil could identify beasts by their sounds, but this one felt different. Before the sound could reach them, an impact was heard, and then it dissipated into the night not far away from them.

Both men took their weapons and went to investigate. To their surprise, they foundn't a beast but what looked like a small child no older than ten. Having heard the commotion, Sofia got up and went to join them.

When she saw the child lying on the ground, she reached for her and started to examine her. The child was a girl. Her clothes were tattered, and blood was splattered on them.

"There's no wound," Sofia said with relief. "The blood must not be hers. She seems exhausted; that must be why she collapsed. She is so thin. She must not have eaten anything for such a long time."

Sofia picked up the girl and brought her back to camp. As she turned, seeking something to eat, the girl's eye suddenly snapped open. She lunged towards Sofia's throat with a speed much too great for a child of this size.

Felix, however, was ready. He stood behind the girl and restrained her by holding her by the waist. Her strength was monstrous, and even Felix found it challenging to control her. She used the sharp claws on her hands to tear at Felix's arms, trying to make him lose his grip. She was still trying to reach for Sofia's throat.

Fortunately, Felix was positioned behind her to avoid being bitten by her sharp teeth. About to lose his grip, Felix made a decision. He jammed his forearm into the girl's mouth. As the blood dripped unto her tongue, her teeth sunk into his arms, and she started sucking.

Felix's blood left him like a dam that burst open. His skin grew whiter with each passing moment, yet his expression was still serene as if he felt no pain. After a while, the girl finally calmed down, softening her grip on his flesh.

"What just happened?" Sofia asked, still shocked. Before Felix could answer. Emil was already in front of her, weapon drawn. A long spear with a silver tip and black shaft pointed directly at the girl's throat.

"She's no child," he said. "She's a monster!"