“Alright then, you two have two years to make your mark appear, after that I will start sending you both on mission to built your strength even faster, like I said our deadline is fours to five years time, if you don’t managed to summon your mark…Well, we will leave it at that, you might be able too, or won’t, who knows?” Senya shrugged her shoulders, she was looking at Ray for some reason. Clearly not expecting much from him.

“Master, if you don’t mind me asking, how long can you spread your mark?” Ray asked, hoping to sound polite as he can.

“Sorry but that is a secret, you’ll learn eventually. Now then, I should start heading out, you two can keep the map, here’s a compass so you two won’t get lost.” Senya tossed it to Eda, Eda briefly looked at it before closing her hands over it. “That should help you, don’t lose it.”

“Yes.” Eda answered.

“Right before I forget, the both of you hold out one arm, and show me the back of your hands.” Senya commanded.

They both did as they were told, Senya stood back up, and held both of her hands on top of theirs. Suddenly a black light came out of her hands, and briefly covered their hands. They both felt a sharp pain, they still held their arms in place, they knew better to pull them back before they were ordered too.

“Alright then, look at the back of your hands.” Senya said.

They both did and saw some kind of tattoo of a flower, it had star shaped flowers on dense spikes over a cluster of strap-shaped leaves, but as they tried to get a closer look it vanished from their skin.

“You can call that my mark, I won’t tell you what it's for, but just know it will help keep track of the both of you.” Senya told them. “Oh yeah last thing the two of you are forbidden from turning another person into a hybrid ever, without my say so, I know you're barely at a stage where you guys can’t, but I would still have you follow that order.” Senya warned them.

“Can I ask why?” Eda asked.

“Alright then, is there anything else before I leave?” Senya said, as she started to stand up, and stretch her arms, ignoring Eda's question.

“Wait!” Eda suddenly said. She grabbed Ray’s head, and both of them bowed their heads. Their foreheads touching the ground. “We will do our best, and thank you for saving our life.” Eda let out.

“Heh, don’t make me regret my decision.” Senya told them, as they looked back up they saw she was already gone.

“Wow, for someone who might be old, she can travel fast.” Ray said.

“Ray be quiet, I don’t want her coming back here, and give you a beating.”

They both sat in silence, not knowing what to do, or say. The sounds of birds chirping can be heard around them.

“Eda?” Ray finally spoke out, his voice was trembling.

“Yes, Ray?”

He looked at her with tears in his eyes. “Do you really think we were the only ones that survived?”

“I…I think so, dad gave his life so I can reach you… We both saw all the houses on fire, and the corpses on the ground…” Her voice also started to tremble, as tears were also coming out of her eyes.

“We…we both lost everything.” Ray stated, Eda hugged him. “I don’t want to lose you too; I don’t know what I will do.” Ray continued.

“Let’s just focus on getting stronger, promise me Ray, no matter what, you will survive.” Eda demanded as she turned his head to look at her.

Ray nodded his head, “I promised.” His memories of his father, his friends, and everyone that he knew in the village flooded his mind, and both of them started crying. Knowing from now on they only had each other, they had no choice but to forsake the rest of their family.

***

February 23, 1408

After the both had rested, and eaten, they gathered what they could carry. Ray went back to the tent seeing if there was anything he could take, but came back empty handed, he saw Eda was sitting on the same tree trunk his master was.

“Ray, before we head out, we should talk.”

Ray was already dreading this, he stood in front of Eda, she had her head down, Ray wondered what was on her mind. “Eda, are you mad with me?”

Eda sighed, ruffling her hair. “No Ray, I would have done exactly the same thing you did, the only thing that matters to me is that you're alive. As long as I know that, that is enough for me.”

He didn’t know what to say, he still remembered how just a couple of days ago they were shouting at each other, hating being near each other, but now they have to openly acknowledge that they need each other. Ray looked at his sister, who was still looking at the ground, both of her hands were in fist clenching, as if she was angry. She turned her to look at Ray, she looked determined.

“I need to know that you fully understand what we are now Ray, what we are going to be. We will have to be killers, even innocent people will have to die because of us.” Eda stated.

“We don’t have to kill innocent people Eda,” Ray said, he was surprised by what she was saying. He didn’t need to hear that, he didn’t want to acknowledge the truth. “There has to be another way.” Ray bitterly said.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

“No Ray, there isn’t. You and I both know the stories of the hybrids, the stuff they have committed, the things we learned to fear when we were little. We have to be like them, or worse.”

“I… Ok Eda, if that's what you think. I’ll do my best.” Ray said, as he rubbed his left hand.

“Let’s get going then.” Eda stood up, and walked towards Ray, putting a hand on his shoulder, “we will be ok as long as we have each other right?”

“Yes,” Ray answered.

They both walked through the forest, dolefully to start their journeys.

***

March 01, 1408

A week had already passed, when they finally reached their destination, Arc village. They both were behind some trees, doing their best to not be noticed. Both of them were surprised how the village looked like their old village. Ray looked at Eda, and they both nodded, and looked towards the mountain. In the base of it was the person they had to find. They started walking.

“Do you think this village will have the same thing happen to it, like ours?” Ray asked.

“I don’t think so. The church won’t be able to use the same excuse all the time, the people might get suspicious of that.” Eda told him.

“Do you think the person that is going to train us will have us do, you know, hybrid stuff like killing people?” Ray stated, he couldn’t believe those words came out of his mouth.

“I’m not sure, but we will have to do whatever he wants us to do, ok, we can’t disobey his orders, otherwise…” Eda didn’t finish her sentence.

“Right.” Ray agreed.

They both walked in silence, getting used to the trees around them, they came across wild animals, thanks to their training with their father they knew what to do to avoid harm. They noticed the trees around were much higher than the ones they were used to. though the trees were already getting back their color, signaling the season of Spring. Ray lost his balance as he tripped over some wood that was sprouting from a nearby tree.

Eda went over to his side. “Are you ok! You’re not bleeding right!?” Eda asked frantically.

Ray sat up, and felt his leg. “No, I’m ok, I’m fine.” He said relieve he only got a minor scratch.

He got up, and they continued walking, soon they started hearing noises from the direction they were supposed to go. It sounded like two people were talking. They both look at each in alarm.

“Dammit! Where do we go!?” Ray whispered, looking around frantically.

“There behind that bush.” Eda dragged Ray, and they jumped behind the group of bushes, and lay on the ground, trying their best to hide from the people getting closer. The voices were getting closer. It seem to be a man, and woman talking.

“What should we tell the others?” Said the woman.

“The same as usual, the knights that were here before they left already confirm he’s ok. There is nothing we can do about it.” Said the man.

“Are you sure, after the attack on those poor villages, everyone been on high alert. We have more people watching the surrounding area from the bell towers.” The woman said.

“We will be fine, even those knights said, it was unlikely for there to be another attack like that. They made sure to kill every disgusting hybrid that was in those villages.” The man stated.

Both Ray, and Eda were shaking with age, they wanted to tell everyone what really happened but since they were now hybrids no one would believe them. They forcefully calmed themself down, as the villagers were almost out of sight.

“Don’t tell me you aren’t actually considering their offer, do you want our village to share the same fate as those?” The woman demanded, as their voices could barely be heard.

Soon they could no longer hear them. They decided to wait a couple more minutes before standing up.

“Man, I got stuff all over me.” Ray complained as he stood and started shaking his clothes.

“Yeah,” Eda stood up and did the same, but still looking at the direction the man, and woman took.

“What do you think they were talking about?” Ray asked.

“From the sound of it, it had to do something with the church, or it could be something else, I think they came from the direction of the person we are looking for.” Eda concluded.

They both look at the direction from which the man, and woman came from.

“I guess? I don’t think a lot of people will come all the way over here.” Ray said.

“Come on, let’s get moving, the sun is about to set, I don’t want to spend another night sleeping in the ground.”

They both started walking, making small talk along the way.

“You really think he's going to have enough room for us?” Ray asked.

“I really hope so, even if he had an extra bed to spare, I will be grateful, my back has been hurting ever since we been sleeping on the ground, though I don’t feel as much pain as we used to.” Eda said, realizing her words, she got quiet.

“Yeah, though if he only has one bed, I will be the first one to sleep in it.” Ray joked around.

“Haha! You’re funny, I’m the one who is getting that bed.” Eda told him.

As they continued walking, the sun was already setting, they could see the moon between the leaves of the trees was starting to shine. After the sun had finally set

they could make out the stars, every space in the night sky was covered by them, if they were lucky they could make out a shooting star.

“Hey look!” Eda said, pointing straight ahead.

Ray saw what she was looking at, a dim light was shining from behind the trees, they both started walking faster. As they both got closer they light got brighter. They stepped into a clearing and saw the place they were looking for. It seems to be a cottage, bigger than their old house. Made with brown wood, and the red rooftop, on the side of the cottage were gardening tools, a shovel was leaning on the cottage.

As they were approaching the house, a man came out.

“Who’s there,” he said. He wore a black tunic, with blue pants. He seems to be around fifty years old. His hair, and his mustache was gray. He was fit for his age. He walked to the edge of his stairs, hanging the lantern he was carrying.

“We, I mean, I’m Eda, and this is my brother Ray. We were told to come here.”

The man looked around, checking to see if there was anybody around. “So you two are hybrids?” The man asked.

They both look at each other unable to answer. Suddenly the man raised his voice.

“I asked you two a question!”

“Yes! Yes, we are hybrids.” Eda answered him.

The man reached behind him, grabbing something, and threw it at Eda. “Ok then, catch!”

Eda caught it, it was a knife. She looked at the man with a confused look on her face.

The man kept looking at them. “Prove it.” He finally said.