It was four in the morning. Theodore had already taken a bath and cleaned his room, his equipment, and himself. On his bed, he laid down his briefcase and slowly turned the catches.

The case sprang open and very quickly did Theodore load his only set of spare clothes, a folding hunting rifle, a photograph of his grandfather, a few flash bombs, and a box of revolver bullets. He left the key on the doorknob as he checked out.

"Well, aren't you quite an early worm?" said Yvette, whom he saw standing in front of the inn in the earliest hour of the morning. Theodore had last seen her last night at the coffee house, but there he found her as if she stayed there all evening.

"I suppose you beat me to it, squirt." Theodore replied.

Yvette smiled, then turned her attention to the small suitcase on his hand. "Is that all that you have?"

"I had very little to pack since I got here." Theodore replied. "Hunters carry little if they want to cover a lot of ground much faster."

"Hmm. Fair enough." She nodded in understanding. "We should buy a few horses from the stables. Vollimere simply takes a day or two to reach if we ride on horseback."

"No." Theodore sternly commented. "Horses have a mind of their own and they're easily startled by monsters in the wild. And they're not always cooperative on travels, believe me."

Yvette kept her sly smile whilst she raised an eyebrow. "It sounds like you came from experience. A really bad one."

"We should hitch a ride with a merchant heading to Vollimere," Theodore brushed off her previous statement. "It would be way faster, and it feels less lonesome when traveling."

"I didn't expect you to be such a sociable person," Yvette said.

"Oh, you thought I was talking about myself? No, that's for you." Theodore jested.

It did not take long for them to reach the city road where they found a carriage waiting in line for the gates to open, carried by two horses. The old merchant seemed like a nomad from a different land, wearing vibrant clothes lined with thick furs and exotic jewelry. On his carriage were bronze pots of what sounds like wine and chests with shining trinkets spilling out.

"Excuse me," Yvette approached one of the carriages. "Pardon us, but could me and my chaperone be given a ride in your lovely little caravan?"

The conductor, an old bearded man with squinted eyes, faced her direction. "Where do you desire to go, little owls?"

"Vollimere," Theodore stepped in. "In exchange for safe passage, allow me to protect your caravan from monsters in the wild."

The man rubbed his wrinkled chin. "Our destination goes beyond Vollimere, but we are making our stop there regardless. Furthermore, you will have to pay a toll for the weight you carry. Sixteen gold pieces for each of you."

Theodore had already spent much of his reward money, having to pay his share of that dinner with Yvette. Now he's down to only four coins. "My reward money won't be enough for the both of us."

"No need. I'll pay for both of us. My treat, of course." Yvette raised her hand.

This lady's got a wallet the size of an elephant, Theodore mused. Then again, she said that her expenses were covered by the Cardinal's treasury. "Are you sure you're not emptying your kingdom's pockets by accident with all this spending?" He raised an eyebrow at her.

"Not at all. It's not like they'll be wanting it back when I return anyway." Yvette winked at him, but Theodore was not impressed. As someone who saved his money for important things, it irked him how Yvette can spend hers so haphazardly.

The old man smiled, a gold tooth gleamed. "A deal's a deal. Hop on in."

And soon they were out of the city walls, sitting on the back of the carriage as it moved through the main road. The surrounding forest was beset by a dreadful chill.

"Winter's close," Theodore observed. "We should make haste for Vollimere before it kicks in."

"Why so? The weather seems nice and it might even be weeks before the first snow comes along." Yvette said optimistically.

Theodore looked at her strangely. "Oh, I'm not talking about the weather. In a few days, the sun won't be as warm as it should be. It'll be too cloudy to make the days feel any safer. When that happens, well, you do the math."

Yvette gulped and kept her guard up. She knew Theodore was right; the witch that was haunting the Killarney forests may be dead, but there were worse monsters still out there.

A few hours have passed since their departure from the city. The clouds have become too much and blocked out any blue sky or sunlight. And so far, not a single monster had jumped out and attacked them.

The path to Vollimere was graced with the foggy sights of thick gray rivers and steep mountains standing tall yet barely visible through the fog. The forests around the road were thriving with the sounds of birds chirping and the leaves whistled against the wind. A cold air stirred Theodore under his skin, but the haunting view did nothing to impress or deter him.

Yvette, on the other hand, had her head swinging in all directions. She had a small notebook in her hand, and was writing down everything she saw with a little quill she pulled from the spine.

Theodore made every assurance to avoid any small talk with her. He kept himself a few inches away from her. His eyes were always scanning the horizon from any disturbance.

He carefully sniffed the air for any weird scents he might pick up. A hand on his sword at all times. A hunter must remain vigilant, even at a time of calm. For a monster often strikes when he least expects it.

"Well, aren't you a quiet one" Yvette called up to him, crawling up to his side of the carriage. "Why so glum all of the sudden? We haven't spoken a word to each other for a while."

"I've got no time to talk." Theodore replied. "It's a distraction."

"From what, exactly?" Yvette asked. "If you're talking about monsters, you won't find any here."

"What makes you say that?"

Yvette pointed to her own eyes. "I can see beyond the mortal realm, remember? The spirits lingering around the wilderness are a sign that the path ahead is safe."

"Hmm..." Theodore noted. She had proved to him about the existence of this other world, and he had no objections against it. "I hate talking without reason, and you can't seem to get by without someone to annoy."

"That's rude." Yvette remarked, offended.

"So how about this? Quid pro quo, you answer my question and I answer yours. Deal?"

"It's a deal."

"I go first. Are all magicians like you, being able to see everything, even down to ghastly apparitions?"

"There's no other magician like me," Yvette answered, her eyes strayed and dimmed. "It's simply a gift I inherited from my mother." Her lips twisted and turned before she faced him. "My turn. I heard from Lady Fiona that you've inherited some powerful magic from your father, but I've never seen you use it. Why so?"

Fiona must be a loose-tongued snake if she spilled every secret about him to her apprentice, Theodore thought. Despite the clan surviving through six hundred years, magic was just introduced to the Barclays through his grandmother, the late Miriam of the Fahrenheit clan.

She would pass her magical heritage onto the Barclays after their marriage. This was most apparent in Theodore's father Henry, who was the most powerful magician of the era. Or at least he used to be, as he disappeared long before his son was even born.

"Hunters don't use magic. They train themselves to the peak of their physical prowess to combat monsters and vampires. I've got my sword and my revolver after all. I simply make use of it only in dire situations." Theodore said, as he raised his palm and conjured up a little ball of flame, floating around his fingertips.

Yvette's eyes widened from this knowledge. "You have promise and potential. Lady Fiona would be more than willing to take you as..."

"A student? Fat chance," Theodore scoffed. "Had she stayed and taught me more, I would've been a master at it by now. She told me that, due to my curse, my magic has grown unstable and it'll be a problem should I use it more than I need to."

The carriage trudged along the road amidst a moment of silence. "My turn. It's something that makes me curious. What happened between you and Lady Fiona anyway, Theodore?"

Theodore immediately perked up, and stared at her with those cold eyes, the same thing she saw when he nearly crushed her wrist the other night. Yvette stroked the back of her neck and twisted her lips. She knew she took it one step too far. The subject around his distant aunt was one that Theodore did not want to talk about.

"You don't need to trouble yourself with that." Theodore's gaze eventually softened, but that empty look in his eyes still lingered. "We're simply distant relatives, walking on paths that could never converge. We will say no more about it. My turn now," He reminded her. "What did you do to make Fiona your master? Last time I heard, she never takes any."

"I'm her first," Yvette told him. "I caught her eye when she came to the College eight years ago. I believe it was around that time that she first came to Vollimere to be the Cardinal's court magician."

"It's quite unlike her to take a measly job like that." Theodore said. "She took pride in her high position in the Parliament that she would never accept any thankless job."

"Well, there's a rumor going around among the help and the council that suggest she was exiled from the Parliament, and her transfer here is punishment. Why she was exiled is a mystery, even to me."

Theodore turned away from her after a moment. "I'd rather not know. Alright, no more questions. I'm going to take a nap. You're on guard duty."

"What? But..." And before Yvette knew it, Theodore was fast asleep.

⚜️

Theodore has always found dreams to be the most unpleasant, incoherent nonsense to ever close his eyes to. This one in particular was by far the worst.

He found himself in a castle occupied by no one but a woman dressed in a white nightgown. She sat in a high chair overgrown with thorns and white roses, looming over a canyon from within the view of her window.

Her black hair was so long, it was already spilling on the marble floor. There were horns protruding from her forehead, misshapen ones the size of a tree branch. She was so still and pale, Theodore almost mistook her as a realistic marble statue.

Suddenly, the door at the very end of the room opened noisily. The lady did not bother moving, even as the messenger approached and knelt before her. He was wearing a black cloak over his pale body.

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"Report," her voice was as cold as ice.

"Beaufoy's apprentice is making her way back to the city, madam," the spy hissed. "It would appear that she found the hunter."

"How close are they to the city now?" The lady asked.

"They've joined a group of merchants en route to Vollimere," the spy answered. "Come nightfall, they might reach their destination as we speak."

The lady plucked a white rose from her armrest, and in her hands the rose turned red. Blood dripped from her hand, cut up by the sharp thorns before it healed instantly. "Tell Lycaon to assemble his Claws and dispose of them before they reach the city. Take what they have and leave nothing behind.”

BANG! Theodore’s dream was then interrupted by an intense sound that shook the carriage and brought it to a halt. He sprang awake at night, clutching his sword and was joined by Yvette waking up from her corner as well.

“What happened?” Yvette asked in a daze.

The old merchant sighed in exasperation at the front. “We're nearly in the city, you two. Just at the bridge up ahead. But the wheel on the back might’ve gotten stuck on something. Can one of you go and check it out?”

Theodore stepped out of the carriage and took a close inspection. Apparently, the old man’s hunch was right; the left wheel got buried deep into the mud. He couldn’t quite get that dream out of his mind, but the message was clear; the Countess was already expecting them.

Just then, a loud howling was heard from a distance. A wolf's. Soon enough it was followed by another from the other side of the forest and another howled when the first one ended. On and on until there were dozens of them howling deep within the forest's shadow.

The merchant shook in terror, the color drained from his frail face. "Dear me... It's them..."

Theodore knew what he meant, but there was no time to spare. He quickly pushed on the carriage with all his strength as Yvette kept guard. "As soon as I pull this out, make haste for the city and don't stop!" He told her.

"But we're not going to leave you here!" Yvette protested.

"Like hell you're going to stay here and die with me!" Theodore replied. "Just get the old man to the city. I'll cover you."

Yvette nodded, aggravated. "You better not die! Not when we're this close!"

Theodore could only muster rolling his eyes with her sentiment. He focused on lifting the wheel from the mud whilst the sounds of howling deafened the air. Followed by masses of crunching footsteps nearby. He better be quick or they'll all be done for.

But the wheel was deep into the mud and wouldn't budge despite all of his strength. "Screw this!" Theodore huffed and punched the ground with a gusto of wind magic.

In the split second, the wheel was shaken out of the mud long enough for Theodore to push it away. At once, the wagon was able to move along the path. He tried to chase after it when an assassin pulled him away with furry hands. He then lunged with claw-like gauntlets, which Theodore dodged.

Even for him, the assassin was quite agile. He barely gave Theodore any chance to recover his footing as he evaded his blades. Eventually, Theodore was able to drag his enemy's weapons against a tree and pinned him against the ground. He then dragged his sword against the assassin's throat.

Then he sensed the rest of the pack swarming him from all directions. It was the dead of night. Theodore was barely able to ignite his blade with fire and pull out his revolver with the other hand.

Theodore slashed at the assassins around him, keeping them at a distance. The assassins growled, eagerly waiting for him to mess up and grant him an early death. Through the flames of his sword, Theodore could see his assailants a bit more clearer in the dark now.

They wore cloaks made of leaves and feathers, and wooden masks over their heads to conceal their identities. Theodore observed that the group had four wolf swordsmen, two serpent spearmen, and a falcon at the distance. They were holding makeshift weapons, swords and spears resembling horns and antlers.

Stepping foot a little closer toward Theodore was a wolf far bigger and muscular than the others. Unlike his companions, he wore black steel armor all over his body, a fur cape wrapped around his shoulders. His helmet was shaped like a wolf's head. He held a long forked spear in his furry hand. His scent was somewhat spicy and musky than the other wolves.

Theodore channeled his mana and poured them into the bullets in his revolver, transmuting them with fire and ice. At once, he fired a bullet at him. The leader blocked it with his spear but the bullet merely exploded in his face. Theodore took the opportunity to sprint back to the road.

The falcon flew right in front of him and tried to stab Theodore with his talon feet. Theodore dodged out of the way and shot him dead with a revolver with a clear shot.

The other demi-beasts gave chase, and they swerved around the trees as Theodore fired his gun. Terrible strategy, he thought to himself. He withdrew the revolver, now reduced to two bullets, and his flaming sword once more.

A wolf and a serpent approached him, with their blades upon him. He kept one at bay with a wind spell that knocked him back whilst he dueled the other one. This wolf's form was hard-hitting but too rigid. As soon as they clashed blades, Theodore maneuvered his around the blade and swiftly stabbed him in his chest, followed by a slash to the neck.

The serpent one was quite nimble for his thin complexion. He was able to dodge Theodore's swipes and slapped him aside with his lower half. As Theodore staggered, the serpent was ready to make a killing overhead slice. But Theodore quickly drew the revolver at the last moment and put a bullet in his head.

Theodore raced through the road without a second thought. He swung his sword at the advancing pack, with such gusto that he made a wave of flames so severe that it spread across the forest. A wolf was so close to touching him when he was instantly turned into ashes as Theodore swung.

Eventually the armored wolf caught up to him and sliced up a tree close to Theodore. Before Theodore could react, the wolf quickly stuck both ends of his spear at the tree behind him, pinning him by the neck.

The wolf snarled at him so menacingly, but Theodore merely flinched at a sniff of his rancid breath. His eyes glowed amber in the dark, staring dead through Theodore's glasses. The wolf flinched for a moment as he saw Theodore's crimson eyes, but he regained his composure in a heartbeat.

"This is the best hunter that pesky witch could find?" He whispered, licking Theodore's left cheek. He took Theodore's glasses and promptly crunched it under his fist right front of him. "Suffice to say, I'm not impressed."

"That's just hurtful," Theodore replied, maintaining a dead-like calm in his tone. "Tell me. Did the Countess wake up so inept that she would ask help from a bunch of dogs?"

"Do not mock my brothers, you disgusting demon." he barked. "They were warriors and they fought bravely. You are a vile monster disguised as a puny human. Your pain shall be legendary."

The wolf aimed his claws carefully at Theodore's crimson eyes. But before he could thrust his claws, his arm stopped mid-action and began to shake violently, as bloody handprints spontaneously appeared on his arm.

As Theodore's eyes swarmed his surroundings, he caught a glimpse of Yvette slowly creeping up toward the Wolf, her emerald eyes glowing intensely in the dark. She twisted the amber knob on her cane and with a faint popping noise, pulled out a hidden sword and lunged at the Wolf.

The noise blew her cover and the Wolf caught her blade with his hand, but in doing so left Theodore out of his sight. He then kicked the wolf in the nuts and punched his helmet off. It was enough time for Theodore to pull the spear off his neck. He ran toward Yvette, who was spraying fire from her cane at the wolf to cover his escape.

The wolf shielded himself with his cloak, which seemingly did not burn from its touch. Another series of howls echoed throughout the forest, and the wolf began to laugh. Underneath the helmet was a head of dark hair, wild and unkept like a wolf's mane. There was a big scar where his left ear should've been.

Silhouettes of more raiders creep through fog. Theodore and Yvette found themselves enclosed from every corner of the forest. She flicked her cane and a giant ring of fire surrounded them, keeping the demi-beasts at a distance.

"Where's the old man?" Theodore asked.

"I got him into the city safely." Yvette answered. "Reinforcements are coming. I had to come back and make sure you're okay."

The members of the Shadow's Claw marched closer but kept their distance. "This ring of fire won't last for long. On my mark, run for the city. I'll hold them off." Yvette told Theodore.

Theodore merely squinted at her. "You're insane. You can't face them off on your own. You're only giving yourself a horrible death, you know that?"

"Lady Fiona needs you more than me." Yvette yelled, her emerald eyes shimmered madly as she gazed at him longingly. "Trust me, I can handle this."

"No you do not." Theodore coldly kept his ground firmly planted against the ground. "You hired me to hunt some monsters. Isn't this what you asked me to do?"

Yvette nodded, though it was clear from her hesitation that she was quietly against it. "On my mark." She sheathed her sword back into the cane.

More of the half-wolf raiders jumped out from the shadows, keeping their distance, waiting for their prey to slip up and make a fatal blunder. But Theodore was at his most focused while Yvette was channeling a great deal of mana from the forest around her. Her cane began to glowed and sparks were crackling from the tip.

Her eyes were bright red like the ring of flames she absorbed with her wand. "Go!"

Theodore ducked out of the way. And the next thing he heard was an ear-shattering roar, as if it were thousands of people screaming all at once. He saw a dragon made of fire flying all around the forest, consuming everything in its path in an unquenchable flame.

And in the center was Yvette, dancing ever so graciously. Wherever she flourished her cane like a maestro as she danced, the dragon followed its destination without hesitation like a choir.

Theodore had only seen this magnificent act of magic once before through his aunt; this was all the proof he needed that Yvette truly was her student. Yet there was something off about her that he caught in a mere moment.

Her scent was overridden by a foul stench that barely resembled her. Even her dancing, did not suit this noble lady. An aura of melancholy and maddening rage possessed her as she danced. But there was nothing he could do about her now, as the fight was far from over.

The raiders were scattered and during the confusion, Theodore threw himself into the faction like a crazed demon. Having studied this group's tactics in his few quarrels with them, he had already caught wind of their weaknesses and strengths.

His fighting spirit revitalized and reinvigorated, he sliced and stabbed through entire groups of them. He somersaulted and pivoted past their slow and heavy blows, he was a quick little blur as he passed them by. Blood was all over his eyes, but Theodore barely blinked.

He heard a voice whisper to him from somewhere. It was a cruel echo that he long tried to repress. "Feel the pleasure. Feel the ecstasy of the chaos. Doesn't it excite you so? Let the beast loose and relinquish yourself to its will." It was a phantom bearing the same voice as his own.

Even Theodore couldn't make sense of the madness, he simply found himself tearing through whatever limbs he came across, narrowly dodging any attack thrown at him. As he slew, he caught a glimpse of the wolves when he snuffed the life out of them. Some of them stared at him with eyes of fury and anger.

Others trembled with terror in their faces when he carved their bloody demises. Without his glasses, his vision became red like blood, his perception of reality was blurred and distorted.

Theodore eventually stopped in his tracks as soon as he heard the distant sounds of a war horn. The demi-beasts stopped in their tracks and began racing toward the darkness of the woods.

"Blast! It's the Cardinal army!" He ordered his men. "Collect our wounded and retreat." He glared at Theodore as he disappeared into the embers of the battle.

Theodore found himself standing amidst a pool of blood and corpses, eviscerated into tiny scraps of flesh and gore below him. He felt something warm and thick trickling down his face and licked it. It was blood, and it felt tasty.

"See? You are a monster," the phantom taunted him. "You will never escape that which you are. No cure will be able to quench your lust. Just give in to the beast that you are."

Theodore then bashed his head against a nearby tree to make them stop. The voice, now more monstrous than before, merely cackled at his agony.

"Shut up," he yelled to the laughing phantom. "I said shut up, damn it!"

Then the phantom disappeared. He felt nothing but a painful sting on his forehead. He wiped the blood off his face and went to check on Yvette. He found her passed out on the open field as embers burned what was left of the forest into ashes. Strangely, whatever dark aura he sensed whilst she danced to a sonata of flame has now dissipated.

She seemed so gentle when she was not annoying him. Her skin was smooth and tender, though soaked with mud and sweat. Her hazy breath smelled fondly of apple pies and chamomile. Her green cloak made her stand out against the night-ridden landscape, and the tone of her blonde hair sharpened with the glow of the flames.

It was driving him crazy how beautiful she looked even whilst unconscious, it made Theodore wonder just how much she would taste if she were dead. Wait, what the bloody hell was I thinking? Theodore slapped himself back to his senses.

He immediately carried her in his arms and turned his attention to the approaching band of musketeers on horseback. They wore a navy blue tabard with a symbol of a golden lion over their clothes, and feathered hats on their heads. They either held rifles or flags.

The group were shocked when they witnessed the aftermath of the battle. Theodore marched upon them with Yvette in his hands, which startled their horses. The musketeers panicked and aimed their rifles at the blood-soaked hunter, whose crimson eyes gleamed devilishly.

"Stand down!" Shouted the commander, who galloped through the garrison to meet Theodore. "This is Lady Fiona's apprentice, damn it! Take her back to the city or Lady Fiona will have your heads!"

"But what about the hunter, Sir Sebastian?" A soldier yelled.

"What about him?" The commander raised a curious eyebrow.

"He bears the Hollow's curse. Look at his eyes, they burn with hellfire!" Shouted one of his riders.

"Smell his monstrous stench!" Said another.

The commander dismounted off his black steed and stood right in front of Theodore, staring him down with his only blue eye as a black eye patch concealed his scarred left side. He looked at him with caution, but he wasn't afraid of him.

He was far taller than Theodore, more muscular too. It was hard to determine his age, but he might be a few years older than him.

He had short brown hair, and a gruff-looking scowl upon him. He wore a pitch black cloak unlike his companions, and a tricorn hat on his head. A longsword with a bear's head for a pommel, and a pistol rested on both sides of his belt.

"I need to speak with Lady Fiona," Theodore simply spoke, handing over the unconscious Yvette to the commander. "She's expecting me."

"So you're the hunter she sent Yvette to fetch?" The commander intensely searched him as if he were an explosive keg ready to blow. "My name is Sebastian le Roy, commander of the Cardinal's Army. May I ask for your name, hunter?"

"Theodore."

Sebastian eyed the burning forest from afar with a proud smirk. "By the looks of it, that brute Lycaon seems to have brought enough men here to overwhelm my troops. You spared me from dealing with a costly battle.

"I suppose to be able to fend off that many bandits, much less survive in one piece, that is impressive. You seem quite skilled, Theodore, and I respect that. I will see to it that the Lady receives your message when we return to the city."

"Can I request a bath while we're at it?" Theodore simply replied. "For all their suspicions, your men are right about one thing. I reek horribly."