Seji thought he would have never smiled again after his best friend died, his anger kept on growing without him even noticing it. But, today was different. He was going on a mission, so he could finally have something else to think about, and he was paired with other two hunters, Neira and Zed. Seji was happy, after such a long time, to finally being able to make a couple of friends.

Miss Kokoro rushed through Seji’s room door, as if she was on a hurry. After what happened 6 months earlier to Taiku, Seji heard miss Kokoro crying often in the evening, she was a teacher for less than one year, she was very young, even though her thick glasses and her formal hairstyle made her seem older. Seji respected all the teachers, by unlocking his Grace he was able to feel other hunters Graces too, and they all had a very strong light.

Miss Kokoro: Seji! Get all your stuff and get ready to start your journey! Neira and Zed, Revant’s apprentices, are waiting for you downstairs. They seem to have assumed their master’s patience too, so don’t keep ‘em waiting!

Seji heard about master Revant once, they all said he was an alcohol addicted play boy, but somehow they all respected him.

Seji: sure miss Kokoro, I’ll be there in a minute.

As miss Kokoro slammed the door closed Seji thought to himself

Seji: …it’s the time; Taiku, my journey is about to start. I’ll always carry your will inside me, dear friend.

Neira: oh look who’s finally here! the graceborn! Seji right? How are you?

Zed: pff.. why couldn’t we leave without him?

Seji:I’m…sorry...i’m fine Neira, glad to see you.

It was the first time Seji spoke to other hunters in a while, Neira and Zed had the same age of Seji, Neira was a cute girl dressed with a long skirt with a moon stitched in front of it, long black hair tied in a tail with some untied strands, bright blue eyes and a big innocent smile. Zed was a spiked hair boy with a bandana on his forehead covering part of his left eye and a tooth necklace, he wore the classic suit the students were provided with when they joined the institute.

Zed: yes,yes..can we go now miss Kokoro?

Miss Kokoro: you are about to travel to the north of Italy, there’s a small city near Turin that has reported us the presence of darakus, for now, the amount of victims is 3, but there’s no guarantee that by the time you’ll get there this number won’t increase, so hurry it up! Jump on Sharla, our finest traveling giant hawk, it’s the latest version, it even has hooks attached to carry you bags and a whistle to call her back! I used all my salary to buy Sharla, so please be gentle with her!

Seji was enchanted to see such a majestic creature, he read about traveling hawks but he never saw one. It is said that they were normal sized birds until an hunter, Kemon, transformed them to help other hunters with their missions

Neira, Zed and Seji: fine miss Kokoro, don’t worry!

The three young hunters left on the traveling hawk

Seji: wow! This thing is so fast! My bag has almost flew away!

Zed: why didn’t you hang it on the hooks? You are such a fool

Seji: oh c’mon Zed at least I’m trying to say something!

Zed: that’s the problem

Seji: …

Neira: don’t mind him Seji, he is always like that, but he is a good guy.. he just hate to show it

Zed: hmpf, I wouldn’t be so sure.

Neira: oh shut up Zed, you are a good doggy

Zed: what did you just say!?...be thankful that we are on a traveling hawk so I can’t transform and bite your head off

Neira: eheheh I bet you can’t catch me!

Zed: I bet I can!

Neira and Zed kept fighting until they arrived.

Seji: hey guys we have arrived can you please stop now?

…

Neira: and I think you should have more showers, you always stink!..oh hey husky boy, we’re arrived

Zed: I can see it lullaby girl.

It was a bright day at the city, the hunters headed to one of the victim’s house to see his relatives

Neira: greetings ma’am, we are hunters, my name is Neira. We’ve been sent here from the northern hunters institute by Tada Kibishiga, the headmaster.

Mara: good morning hunters.. my name is Mara. I found my brother lying on the floor last evening, he was bleeding from his ears and from his nose, I thought it was meningitis, but then I saw Pestilence’s mark on his shoulder

Mara looked like a nobile woman, she was all dressed in black with a big top hat, she mustn’t have had more than 20 years but yet she seemed to be much older, may it be for the cold glare of her green eyes

.

Zed: Pestilence? A Horseman of the Apocalypse!? Why would one of the knights target a small Italian city? And also.. how do you know about his mark?

Seji: that’s a good question, Zed, Kibishiga once told that the four Horsemen are searching for the five pieces of a special weapon, I don’t even know what that is, but if it is so important for them, and there’s even a slight chance that a piece could be hidden here, then it’s one reason more to investigate and destroying all the darakus that are probably scouting for it.

Neira: you’re right Seji. Mara, when you came here and saw your brother, did you also saw a daraku and do you possibly know where he was headed?

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Mara: I read a book talking about the Horsemen..i tought it was legend, but when I saw it on my brother’s shoulder I had to reconsider it… his funeral will be tomorrow. I did saw one, Neira, he was going south, probably to an abandoned mining cave at the end of the road.

Zed: that’s enough for me, my Grace is reacting, i can smell their stench from here

Seji: really? my Grace hasn’t yet activated.

Zed: my Grace has a much longer range of activation due to my animal infusion power.

Seji: that’s useful! Let’s go Neira, we must check that mining cave

The three hunters rushed as fast as they could, on the road they could all feel the darkness of the darakus getting closer and closer, and Seji felt his hatred emerging again in his mind for each step he took. The cave was in a wooded area, it was morning but the trees were covering the sun.

As they got to the mine, two darakus showed up at the entrance. Each daraku differ from the others, even though they all have some similarities, they all looked like tall deformed men with sharp claws on top of their long arms, a tipped tail and a skeleton look on their faces, black blue-ish skin and their eyes are missing.

Daraku: look at that! Three young little hunters want to play with us!  Finally we can have a good meal after a week in this stupid cave.

Seji was petrified, looking at the ground with his eyes wide open, beads of sweat rolling down his face and dropping from his nose.

He was starting to glow, his mind was completely clouded by hatred. He started turning in his awakened form. Neira and Zed saw that he was transforming, even though they were screaming, Seji couldn’t hear anything. He was almost unconscious and locked inside his mind, his body was moving, but he wasn’t controlling it.

-Seji, you’ll have to go through a treacherous road. You’ll suffer a lot, and your sacrifice will be countless…you understand that?

Seji: wh-who’s there? Who’s talking?

- I always knew it.. I knew that you were born to do this, I tried to protect you from this war…I tried to fulfill your mother’s last wish..

Suddenly Seji pulled up his head. He was completely awakened. He drew his sword.

Daraku: h-how the…this hunter is full of hatred I can smell it but.. what is this uneasy feeling!? Hate should give us power! Than why, why…am i… scared? ..i’m going to kill you hunter! There won’t be anything to bury of you when we’re done!

The darakus assaulted the boy with all their strength, moved by an emotion they’ve never felt, fear.

Seji sword started getting so brightful that the darakus had to stop their attack, but it was too late, the light of the sword had already burned their skin. Seji dashed to them, with a single slice he cut them both in half, the hunter was covered in their black blood, still unconscious as if he was possessed, he stared at their dying bodies

Seji: have a taste of the emotions of which you are so dear. This is Tenshi no Ken, level one.

Seji came back to his normal state, and fell on the ground fainted.

Neira: Seji! Seji! Wake up! You destroyed the darakus!

Seji: did..i..killed them?

Neira: yes, you did. But you weren’t conscious, you looked like you were possessed, it was scary!

Seji: I don’t remember anything.. the last thing I remember is the hatred and disgust I felt right after that it all became blurry.

Zed: you’re a psychopath Seji! I don’t exactly know what happened..but you killed them both with extreme ease. While you were unconscious I scoured the mine, there’s nothing here. Let’s go back to the institute to report all of this… this is not to be taken lightly, a horseman was involved.

Seji pulled out the whistle to call back Sharla from his pocket and blew it. No one was talking, maybe because of the seriousness of the situation, or maybe because even the two hunters were scared of what Seji did before.

Mara: so that was the graceborn huh? Ahah..those poor little darakus..should have I told them they were just a test for our young hunter? Well, now all the institutes know that we are after that greenhorn graceborn, so my job here is done, isn’t it Boshi?

Mara’s top hat flew down of her head and started to talk

Boshi: yes Pestilence-sama! We should go back home and let your brothers know, Boshi!

Byoki: Boshi! How many times I told you that I hate that name! just call me Byoki or else I’ll make you rest on War’s flaming head!

Boshi: I’m sorry Byoki-sama! Please be merciful! Boshi!

meanwhile, the three hunters arrived at the northern institute to report their mission to Kibishiga

Kibishiga: what!? One of the victims had Pestilence mark?! This is more serious than I thought..Julia Kokoro! Wasn’t this supposed to be a simple scouting mission?

Miss Kokoro: uh..y-yes Kibishiga! We checked that area before sending the apprentices but there was nothing to be found! I’m just as surprised as you!

Kibishiga: ..Seji, the Horsemen know about you now. You’ve become a target. We don’t know what they are planning to do, the best way to figure out their plans are is to act normally, you will keep taking part to missions along with your team and we’ll constantly keep an eye on you.

Seji: master Kibishiga…when I was fighting the darakus…the last thing I remember is a deep feeling of hatred, after that, I lost control over my body but somehow I killed both the darakus with one strike, according to what Neira and Zed said.

Kibishiga lowered his head slightly, Seji could see a hint of a smile in his face. He never saw the master happy since he joined the institute, so he didn’t know if he should be glad or scared to see him that way.

Kibishiga: so it wasn’t a legend, heh…that old fox

Seji: hm..who are you talking to master?

Kibishiga: huh? Oh don’t mind me, I just remembered the words of an old friend. From now on, I’ll take you under my wing, we will follow a special training in order to let you control your Grace and to prevent you to become a puppet-like killing machine.

Seji: wait, what?