The realm in distress, many protest before the king's castle. The princess cannot be queen as she is studying the arts, and the Citadel would not let her go that easily, let alone the fact that she would be the first ruler with control over magic. Serene's footsteps can be heard from outside Nerys's chamber.

"Nerys... i am sorry child." Serene walked in as she saw the girl looking out the window. She walked closer to her as she closed the door.

"You know we cannot let you go, not now, you are progressing so well." The girl continues looking out the window without saying a word. A few seconds of silence fills the room. Serene can feel the girl's anger and sorrow.

The girl turns and starts to walk out of the room. The woman grabs her hand as she reached after the girl. Nerys tried to pull her arm away from the woman.

"Let me go Serene! I have to go to the castle and talk to my father's adviser!"

"They will shun you!" The woman refused to let the girl go. Suddenly her hand was snapped out of her hold by Nerys using the shadows. The girl then turned away and ran out.

"Nerys!" The woman stood up and yelled after the girl as she was already making her way to the entrance.

The gates were still open as she stopped running and walked across the bridge in a haste. All the people of the city were on the streets. Bonfires' smoke flew to the sky as the princess got on the streets. She turned her way to the castle she has not visited in months. A man was at the top of a makeshift stage, rambling about how the king betrayed his own court. He stopped as he saw Nerys and pointed at her.

"There she is! The princess of our realm, the daughter of the king! The whore of the Citadel!" The crowd bursted into laughter. The girl just stood silent not understanding the scenario, how did her father betray the court? He always listened and cared for everyone, something was wrong.

"Want to know why she still has no husband? 'Cause no one in all the realms of this continent would take trash they don't need!" The people kept making fun of her. Eventually a small rock was flying from the crowd towards the girl. It hit her right in the head.

More stones flew at the girl as she tried covering her head with her arms. As more stones hit her, her shadow started to get lighter as she waved her arm in front of her and an invisible wall shielded her.

"Oh! 'Ere it is people! Our Princess!" The man said mockingly as the crowd grew more angry. Eventually one of them with a sword in his hand approached the girl and took her arm. She tried pulling the man's hand off, but he was way stronger than her. As they proceeded to get closer to the castle she saw there, why the rebels were up in arms. Corpses hanging side by side on pillars. All members of the court. Her father laying dead in front of them. She froze in the moment as even more anger filled her. She closed her eyes as her shadow completely disappeared along with the man's who held her.

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"Let me go!" The girl screamed as she hit the man's chest with her other hand as he flew at high speed away from her crashing on the ground. The crowd walked back from her as the girl had a dark aura around her. Tears fell from her eyes as rage filled her even more.

Two guards rushed towards her with long swords, one ready to stab her. She kicked the sword out of his hands with great speed as she ignited the guard, turning his shadow into flames. The fire was not huge as her powers were not as strong while the sun was out. The other one swinged his sword towards her. She dodged under the sword. The man started screaming in peril as smoke was coming out of his helmet. The man was burning under his armor while desperately trying to get his helmet off.

The crowd threw chairs, plates, rocks, everything they had at the girl in hope of getting her away. She then crouched down. Jumped, and with that, like a dragon she flew up on a building by jumping. Altering her shadow to become physical and pushing her with great power.

She proceeded to run out of the city on the rooftops. As she vanished into the woods, Serene chasing after her from the Citadel.

Wind blew in the mountains in a distant land away from the turmoil of Sverdsin, the home of Nerys. A ruler with armor on, mostly of chainmail and some lighter steel plating marches in front of an army on his horse.

"Everyone! To Sverdsin! For the Overlord!" With that the army started marching out to the countryside. More and more soldiers appearing over the crest seemingly never ending.

While back on the snowy mountain at Katketty the hunters ponder what to do. How could this happen to that village? What will happen after this? What shall they do? As they think in the great hall, Rufa stands in front of them all. The hall grew silent.

"We shall do what we do best. Kill the beasts. We will figure out in time how to stop them all, but we need to deal with them as they come, we will not get answers as we sit on our asses in the hall. We go around the lands, into other realms as well if we have to, as Sverdsin will surely fall." All of them think and nod in approval, not having a better idea anyway.

"We have no time to waste, we have to think who will go where to stop these monsters and gather all information you might get about them. We will all be welcome as no one else will dare kill these beasts. I will tell you all personally where you will operate and you can be on your own after that." The hunters get up one by one and go on their way. Some of them to make sure their gear is in shape. Some of them pack what they can. Cadmus walks after Rufa as they walk to the lower levels.

"Do you really think we will be accepted?" Rufa turns around and shrugs. "Probably not, we are freaks for them until a beast shows up, then we are just a tool. But we can use that to our advantage and get even more coins for our services. If we do not kill the beasts no one else will."

"I volunteer to stay in Sverdsin, unless you have another idea for me?"

"I actually do, Miria."

"Miria? Isn't that where the Arts are originally from?"

"And that is exactly why you are going there. Be sure to message me as you progress, Cadmus." Rufa puts his hands on Cadmus and smiles. Then he sends him off as the first Hunter to ride away from the fortress, away from the snow and into the forest filled land.