Chapter 2 Sanguine rewrite

When her eyes opened again, she had been transported to a world unlike any other. Everything was glittering, lavish, majestic. The table before her was made of crystal, with delicate tendrils of mana weaving through it. Mana enhanced everything with its beauty, no matter the mundanity. Even her hand. She let mana flow through her hand. Veins in her hands turned inky black, and strands of every hue danced within.

She never grew tired of this sight, nor lost the sense of wonder and peace it gave her. If she had enough mana, she would have kept her hand like this forever. Or wouldn’t, for it would have drawn too much attention, like a glowing lantern in a dark street, only more striking. All that to say, Amaryllis loved mana. And everything in this place was infused with mana.

She couldn't use magic; that was beyond her reach. Magic demanded something she lacked. Something that only a few had. Mana was a gift to a select few. And a skill, the magic, to a few among those gifted with mana. They were the true winners of life.

The rest were second-class citizens. They had a roof and food. That was all they could hope for. They saved money and went on vacations. And if they were lucky, they never encountered a supernatural that would shatter their dull existence.

The creatures were as much treasure as they were a harrow. Treasure to those who hunted them. The Soul Hunters. And harrow for the rest of the world. And today, she was here, to see if she would become one of those hunters or perish in pursuit. Without ability, it would be hell. But for her sister's sake, she was prepared to live through it.

"Amaryllis Blackfrost." A voice announced.

Amaryllis faced the speaker. "Yes."

A man with blood-red hair sat before her. He wore a suit, a shirt, and a tie, all crisp and clean. He looked more like an official than a hunter. His formal attire didn’t make him any less intimidating.

The scene looked like an interrogation, except for the throngs of coating-wearing individuals walking by and gawking at her as if she were a strange creature.

"Shall we begin? I presume you know the basics of what we deal with?" He said, placing a black file on the desk. "I'm Sanguine. One of the many examiners in this place."

Amaryllis nodded. "Hello, Mr. Sanguine." She replied in an even voice. Her nerves were coiled in anxious agony. Her hands were quivering, sandwiched between her thighs. What could disqualify her? She had no idea. What could kill her? The same. And most importantly, she didn't know if the test had started. They told her to sit and vanished. A whirlwind of worries swirled in her mind. A myriad of questions. And they all had to be hidden under her composed mask as she faced a man whose presence made her soul tremble. Quite literally. Soul hunters had the name for a reason. She had read something about the weight of one's soul. She had none. And he was a mountain.

The man smiled. His battle-scarred face still looked as grave. "Then, I'll proceed with our examination. I've yet to read your file, and I'd rather not," he slid the black file toward her. "This contains every key information that defines your life. From the day you were born to the first time you spoke a word and everything else. Shameful things as well."

Amaryllis tried her best to hide her frown. But she was sure her mask had cracked. And she couldn't help it. If it contained everything, that meant it also held the shards of things she so desperately wished to forget and erase. Her lips parted to say something, yet her voice betrayed her. That had happened too many times in one day.

He observed her with his wise eyes for a minute and let out a sigh. "A normal person with a normal past never comes to this place. We all have a past we want to bury. I still remember that day I sat on that seat, and someone came and placed the file in front of me and interrogated every part of it. They made me confess everything I wished to forget. They had me write what I felt at that time."

Amaryllis's mind froze. She couldn't do that. A sharpened claw clutched her heart. Every breath amplified the pain. She couldn't do this. Was he offering her a way out? Take this file and leave? She would take it. Yes. This had been a blunder. She didn't sign up to have her past stirred. What about hunting demons? What was the point of this?

But, for her sister, she couldn't give up. Not even for this. "I don't mind." She finally said, maybe after five minutes. Or was it an hour? She had lost track of everything. He didn't ask if she minded or not, but she felt he wanted to hear that. She watched him pull the file. Turn the page. It had a face. A blank one. She didn't see it. A name that wasn't hers. Every hair on her body stood up painfully. It's fine.

Sanguine looked at her and smiled again, a melancholy smile. "I will not question you. This assessment is here to determine if you have the resolve to endure when a demon creeps inside the darkest of your memories and twists them, turning you against your fellow hunters. What judgment will you make then?"

Amaryllis kept her mouth closed. She didn't know.

"Safe to say, your resolve is enough to pass from here," he smiled. It still was anything but a kind smile. “But only a handful ever fail here, so don’t celebrate just yet.”

Did he lie to see if I'd agree or not? Was that it? "And what you said about your test..."

"That is true. I cannot bring myself to torture a soul like I had been. To this day, that is the most painful memory. Perhaps it was necessary. One day, you may curse me for not doing this. But... I don't have it in me to go through with this," he said, closing the file and picking it up. Red veins wrapped around it and twisted it into a ball, which burst into flames, not leaving even a speck behind. "Not to say I have compromised with the assessment. You cannot answer half-heartedly while looking into my eyes. The weight of such a lie is not something a soul like yours can handle. You would've gone through the assessment while having knowledge and understanding of what you're going to feel. That is enough."

"Thank you..." Amaryllis exhaled a grateful sigh. She was not insane. She remembered her past vividly enough to know how it would have felt. She shuddered at the thought of reliving the moment when her sister succumbed to blackfrost. And it was far from the most painful thing she’d ever felt. Even now, she felt the sinking claw in her heart.

"It's one of the easier tests, as far as the physical body goes. I disagree with that, of course. Just look at your hands."

Amaryllis did. They were red, nerves throbbing in pain, and clenched in a rigid fist. "I got a bit carried away," she said in a tremulous voice.

"Follow me," Sanguine said, walking ahead without waiting for her.

Amaryllis trailed behind, running to match his long strides. She was breathless, but her quivering body warmed up as they moved.

Stolen novel; please report.

"Still, I'm curious about something, but feel free to decline. Are you here because someone in your family is afflicted with Blackfrost?" He didn't sound judgmental, which was uncommon, but she had encountered a few people like that. Compassionate. Most people, including her school friends, shunned her once they learned her sister contracted the infection. Their parents taught them to. Amaryllis didn't resent them, but loneliness didn't feel good either. Not to mention, she was treated like a plague until the day she decided to drop out to work full-time since all their savings had been drained by the hospital.

"I am here because I don't want to be alone," she answered truthfully. Apart from Cynthia, she had no one, nor did she desire anyone. It would distract her from saving her sister. Cynthia was all Amaryllis needed.

"That's a way to phrase it."

They stopped at the elevator. Once it opened, they stepped inside. He pressed a number of buttons that were a code to take them to the next facility. "Before the next test, you'll have a weapon crafted just for you. A weapon forged of your soul. And finally, witness the mythical status all ability users are granted. I'm sure you've heard of it."

"Of course, I have. But without any ability, what use is status? What can I cultivate?" Amaryllis had dabbled in a few games to glimpse how ability users enhanced their powers, and her verdict was unclear. It all boiled down to slaughtering monsters and unlocking the next skill. Endless grind. While this notion seemed so simple, there was no chance of resurrection in the real world, so even the hardest games paled in comparison to what ability users faced.

Sanguine grinned sagely. "You'll find out soon enough."

I can get an ability. It makes sense, otherwise, what’s the point of inviting me? Wait, Her eyes widened, I can get an ability? She looked at Sanguine, and his grin widened. Calm down. You don’t want iced water on your head once things don’t turn out this hopeful. I will know soon. But still, her heart thumped with child-like excitement. Perhaps for the first time in years, it had thumped for anything that was not painful.

The elevator sank with the speed of a snail. Amaryllis learned that Sanguine abhorred silence, but she was a buzzkill. Engaging her in conversation was anything but easy. He glanced at his watch, fiddled with his mobile, then peered at her, and repeated that eternal cycle. She was amused, though. Things were looking hopeful and, dare she say, optimistic. Yet serpents of dread twisted in her stomach. There was no way she could escape without everything going awry.

“Are you aware of soul forged weapon?” He finally found something.

“As far as I’ve read, soul demons are immortal and cannot be killed without a soul weapon,” Amaryllis answered. She knew there should be more to it. But, as far as she knew, the only way to kill a soul demon was with a soul-forged weapon. The Soul Hunt Association had a monopoly over them. It also made them quite convincing in the face of presidents and emperors.

To make sure the value of the soul-forged weapon never declined, an invitation was sent to a few hand-selected people. And no one could influence it. Amaryllis knew that because her city mayor’s son committed suicide after failing to join the hunt.

A test was conducted even among the invitees, and ninety percent of them died. The Soul Hunt discloses the number of deaths after each examination. And the remaining ten would become the world’s most vicious yet sought-after people—The Soul Hunter.

Receiving an invitation made her special, too. She didn’t know how it did, but she could’ve been in the news had she had an academy and parents for it.

“That is… correct, at some level,” Sanguine said unsurely. “Someone will explain how this works once you have a soul-forged weapon.”

Amaryllis nodded. She expected half of her knowledge to be false once she learned the real side of how things worked.

Ting!

The elevator opened. Sanguine strode out at his sprinting pace. Amaryllis did her best to keep up and was drained beyond belief.

"That's the last invitee."

Amaryllis's eyes scanned from one face to the other in the hall. She could surmise they were like her, summoned by the association.

"She looks frail," someone else remarked.

"Without ability, I've heard." Accompanied by a snicker. The kind she was all too familiar with. The nerve in the base of her neck pulsated. Lowering her head, she scurried past them.

"And her sister is in monster prison."

Her heart tightened painfully as the scorching lava churned beneath her skin. How did they find out? She recalled her sister's face. Why was she here? She couldn't jeopardize her assessment for a bunch of nameless gossipers. Since they knew, she assumed they were planted by the association to test her temper. But they had all the data on her past. Why would they need to do this? Because they want to see what I’ll do right now.

She exhaled. The flames dwindled as they lost all their fuel.

Sanguin halted at another door. "You did splendidly back there. I was ready to restrain you before you killed anyone."

"I gathered as much," Amaryllis monotonously uttered, her dreary eye searching for the face that called her sister a monster. He’d be hanging outside his building tonight if Amaryllis got hold of him. "But kill... you mean I could’ve fractured some bones?"

"I mean, I was stunned by a sudden burst of action from a calm examinee. It could have taken me a moment to comprehend what was happening," Sanguine chuckled. "I'll append that to your assessment sheet. Excellent at regulating emotions or something. I doubt it would alter your overall score by much."

"I see..." Amaryllis dipped her head. "I assumed it was part of the assessment."

"Hmm..." Sanguine didn't utter anything further. The door opened, leading to the abyss. "Well, farewell, Amaryllis. I have to say, it was a delight to be your assessment officer, but this is as far as I go. Hopefully, we'll be partners on a Soul hunt someday."

"Thank you for everything, Mr. Sanguine," Amaryllis gave a bow. "You seemed like a retired man."

"Nah, I seldom get to visit the peaceful side of the world, so why not don something classy for a change."

"Then, I hope we indeed go on a hunt someday. I'm grateful you were the first person I met. You're a tremendous help. Farewell."

Sanguine gave her another nod, and Amaryllis strode into the darkness. She could already anticipate the next person being a hundred times more severe than Sanguine. She might have exhausted all her luck to get him on the first test. But she still felt cheerful. It had been a long time since someone conversed with her like that. Even if he did regard her with some pity. She wished it was all in her imagination.

"Heyo!" Something exclaimed in the darkness. It was a merry, childlike voice. Warm and contagious.

"Hello," she responded. The voice emanated from all directions at once, and from within her. It was a mystifying experience. "I'm Amaryllis." She was 110 percent certain this was the next assessment. And this would be her instructor. But Sanguine said I will have my weapon forged before then. What's happening? Perhaps he meant after this section.

"Amaryllis," the voice crooned. Now, it was concentrated in one direction. Much more childlike. Feminine. "I like it," she declared. Whoever she was. And it came far too close to her ears, but no one was leaning over her. "Who am I?" The voice had shifted to the left side now.

"I don't know," she replied.

"I don't know either. But... Yeah, yeah. That's how it works. Right. Amaryllis, choose a cute yet proud name fitting for someone of a divine origin," the voice whirled, flying in a loop.

"What about Fia?" Amaryllis suggested. She didn't know why she picked it. But she favored three-letter names. They were cute. And she had read a book in which one of the gods, the Moon Goddess, was named Fia. Was that her reasoning? She herself was not sure. Something had manipulated her mouth for that instance.

"Fia. Yep. I like it," a soft, fluffy thing settled on her shoulder. The darkness concealed it. "Amaryllis, I'm Fia. We will meet soon." Then, the weight vanished.

Her vision faded.