A Guide to Surviving Against Monsters

I woke up in my apartment with a gasp, fear making my heart pound. I held my hand over my twitching green eye, unable to grasp what had just happened.

He did something to me.

But it only partially worked.

What did he do, though?

My joints cracked as I launched myself to my feet, heading for the bathroom. Upon looking in the mirror, I saw the same thing I always did; pale skin, tired eyes, choppy hair and several gleaming weapons. An ache travelled through my temples, making me wince.

I don't have the restrictions that they do, I thought, but he was still able to 'tie' me to something.

They want me to stay in this damned city. Did Roman tether me here?

I turned away from the mirror, shrugging off my coat. I took more care in putting away my weapons, keeping a single knife tucked into my boot. Tomorrow, I would tell my comrades the story of what I was. Then, I would hunt a demoness.

My plan for after that hunt had been to stay, despite part of me wanting to flee.

But now, I needed to know if I even had that choice anymore.

I grabbed cleaner clothes, which were still black, and a regular jacket. My hands trembled as I left the building, walking toward the nearest barrier point. If I could cross it, then that meant that Roman's little trick failed.

Unfortunately for me, the world had other plans.

"Emmalyn?"

I'd know that dead inside voice anywhere.

"Luca?" I asked, glancing behind me. In the end, it was him, standing there with a grocery bag hanging off two fingers.

Part of me wanted to ignore him, but neither of us had time for being petty right now.

"Is this a dream?" He muttered, motioning to my clothes. "I never imagined I'd see a wild Emmalyn Foxit without a single piece of weaponry."

I bent down, pulling out my knife. When I pointed it at him, he smirked.

"I stand corrected."

Putting the blade away, I straightened, eyeing his bags. "Is there a reason you called me out, Luca? You could've passed by without a word."

He raised an eyebrow. "You still would've known someone was there."

"I would've pretended otherwise."

Luca laughed soundlessly, averting his eyes. I saw him staring at the barrier watchtower, his face molded into an expressionless gaze.

"Were you leaving?"

I shook my head. "Testing something, actually."

"So you're not bailing on us?"

"Nope. I have some stories to tell."

"And you trust all of us?"

I noticed he was looking back at me now, his eyes filled with intensity. He was dead serious, while I simply shrugged.

"It's time I tell someone," I sighed, "so that if I die at the hands of that demon, there's people out there who can spread my real story."

Luca didn't have an answer for that.

"Isn't that why you told me who your family was?"

He scoffed, taking two steps toward me. His long legs made it easy for him to cross the distance between us, the other hunter looming above me. His height forced me to look up just to see his face, my short hair falling away from my own. My two differently coloured eyes stared up at him.

I wondered if he found them freaky, or if the symbols etched into my right iris scared him.

He certainly didn't show it in his blank expression.

"I told you about the family I came from because I trust you, Foxit. Not because I want someone to spout my 'story' to the world once I finally get myself killed."

"That's not what I--"

"I don't want you to leave."

My words fell silent, my eyes widening. For the first time since I met him, Luca looked vulnerable. He cleared his throat, his eyes never leaving mine. We didn't touch each other, but with my heightened senses, I could feel every inch of him. I heard his pounding heart, and I knew he was sweating, just a bit.

"You're a good huntress, Foxit," he said firmly. "And I think the Academy needs you."

"So that I can just prance around with the students to keep them alive for a month before they go solo and die immediately?" I asked dryly.

"No."

That got my attention.

"I think you should change the Academy," he told me. "Improve it. If anyone could be a Headmistress, it would be you, Foxit."

"I hate that damned Academy."

Luca shrugged. "Then maybe you should be a teacher elsewhere. Either way... Stop being just a tool to them."

I scowled. Still, I couldn't force myself to look away.

My sarcastic attitude came back with a smirk. "So you just want me to stay here because you think I should get rid of all the shitty teachers."

His smirk turned into something amazing.

A real, genuine smile. Affectionate even.

"I think you should stay because of something other than that," he murmured, leaning down toward me. "But it's a selfish reason. I won't burden you with it."

"Luca, don't you dare--"

Too late. He was already walking away.

Bastard.

I watched him go, glaring at the back of his head. My feet scuffed the pavement as I glanced back at the invisible barrier, this time wondering if I wanted to find out the answer to what Roman had done.

I have to stay until Sasora is killed.

I can worry about what he did to me after that.

With that in mind, I forced myself to forget about the strange encounter with Luca and my longing to escape this city.

After all, I needed to prepare for tomorrow's long speech.

Oh, and a demon hunt.

But if I was being honest, telling my comrades the truth scared me more than Sasora ever could.