“Look at that girl…”

“She’s so pretty!”

“Is she a foreigner?”

“That’s a living doll!”

A short girl with curly, rose quartz hair wearing a baby blue dress stepped inside the new cafe across from the Wraith Hunter’s Association. The cafe had just opened last week and was immediately popular among residents and the hunters. The girl’s purple eyes looked at the screen menu, her natural long lashes batting flawlessly. Almost all the customers inside the cafe were staring at her. What is a young girl who came straight out of a storybook doing in the real world?

Around 10 people inside here are wraiths. How nice.

She’s never been to the place, but her feet brought her to the area for some reason. She was looking for clues and answers. The whispering voices weren’t entirely wrong in thinking she was a foreigner. Her beauty was just out of that world. Her small rounded face, huge eyes, hair, and porcelain skin make her look like a living doll, and her height just added to her overall cuteness.

I landed in the right kingdom, right?

The girl rolled her eyes. She arrived in the republic’s capital city a month ago and adjusted herself to fit in. It was hard for someone as young as her. But out of sheer luck, she found a temporary place to stay and earned the money she’ll be needing for her visit.

“Next, please.”

The girl wore her iconic sweet smile when her turn came. “Hi, can I get a strawberry and cream milkshake with extra strawberries and chocolate chips?”

She never tried that before. But in the mansion back home, she gets a similar dessert once in a while. Perhaps it has a similar taste, so she would like to find out.

“Hey, man, this is the new store I was talking about. Let’s give it a try.”

The door rang when new customers came in. The girl’s skin immediately shivered.

This aura…!

“I-I’m sorry, but I gotta go. My younger sibling is alone at home. His babysitter had some important matters to attend to.”

“But—alright. Hey, wait! I’ll come with you!”

“What’s your name, ma’am?” The server cannot take their eyes off her ethereal beauty. The young miss returned to reality and flashed her smile once again.

“Beatrice.”

Beatrice immediately turned her head around but the aura wasn’t there anymore.

“Big brother Magnus…”

“Take care, Reno.” Kino waved goodbye to his brother as they parted ways at the station. Reno didn’t want to go to school to spend more time with him but as much as Kino wanted to do the same thing, he has a bunch of classes to catch up on. When he was finally allowed to go home that day by WHA, he immediately contacted his brother and best friend. It turned out Reno temporarily stayed at Morris’ house while they looked for his whereabouts. A lot of tears and screaming happened when he appeared in front of them. The fabricated letter he left didn’t work. Their meeting was an emotional moment that he couldn’t help but shed tears in exchange for the way his little brother cried on his shoulders.

He liked to convince himself his life is still normal. Kino was allowed to keep his job despite being a wraith and they even let him get reunited with his family. He didn’t like to think of anything related to WHA at the moment knowing they knew what he is.

The following week, the president announced him as the first wraith to work with the agency, calling him the Slayer. It earned a lot of backlash and death threats. It was probably the day he suffered the closest near-death experience. The higher officials protected him at the meeting followed by President Eve’s explanation regarding the benefits he’ll offer for WHA. Even his death punishment in case things go wrong on his part was mentioned as well. In the end, the hunters had no choice but to agree to work alongside him. His job of earning their trust had started that day.

To ensure his safety from wraiths, he had to use the other exit of WHA wearing casual clothes and a mask to hide his face as he is currently their most important asset in annihilating the said species. Wraiths wouldn’t let a traitor working for the enemy roam the same streets as them. He’d be killed in no time.

Kino had also visited Parker and Calix in the hospital. According to the doctor, they weren’t in a life-threatening condition anymore and could wake up any time soon. The same day, he went to see the graves of Aran, Julius, Ellis, Miss Maxi, and all the others who’d died from the previous raid. He was still reminded of their happy faces when they talked about their plans once the raid was over, without having any idea of their awaiting tragic fate. Kino would dream about them calling his name, asking why he didn’t save them and how they didn’t want to die. He was supposed to tour them around his school. Aran was planning to go to the university and soon will take over his family restaurant after he graduates. Julius still hasn’t prepared a present for his sister’s birthday, and Ellis has to see his dog. Wet cheeks would greet him the next morning. The guilt of not being able to save them eats him up on the inside. He kept blaming himself. He felt powerless and stupid. If only it was possible to save himself and everyone else that day, he’d be willing to lose a limb or two a million times.

“Thank you for your service.” Kino’s face heated up in embarrassment as he stood in front of hundreds of students in the gym hall. He and the other hunter students dead on the island raid were given appraisals and prayers in the morning ceremony when he returned. It was very awkward. Wraith students watching him on the stage were probably dismayed behind their smiles. They will certainly tell their parents about this unforgivable betrayal.

When that happens, I’ll be facing more danger…

Kino thinks he doesn’t deserve such praise and kind words. If he didn’t transform to his awakened wraith form that day, it’s either he’d have ended up dead or be hailed as a survivor who didn’t contribute anything useful in the raid. The night he visited the Panelle House, he recalled the memories of his awakened form but it only brought fear upon him. His mind was split between his own and Magnus’, but his winning against the wraith prince was true–he managed to save his remaining comrades, which he knew Magnus would never do.

“Please listen carefully. This will show up on the test…”

He returned to the classroom receiving nothing but thank-yous from his classmates, calling him a hero. As a nobody throughout high school, he found it somehow flattering. No one ever looked at him except when they needed something. Only his teachers noticed him but to applaud him for being a hard worker. But on that day, he was the main character out of a comic book. It made him happy for a bit.

“Sorry, I’m late.” A knock at the door interrupted the morning lecture. Henrietta Homa stood at the opening, sophisticatedly hugging her books in one arm and banana milk in the other. From how it looks, any excuses that’ll come out of her lips would be disregarded, as the real reason for her late arrival was already telling based on her current appearance. Even the biology teacher knew but chose to sport a faint smile instead.

“It’s alright, Henrietta. Please take a seat. And now, back to what I was saying…”

Kino was unmoving in his seat the moment she showed up. Just before the island raid, he was thankful to find out none of his classmates were wraiths. But it turned out there was one.

Henrietta looked in his direction with a confused expression on her face. For sure she felt him too. Both their eyes meet asking different questions of their own. Since when did she feel a wraith aura from him? What will he tell her?

His heart was racing uncontrollably. It wasn’t just an ordinary feeling of sensing another wraith aura. It was weirdly… comforting. He felt sad and warm for some reason. There was a questionable feeling of longing when his eyes landed on her. He couldn’t explain why.

Lunch break started. It was time for him to go but he remained at his desk. So did she. The silence between the two in that empty classroom was unbearable. The longing feeling never subsided, instead, it was only getting stronger.

Why do I feel this? I don’t even know her well enough!

“So, I…” Kino didn’t know how to start. “Can we talk somewhere more private?”

Henrietta didn’t speak. But she stood up and he took it as a signal to follow. The two made it to the rooftop and she shut the door with a loud bang.

Without warning, a blow from her fist right to his stomach sent him flying to the fences. The cemented half wall cracked while Kino vomited thick saliva. He didn’t see that coming. He'd heard of Henrietta getting involved in numerous catfights, but does she fight other girls with that kind of power too?

“What does a traitor want to tell me?” Her voice was cold. She walked towards him on the ground and pulled him by the uniform with both her hands. Her eyes were burning furiously with anger.

“I… I… Look, it’s a long story but I want you to understand. I-I know we’re not close and you’re as confused as the other wraith kids but I want you to listen—“

“I don’t care about the others. Tell me everything I need to know.”

“I…” Kino told her the important details of his situation until he mentioned the wraith students who might have told their families about the traitor of their species from the morning assembly. “Honestly, I-I don’t know anymore. I'll always be in danger, Henrietta, no matter who I side with. This curse has destroyed my life when I only wanted a bright future to live in.” They ended up sitting side by side by the fences. Henrietta’s lunch box sits nicely on her lap with the lid closed, not in any mood to eat. Instead, the girl picked a cigarette stick from her purse and started puffing.

“Who do you side with?”

“Uhm… I…”

“Be honest with me. I don’t care if it's with humans or us. It’s your life’s decision.”

Kino closed his eyes firmly and sighed. “With humans…”

“How nice.”

“Huh?” The bright skies reflected off her green eyes.

“I don’t care, honestly. As long as I can fit in between the two factions, I’m alright. No wraith or humans are superior or inferior to me. I grew up around the two species my whole life. Some of them gladly co-exist, some of them are aiming at each other’s throats. Then at seven, I realized that it’s just really up to people what they think is right for the sake of survival. Just like you. That made me think to just focus on myself. As long as I’m safe and I see myself surviving in this world, then I’m willing to live in peace with everyone.”

“Henrietta…”

She’s somewhat similar to me.

The girl continued. “Besides, I don’t have any choice. I don’t want to play a hero or a god. Others can do that. If I die, I don’t want to do it for other people. I want to do it for myself. I exist to please myself and not the world.”

Kino nodded his head. “Me? I’m in this position right now because I want to save myself and my loved ones. I want to live in this world normally, even though I know it’s impossible now.”

Henrietta smirked. “You find it impossible because you’re playing a hero, Rosen.”

“Playing a hero and saving my loved ones are not the same. Being a hero means you’re prepared to sacrifice yourself at some point, but that’s not my case. I want to live with the people I care about.”

“Whatever. Can’t relate.” She puffed her cigarette. “Your situation is complicated. Why don’t you just run away, though?” She suggested. “If I were in your position, I would.”

“Why do I have to, when I can just fit in?”

Henrietta glared at him, but then burst into laughter. “Are you trying to imitate me?”

Kino panicked and waved his hands. “N-No, of course not!”

“I didn’t know you were this funny. Why didn’t we talk sooner?”

Because you’re friends with the “cool” kids…?

Henrietta rolled her eyes then shrugged her shoulders. “Well, on the other hand, the decision is yours to make. I don’t have the right to say anything to that.” It was followed by an awkward silence until Kino broke the deafening atmosphere.

“If this is how you view life, why were you so angry at me? You even punched me.”

She smirked. “Why? Did it hurt?”

“A-A bit.”

“So what are you gonna do now? You have no reason to run away. You’re willing to let them use you in exchange for money while you help them find out the truth about the wraith royalties?”

“Kinda like it. Maybe I’ll just really run away after I save enough money. Despite WHA’s protection, I still don’t trust them enough. Now that I lost my teammates who I considered friends in the recent raid, I don’t think I can trust the new ones I’ll get when they already know my secret.”

Henrietta hugged her knees, her lunchbox falling off to the side but she didn’t dare to pick it up. “I get you. Being born as a wraith, it’s hard for us to trust anyone but ourselves. Who lets these things happen though, right? Did some god leave us on our own with no place to go? Both this world and Agartha are cruel. If only we could just restart everything at the beginning of time, then I’m willing to play the next god if no one wants to.”

Kino looked at her. People’s first impression of Henrietta Homa is this mean, rich girl who only knows how to spend money on luxurious things and boys. She claimed herself to be a self-centered person, but looking into her softened eyes, she does care for everyone else too. They are similar when it comes to prioritizing their own lives and aren’t interested in playing a hero or a god. If only it was possible in reality, they would for the sake of a better world.

Her phone rang in the middle of the conversation. The two had never talked before. They were just classmates who knew each other by name and rumors. “Oh, I have to go. My friends are looking for me.” She stood up and wiped her skirt, then looked over at him. “Hey, Rosen.”

“Hmm?”

“If the day comes when I become your target, I’ll have no choice but to kill you, alright?”

“Humans don’t know we can feel our own kind’s aura. I’ll just go with the flow with their orders. Don’t worry, I’ll keep my mouth shut. But always protect yourself, Henrietta. Sooner or later, you won’t hear from me anymore once I get what I want.”

“That wouldn’t do. What If I want to keep in touch when everything’s over?”

“Y-You want to?” His face heated.

“Why not?”

Does she want to keep in touch when I run away? Are we close now?

“So, uh, please don’t tell anyone what I just told you, okay?” He scratched his head. How come he told her everything about his dilemma when they aren’t even friends. Going back to reality, he still has a problem with the wraith students who now might see him as a traitor.

“What will I benefit from telling other people? Don’t worry about it. Want me to take care of it for you?”

“Wha—?”

“See ya.”

He watched Henrietta leave the rooftop with his hand staying in the air to wave goodbye. The feeling of longing came back.

How will she take care of it?

It’s what kept bugging him all night. There was still something about her that he’s yet to know.