Sirens blared throughout the city of Pandora. Most citizens heeded the warning of the sirens and hid inside of their homes or any nearby establishment. However, there were a rare few that continued to wander around the city, daring to venture out and see what the cause of the commotion was.

One of those rare few was a lone, blue-haired woman in armor and fur that walked down a nearly empty street. Despite the sound of the sirens, the woman walked somewhat leisurely, without a care in the world. She carried her trusty weapon, a dual-edged spear over her shoulder. One couldn't be too careful when wandering around alone at night, regardless of where they were.

Citizens that spotted her instantly cleared the way, watching with disdain as the woman walked around as if she owned the place. The woman looked at the citizens and smirked, commending them for their bravery for staying out at night. But, she also looked down on them for having the nerve to show cowardice and jeer at her all at once.

The closer the woman drew closer toward the sound of the sirens, the more her head began to hurt. She grimaced at the annoying, piercing racket. Loud noises were far too unbearable. That's why she preferred to live out in the Gardens of Eden rather than any kingdom.

It was usually calm and peaceful out there for the most part.

But, no matter. She didn't plan to stay in the Soteria Kingdom much longer. Once her mission was complete, she planned to collect her money then leave the wretched place behind once and for all.

The woman eventually found herself standing behind a large crowd of people. Almost everyone stood aside and allowed the woman through to the front of the police barricade. She took immediate notice of their glances of disdain and their harsh whispers. But, she ignored them.

She expected at least that much from the Soterians since she was a foreigner. Wild Lander was the term often used to describe those that dared to live outside the safety of the walls.

The woman took one good, long look at the scene then wandered off. The terrible sight had nothing to do with her. It seemed like a restaurant exploded and killed numerous people.

No concern of hers.

Soon enough, more sirens plagued her eardrums. She heard them a few blocks away from the first crime scene. Her feet carried her towards the direction of the noise.

The more time she spent inside the country, the more she regretted her decision of accepting the mission in the first place. The task proved to be far more trouble than it was worth. Sure, the payment was enticing. But, she'd only receive it once the job was done.

Goddess knows how long that would take.

The woman soon stopped abruptly on the sidewalk. A gnawing feeling in the back of her head troubled her.

Someone was watching her, following her.

Immediately, the woman turned around. There was nothing there.

Or rather there was nothing there anymore. But, the woman wasn't fooled. She felt insulted that someone thought it would be that easy to get the drop on her.

Further along the sidewalk, the woman spotted a ponytail sticking out from around the corner of an alleyway.

The woman shook her head and said, "Come on out. I know you're following me."

There was silence at first. Eventually, the person she called out to stepped out from behind the wall, revealing themselves.

It was a little girl, no older than eleven years old. She had olive-green eyes and brown hair tied into a long braid that reached down her back.

"Hey there, Runa." The little girl nervously waved her hand at the woman, as if that would save her from any form of punishment that was soon to come.

Runa placed one hand on her hip and gestured for Sarra to approach her with the other. "Didn't I tell you to wait back at the apartment, Sarra? What're you doing out here? You know it's dangerous outside at night."

"I know that," Sarra looked up at her with a pout, "more reason why I should be out here with you! We're partners, remember? It's too dangerous for you to be out here all on your own!"

The more the girl talked, the more insulted Runa felt. The woman had more than a decade's worth of experience in her line of work. Meanwhile, Sarra, on the other hand, was nothing more than a mere novice. A novice shouldn't get worried over a veteran. It should be the other way around.

Initially, Runa wanted to send her partner back to the apartment immediately. But, that would've wasted precious time. And, it couldn't have hurt to have the girl tag along for the meantime—especially since Exousia could be roaming around the city somewhere.

Runa brought her hand up to her forehead then rubbed her wrinkled temples, "I must be outta my mind..."

That phrase brought a smile to Sarra's face. It was a phrase Runa often fell back to when she was going to agree to something—albeit reluctantly.

"So, I can tag along, right?" Sarra leaned forward, her eyes widened and sparkled with excitement.

"Yes. But, alert me immediately if you sense any Exousia, okay? Also, if things get too dangerous, I want you to find a safe place to hide until things settle down." Runa laid down the ground rules. If Sarra was going to follow her around, then the little girl's safety was a top priority.

Sarra's face seemed to sparkle with happiness as she jumped for joy. Then, she reached behind her back and pulled out her dagger from its sheath, swinging it around a bit before she struck a dramatic pose.

"Leave it to me! I'll see to it that you're safe from harm!"

Runa's face flushed and her heart skipped a beat at the sudden display of cuteness. She turned her back to her partner and cupped her cheeks, taking a moment to calm herself down. No doubt she would've swooned if not for her pride.

Her partner was far too cute for her own good. It took a lot of willpower to still her beating heart.

No matter what, she'd be sure to protect her from whatever dangers the country threw at them.

The team of Runa and Sarra continued to follow the sounds of the blaring sirens. They eventually found themselves standing behind another police barricade that was set up in front of a large hospital. Strangely there were combinations of police and military forces around the area.

Whatever happened must've been massive enough to call together such a force. Runa directed her gaze down to Sarra for confirmation. Sarra's face turned pale, but she nodded her head nonetheless.

"Yeah. They're in there." Sarra revealed.

"How many?" asked Runa.

"Three inside the hospital. But, there's three more elsewhere. They're really close." Sarra placed her hand on the handle of her dagger, cautiously scanning the area of potential danger. Entirely unaware that it resided above her head.

Standing near the edge of the building behind them were three people clad in dark, hooded robes. Two of them watched the scene down below with mild interest. Meanwhile, the third member, the tallest one of the group, paced back and forth on the rooftop with his arms crossed over his broad chest.

The occasional bellow escaped from his throat, annoying the other two.

"Are you quite through with your incessant pacing?" Questioned the second male in the group. His harsh tone stopped the large man in his tracks. "You will leave a trough in the building if you keep this up."

"Can't help that I'm bored," The large man complained, "I thought something interesting would happen when the Exousia went into the building. But, the chaos has settled down. Everything's gone quiet."

"Now if only you could do the same."

"What was that?!" The large man took an aggressive step forward while the second man readily placed his hand on the handle of one out of the two daggers in his possession.

Just before they could proceed, an overwhelming presence kept them frozen in place. They did not need to look for the source. They knew full and well that it came from their last member, who had remained indifferent to their antics for the time being. However, whenever she felt like she had enough, she'd express it in a few unique ways.

"That's enough. Both of you." Her commanding voice of authority quelled the anger of both subordinates, reducing them back to their obedient mannerisms.

"Forgive us, ma'am." Both men sincerely apologized then returned to their posts by their leader's side.

"Taurian does have a point, however." The woman stated, "With that Exousia's power, he should've been able to level the entire building if he felt like it."

Taurian looked over at the other male then smirked. Being agreed with by the leader was one of the highest of honors for them. That time—he gained the advantage.

"Perhaps those Hunters did more damage to him than we thought." The second male brought his hand up to his chin. He contemplated on the group's next course of action. Initially, they were only there to observe the situation. However, if nothing noteworthy occurred, then all they were doing was wasting valuable time. That was one thing he would not allow. "If nothing else, perhaps this one should go down there and finish what that fool started?"

The man placed his hand on his dagger once more.

"No need." The woman shook her head. She smiled under her hood then reached into her robes. She pulled out a few dark orbs. An ominous presence exuded around the objects, bringing faint smiles to the other two members. "If that Exousia can't do the job. Then these will."

The woman extended her arm out to the ledge then dropped the orbs. All three members watched in delight as they crashed onto the ground behind the crowd of people. Plumes of black smoke erupted from the shattered remains of the orbs.

Out from the smoke came dark, wolf-like creatures with amethyst colored eyes, sharp fangs, and claws.

There they stood, before their prey—humanity.

Lycan's.

C-Rank level Varvara—ferocious entities of darkness and destruction. Enemies of humanity.

The mere sight of the creatures instilled fear in the civilians as they screamed and ran away from the area.

"Idiots! Don't run!" Runa exclaimed. But, no one heeded her words.

Running only gave the Lycan's more incentive to chase. And chase they did. One of the Lycan's raised its head then howled, providing a signal for the others to begin the attack.

The fearsome creatures attacked the fleeing civilians one by one. Those that were unfortunate enough to get bitten were doomed to a horrible fate that was worse than death. The dark essence of the creatures seeped into the open wounds of their helpless victims.

It had begun.

There was nothing that could've saved the people at that point. The metamorphosis took place.

Their bodies convulsed violently, as their skin slowly turned as black as night. Their eyes shined a bright amethyst. Even their bone structures weren't safe from the brutal transformation. The grating and cracking of bones caused those nearby to cringe at the mere sound. By the end of the change, they took on the same appearance as the creatures that bit them.

It was common knowledge that those bitten by the Varvara would inevitably transform into one. Unbelievable at first—but the truth nonetheless.

The once safe perimeter had turned into a war zone in a matter of seconds. People died and transformed into Lycan's left and right. The police and military men tried their best to fend them off.

Runa joined the battle. She struck down the Varvara quickly and efficiently with her spear. It was difficult for her to go all out since she had to keep her eye on Sarra throughout the fight.

The young girl had her dagger at the ready to engage the incoming enemies, but Runa refused to allow any of them near her.

Time passed, but eventually, all the enemies had been cleared out. The situation settled down to a certain degree. The civilians had long fled the area, leaving only the police, military, Runa, and Sarra.

Tensions were high. That was for sure, so much that the soldiers approached the two with much hostility. They trained their guns on them and demanded them to identify themselves.

Runa's first instinct was to retaliate against the approaching authority figures with brute force. How dare they point their weapons at them—especially at a little girl. Were they truly that dangerous?

"Easy boys, we mean you no harm. The name's Runa das Meer. And the girl standing behind me is Sarra Zosime. We're Huntresses from the Wild Hunt Guild. We were hired to find and eliminate the source of the Varvara attacks in this country." Runa followed their directions for the meantime.

"Huntresses?" The police officers exchanged looks of confusion and skepticism.

"We don't get many Huntresses here these days. Who was it that hired you?" A military officer questioned.

"Confidential," Runa refused to answer. Her client requested to remain anonymous, so she intended to keep it that way.

"Surprised you even know that word, Wild Lander."

"I don't trust her. These Huntresses just suddenly arrive when the Varvara appear?" Another military officer voiced his suspicions.

"What? You think I was responsible for that?" Runa placed a hand on her hip then looked over her shoulder at the building behind her. Shards of the orbs remained on the ground nearby, instantly capturing the Huntresses' attention. Her line of sight then moved to the roof of the building.

There was nothing there, yet, she remained suspicious.

"Show us some identification." The first military officer ordered.

"Promise you won't shoot us as I reach for them?" Runa's attention immediately returned to the guns trained on her and Sarra. Carefully, she reached for her Milo. Once she grabbed the communication device, she turned on the screen then scrolled through the holographic projection and showed her identification to the soldiers.

Satisfied with the identification, the officer gave his order, "Lower your weapons. These ladies are Huntresses."

"Now that we've gotten that outta the way, can someone explain to me what's going on here?" Runa demanded, wanting to probe as much information from the group as possible.

"Well, this first started out with an Exousia sighting. Members of our unit went inside to capture him. However, the Varvara suddenly appeared out of nowhere and started attacking us." Another military officer answered.

"The outside of the building may be clear, but I am not so certain about the inside. I think I remember seeing a few of them make their way inside the building." Another military officer pointed out.

Runa drew her line of sight toward the entrance of the hospital. There were clear signs of claw track marks near the front door. No doubt about it.

The Varvara made their way to the hospital.

Runa brushed past the authority figures then headed for the building with Sarra following close behind. However, the Huntresses' paths were immediately blocked by the military officers.

"Why're you standing in our way?" Runa asked.

"We cannot allow you to enter the building, ma'am. There are Varvara inside and an Exousia. You will be throwing your life away if you carelessly go in there." One of the military officers answered.

"Ma'am? Oh, now you wanna be polite?" Runa scoffed, shaking her head in disbelief. She couldn't stand the people in the country. "So, what's your plan? Stand out here and do nothing? Wait until the sun rises? Let that deal with the monsters?"

The Huntress tilted her head and gave the officers a sardonic smile.

"No, ma'am. Half of our unit's in there and our captain. They can certainly handle themselves." Another military officer stated confidently.

"Listen, I'm not underestimating or trying to undermine your authority here. You all seem like capable men, but right now you're getting in the way of me doing my job." The blue-haired huntress tightened her grip on her spear. She didn't plan to use it on them, but, if they refused to let them pass, then it would be their fault for what would happen afterward. "I'm a Huntress. It's my mission to hunt down monsters and slay them. There are monsters in that hospital. Now move."

The military officers exchanged worried glances with each other. One of the officers looked down to Sarra then frowned at Runa. "Are you taking that little girl in there with you?"

"Little girl?!" Sarra stepped out from behind Runa then scowled at the man. They had done it. She never did appreciate being called a little girl by anyone. "I'll have you know that I'm eleven years old! I'm an adult!"

That wasn't true. Someone wasn't considered an adult in the world until they turned fifteen years old.

Initially caught off guard by the unexpected scolding from the young girl, the military officer could only stand there with a quizzical expression. He wasn't too sure on how to appropriately respond to her at all. Not that anyone could blame him, though. Hardly anyone could react to Sarra when she was scolding them.

The little girl continued to do so for quite some time. Most of the officers looked over to Runa for assistance. But, the woman refused to do anything for a while. She merely stood there, apparently memorized by the little girl's antics with a soft smile on her face.

Eventually, she snapped out of her trance and put a stop to everything once she placed her hand on top of Sarra's head.

"Sarra here's my partner. She'll join me in my search through the hospital." Runa couldn't help but gently caress the little girl's head in the process. Sarra shot her an annoyed glance, but it was ignored.

"Okay, we'll let you enter." The military officers stepped aside and allowed the Huntresses into the hospital.

Upon entering, the two remained unfazed by the state of the hospital. The mangled corpses and blood smeared lobby was nothing out of the ordinary for them. Just another casual day.

By no means were they immune to the unfortunate deaths of the citizens. More like—they were numb. Death and destruction was just an ordinary thing out in the Gardens of Eden. At some point in their lives, they steeled themselves.

"How close are we to the Exousia, Sarra?" Runa looked down at her partner once more for confirmation. She didn't doubt her abilities. It just never hurts to be too careful.

Their goal there was to eliminate all the Varvara and then leave. Nothing more, nothing less. A battle against an Exousia was the last thing that Runa wanted.

"The Exousia are on a higher floor than us. If we're lucky, the targets might be on a lower level." Sarra said with much optimism.

"I doubt we'll be that lucky."

The Huntresses eventually found themselves on the third floor. Not a single Varvara in sight. That was until they heard screams followed by a set of snarls and gunshots from down the hall. Instinctively, Runa and Sarra had their weapons at the ready.

Coming swiftly around the corner was a man and a woman, both dressed in medical attire. Following close behind them was a group of soldiers. Finally, behind them was a pack of Lycan's.

The soldiers managed to take down a few of them with their weapons. But, more just kept coming.

"Let's get 'em!" Sarra tried to run ahead but was quickly pulled back behind Runa by her braided ponytail.

"Stay here!" Runa ordered before she bolted down the hall toward the Varvara. She zipped passed the others and confronted the creatures in close combat. With mighty swings of her weapon, she cut them down with swiftness and precision.

Severed limbs of the defeated creatures spread out across the hall. The pained cries of the Varvara fell on deaf ears as they eventually evaporated into nothingness.

The group of onlookers stared at Runa in awe. The first one to snap out of their trance was the woman. She quickly approached then grabbed hold of the Huntresses hand, firmly shaking it.

"Thank you! Thank you so much for saving us!" She said, bawling her eyes out after narrowly escaping with her life.

Runa cringed at the sight of the tears and mucus running down the woman's face.

"No need to thank me. I'm just doing my job." The Huntress quickly pulled her hand away from the woman.

"You're a Huntress?" The man inquired, his gaze moved to the guild tattoo located on the back Runa's left hand. It depicted a circle with a crossed out decapitated monster within it.

As a sign of confirmation, she raised her left hand and showed the tattoo to everyone. "Yeah. I've been hired to hunt down and exterminate the Varvara infiltrating the country."

"Well, you've certainly done a good job killing those Varvara earlier. I feel a lot safer now that you're here." The woman said once she cleansed her face.

"We're not truly safe yet, Chloe," said the man as he looked down the hall. "Besides the Varvara, there's an Exousia on the fifth floor."

"Are there any more people left in the hospital?" Runa asked.

"Besides the military captain and the Exousia up on the fifth floor, I don't think so. I believe we're the only people left still alive in this hospital." The man answered. He soon looked over to Sarra and noticed her backing away from the group. He stepped forward to try and comfort her, but Runa held her arm out to stop him.

"Don't worry about her. She's just shy around strangers."

"Are there any more Varvara within the hospital?" One of the soldiers cut his way into the conversation.

"Perhaps on the higher floors. The lower ones are secure."

"If that's the case, go ahead and escort these two out of the hospital."

"Our captain is fighting against the Exousia right now, and we must assist him as soon as possible." Another soldier said.

Runa's jaw tightened after being ordered by the soldiers. Who did they think they were ordering her around as if she was one of their subordinates? In any other situation, she would've physically lashed out at them. But, she kept a cool head to a certain extent.

Resorting to violence against a country's soldiers was one of the last things that she needed on her plate.

"Your captain is fighting an Exousia alone?" She asked, openly skeptical of the statement. Who in their right mind would ever want to fight against an Exousia alone?

Either the man was suicidal or confident enough in his strength. Either way, the result would be the same in the end.

He'd die.

Plain and simple.

That thought must've formed in the minds of the soldiers. Each of them carried an uneasy expression.

"Yes. Our captain is an incredible fighter. He has proven on numerous occasions that he can hold his own against an Exousia." The first soldier informed her.

"However, with all this chaos occurring all at once with the Exousia and the Varvara, we can't help but feel worried." Another soldier added.

"So, hurry up and get these two out of here! We can take care of the rest!" The next soldier said.

No longer able to contain her irritation, a scoff of disbelief escaped from the Huntresses mouth. To her, those soldiers acted so arrogantly. She doubted that they were even concerned about the wellbeing of the couple. Perhaps they were just trying to save face after having to be rescued by the woman.

"I'm gonna continue with my hunt for the Varvara," Runa refused, almost immediately earning herself sharp glares from the soldiers. "You men are soldiers of this kingdom. You gotta protect the civilians, not me. I'll perform my duties as a Huntress and exterminate the monsters."

"Don't tell us what our duty is! We know what we're supposed to do! But do you?!" The first soldier confronted the woman.

What an outrageous yet typical reaction.

No doubt the pride of the soldiers was wounded by mere words. Featherweights. All of them.

"When you're in our country, you will obey our rules! You work for us, Wild Lander!"

Truly pathetic. Their pride had been damaged so much that they had to resort to using derogative remarks.

Wild Lander was the term used for those that lived out in the Gardens of Eden, or the Wild Lands as those in Soteria would call it. To the Soterians, Wild Landers were savages. People that preferred to live out in the treacherous terrain outside the safety of their walls, where no laws applied to them.

"You're wrong. I work for my employer, not you. Don't think you can order me around. I'm not a servant in your military." Runa stated. The venom in her voice spread to everyone in that room. Her rage, her malice—it nearly manifested until Sarra tugged on her pants.

Having said her peace, Runa and Sarra proceeded down the hallway. No one bothered to get in their way.

Once they were far away enough from the group, Runa's gaze lowered to Sarra. The little girl's grip was tighter than usual. And she regularly checked behind them every few seconds.

"I know that frightened look of yours. One of those people was an Exousia, weren't they?" Runa assumed.

"I'm not sure which one it was. But yeah, one of them was an Exousia." Sarra confirmed her suspicion.

"You did a good job keeping your hands hidden, Sarra. Now then, let's continue the search. There might be more Varvara in the hospital."

The Huntresses continued their search around the hospital.

Unfortunately, they were occupied by three out of the five soldiers they encountered earlier. They didn't communicate with each other, so the situation was awkward.

On the fourth floor, the group encountered more Lycan's. Runa and the soldiers exterminated most of them. But, a few managed to slip through and escape to the next floor. The soldiers chased after them without hesitation. Meanwhile, Runa and Sarra bided their time.

Runa's first instinct was to turn around and leave the extermination of the monsters to the soldiers. However, leaving a job unfinished left a bad taste in her mouth. On the other hand, the chance of encountering the Exousia on the higher floor was high.

Runa was confident in her strength. But, that didn't mean she wanted to fight against people with supernatural powers. That was far above her pay grade.

She ultimately made her decision when gunfire rang throughout the floor. Immediately, Runa and Sarra raced up the stairs. When they arrived on the fifth floor, they found the Varvara evaporating while the soldiers helped Thelo up to his feet.

Thelo kept his hand on his stomach, trying to stop the blood that continued to seep from his wound. Initially, Runa remained suspicious, but it didn't appear to be a wound from any of the Varvara.

"Search the perimeter!" One of the soldiers ordered. Two of them separated throughout the floor while one of them stayed behind to tend to the man's wound.

Runa looked down at her partner once she felt another tug on her pants.

"Runa! It's him!" Sarra exclaimed.

"Get away from that man!" Runa called out to the soldier. "He's an Exousia!"

Heeding the warning, the soldier instantly jumped back. His cronies returned to the area then trained their guns on the Exousia.

"Where's our captain?" The soldiers demanded.

"Your captain," Thelo suddenly smirked, "The man with the black hair? He wore those gauntlets?"

"Answer us!" The third soldier shouted, his finger adding a little pressure on the trigger of his gun.

"The last time I saw your captain was when I sent him flying out of this building. He's most likely a splattered mess on the pavement." The man answered. The arrogant smirk on his disgusting face grew wider and wider at the expense of the soldiers.

"You bastard!" The first soldier shouted angrily.

"I'll give him some credit, though. He put up a decent fight against me. Although, I was already worn out from a previous fight," Thelo continued to speak, "had I been at full strength, the fight would have been over in seconds. He would have suffered a death far worse than a great fall."

"I'll kill you!" The second soldier pulled the trigger of his gun. However, a sudden external force blasted everyone down the hallway.

"I'm not going to die here!" Thelo shouted before he took off down the hall. Runa shook off the damage then watched the man escape into the elevator. When she turned to check on her partner—time stood still.

Sarra lied there on the floor unconscious. Blood pooled on the floor around her head. Runa rushed to her then parted her hair aside, searching for the location of the wound. When she found it, she closed her eye and took a deep breath.

A faint amethyst glow radiated around her hands as she touched the wound on Sarra's head. Seconds later, the injury disappeared, and the blood stopped. Runa sighed in relief then wiped the sweat that beaded on her forehead with the sleeve of her shirt.

Afterward, she picked up Sarra then placed her on a medical bed within one of the empty rooms.

"That bastard. I'm gonna kill him." Runa swore under her breath before she stormed out of the room. She didn't much care what the Exousia did to the people of the country.

But, one thing she wouldn't forgive was harming her partner. Thelo hadn't realized it. But he had signed his death warrant.