"Wow, you look a lot fucked up than I do."
Hunter looks up and despite the situation, a small smile crawls up his face when his teal-green eyes meet the speaker. "Jade ..."
Jade raised an eyebrow. "What? No hugs?"
"You'd kill me if I tried that."
"You know me so well." She approaches the vehicle on the back of which Hunter was seated. "I never should have trusted Circe," she said.
"It's not your fault," replied the sprite. "Where's Leah?" He asked looking over the vampire's shoulder.
"She's at a mystic's medical facility. It's not too far from here, we'd go when you can walk properly," she said.
"Not now. I have somewhere I need to be," he stated.
"Where's that?"
"A funeral."
...
Hunter stood at the back of the small crowd that had gathered, holding an umbrella over his head as the downpour continued. He recognized most of the people at the service; his inter-order sprite teammates: Thomas, Yui, Alexander, Megan, Oliver, Petra, and John. Metropolitan school teachers including Zyair and Mr. Daniel, and Sydney, Chelsea, and Sophia.
The sprite had stayed behind hoping to avoid any conversation, his eyes sad and filled with sorrow.
"Zoe hated the rain, ironic that this is the first rain we've gotten this year." Hunter turned to look at the speaker, it was Lauren, she held a small smile when their eyes met. "Hey."
"We found this in the rubbles," she said handing him a box covered with sand and dust. "It's a camera, Zoe had gotten it as a gift for you ... She said she remembered the first time you met you mentioned your love of photography."
Hunter looked at the box in his hand, the first present someone had given him in as long as he can remember. The sprite cast a sidelong glance at Lauren. "I'm sorry," He said.
"It's fine," she replies.
"No," he shakes his head. "It's my fault ... She died trying to save me," he revealed.
"And I'm sure she'd do it a hundred times again if given the chance," Lauren stated. "She was really fond of you, ever since the inter-order competition, she talked a lot more about you ..." Lauren wiped away tears that were forming in the corner of her eyes. "I'm glad you're okay Hunter, I'm sure Zoe would be glad too. She always used to say: 'Immortality is overrated. The goal shouldn't be to live forever, the goal should be to create something that will,'" she continued. "Even though she wasn't able to create something great in this world like she always wanted, she has plenty more lives and reincarnations to try."
A sad smile appears on the teal green-eyed boy's lips. "I'll miss her," Lauren said.
"I'm sure everyone here will. She wasn't the most outgoing person but she loved everybody in her own unique way. I certainly would miss the smirk she wears when she knows she has the upper hand, and her well-earned cocky attitude, and her smile ... Everything about her ... She was amazing."
Lauren moves closer to Hunter and rested her head on his shoulder. "Thank you Hunter for making her the happiest I've seen."
Hunter remained quiet, he had never felt so guilty, and even though the brownish-blonde-haired woman had told him earlier that it wasn't his fault, he knew it was.
After some time, Lauren left and so does everyone else there. As Sydney, Sophia, and Chelsea leave, Sophia caught sight of Hunter and moved to approach him but Chelsea caught the redhead by the arm and shook her head at her.
Chelsea knew Sophia was only seeking to talk to her friend but she also knew said friend did not wish to speak to anyone about his feelings at the moment. The trio continued their path, shooting Hunter a sympathetic look as they walk away.
The remaining crowd gradually disappeared but Hunter remained in his position until he was the last one there. He slowly approached the gravestone.
[I'm sorry, Hunter. I wish there was something I could do]
'It's fine ...'
"Hey Zoe," Hunter said out loud, his voice shaking.
The sprite opened his mouth to speak when he started hearing footsteps approach from behind. The source eventually entered his peripheral vision, walking past him and towards the headstone; it was Olivia, director of the Bureau.
Hunter watched as the dark blonde-haired woman who was wearing a black top coat over her black dress approached and squat next to the gravestone and set a bouquet next to it. She stands up straight before taking a few steps backward such that she was standing next to the teal green-eyed boy but facing the fiend's grave.
"Did you know her?" He asked.
"Very few in the mystic world don't," she said. "She was going to be the next Zyair," she stated. "The strongest mystic in Nym'Roal not part of the three families of house Drumalak," she added.
"I see ..."
"I was just coming from the hospital, I'm glad Jade and Leah are recovering well, Leah even had a gift for me, something she found in Circe's mansion," Olivia said showing Hunter a video of Circe experimenting on mystical beings on a mobile phone.
Hunter glanced down at the phone in her hands for a few seconds before shifting his gaze back to the gravestone.
"We have brought several charges against her but we do not know if she acted alone nor where she is at the moment. Jade would take over as head of the Public Safety and Demon Control agency, her foremost objective would be to root out anyone who might have been or is working for Circe. I have also spoken to the Council and they have agreed that you'd be removed from the supervision of the Public Safety and Demon Control agency, you'll be communicated your new agency in a few weeks," she stated. The dark blonde-haired woman turned and tapped the sprite on the shoulder, "enjoy your holidays and stay safe." With that, she walked away from the sprite, going the same way she had come.
Hunter sighed and turned to see Alastair and Naamah behind him.
"How are you holding up?" The grey-eyed pure demon asked.
"I wanted to talk to you," Hunter said.
"Well, I knew this was coming. You should ask Naamah here about it, she's better than me when it comes to that," Alastair said before moving aside.
Naamah raised an eyebrow. "What are you two planning?"
"Nothing. I wanted to know if you could take me to the In-between," the sprite said.
"Ah, like you did with the dark mage, Chelsea?"
"How do you know about that? Did Alastair tell you?"
"My brother barely tells me things ... I know because I'm the ruler of the in-between," Naamah revealed.
"Huh."
"It's not like I have a choice. Come on, let's do this!" She ushered. "You know what to do?"
Hunter nods before placing his hand over Zoe's grave and closes his eyes as he waits for the pure demon to do her thing, but when he didn't feel anything, the sprite opened his eyes to ask what was wrong only to find that he was no longer at the cemetery but in the kitchen of his metropolitan building.
"How's breakfast coming up?" A voice directed at him asked. He recognized the speaker instantly, looking up in surprise.
"Zoe ..." He managed to say.
The fiend raised an eyebrow. "Why do you look so sad?" She asked.
"I'm not," he said wiping away tears and shaking his head. "I'm just ... so happy to see you."
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