As they walked, the landscape around them changed. The ruins of Zion's home gave way to rolling hills and green forests. The air grew sweeter, filled with the scent of blooming flowers.
After a while, they came to a clearing, and in the center of it stood a beautiful house. It was made of stone and wood, with a steeply pitched roof and chimneys that puffed out gentle plumes of smoke.
The man led them to the front door, which he opened with a large iron key. "Welcome to my home," he said, stepping aside to let Zion and the girl enter.
As they stepped inside, Zion's eyes widened in wonder. The interior of the house was just as beautiful as the exterior. The walls were adorned with tapestries, and the floors were made of polished wood. A fire crackled in the hearth, casting a warm glow over the room.
The man smiled, seeming to enjoy Zion's reaction. "Make yourselves at home," he said. "You're safe here."
Zion nodded, feeling a sense of gratitude towards the man. He looked around the room, taking in the comfortable furniture and the shelves lined with books.
The girl, meanwhile, had wandered over to the fire, where she was watching the flames with a fascinated expression.
The man chuckled, seeming to enjoy her antics. "I think she likes the fire," he said.
Zion smiled, feeling a sense of wonder at the way the girl seemed to be adapting to her new surroundings.
"By the way, I have a question to ask you," Zion said, causing the man to take off his eyes from the girl and turn to him.
"You can ask me anything you want but I think I know what the question is," the man replied.
"Since you already know, why don't you go ahead and tell me," Zion requested and then the man gestured to the chair and asked him to sit while he takes the opposite one. "As I said before, my name is Elijah and I am a member of the beast slayer organization. Our duty is to slay monsters. I have the mission to find kids who are willing to join us and become slayers just like us, I saw you and thought I should invite you."
"So you are saying that I can become a beast slayer too?" Zion asked. A chance has finally come for him to avenge his father's death.
"Yes. Anyone can become a beast slayer as long as you are willing to train and become one," Elijah replied.
"I am willing!" Zion exclaimed, much to the man's surprise. But he wasn't all that surprised because he had expected such outcome, not after watching a monster devoured his father right before his eyes... Who wouldn't be willing to join the slaying organization.
Elijah nodded, a small smile playing on his lips. "I thought you might say that," he said. "But before we begin, I need to warn you. The path of a beast slayer is not an easy one. It's fraught with danger, and there will be times when you'll be forced to confront your deepest fears."
Zion nodded, his determination evident on his face. "I'm willing to take that risk," he said. "I want to avenge my father's death and protect others from suffering the same fate."
Elijah nodded, a look of approval on his face. "I can see that you're driven by a desire for justice," he said. "That's good. But remember, a beast slayer's power comes not just from their strength or their weapons, but from their heart and their wits."
Zion nodded, taking Elijah's words to heart.
Just then, the girl, who had been quietly watching the exchange, suddenly spoke up. "I want to be a beast slayer too," she said, her voice firm.
Elijah's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "You?" he exclaimed. "But you're..."
The girl's face set in a determined expression. "I'm a monster," she said. "But I'm also Zion's friend. And I want to help him."
Elijah looked at Zion, then back at her. "I see," he said. "Well, I suppose it's not every day that we get a monster wanting to join our ranks."
He chuckled, then nodded. "Very well. You can both join me. But remember, the path of a beast slayer is not an easy one. You'll both have to be brave, and you'll both have to be willing to learn."
Zion and the girl both nodded, their faces set with determination.
"Very well then, make yourselves comfortable while I go bring you something to eat," Elijah said and stood up.
After he left, Zion called the girl to him.
"Hey, are you sure about your decision to become a beast slayer?" He asked her. "Aren't you scared that many will want to have you killed because of what you are?" This was his worry. Not everyone has the same mentality as Elijah. Some may want to kill the girl simply because she is a monster.
"I have thought about before now and my mind is already made up. I want to become a beast slayer because..." She stopped as she trailed off. A deep look of sadness appeared on her face as she remembered the past. She was once a human, then one day, something happened to her and she woke up only to discover that she had changed.
Zion saw the sadness in her eyes and felt bad for her. Not wanting to remind her of her past, he brought up another topic.
"Shouldn't we give you a name or do you have a name" He asked her and her eyes lit up.
"No, I need one!" She exclaimed.
"Well, how about I call you Aria?"
"Aria? That's sounds lovely," she said excitedly.
Just then Elijah returned carrying two plates of food.
"Thank you," Zion said and collected them. He gave Aria one and they both began to eat.
The two of them ate happily and Aria after eating the first round requested for a second one. Elijah wasn't offended, instead, he liked it and didn't hesitate to bring more for her. After eating three plates, she fell asleep immediately and had to be carried by Zion to their room. Because the house was a small one and that there were only two bedrooms in it, the two of them had to share a room. But it was no problem for Zion.
After he had placed Aria on the bed, he covered her up and then left to meet Elijah.
"Can you now start teaching me? I want to start training," he requested.
"I understand how eager and impatient you are but I'd advice you go in and rest. You need to rest, everything can start tomorrow," Elijah replied.
Zion's shoulders dropped in disappointment but Elijah was right, he needed to sleep since he hadn't had enough sleep the previous night due to what happened. Remembering what happened again, his face darkened. His hatred for that monster that killed his father was evident, he really could not wait to find it and make it pay a million times. He was so lost in his thirst for vengeance that he didn't know that his anger was turning into blood-lust, his killing intent was being emitted and it was so much that Elijah was shocked.
"You need to calm down a bit," he placed his hand on the boy's shoulder and said. "Don't let your emotions blind you or you may end up making mistakes."
"I know the difference between evil and good," Zion replied. "I know you are worried about me making a mistake, it's not going to happen."