The day had arrived. Sunny and Luna had checked into a hotel, and Luna was already walking toward what she believed to be the center of town. As she strolled through the bustling streets, she pondered how the test would go. Along the way, she noticed a man looking at a letter similar to the one she had.
The man appeared to be African American, dressed in a red hoodie and black jeans, with sturdy black boots. His hair was short, not reaching past his ears. Two visible scars marked him—one on his neck and another across his mouth. He glanced around, surveying his surroundings, his expression neutral but alert.
Luna hesitated, unsure of how to approach him. She opened her mouth but found herself unable to speak.
"Really, Luna? Not a single word? It's just talking—that's it. Talking! Nothing else! All adults can do it, and you're a big girl!"
Determined, she finally blurted out, "H-Hi there!"
The man raised an eyebrow. "What?"
"You've been staring at me. You got a problem?" His tone was flat, almost monotone.
Luna rapidly shook her head. "N-no, not at all! Y-you, um... are y-you taking the h-hunter test too?"
He gave her a blank stare. "Maybe."
"T-that's g-great!" Luna replied with a nervous smile, sweat forming on her brow.
The man, now seemingly uninterested, continued on his way without another word. Luna let out a sigh.
"Jeez, I'm still such a nervous wreck," she thought as she continued toward the center of town.
When she reached her destination, a large building loomed in the middle of the square, its roof crowded with several birds perched atop. She stopped, looking up. "Well, this must be it. The letter said to wait here for further instructions."
She stood awkwardly, fidgeting in place. A few others were gathered nearby, including the man from earlier. As Luna paced back and forth, she noticed something peculiar—a distinct lack of civilians around the area.
Alter suddenly appeared beside her. "Luna, quick! Coat your head in mana. Now!"
Without hesitation, Luna obeyed, covering her head in mana. As she did, she noticed something horrifying—of the thirty people originally standing in the area, only twelve remained. The other eighteen were collapsed on the ground, blood streaming from their ears and noses.
Luna covered her mouth, eyes wide in panic. "What the hell is happening?!"
Her question was answered moments later when Emmerich stepped out of the building. He held a glass of what looked like whiskey or scotch, taking a slow sip as his piercing gaze swept across the survivors.
"Good job to all who are still standing. Well done," he said with a sharp, commanding tone.
Emmerich then motioned toward the letters. "Now, hand me the letter you were given at the start!"
A few people rushed forward, handing him both letters. Emmerich's response was swift—he backhanded them both, knocking them unconscious. The remaining participants, Luna included, cautiously approached and handed him only their first letter.
"Follow me," Emmerich commanded.
His voice left no room for argument, and the crowd of survivors, including Luna, obediently followed him into the imposing building.
Luna stepped through the door, her unease growing with each step. It felt like she had just entered the lair of a final boss in a video game or the hideout of a main villain. Emmerich opened another door ahead, his commanding voice echoing, "Enter!"
Everyone followed him into a large chamber, and Luna was greeted by the sight of sixteen numbered doors, arranged from left to right. The numbers on the doors read:
0, 20, 39, 1, 9, 7, 44, 76, 100, 654, 98, 999, 4, 34, 15, 2.
Emmerich's voice cut through the confusion. "Open your letters!"
Luna quickly tore open her letter, only to find it completely blank. She frowned in confusion.
"What the hell?" she muttered under her breath.
Glancing around the room, she noticed that other people were examining their letters as well. Some appeared to have strange gibberish or nonsense written on them, while others stared at their letters in disbelief.
The man in the red hoodie—the one she had seen earlier—walked confidently toward the door marked with a 1. Suddenly, something clicked in Luna's mind, and without hesitation, she moved toward the door marked with a 0.
As she opened the door, she heard a distinct click, like a lock disengaging, followed by a green light glowing above her head. The hallway beyond seemed to morph into a disturbingly eerie house. The atmosphere sent chills down her spine as she cautiously moved forward.
Eventually, she opened another door, finding herself in a room where the man in the red hoodie, Jamal, was already waiting. On a table in the center of the room lay two letters—one marked with her name and the other with his.
"Okay?" Luna broke the silence as she walked over to the table.
Each of them picked up their respective letter. Luna's letter read:
"There is something here. Kill it!"
Jamal's letter read:
"There is something here. Kill it!."
Both of them flipped their letters over, revealing another message:
"Trust only each other. The other test takers will want to kill you both."
Luna froze in place, her heart racing. Jamal, meanwhile, began glancing around the room frantically.
"What the hell!" he shouted before turning to Luna, pointing at her sharply. "You!"
"Y-Yes?" she stammered.
He glared at her, his tone tense and urgent. "What are you good at?"
"Uh—uh, m-magic and w-will!" she blurted out.
He paused, processing her answer, before speaking again. "Okay, good. It seems like we're forced to work together. Let me ask you this—how long have you been training to be a hunter? For me, it's been roughly a year."
Luna flushed with embarrassment, lowering her head slightly. "O-oh, you know... a week. Maybe less?"
Jamal stared at her, his expression shifting to one of utter disbelief. He looked like he might collapse. "I'm screwed."
"H-Hey! I'm no slouch!" Luna protested. "I even beat a Corpse Flower! And I fought several people from Sanctuary who were sent to kill me!"
Jamal's eyes widened. "W-What? I had monsters sent after me, not people!" He shook his head, letting out a long sigh. "Alright. I'll take your word for it and just hope you know what you're doing."
He sat down, rubbing his temples. After a moment, he glanced back at Luna. "Look, your letter said your name's Luna, right?"
"That's correct!" she chirped. "And yours must be Jamal. Nice to meet ya!"
"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Jamal waved her off dismissively. "It seems we're going to be stuck together, so let's make this work. Of everyone back in that room, who stood out to you as a threat?"
Luna tilted her head, thinking for a moment. "Now that you mention it... no one really stood out."
Jamal sighed deeply, his tone returning to monotone. "I see. Probably some kind of illusion spell, keeping everyone's true capabilities hidden. That's bad news, but it works in our favor if no one noticed us either."
He looked around the room, scanning every corner. "Alright, now—does anything in this room seem off to you?"
Luna frowned and began examining her surroundings.
The room was simple but unsettling. A table sat in the center, a clock hung on the wall, and green wallpaper with white stripes lined the room. Against one wall stood a chest.
Luna's eyes locked onto the chest, her breath catching. "Th-that chest... h-how do they have that!?"
Jamal turned his head sharply, narrowing his eyes. "What the hell are you going on about?"
Luna pointed at the chest, her finger trembling. "I r-recognize it!"
The chest was white and blue, adorned with hearts, though its original nameplate had been scratched off. Luna's heart pounded as memories surged forward. That chest looked identical to the one her brother had owned—a keepsake that had eventually been passed down to her.
Jamal glanced back at her, confused at first, but as he scanned the room, his own eyes widened. His gaze locked onto the clock on the wall. It was the same clock that had hung in his childhood home—the one that had been passed down through generations of his family since his great-grandmother's time.
"Okay, this place is freaky," he muttered, finally understanding Luna's panic.
Luna snapped out of her daze and glared at the chest. Her instincts screamed that something was wrong. Coating her eyes in mana, she examined it more closely. "W-wait... it feels off! Like it's trying to trick me somehow."
She extended her hand, energy crackling as a glowing orb of light began to form in her palm.
Jamal, noticing the clock again, took a step back and snapped his fingers, igniting it in flames. The moment the clock began to burn, Luna launched her attack at the chest.
As her light force struck the chest, the entire room trembled violently. A low rumble grew louder as the walls seemed to melt away. Suddenly, both Luna and Jamal were hurled out of the room, landing roughly on the ground outside.
When they looked up, their hearts froze.
Standing before them was a colossal, grotesque monster resembling a distorted house. Its massive frame towered above them, with windows for eyes, a jagged roof that twisted like a mouth, and doorways that seemed to pulse like living flesh.
A voice crackled over a nearby speaker, cold and commanding: "Kill the mimic!"
Both Luna and Jamal's hearts raced as they stared at the massive creature. It was unlike anything they'd ever faced before—larger and more terrifying than any monster they'd encountered.
Forced to work together, they prepared for the fight of their lives.