The first test given at the academy was to kill a dog.

It happened on the night of orientation, after the cadets had moved into their dorms and fallen asleep. The instructors barged into their rooms, put bags over their heads, and drove them to an undisclosed location. 

Daichi cursed at the sickening ritual. He was in the middle of a clearing, bag over his head, hands locked in cuffs. Dry soil and dead grass crunched under his feet, like all the moisture had been sucked out of it. He could smell the trees—the earthy, woodsy smell of the forest—not too far away. He could hear the distant stirrings of its inhabitants, birds chirping, rabbits squeaking, deer running.

He could hear scratching, rope against a wood post. He could hear the whimpering of an animal. The smell of dried blood. The smell of fear.

A soft hum filled the clearing, then a click and the cuffs on his hands fell to the ground. 

A voice boomed, "Remove the hood."

Daichi hesitated, sweat beading down his forehead.

"Remove the hood." The voice commanded.

He swallowed his fear and slowly took the bag off his head. He looked up at the full moon, its light blanketing the clearing. Though he could see in the dark, he was glad the light was there—it meant the fight would be easier. A powerful bark rang through the clearing causing the boy to flinch.

He lowered his gaze and found the source of the noise. An unkempt ball of fur—battered and bruised, patches of its coat missing, blood pouring from various wounds—was tied to a post, firmly stuck into the ground. A rope tied the beast to the pole from its neck. It barked, and whimpered, and gnashed its teeth.

Daichi's expression morphed from grim determination to confusion.

The voice boomed again, "Kill it."

He looked around for the source of the voice, but it was like it came from all directions at once. "What—but…"

"Kill it."

Daichi turned back to the dog. He regarded its sad state. It was no beast. It was no bloodthirsty animal. It was just scared. It looked like a stray, picked up from the side of the street and tortured before it was tied up—destined to be killed by a random cadet. And that cadet was him.

The academy provided no weapon, but it was just an injured dog. Daichi could kill it in seconds if he wanted to. 

But he didn't want to.

***

Vampires should be exterminated.

They're monsters with sharp shark-like teeth, deep crimson eyes, pale skin that turns to stone in the sun, and razor sharp claws in place of fingernails. And their screams echoed through the forest.

It had been nearly an hour since Daichi began tracking his prey. The light of the full moon seemed to shine brighter on the two—their dirty silver hair acting as a beacon to any hunter with a clear enough line of sight. When the hunt began many cadets opted to go after the pair for that reason alone, but soon enough Daichi was alone in his pursuit; the other hunters either giving up or losing them in the thicket. The only reason he hadn't given up was because he had no other choice.

He knew he was the only one that could track these two through the dense forest—their scent was stronger than most vampires, but no other cadet could match up to Daichi's senses—everyone else would opt for an easier catch. More points that way, and Daichi wouldn't be able to protest if another cadet swooped in and stole his kill, that was the nature of this test.

Daichi's well-trained muscles had started to ache at this point in the hunt and he wasn't confident in his ability to keep going for much longer. But at that moment, he could see his prey up ahead, they had stopped at the edge of a cliff. The only place for them to move was back—towards the hunter.

The two beasts embraced each other as Daichi approached. His short black hair dripped with sweat and steam escaped his body in the cold mountain air. A sword hung from his side, and a crossbow protruded from his wrist guard. An arsenal of different weapons and gadgets hung from a bandolier strapped over his dark armor. 

He closed the distance and drew his sword. The light of the full moon diffused through the red, crystal blade. 

He looked at the beasts, an adult and a child—holding one another tightly and whispering to each other through sobs—and raised his sword. He steeled his resolve and moved to cut them down. The sword resounded a dull thud as it slashed into the earth. 

Daichi shouted, "Run!"

They continued to sob into each other's arms.

He growled, "Go!"

This time the older one turned to face him, shielding the child. Daichi freed his sword from the dirt and took a few steps back, sheathing the blade. 

Slowly, the pair crawled back, toward the cliff. Until the adult put the child on her back and disappeared over its edge.

Daichi could only hope the others wouldn't find them. He took a moment to breathe and his vision blurred. He fell to his knees and retched.

Staggering to his feet, he turned to recoup with the others. Walking through the dense thicket into a small clearing that had been designated as the rendezvous point beforehand, he greeted his peers but they ignored him in favor of discussing the hunt amongst themselves. He made his way to a less crowded area and rested against a tree to wait for the rest of the cadets. He looked up at the light illuminating the clearing.

The moon's reflection of light from the sun weakens the beasts and prevents transformation. If a transformation event occurs you are to retreat immediately and notify the nearest instructor, he instinctively recited to himself. 

He was shaken from his thoughts seeing the last three cadets make their way into the clearing. The group, which had previously been scattered throughout the area, seemed to gravitate towards them—the three highest ranked cadets in the class.

He didn't bother getting up, hearing them bragging about their kills.

"I got two!" said one.

"Weak! I got three." said another.

"Whatever, how many did you get Kenji?" a curious cadet asked.

"Thirteen." said the rank one cadet.

At this the entire group went silent. Daichi rolled his eyes far away from the group.