The stream Master Torin mentioned gurgles nearby. North, he said. Follow it north. But which way is north? The monks rarely allowed me beyond the monastery walls, and never alone.
The pendant in my hand pulses once, and I gasp as the fragment of map begins to glow with the same crimson light as my markings. A tiny dot of brighter light appears on the scrap of parchment, moving slightly as I turn.
A compass.
The moment my fingers brushed against the cold, metallic surface, the system's ever-present voice chimed in again.
Item discovered: Blood Compass (Unique).
I frowned, turning the strange artifact over in my hands. It wasn't like any compass I'd seen before—no needle, no glass covering. Just an intricate design etched into dark metal, pulsing faintly in time with my heartbeat.
A magical artifact attuned to your bloodline. Can guide you to places marked on the map fragment. Additional functions locked.
I sighed. Of course, there were locked functions. Because nothing in my life could ever be straightforward.
Still, if it could point me toward my objective, I wasn't about to complain.
Tightening my grip on the Blood Compass, I muttered, "Alright, let's see where you take me."
Clutching this unexpected guide, I begin to run, following the stream as it winds through the forest. My thin meditation robes offer little protection against the night air, and my bare feet are soon bleeding from the rocky terrain. But I don't slow. Can't slow. The Purifiers will be coming.
The blood calls to blood.
What did the masked man mean? What am I that these people would attack a monastery of peaceful monks to find me?
The answers, I suspect, lie with this Huntsman—the man who knew my mother.
Dawn is breaking when I finally reach the crossroads. It's little more than a clearing where two dirt paths intersect, marked by a weathered wooden post. I collapse against it, exhaustion finally overtaking me. The sigils on my skin have faded to faint red lines, no longer glowing but still visible—a permanent reminder that I am not, have never been, normal.
The moment I crossed the threshold of the crossroads, a sudden rush of energy surged through me. My breath caught in my chest as the system's voice rang out, almost… congratulatory.
Quest completed: Escape the Purifiers.
I almost didn't believe it, but the confirmation was impossible to ignore.
Rewards: 100 XP, System Tutorial Unlock.
I felt the tingling weight of XP filling me, a shift deep within. My mind cleared, just for a moment, as if the very fabric of this new reality was finally beginning to make sense.
Level Up!
I blinked, stunned.
You have reached Level 2.
That was quick, and honestly, a little overwhelming. But the system didn't wait for me to digest the change.
+5 Attribute Points Available
+1 Ability Point Available
I glanced down at my blood compass, feeling the power inside me surge once more. There was no time to waste. I had choices to make now, but they would have to wait.
A sound in the underbrush makes me jerk upright. I hold my breath, eyes scanning the tree line. A deer, perhaps? Or have the Purifiers already tracked me?
"Interesting," a voice drawls from behind me. "Very interesting indeed."
I whirl around, raising my hands instinctively. A man stands on the path I just traveled, though I'm certain he wasn't there moments before. He's tall and lean, dressed in a patchwork of leather and cloth that blends with the forest. His face is partially obscured by a hood, but I can see a close-cropped silver beard and eyes that gleam like polished amber in the early light.
Observe Activated.
The world around me sharpened, focusing on a figure standing in the shadows ahead—tall, cloaked in darkness, with eyes that seemed to pierce through the very air. My heartbeat quickened as the system's analysis filled my mind.
Name: Unknown
Title: The Huntsman
Level: Unknown
Threat Level: Extreme
Disposition: Curious
Curious? That didn't sound comforting, especially when the system had flagged him as an extreme threat.
I couldn't move. I could barely breathe. The Huntsman wasn't just a figure in the distance. He was right here, and I had no idea whether he was friend or foe.
"Don't come any closer," I warn, trying to summon the heat that exploded from me in the monastery. But my power seems spent, leaving only a hollow ache in my chest.
The man chuckles. "Or what? You'll glare me to death? You're drained, little witch. Lucky for you, I'm not here to collect your head." He sniffs the air. "Though others will be, soon enough."
My legs tremble with fatigue. "Are you… are you the Huntsman?"
Something flickers across the man's face—surprise, perhaps, or wariness. "Who wants to know?"
With the last of my strength, I hold out the pendant. "My mother. She said you owed her a debt."
The Huntsman goes very still. Then, with movements so swift they blur, he crosses the distance between us and snatches the pendant from my hand. He examines it closely, turning it over in calloused fingers.
"Impossible," he mutters. "Mira is dead."
"Mira?" My heart lurches. "That was her name? My mother's name?"
The Huntsman's amber eyes lock onto mine, searching. Whatever he sees there causes him to curse under his breath. "You have her eyes," he says finally. "But the rest… the rest is his."
Before I can ask who "he" is, the Huntsman's head snaps up, his attention drawn to something I can't see or hear. "They're coming," he hisses, grabbing my arm. "And they've brought trackers."
"The Purifiers?" Fear gives me a fresh surge of energy. "How did they find me so quickly?"
"Because you're bleeding, you fool girl." The Huntsman points to my feet, where blood has pooled on the ground. "Demon blood has a scent all its own. Now move!"
A jolt of urgency slammed into me as the system's voice cut through my thoughts again, this time with a sense of immediacy.
New Quest: Follow the Huntsman.
I didn't even have a chance to process the first one before the next set of instructions flooded my mind.
Objective: Escape the pursuing Purifiers and reach a safe location.
The words alone made my heart race faster. I had no idea how much time I had left, but the weight of the situation pressed down on me.
Reward: 150 XP, System Tutorial Access.
A chance to understand what the hell was going on. But there was always a price.
Failure: Capture or Death.
Time Limit: 1 hour.
I glanced toward the Huntsman, uncertainty swirling inside me. The Purifiers were coming. The clock was ticking, and I had only one chance to make it out alive.
He pulls me off the path and into the trees, moving with the silent grace of a predator. I stumble after him, questions burning on my tongue but instinct telling me that survival comes first.
As we vanish into the deeper forest, a raven launches from a nearby branch. It circles once above the clearing before flying south—back toward the smoking ruins of the only home I've ever known.
Back toward the beginning of a mystery eighteen years in the making.
SYSTEM MESSAGE: TUTORIAL WILL BEGIN ONCE YOU REACH A SAFE LOCATION
The system drones on about safety, but the only place I've ever known as safe is the one I just escaped—now swallowed by flames.
Master Torin's fate claws at my mind like a desperate animal. Each heartbeat is a hammer of uncertainty. Is he still inside? Did he fall? The thought constricts around my chest, a vice that threatens to crush my lungs—but there's no turning back. No room for hesitation.
Smoke and blood cling to the wind, whispering a chilling truth that cuts deeper than any blade—safety is an illusion, a lie we tell ourselves to keep the darkness at bay.
And as the silence grows thick with unspoken threats, one question burns brighter than the flames behind me.
Can I trust the Huntsman?