The Hunters Volume One: The Beginning

Night fall meant a lot of things to a lot of people, each differing in their own understanding. For the working class, it meant hours of rest and reprieve after slaving the entire day away behind a desk or workbench. The lowlifes saw it differently. For them, it was the time to be alive and indulge themselves in the numerous bars and night clubs spread out all over Starlight Bay.

The night had other duties too. It provided a suitable ambiance for nocturnal creatures to go about their businesses unhindered. But most importantly, it concealed the existence of another world from the unsuspecting eyes of the people. An entirely different system that went beyond the borders of the natural and defied all logic by its very existence. The importance of the secrecy of this world was so high that it was agreed upon by every faction that constituted it, despite the fact that most of them did not quite get along.

For one member of this world, tonight was rather special. He had been chosen by the leader of his association to retrieve a fitting sacrifice for the night's event. New members were to be admitted tonight and that required them to take a blood oath. Naturally this would require blood, hence why he was carrying a large body bag over his shoulder as he trudged down a nearly empty street. When he had received the command to obtain a person whose blood was to be used for the ritual, he had jumped into it with gusto. This was not his first time of pulling a stunt like this over the years. But he had never been caught before, reason being his rather meticulous method of picking out his prey.

Starlight Bay was a bit populated due to its proximity to the nearby sea and the presence of beaches and resorts never failed to pull in people constantly. This reflected in the economy of the city, resulting in portions of the city being quite developed while leaving some areas little better than slums. It was from here that he normally picked his prey, where no one would bother about the sudden disappearance of an individual.

The body on his shoulder shuddered lightly in the bag as he went down a dark alley. She was still alive but he had made sure she wouldn't wake up any time soon with the amount of tranquilizers he had pumped into her bloodstream. This one had been a pretty easy catch, he had found her the next day after he had been given his mission. After a few days of following her around, he had discovered she had no family or at least none that lived nearby. That meant no one would look into her disappearance. So he had cornered her earlier and neutralized her easily before bagging her. He was quite thankful she had not put up much of a struggle thus he had not been forced to get violent. The ritual required the sacrifice to be alive after all. It was a shame that it also required her to be undefiled. She was quite the looker and he would have loved to have his way with her a few times before delivering her to her death.

Unfortunately, duty came first.

The thought of the promotion he would receive after tonight's ceremony brought a smile on his face and made him hurry his steps until he got to the brick wall that marked the end of the alley. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a flat stone that had something, a rune inscribed onto it. He placed it on the wall and watched the magic in the stone resonate with the magic in the wall, fascination evident in his eyes. He would never get over the awe that came with witnessing actual magic happen. The surface of the wall glowed a dim blue before rippling like disturbed water, allowing him to sink through it. Once he was in, it quickly regained its solidity.

There had been nothing behind the wall but he had appeared in a large hall designed like something straight out of a horror movie. This was Reality Displacement magic, an extremely rare kind of magic which was highly sought after in their world. It allowed the caster to overlap the reality of a mass or space with their own reality. One of their members had this ability and because of it, he had risen quickly through the ranks despite being relatively new.

Inside the hall, no less than three dozen people stood in rows in front of an altar raised high on a platform. Atop the altar, there were several black candles lit at the corners with a silver bowl in the middle and an ornate silver knife beside it.

A silver haired man stood before the altar, dressed in black robes just like every one else but his was far more exotic, making it quite obvious that he was the leader of the association. A little ways to the side of the altar, a young man stood erect in robes which while not as tasteful as the leader's, was enough to distinguish his higher standing above others. He was the one who had cast the Reality Displacement magic and when he felt two presences enter his domain with a 'key', he made a signal to his leader.

The latter turned around and his eyes brightened when he saw his most loyal follower bring in the sacrifice.

"You have done well, Gerald. Your devotedness will be rewarded in full tonight. But first let us welcome our new brothers into our fold."

Gerald bowed lowly at the waist and handed over the body bag to another member before moving to one corner of the hall. There, two other members removed his jacket and clothed him with a black robe similar to the one with by the Reality Displacement magic user. Then the three of them proceeded to join the others with Gerald moving to stand on the other side of the altar. The member who had taken the body bag had removed the covering and carried the girl to the foot of the altar. Bending a knee in subservience, he offered her up to his leader who then placed her on the altar.

Turning back to face his followers, the cult leader proclaimed in a high voice, "Brothers and sisters of the Dark Fellowship! We are gathered here to witness the indoctrination of or new members! They have agreed to follow our laws and perform all tasks given to them, to live their lives in servitude to our unholy master! And now it is time to seal their oath with blood and empower them with the life force of an innocent!"

Having ended his introduction, he picked up the silver knife and brought up the girl's wrist. Laying it above the bowl, he cut deeply to ensure the blood flowed rapidly. Once it was full, he motioned for one of his subordinates to remove her from the altar. Then he raised his hand above the bowl, muttering arcane incantations until the red liquid turned black with thin wisps of smoke drifting off its surface.

With a come hither gesture, he motioned the new initiates forward and passed the bowl to them. One by one, they drank until there was nothing left. The bowl was returned to the leader, who watched with barely concealed glee at the finalization of the ritual. He had done this multiple times thorough out the years, each completion of the process granting him increased vitality and power based on the innocence of the sacrifice. Soon it would all be worth it. Eventually he would gain enough power to summon his master into this realm and be rewarded for his tireless efforts.

Returning to the altar, he continued his speech. "Now brethren, let us-"

The sound of a body hitting the ground cut him off and all eyes turned to the source of the distraction. One of the new initiates had collapsed to the floor, convulsing violently with his eyes rolled up in his head and bloody foam gushing out of his mouth. The sight was so shocking that it froze everyone in place. It was when the second and third initiates began exhibiting the same symptoms that everyone became alarmed.

The cult leader immediately recognized that something had gone wrong, not only by the sight before him but by the fact that he was not feeling an increase in power. Rather he felt an icky discomfort rising in his chest. Soon it became too much and he spat out a glob of blackened blood. His shock was evident on his face as he realized what had happened.

"Gerald you fool! How dare you bring such an unclean individual here?" He bellowed in anger at the visibly distressed man.

Gerald fumbled with his words in an effort to explain. "M-master Byron...I-I had no idea-"

"Hey! I take offense at that! I may not be an innocent little lamb but I still have standards!"

Every pair of eyes turned to the foreign voice that had interrupted the stuttering man. It had come from the sacrificed girl, who was currently standing while lifting one of their members in the air with one hand. The other hand was buried in the poor man's chest and his silent pleas for mercy slowly became garbled sounds. With a vicious smile on her pretty face, she tore out his heart and flung his body away with such force that it created spiderweb cracks in the wall. Then she savagely squished the organ in her hand and licked the blood running down her hand, grinning wickedly at the cult leader while doing so.

"Mmmm, that was nice. What do you feed these guys down here?"

Her voice brought Byron out of his stupor and his face contorted in a fit of rage.

"Who are you? How did you get here?" he roared.

The girl just cocked her head at him like he had just asked her something stupid.

"Umm, you guys brought me here? The whole sacrifice thing? You didn't forget, did you?" she asked and shrugged. "Meh, it must be the years finally catching up to you. Not like I'm one to talk anyway.

"Although I must thank you for doing so," she continued and raised her clean hand behind her, palm facing outwards. "We've been looking for your hideout forever now. So yeah, thanks for bringing us here."

Throughout her speech, the cult leader picked up on one word in her last sentence.

"Us?"

Her grin turned absolutely feral as tangible purplish black shadows bloomed into existence behind her. Out of the shadows, four figures stepped into the hall to stand beside her.

"Us."

Among the people who came out of the portal, the only female among the four was about five and a half feet tall, a similar height with the other girl. But while the other had straight black hair, she had light brown hair that lay in tame waves down to the middle of her back. Unlike her counterpart who was still smiling viciously at the cultists, she had a gentle yet sad look on her face, as if pitying the people in front of her.

The young man beside her didn't have such a look on his face. In fact he didn't have any look on his face at all. His disposition was one of total indifference and his eyes which were as black as his hair, stared at the cult members with such coldness that it sent shivers down their spine.

On the other side of the first girl, stood a young man with distinctive Asian features. He had dark eyes and white hair which looked a bit messy, as if he had just got out of bed but still gave off a nice touch to his already handsome face. Out of the rest of them, he was the only one who had a look similar to the first girl on his face. His lips were curled in a cocky grin and his eyes twinkled with excitement, not unlike an addict who had found his fix.

But out of them all, the most intimidating gaze came from the man at the far left. He looked quite young, they all did in fact. None of them could have been up to twenty five years but there was a certain feel to his brown eyes that gave them a strange sensation. One that made them feel like they were being watched by a predator far older and wiser than they could ever how to be. It felt like they were being appraised by him, as if to know whether they were worth his attention or not.

It was not a pleasant feeling.

"Oh? Started the party without us, did you Jade?" the Asian man teased his associate, gesturing at the blood still covering her hand.

"Shut up Lee," she hissed and went back to licking her hand. "It's not my fault you guys were late."

"And who was it that was supposed to open the warp gate as soon as she found their hideout?" he retorted amusedly.

She simply stuck her tongue out at him playfully and returned to cleaning her hand.

"And why are you cleaning it anyway? You're still gonna get it dirty again."

"No I'm not. There's no way I'm doing a hunt in this form."

The cultists stood and watched the two of them bickering like long time friends in various states of shock and confusion. Only very few of them had recognized the action of the first girl, Jade as teleportation magic. Byron in particular understood perfectly what had happened here. The girl must have set herself up as bait and used the Trojan horse strategy to infiltrate their hideout, bringing her friends with her as well. From the moment they had appeared, he had had an inkling as to whom they were. But the last words of the girl had practically confirmed his growing fear.

"Y-you're the Hunters?"

That got the bickering duo to pause and Jade smiled widely at him.

"See? You do know who I am! Well more like who we are...."

The rest of her statement was lost to him as he felt the worst fear he had ever felt. It was all over now. They were going to kill him and destroy every thing he had ever achieved in his life. And he knew there was nothing that could stop them. Certainly not him with how much more powerful they were compared to him. To do anything, he needed power.

Power...

That was it! The way out of all this was power! He did not have enough on his own, but there was another way...

"Who the hell are the Hunters? Who are you guys?" one of the new initiates snarked rudely. He, like some of the initiates, had recovered somewhat from the defective concoction and was leaning on another member to stand. The older woman who was helping him stand broke momentarily out of her fear induced shock to glare furiously at him as if to tell him to shut his mouth. She had obviously been in this group for a long time, long enough that she recognized the people before her and the danger their presence represented.

Lee raised an eyebrow at the questioner in a surprised manner.

"You seriously haven't heard of us?"

"Oh yeah that guy, he's one of the new intakes. I don't suppose they've been entirely made aware of the supernatural world." Jade explained.

"New intakes?" the other girl perked up visibly at that statement and turned to the one on the other side of Lee. "Michael, do we have to kill them as well?"

The now named Michael turned to the girl, his eyes becoming far softer when he spoke to her. "I'm sorry but they knew what they were getting into. If we leave them alone, they're just going to hurt innocent people. And you know we can't let that happen."

The girl merely sighed, as if she had already expected this answer. "Fine. Let's just get this over with."

"Finally!" Jade huffed. "Now I don't know about you guys but I have a movie to catch so can we at least hurry this up?"

"Do what you want to do." Michael said in a neutral tone. "But try not too make a mess. Olivia's squeamish enough as it is."

Lee chuckled lightly, "Yeah, try telling her that."

Where Jade once was, stood a giant three foot tall, six foot long wolf that was covered in dark brown fur. Said wolf was currently eviscerating a nearby cultist, its muzzle and front paws covered in the blood of the dying man. The transformation and attack had happened so suddenly that no one had been able to react in time. It was over for the man when the wolf pulled back from his ripped open torso, his heart caught in its maw. The bloody organ pulsed twice sending blood squirting onto the floor before the creature swallowed it whole and turned its gaze to Michael.

'You were saying?' Jade's amused voice responded telepathically in his head.

Apparently they all heard her statement as well if Lee's laugh and Olivia's smile was anything to go by. Michael merely shook his head lightly at her antics and turned to Olivia.

She smiled at him, albeit a bit sadly. "It's fine. Besides this way they'll die faster."

Faced with her agreement, Michael stepped back and let his team do as they wished. The three of them went down on one knee and placed a single hand on the floor. Thick black smoke drifted from their bodies, covering them in columns of smoke which hid their forms entirely.

When the smoke cleared, three more giant wolves stood before them. One of them was a light brown color, another white while the last one was pitch black. The first wolf came to stand with them and together they growled loudly at the terrified cultists. Then they attacked.

It was an absolute slaughter. The cultists, while aware of the supernatural, did not possess knowledge of any powerful spells they could have used in this situation. The few that knew some incantations tried pointlessly to help themselves. One woman managed to live long enough to cast a wide wave of fire which she sent out towards the wolves. The beasts simply stood and watched the attack approach until it engulfed them.

A few moments later, the wolves trotted lightly out of the raging inferno, their furs not giving of even a faint smoke trail. It took two more people attacking with a similar spell before the remaining cultists came to a startling discovery: the wolves could not be damaged with elemental attacks that weak. Aside their insane durability, the creatures were fast and absurdly strong, being able to remove entire limbs in a single bite. There was no escaping death from the hands of these wolves.

Anton, the one with the Reality Displacement magic has been frozen with fear at the massacre happening before him. It was when the disembodied head of a cultist rolled to his feet that he regained his senses. In a mad dash he ran to the side of Byron who had been observing the whole scene for some time now.

"Master! What do we do?! There going to kill everyone!."

"Anton, you've never killed someone before, have you?"

Anton stared at him in confusion, "What are you talking about..."

His question trailed off when he saw the manic look in his master's eyes. With astonishing speed, Byron grabbed the boy's wrist and used the silver knife on the altar to cut him open. Blood spurted all over the altar and into the emptied bowl. The binding pain made Anton scream and push away from the older man. Having gotten what he wanted, Byron let him stumble back without a care for the look of betrayal on the young man's face.

Taking hold of the collars of his robe, he tore it apart revealing a sturdy form not befitting someone of his age. He had not intended to do this ritual now. He still had not accumulated enough power but the current circumstances had forced his hand. The price would surely be steep but he would pay it nevertheless, for the honor of his Master. Gripping the knife in his right hand, he used it to carve a bloody pentagram on his chest. Reciting in an unknown language, he called on as much magical energy as he could muster. By the time he stopped chanting, he felt it begin. A bubbling darkness surging forth from within his very being, consuming and twisting his existence.

'Slave, why have you summoned me now? You do not have enough power to retain my being in this realm!'

The deep growling voice of his Master resounded in his mind as its foul energy began to take hold of his conscience.

"My lord, I-I didn't have a choice! The Hunters, they're here! They'll destroy everything!"

'Hmmm, that is terrible news indeed. But it won't change the fact that I still cannot fully manifest here.'

"I-I thought of that, my lord. That is why I am ready to offer up my soul to you. Use it to fuel your entry and deal with these wretched beasts!"

'A soul? Yes....a soul will do quite nicely.... Prepare to die, servant...'

"Anything for you my lo-"

Byron's body stiffened and spasmed uncontrollably until he fell backwards. His eyes bulged out and darkness creeped in from the corners of his eyes until they were both pitch black. Meanwhile, the wolves had finished slaughtering every member of the cult and were now watching the possession taking place on the altar.

Suddenly Byron stopped shaking and slowly stood up. His entire demeanor had changed into something far more ominous. Black veins were visible all over his hands, chest and face. His eyes had turned black, devoid of their pupils and when he spoke, his mouth was filled with razor sharp teeth.

"How annoying. To be summoned by this failed sorcerer to fight an already useless battle."

The wolves began circling him slowly, their hackles raised as they growled and snarled at the possessed man. He didn't pay them any mind though. Rather he focused his gaze on Michael who had yet to move an inch since his arrival.

"You have been standing there all this while. Have you nothing to say? You are standing before Saraces, one of the Demon Lords of Hell. Will you not show respect, mortal?"

At his words Michael raised an eyebrow, "Oh, so you're one of the Lords? I was wondering if this hunt was actually worth it."

"Insolent child! How dare you?!" Saraces roared and pointed his hand at Michael. A dark orb of magic formed and shot forward at him at high speeds. The young man simply closed his eyes and held out his own hand. When the magic orb was a few feet away from his palm, it suddenly disappeared as if it was never there at all.

When Michael reopened his eyes, his pupils were the color of light gray smoke. "Know your place, demon."

Saraces took a step back in shock as his face scrunched up in rage. "Impossible! You have his magic! Then that means.... Damn you William! Show your face, you bastard! Quit hiding behind a puny mortal body and face me like a man!"

Michael felt something stir within him. His soul's inhabitant had taken offense at the demon's words and offered him to switch out with him. For a moment, Michael considered doing so. After all, this was a Demon Lord and they were not exactly known to be weak.

In the end, he decided to remain in control. He would not have to go all out here. He was a Hunter first and foremost, and this demon, Lord or not, was still his prey.

"Every one, stand down," he ordered. "He's mine."

The other wolves backed away without hesitation, a testament to how much they respected him. Saraces eyed the Hunter as he stepped forward warily. He knew he was at a handicap, having not been summoned with his true body and having to use the sorcerer's weak one. But he still had his pride and it urged him to destroy the brat for his disrespect.

Raising a hand in the air, Saraces summoned a large ball of fire and sent it towards the Hunter. Michael just continued his walk, the fireball vanishing before it could reach him. The demon snarled angrily and conjured a black flaming magic circle in the air. With a frustrated shout, he sent out a stream of black flames towards Michael.

The young man's eyes narrowed dangerously as he watched the fire completely obliterate the floor on its path towards him.

'He's using Hellfire? In an enclosed area? Michael thought as he stopped his approach and watched the fire coming at him.

Up at the altar, Saraces grinned wickedly at the sight of the Hunter stopping in his tracks.

"That's right, you fool! Ever since the last time we fought, I've devoted my time to finding a perfect counter for your magic. You can't erase a spell if the power fueling it is greater than yours, can you? These flames are powered by the infinite power of souls consumed by Hell!

"You've lost and you know it! Admit defeat and maybe I'll only torture your soul for a few thousand years."

The flames were only some meters away when Michael's lips curled in a mocking smirk.

"And what makes you think I was never aware of that fact?"

"What are you talking about?"

Michael did not answer, instead he asked his hand outwards toward the oncoming wave of black flames. Saraces frowned when he saw the human's smirk and his brow furrowed even more when he felt the amount of magical energy being concentrated in the Hunter's hand. It was so absurdly high that the fabric of reality around the hand had become unstable.

'What is he planning to do?'

Just before the flames reached him, Michael let out a small laugh of derision. "Such ignorance..."

The wave surged onto him and he thrust out his hand. The black flames immediately froze in the air then with the sound of passing wind, they disappeared instantly. Everywhere turned dead silent until Saraces screamed in fury.

"WHAT WAS THAT?! HOW CAN YOU ERASE HELLFIRE?! THAT SHOULD NOT BE POSSIBLE! THERE-"

A hand clutched at his throat and he felt his vocal cords cease to exist. Looking down, Saraces saw that Michael had disappeared from where he had been standing.

"I've really gotten sick of your voice," Michael whispered beside him before throwing out a kick that sent the demon crashing through the solid stone altar.

Saraces felt his body slam painfully on the ground and grit his interlocking teeth to avoid biting his tongue. Before he could get up, Michael put a foot down on his chest to pin him down. Then he he reached down and took hold of the demon's arms and proceeded to rip them off his body.

Dead gray eyes stared into inhumane black ones for several moments before Michael placed a hand on Saraces' chest.

"Return from whence you came, demon, and never walk this realm again," he prayed and sent a pulse of magic through his body, instantly erasing his heart.

"That's what you think, bastard," Saraces spoke telepathically directly to his mind as the black veins began to disappear from his face. "I'll always have my followers and eventually I will return. And when I do..."

The darkness in Byron's eyes dissipated as Michael felt the last vestiges of Saraces' presence fade away.

'I will destroy you once and for all...'

Silence descended on the hall like a heavy blanket. Michael kept his eyes on the still body before him until he decided there was nothing more to it. He turned around to catch the final moments of his team transforming back to humans. Fading wisps of smoke drifted around them, rising into the air and disappearing after a few seconds.

Jade stretched her arms in a languid manner, a sigh escaping her lips, "Ugh, I hate hunting sorcerers. Weak little rats they are, always calling the big boys when shit hits the fan."

Dean, the stoic member of the team, turned to Michael, speaking for the first time since he arrived.

"I didn't know you could erase Hellfire."

The surprise was hard to detect in his voice but it was there all the same, alongside some curiosity shared by the others. After all their leader had just did something they had no idea was possible.

"That's because I can't. Nothing can negate Hellfire. I just erased the reality around the flames so it ceased to exist." Michael clarified.

Olivia looked at him thoughtfully for a moment, "That means it went there, right?"

"Yeah," he answered her. "I'll take care of it later."

"We better leave," Lee spoke from from where he knelt beside Anton's body. "The owner of this dimension just died. The place is gonna collapse soon."

They looked around them and sure enough the walls had begun to develop large cracks in them. Through these cracks, an endless void could be seen giving of an all encompassing sense of destruction not unlike a black hole.

"Jade, get us out of here."

"You got it boss."

Beyond the edges of Starlight Bay, in the forest that surrounded the city, a house stood behind the short walls of a picket fence. The walls of the house had been painted an unassuming blue, although the moonlight gave it an unusual purple gleam. Imperceptible except to the highly trained and very observant eye, numerous runes littered nearly every hidden corner of the house and underneath every window and door. The workshop and garage attached to the sides of the building got the same treatment.

Light shone through the windows of the main building, signifying that the occupants were still awake despite how late the hour was.

Inside the house was as plain as the outside. Furniture, not shabby yet nowhere near exotic, made the living room less empty than it looked. Shelves lined the walls although there were no pictures on them, only the occasional flower vase here and there. The only thing that stood out was the larger than normal bookshelf that occupied the entire west wing of the room.

Michael sat on one of the couches, a book open on his lap as his eyes pored over its pages. To his left, the only other occupant of the room Dean lay on his back with his eyes closed. He was so still he could have been thought dead, if not for the small yet consistent rise and fall of his broad chest. In the kitchen adjacent to the living room, Lee reclined on a wooden chair tipped far back enough to stand on its back legs with his feet on the table.

The place was quite, the three men relishing in the silence and the peace of mind that came after knowing they had defended humanity once more. That was why they Hunted. To protect people who couldn't do so themselves, against those who sought their selfish goals without a care for those harmed in the process. The supernatural world was an extremely diverse place, each faction driven by different ideals. More often than not, those ideals usually did not bode well for normal humans.

That was where they came in. For centuries, they had protected humanity from the shadows. Waging a perpetual war against the supernatural world from the side of mankind, despite being part of that world themselves. There was never any particular enemy considering the sheer diversity of unnatural creatures out there. They didn't play favorites either. If a human magician was engaged in activities intended to hurt people, they spared no effort in eliminating him as well. After all, humanity could sometimes be its own worst enemy.

A large purplish black circle appeared in the middle of the living room, right in front of Michael. A slender leg showed itself first as Jade came through the portal, Olivia following soon after before the gateway shut itself.

"Well that movie was the worst," Jade complained to no one in particular as she tossed her purse on the couch.

"I'm not so sure about that," Olivia countered in her normal mellow voice as she took a seat beside her leader.

The darker haired girl shot her teammate a dry look. "It was basically two and a half hours of stupid romantic sappiness. I don't even know how you talked me into seeing that...."

Jade's voice trailed off as her eyes went vacant for a second, then narrowed considerably. This had not gone unnoticed by everyone in the room.

"What is it?" Michael asked, shutting his book and setting it aside. Across the room, Dean had shot up from the couch to sit upright, his body primed for immediate action should it be required.

"Something's coming," Jade answered as she reached into her connection with the runes plastered all over the building. She was the one who had drawn them originally to prevent anyone finding the house or infiltrating it. The runes were identified to her, meaning that she would be alerted if anything sought to enter the house.

Just like now.

Lee got up from the table and made his way into the living room, rolling his sleeves along the way. "Who is it this time? I don't exactly feel like doing two Hunts in one night. Besides I'm surprised we were found at all." He sent a sly grin on Jade's direction. "Guess you're not as good as you think."

She returned the grin with a withering glare. "Be quiet you. We haven't been compromised. It's only a letter. And I have a good guess as to who the sender is, seeing as they're the only ones who can track us."

Lee's grin morphed into a slight frown. "Why would they reach out to us again after last time?"

Out of the corner of his eye, Michael noticed Olivia shudder slightly in discomfort and decided to speak up.

"Lee, drop it. Jade, send the letter back-"

"I don't think we should do that. Michael, it has that seal on it."

The young man went silent at that and thought over his reply. The presence within him beckoned on him to receive the message as soon as he heard about the usage of a seal.

They know what that seal symbolizes, Michael. If they're willing to use it now, that means this is something we cannot in good faith ignore.

Listening to the words of his predecessor and weighing the pros and cons made Michael sigh tiredly as he ran his fingers through his hair.

"Alright bring it in. Let's see what this is about anyway," Michael agreed reluctantly. Turning to face Olivia, he saw her biting her lower lip anxiously. There were slight traces of uncertainty in her eyes and she wrung her hands together.

Michael covered her hands with his and looked at her softly. "Hey, it's going to be alright."

Jade had an uncharacteristically tender look in her eyes when she patted the other girl's shoulder.

"You know we don't exactly have to do this? We didn't make that promise so we don't have to do anything for them-"

Olivia raised a hand to stop her mid sentence. A weak laugh escaped her and she smiled sadly at the floor.

"No. It's just...after all these years, I-I still can't..." She let out a small sigh and separated her hands. Her nervousness had decreased a bit when she spoke again.

"Let it in. You guys always said you wanted me to get better right? I'm willing to give it a shot. Who knows, it might be something important?"

"Are you sure?" Michael asked. She replied with a nod and he looked over to Dean and Lee for their opinion. The former simply nodded while Lee waved his hand for them to go forward.

Jade met her leader's eyes one last time and he gave her the go ahead signal. Raising her hand, she summoned a version of the portal that had appeared earlier only much smaller in size over her palm. A white envelope fell out into her waiting hand. It was sealed shut with a wax seal of a rather peculiar design; a sword lying at the foot of a cross that stood before a full moon.

Jade handed it over to Michael in a show of deference and went to take a seat on his other side. He gazed at the seal for a while at the request of the presence within him to see the symbol that had once held much meaning to him. Then he carefully broke the seal and opened the letter. Dean and Lee had come to stand behind the couch at some point and they all read the letter together.

Five minutes later, they had all read the letter three times and were doing so again for the fourth time. Finally Lee threw his hands in the air and let out a small laugh.

"They can't be serious?!"

"I'm pretty sure they are," Jade replied dryly. Her eyes were still fixed on the letter, or more specifically the bottom of it where three signatures from three different parties lay. One was quite simple, a red drop of blood while another was an intricate magic circle and the last, a beautiful cross. These symbols belonged to the three biggest and most powerful factions in the supernatural world; vampires, witches and the Holy Church. The three groups were not official enemies but there had always been underlying tensions among them, resulting in something of a cold war between the factions. Of course the war was not always cold. Every now and then, loyal fanatics would pop up in a fit of madness and attack another faction in an insane attempt to 'purify the world'. Things like this ensured the mutual hatred continued and although there were times tensions sprung so high a war would seem very probable, none of the factions had ever dared launch a full scale attack on another.

The reason was simple: fear of a mutual enemy.

The Hunters did not discriminate in their activities. As far as they knew there were only two sides, humanity against the rest of them. And they were on humanity's side. An all out war among the factions would inevitably claim human lives. That would lead to the Hunters interfering to declare their own war against whichever faction they felt was responsible for the war in the first place.

Nobody wanted to fight the Hunters alone, never mind together with the other groups. Such an act would culminate in the utter destruction of said faction. Their fear of the Hunters was not unfounded. They were individuals of great power on their own. Together, they become a nigh unstoppable force capable of things best left unspoken of.

For these three long time enemies to seek the help of another enemy, it meant something serious was happening. The contents of the letter only served to strengthen that concept. For all its seriousness though, some parts of the message seemed more than a little absurd. The letter has hinted of an incoming danger, one that threatened the lives of the younger generations of each faction. Thus they had put aside their differences and in a show of solidarity, each group had brought their most promising prodigies in one place. The situation became even more absurd as at some point in the letter, the higher ups of the factions had asked the Hunters to lend them their aid in safeguarding these prodigies.

It would seem reasonable to an outsider; entrusting the future of the next generation in the hands of older, experienced, not to mention powerful individuals. However, take into account the fact that the individuals in question have spent multiple centuries exterminating such people, and the whole thing just loses any semblance of sense.

Thus Lee's less-than-subtle reaction.

"They're asking us to do babysit their kids?!"

"In a nutshell, yeah pretty much," Olivia affirmed.

Lee simply shook his head, muttered "Unbelievable" under his breath and went straight to the kitchen and the wine cabinet in it.

The rest of them were all equally shocked but that was not all they thought of the proposal. Olivia found it honestly interesting. It would be quite the experience to interact with other supernatural individuals without having to rip them apart afterwards. Dean felt the whole thing was a sham, an elaborate scheme to get them to lower their guard in a seemingly comfortable environment. Still he did not voice his thoughts. It was not his style to do such. He preferred to let his actions do the talking most of the time. It would not matter what he said anyway. In the end the decision was Michael's. He was the leader, his word was law as far as Dean was concerned. Jade simply thought the request amusing and made sure to voice her opinion. In her eyes, it was an opportunity to entertain herself. There was nothing as fun as watching children misbehave once they thought they were free of their seniors.

When it became obvious that they were all waiting for him to decide, Michael shut his eyes and sought the counsel of the presence dwelling alongside his soul. Personally he did not want to agree to this. He liked things the way they were currently. Being around these children for an indefinite period of time would inevitably affect him in the enactment of his duties. The veiled threat in the letter did not do much to help either. The subtle hinting of a combined war against the Hunters should they not comply was nearly enough reason for Michael to reject the proposal there and then.

The threat did not faze him in the slightest. It was pretty much the same thing they had been doing for so many years now. The only difference would be the increased publicity of their encounters. Which would in turn lead to the involvement of human innocents and that was something Michael would rather avoid. There was something to be said about the countless lives that would be lost in such a war. Despite their reputation as brutal and ruthless, the Hunters were not completely indiscriminate in their activities. A war would mean they would have to kill a lot of innocent people forced into an unwinnable battle by their stupid leaders.

He did not want that either.

"Accept it. You know they're right. Something has been stirring up for sometime now. This may be a chance for you to figure it out."

Begrudgingly Michael agreed with his predecessor. He had noticed that things were getting increasingly suspicious lately. Dangerous groups and equally dangerous people had begun to make appearances in a manner that had kept him up through more than one night in the week. The summoning of Saraces further cemented this uneasiness and prompted him to make his decision.

"Jade, send them a reply; we'll accept their proposal but with only after they accept a few conditions of ours."

The reactions were mixed. Lee stared at him in sheer disbelief while Olivia looked positively joyful at his decision. Jade seemed even more amused if that was even possible but not really surprised, as if she had already expected his answer. It would not surprise him if she did. She was the closest to him after all.

Dean on the other hand, kept his usual stoic face as he gave his assent. However, Michael knew something was bothering him inside even though he did not say a word.

"What is it?" he asked.

Dean's reply was short. "They'll betray us."

Michael raised an eyebrow at his friend. That was his biggest worry? Well it was not totally unfounded seeing as they were dealing with their long time enemies here. But Michael had already given that thought some consideration and had since come up with an answer.

A vicious smile, one that did made even Jade shudder slightly, spread his lips to reveal elongated razor sharp canines that gleamed brightly in the illuminated room.

"The answer to that is simple. They betray us..." Michael began as he looked at the rest of his pack from the corner of eyes that glowed an ethereal shade of red, showing him as the Alpha he was.

"We annihilate them all."