Soft light shone through the mist that floated above the village rooftops. Everything was quiet except when the breeze blew past the leaves.
After Elric got back from Sun Village he did not say a word. He still followed the rules carefully using the one bullet he had to hunt remembering that he had one shot, one life and one more day to live.
Even after he bought himself some time he still did not have any answers. The things he found out did not make sense when he put them together like puzzle pieces that did not fit. The quiet in his mind was not peaceful it was like a buzzing noise from all the questions he had.
The questions just disappeared into the quiet without any answers.
All he knew was that the village chief always wore a mask and never took it off he did not want anyone to see his face.
At the time Elric, who did not give up asked the village chief for cerulean stones in return for his help.
He caught the village chief at the moment when the other man was walking away. Elric did not let the chance slip away and quickly asked for what he wanted.
When he got it he rushed to the church.
The candlelight flickered on the stone walls.
Elric said, "This is what you asked for." He threw the stone to the priest. The dim light hit the stone making it shine with a brightness. The priests eyes, which always looked calm showed a hunger.
The priest said, "You can ask two questions." His voice was dry, but lower than usual.
Elric pressed his lips together. He was bitter. He did not hesitate. He asked in a voice
"What year was this village built?"
"And why was it built so close to the forest?"
The priest answered quickly.
"Thirty years ago " he said evenly.
"Because of the water and the safe food that used to be "
After Elric got what he wanted he left the church. Sat by the roadside. His eyes looked at the swaying trees then his face tensed up with worry.
"Thirty years ago " he said to himself.
He closed his eyes trying to remember a past he never saw. A new village on this land with water and a lush forest like a promise of peace.. A few years later wolves started appearing without stopping.
Why did a safe place become dangerous?
There were no wolves before. After The village began to take shape, wolf packs began to appear. What was strange was that he never heard of this village being attacked before. It was Sun Village on the side that was attacked by wolves even though it was far away and not a place wolves could easily reach.
Elric frowned his breathing slowed down.
Then he let out a sigh. His face eased a little. His eyes still looked suspicious.
He walked around the village slowly looking at everything. His eyes swept over every alley and corner like he was searching for answers in the cracks of the walls or in the shadows of the fences.
Then he found Wesley again.
Wesley was doing his job. At least trying to. He stood in front of a garden his hand holding his arm where a deep wound was bleeding. His face was pale. He still smiled.
"Mr. Wesley are you okay?" Elric asked.
Wesley chuckled softly his face tired but steady. "I'm fine don't worry about it."
Soon his face turned serious.
"Elric did you find out anything?"
Elric nodded slowly before answering, "A little. It doesn't make sense."
Wesley moved a bit his breathing faint but even. His injured hand shook a little.
"Did you hear anything about the village chief?"
Elric said "Not much I probably didn't ask questions so I don't know much about those things.. Its probably not connected to the main mystery."
Wesley looked at him his face more serious. "You're wrong from what I asked I found out that the village chiefs wife had a fight with him."
Elrics eyes widened a bit his face changed at once.
"You mean he killed his wife? But there's no proof."
"Yes there's no proof but think about it if it were true why would he do it?" Wesley said
Elric froze his eyes dropped. He whispered in his mind, All nine kids, all
His body felt cold. His eyes narrowed.
At first I thought he was just unlucky.
His face changed, like a shadow was lifted from his heart.
"I'm starting to see it he really seems to be the center of this story.. I..."
He stopped, looking confused like his mind had not caught up with the picture that was forming.
Wesley asked suddenly not giving him time to react. "You're the Hunter right?"
Elric said, "Yes that's my role in this story."
Wesley looked at him. "Maybe you need to do something not outside your role but within it in a way that the rules don't mention."
Elric frowned, still not understanding.
Wesley turned his face away his voice fading. "Never mind."
"Alright by the way are you done with your part of the rule? You've been standing there for a while."
Wesley nodded lightly looking at the plant thorns rising from the ground. They were shiny and metallic not like anything
"Blood at one o'clock, three times, fifty milliliters each every thirty minutes. This is the one."
Elric nodded quietly thinking about everyones role.
His role was noon and midnight.
Wesleys role was one o'clock in the afternoon and one in the morning.
What were their roles really beneath the truth that had not been revealed yet?
There was no doubt that the others had fixed times too. Maybe that was true for this narrative or for every narrative.
Right now even the first narrative was almost impossible to survive.
While Elric was still thinking Wesley silently held out a knife and slowly cut his own arm. The vein opened up. The sound of flesh tearing was faint. It was there. The wound showed a abnormal blood color, thick and deep not like human blood. It was like a liquid made by something that could not be explained.
Wesley dripped the blood onto the iron spike, which was twisted in a way that did not look natural like a living piece of metal. It drank the blood quietly without making a sound. The whole thing took than half a minute before the iron spike trembled faintly and sank into the ground like it never existed.
Wesley said quietly "Done."
Elric frowned a bit then asked uncertainly "Mr. Wesley your blood is a color..."
"My body has problems that's why my blood looks strange " Wesley said, but his tired voice suggested he was not telling the truth.
Elric nodded a bit. Did not ask more.
He said, "I'm going to head out " and raised his hand to say goodbye.. Wesley extended his hand first.
"Take this " he said.
He handed Elric a bullet.
Elric froze, surprised staring at the object in Wesleys hand. It was the blue bullet he knew well the cerulean stone.
"Where did you get this? I've been looking everywhere " Elric said.
Wesley chuckled quietly like he was holding back laughter. "In your room there was a bullet under your pillow."
Elrics face changed at once his eyes widening a bit in shock. "I should have felt that, unless its because its such a bullet...Wait you went into my room!"
Wesley smiled, like he just realized he got caught. "Sorry the door was unlocked so I thought I'd take a look."
Elric scratched his head, his eyes dimming with tiredness.
"I guess I was out of it that I forgot to lock the room."
...
There were probably around forty people left now.
The people who survived were inside the church under the dim candlelight and the smell of old damp wood. The quiet was overwhelming like everyones breath was taken by a fear that was not said. It was the second night but more, than half of them had already died. That was enough for everyone to understand this was not just dangerous it was a hell that was slowly eating them away
Elric had only been doing this for a day. He was picking it up really fast. It was like he was born to survive in this place. He was still following the plan that he had been given.
He used the cerulean stone bullet that Wesley had given him to hunt a wolf. He was about to head when he remembered what Wesley had said to him.
Wesley told him to follow the plan. Even if the rules do not say it he should still do it.
The Hunter is supposed to kill the wolf.. Then what?
Elric asked himself 'Do I have to cut up the wolfs body'
He said this to himself quietly. He was thinking about it. He looked at the wolf body on the ground. At first he did not react. Then his face started to change. He looked like he sensed something.
He picked up his knife. Started to cut up the wolf. He was moving slowly. He was breathing hard. The smell of blood and the wolfs insides was making him feel sick.. He wanted to know more.
As he kept cutting he thought, "A wolfs body should not look like this."
The wolfs hips were not right. And its thumb it looked like a thumb. It was like a hand with claws.
The teeth and eyes looked human too.
Then it hit him "I get it now."
There were rumors about a village where people disappeared. This happened over thirty years. Many people just vanished. Some people thought they just left or moved away.. It was weird that so many people disappeared.
...
The village chief of Starlight Village asked Elric "Why are you giving me this?"
Elric had given him a paper with some information on it. It was about the people who disappeared from another village.
The chief looked away for a moment. "You think our village might be in danger like the one right?"
Elric said, "Yes that's what I thought."
He said this slowly. "Our village has problems with wolves. All the other hunters are gone. I was worried."
Elric. Went into the house.
When Elric went inside he saw that it was a place.. It was nice. The old wood walls had cracks in them. The sun was shining through the cracks making beams of light. There was not furniture. Just a old. A rocking chair. There was a photo on the wall. It was a picture of a family.
"But we have never had a wolf attack in thirty years."
He was sitting by the fire. He was a man but he looked smart. His eyes were always watching. He was stroking his beard.
"It's better to be safe, than sorry."
Elric smiled a little.. His eyes did not smile. He knew what the chief was thinking.
Elric smiled....Once again
"A pet can still bite owner."