The First Hunt
850 Words
The city was quieter than usual. A deceptive calm that made every shadow seem alive. My heartbeat still thudded in my ears from the training Selene had forced on me the night before. Every cut I had healed, every flicker of pain I had endured, had awakened something in me—something that felt powerful, and terrifying.
“You’re ready,” Selene said quietly, her voice slicing through the still air. We were perched on a rooftop overlooking an alleyway where the faint glow of streetlights barely penetrated the darkness. Her posture was relaxed, but her eyes were predatory. “Tonight, you learn how to survive in the real world. Not this apartment, not the controlled exercises. They’re coming for you, Tristan. And this time, they won’t hold back.”
I swallowed hard. I wasn’t ready. How could I be?
Selene placed a hand on my shoulder. “Fear is useful, but it cannot control you. You must act before they strike, not after.”
A rustle from below made me jump. My senses screamed that someone—or something—was moving in the alley. Then I saw him: a figure cloaked in black, moving like a shadow. He paused, lifted his hand, and the faint symbol of the circle split by a line glowed across his chest. The same symbol my mother had warned me about.
“They’ve started,” Selene whispered.
The figure dropped a small device on the ground—a square, black, humming faintly. It emitted a pulse that made the hairs on my arms stand. The device’s screen lit up: a countdown. Ten minutes.
“They want to see how fast you react,” Selene said. “And whether you survive under pressure.”
I glanced at her, panic rising. “I… I don’t know if I can—”
“You can,” she interrupted sharply. “Because you have no choice.”
I clenched my fists. My body tingled as if anticipating what was to come. I had healed cuts, survived pain, but this… this was different. This was life or death, not practice.
From below, the figure’s movements became unpredictable, darting between shadows, circling the device. I could sense it, the rhythm, the pattern—but fear made my mind foggy.
Selene’s voice was calm. “Focus on the small things. Hear the steps. Feel the air. Predict them.”
I tried. And then it happened. The figure lunged. My reflexes moved before I could think, and I felt the air whip past my arm as he attacked. Pain? None. My body healed instantly as if it knew exactly what to do. But instinct wasn’t enough. He kept coming. Fast, precise, lethal.
I ducked behind a dumpster. He circled, appearing in multiple spots as if the shadows themselves obeyed him. The symbol glowed brighter now, mocking me. I could feel my pulse in my throat, adrenaline sharpening every sense.
Selene called out. “Use the environment! You’re faster than him—predict his next move!”
I saw it—a chain hanging from a nearby fire escape. I swung, striking him across the shoulder. He stumbled, but recovered instantly. My body was faster, but so was he. I realized with horror: he wasn’t human.
Then, as if the world slowed, I noticed a detail—the device on the ground. It was a tracker. If I destroyed it, perhaps I could end this hunt. My mind raced, calculating angles, speed, and risk.
I ran, dodging attacks, heart hammering. Every strike that grazed me healed instantly. My body moved on instinct, faster than I thought possible. But fear had a rhythm, and it echoed in every shadow around me.
Finally, I leaped toward the device. My fingers grazed it. Selene shouted. “Finish it!”
I smashed it with all my strength. The countdown froze, then disappeared. A silence followed, heavier than the city night.
The figure stopped. For a moment, I thought it would attack again—but then it vanished into the shadows, leaving nothing but the glowing symbol burned faintly in my mind.
I turned to Selene, chest heaving. “Was that… the test?”
She didn’t answer immediately. Instead, her eyes glimmered with something I didn’t recognize. “That was only the beginning,” she said finally. “They will come again. And next time, it won’t be a simple hunt. Next time, they’ll take more than your skin.”
Her words sent a chill down my spine. I realized: every test, every encounter, every shadow in this city was now a threat. I was a target. And someone, somewhere, was orchestrating it all.
Then my phone buzzed. A message from an unknown number:
Well done, Tristan. But your first hunt is nothing compared to what’s coming. Prepare yourself… they’ve seen enough to be interested.
I dropped my phone. My fingers shook. My mind raced.
The city that had once been ordinary was now a hunting ground. I had survived, yes—but the game had just begun.
And somewhere in the shadows, the hunters were smiling.
- Writer
