Eclipse: CH 1

Chapter 1

There are two sides to everything, though some may have more. So does the world we live in. Some things are visible under the bright sunlight, while others only made themselves seen in the dark veil of the night time. Such are the creatures that they hunt down. Appearance wise they go from humanoid to downright bizarre.

The threats they pose to normal humans are immense and undeniable. They do not adhere to any kind of sense of morality; they simply do as they wish, whatever their base instinct tells them to. And most of the time it boils down to feed and violence. Even though trying to make sense of their actions is considered useless most of the time, that didn't make them any easier to manage. Rather it makes them more of a pain - no set pattern available as guidance.

In between those creatures and the humans are them, so called protectors. They are either those with good enough souls to bother, or completely insane to be living on the edge 24/7. Most of them straddle the line separating the two extremes, arguably.

Bright ray of the moonlight reflects off of the silver blade in his hand. There's a lot more of them tonight. But the common vampires aren't enough to be a significant threat to him. They obviously lack the intelligence compared to their higher level brethren. No matter the number, he'll cut them all down.

 

The ensuing battle ended as fast as it had started. He has no time to spare for these creatures. The faster it gets done the better.

 

Flicking his blade to shake the blood off before sheathing it in a swift motion. Around him lay the fallen bodies of the vampires, each sporting a clean cut left there by his silver blade, sizzling at the raw edges. Exhaling slowly, his breath came out in a cloud of vapour. It's getting colder lately.

Is it autumn already?

Looking upward, he squinted his eyes slightly towards the bright full moon.

 

 

*

 

 

Work unexpectedly ends a bit earlier tonight. Even alone, he works efficiently, though he would be lying to say he didn't miss the security of having his friends with him. For a whole year they were together, and then they had to move on to their separate ways. Still, from time to time they would contact each other just to share stories.

Not that he doesn't have others beside them, it just doesn't quite feel the same.

The way back to the church felt especially long today. And he's missing them a little more than usual too. On days like this he draws in a deep breath and sends his thoughts and prayers to the heaven, to wherever they are.

 

It's already nearing dawn but the church is still bustling. In the day, it's filled with visitors both from nearby and far away. At night, the church serves a different function.

The church he's assigned to, like all the others scattered around in the country, are a part of a so-called Church Alliance. It was first established some decades ago as a way to counter the threat brought about by the monsters. Though unfortunately, recently it has been rife with corruption and scandals - effectively nullifying its base function. So, most of the time, they are left to fight on their own.

At this kind of time he wished he still have his old team with him. They are the only ones he can fully trust.

Regardless, priests like him - Hunters, are trained and later distributed across the map to fight against the threat of the monsters.

Vampires, shapeshifters, werebeasts - you name it, he probably has cut them down one time or another. They're all a pain in their own way.

 

On his way back to the dormitories, he caught sight of one of his closer friends leaning against the archway leading inside. Their eyes met midway.

"Hey, you're back early tonight, Dougai."

"Same goes to you, Haruto." He looks downward towards the letter in the other man's hand. "Letter from him?"

His face lights up at the mention of his faraway companion. "Yeah, it's been quite long since the last I heard anything from him. He tends to lose track of time whenever he's hard into his work."

"History and archaeology, was it? And he's a Hunter too."

"He just has too much energy to spare, and he wanted to challenge everything." He shakes his head slightly with a fond smile as he folds the letter and replaces them into the envelope.

He understood that feeling well - he felt the same towards his former teammates too.

"How was it at your side tonight? Were there more of them than usual?" Shifting the topic, Haruto's expression takes a serious edge.

"Yeah, they were. Is it really related after all?"

"Considering how everything looks, there's no choice but to say so. Anyway, just be careful."

"Yeah, you too."

 

 

It's getting increasingly common lately. Since the last month or so, every few days they would receive news of multiple people suddenly collapsing. Apparently, it has been going on for quite a while, but were more or less ignored.

Or rather, were treated as mere overreaction; just a figment of the victim's imaginations.

Each time they were brought to the church, they all bear the same symptoms. Skin pallor, cold and clammy extremities, confusion. Some of them are unconscious. In addition, according to the ones still awake, they all report of 'having a hole' in their memories.

Blood loss, likely from being 'fed' on.

It's not uncommon, but certainly never to this extent. There are complaints coming from several villages reporting multiple cases. Usually, only one or two cases from time to time in between attacks.

Something is going on in the background and they don't even know what. The Church Alliance is getting hot in their collective seats. Problems arose from multiple regions at once, and the people are turning on them. Well, what to do?

 

Just try your best at things; had always been like that, unlikely to change in the near future.

 

But it sure is strange. The feeding is too..rampant and frequent. As if it is a set goal. Low level vampires don't usually act with coordination, and certainly does not adhere to patterns or goals. They do things according to their base instincts, akin to a wild animal.

Something or someone is mobilising them for some purpose.

 

Who? For what?