A low, mechanical hum echoed through the bus speakers before a synthetic voice spoke:
> "Welcome to the Hunter's Academy — a prestigious institution dedicated to training hunters and awakened individuals in the art of combat, survival, and supernatural abilities.
> At Hunter's Academy, students will learn weapon proficiency, hand-to-hand combat, tracking, and stealth techniques. Specialized training includes dealing with supernatural entities such as vampires, werewolves, and demons.
> Students will study the history and lore of the supernatural world and have the opportunity to awaken and refine their own unique abilities.
> Our faculty consists of elite hunters and awakened mentors who will guide each student on their journey.
> This is where you embrace your destiny. This is where you unlock your true potential..."
The voice cut off.
Then it started again.
Word for word.
A loop.
Isaac clenched his jaw.
Every time that sterile voice echoed through the dirty bus speakers, he felt shivers crawl down his spine. Not from fear — but from memory.
He had heard that same voice before.
Before everything burned.
Back then, the Academy wasn't a school. It was a crucible. It took children and forged weapons.
Some shattered.
Others became monsters worse than the things they were trained to kill.
Isaac glanced at Maya.
She was still looking out the window.
Still calm.
Still untouched.
He wouldn't let this place scar her.
Not like it did to him.
---
There were three other students on the bus besides Isaac and Maya.
The first was a girl, about his age, sitting near the window with her legs crossed and chin tilted up like she owned the damn sky. Her uniform was spotless — not a wrinkle in sight — and her eyes scanned the passing trees like they weren't even worth burning.
Isaac let out a quiet scoff.
"Of course she's here," he muttered.
In his previous life, they'd barely spoken. She never gave him the time of day — not that he ever asked for it.
Later, though, the world would know her as:
The Mad Witch.
Fire answered her like a loyal pet, and mercy wasn't even in her dictionary.
He tore his gaze away with a shrug, slouching back in his seat. "Royalty, huh? Let's see how long that crown lasts this time."
Then there were the twins — sitting side by side, a row behind her. Both looked a year younger than him, probably Maya's age. The taller one had a bright smile plastered on his face, chatting away like this was some school trip to a candy castle. His brother, on the other hand…
Clung to his sleeve like a shadow.
Head down.
Eyes barely peeking out from under his bangs.
If the word harmless had a face, it'd be his. And yet — when Isaac's eyes met his, a familiar chill crept up his spine.
That one — the quiet one — would be a problem.
A big one.
In his past life, Isaac remembered him clearly. Not because of what he said, but because of what he did.
He didn't kill for rage. He didn't scream. He didn't monologue.
He calculated.
He waited.
He erased.
Isaac tilted his head, letting out a tired breath through his nose.
Then, with a theatrical grimace, gave the boy a slow sarcastic thumbs up.
"You? Again?"
"Great."
He slumped deeper into the seat, pressing his palm to his face and dragging it down like a guy who just realized he boarded a bus to hell.
This was it.
This is where they'd all begin. Again.
Packed into a rickety bus, heading toward Hunter's Academy.
A place built to create heroes.
And somehow, Isaac thought bitterly, it ended up birthing three of the worst villains he'd ever had to face.
One burned cities.
One broke minds.
One smiled while watching both.
And now, they were classmates.
Isaac stared at the ceiling of the bus, letting out a slow, sarcastic laugh.
"Yep," he muttered.
"This is gonna be so much fun."