As a child, when I got off the train, there was a bit of an accident.
"Are you okay?"
The awkward but concerned face the person asked.
I don't remember what I said.
Just this slowly burying memory.
Fading, I can't remember what they wore.
The spot and events slip through my grasp.
Defining their face, it was a young woman with dark skin. Tousled black hair with ears on her head.
A small scar on the left cheek.
What was most catching was her eyes.
Under the light that disappears, eyes full of sunlike light, shimmer.
In the sky, the dark blankets us with stars.
There is no reprieve.
My choice to join was from a dream.
To do the same as what happened to me.
To be the savior.
"Damn these guys!"
Constant ringing and flashes.
"Shocks! The shocks are down!"
"Grenades! Scramble!"
"Urk–!"
"Get down here–!"
–Boom!
The charged beam flooded the area with light.
Searing anyone in it's path.
"Need some ammo!"
"Comin in full force, get ready!"
"Bombardment at the south section, aim near the smoke of the flare!"
I can't remember where I am.
A distant yell.
A distant shrieking of fire.
"Kuek–!"
My shaky hands try so hard, but the blade inevitably falls closer to my throat.
The struggling face of my enemy.
Gritting my teeth, I try harder.
Suddenly their arm gets shot off.
"Ah– EEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!!! AAAHHH!!!"
A visceral reaction by grabbing what's left, crying, screeching.
My strength left me after the knife clattered on the floor.
Then a young woman entered my sight.
They were wearing red goggles.
Small hesitance in their actions.
They watched the suffering of the man who held the knife.
"What did you–"
This time a young man entered.
"Oh."
The young woman looked at the young man.
Then pointed at me.
"Want me to watch them?"
They froze but then nodded.
"Do it quickly though. We have to regroup with the others soon."
They nodded quicker and ran up to me.
They waved, then seemed to think of something.
Their mouth opened before closing it.
Movement of their head resembled scanning.
They brought something out of their satchel and wrapped it around me.
Bringing up their goggles, they gave me a thumbs up, shaking their head as if it was good or not.
Lightly, I moved my own head.
An ecstatic expression revealed itself on the face.
"Val? Are you done?"
They turned their head and nodded faster.
Looking back at me before bowing and rushing over there.
Pulling down the goggles and joining the young man leaving my vision.
Leaving me three things.
…I gripped the shotgun left with me tightly.
— —
[The Bad Deed(Viewed)]
[>Top of the Chain]
[Small Shadows]
[Stars.]
— —
We work hard to be recognized.
For that is how to be seen among the many Pages, waiting to be unfolded.
One of my seniors told me, that 'to be a department member, you gotta fit the requirements!' and…
It's nerve wrecking!!!
They watch us with such a serious face that it's scary!!!!
As I tried focusing, or rather, forcing myself to pretend I didn't see, I continued with the test.
From here, it was only murmurs.
What were they saying?
They discuss as they watch and it fills me with nervousness…
Stiffly, I waddled toward my fellow Pages.
Standing next to a Curse Granter, I felt my skin finally belong to me again.
What if I don't make it?
How many mistakes did I make?
Was it boring?
Did I even reach any requirements?
M-Maybe I–
The door we entered opened.
A person was looking at a paper.
All heads turned toward them.
"Why the hell… man fuck him."
The paper became slightly more crumpled.
They then looked up. Saw us, and merely blinked.
It was like an idol or supermodel staring at me!!
Their face barely changed, with only the occasional blinks..!
No really, such a face…
It's perfection…
"Ah. I see." Their eyes slid sideways to the ground. "Here for two reasons." Their extremely dark eyes looked forward again.
They moved to where the Assigned Compilers were.
"He wants a new something. Piece of shit didn't explain well so it's written here of the new guidelines."
Wow…
"Second, he wants twenty to twenty five or so more to pick from for his project."
The entire time, the Assigned Compilers stayed quiet.
"...Are there any restrictions for personnel?"
I couldn't see from this angle but they didn't say anything to the Compiler that spoke up.
They just turned around and lazily pointed their fingerless gloved hand at us.
"You can just pick any. Doesn't really matter."
Then their eyes slid sideways once more.
"Just refer it back to me if there's backlash."
The Compiler nodded.
"Mm."
Then at a brisk pace, they walked out.
Their cape fluttering gently.
"Um, sir, who was that?"
The singled out Compiler narrowed their eyes slightly.
As if asking if they really don't know that. But they still answered when their mouth opened.
"The Head Executive."
The.
T-T-The H-Head Executive!?
— —
[The Bad Deed(Viewed)]
[Top of The Chain(Viewed)]
[>Small Shadows]
[Stars.]
— —
A heroics born of myths.
"Maybe that wasn't a good–? Wait no."
"What kind of… of course it wasn't!"
"It neither said it wasn't bad or good."
"You're stupid."
The adolescent boy's head slowly turned to the adolescent girl.
Simply, he raised his finger and shook it in her face.
"Nuh-uh."
"..."
"I'm done."
Then she left.
Leaving me with him.
"Sheesh, what's she so angry about?"
…
"Anyway, we add the strawberry, and banana… do I want ice too?"
"..Uh. Is–"
"Mm maybe I should add another bag of sugar…"
"Wer–"
"No wait! I got it! Add the chocolate mix with whipped cream and it'll taste great! Right?"
He looked at me with a face asking if I agreed.
But this.
"How is this supposed to help me understand the principles of The Hunted…"
He studied me as if it was strange.
"You need to eat to survive?"
"But you're using a blender…"
"So?"
"I thought–"
"Ah ah lemme stop you there." his finger shut my mouth. "This," his finger pointed to the blender chocked full of things. "Is totally important."
…I don't get it.
"Just because it's 'The Hunted' doesn't mean I can't not make a smoothie. Right here. In my home."
"Isn't this The–"
"Da– nu–ah-nuh uh!"
When I first came here, to realize this is where they work, it filled me with a strange wonder.
Unlike other departments, they co-exist with Them?
Delight for passing the requirements, and reaching this after years of no one being accepted.
"Okay, look." he turned on the blender and everything started to mix.
He didn't say anything for a few minutes.
Stopping it, he opened the flap and poured some in a cup.
"What does it look now?" He showed me the inside of the cup.
"A brown…" slimy? "Viscous… mixture?"
"Er. I-It's. Chocolate." he sighed.
He mumbled something I couldn't hear.
"What do you think The Hunted are?"
A kind of profound question..?
From the title it sounds like those wanted.
Like criminals.
But are heroic?
They acted with vigor from what I saw…
So then, it could be seen as heroes right?
"Wow, you're thinking really hard."
But they don't give order to the world or anything like those hero stories of old.
But their position is interesting…
My time as a Page led me to see most departments with a specific proficiency.
Sub-departments have even narrower consistencies.
And they don't have a sub-department?
'Isn't that..?'
No, but then it means they carry everything by themselves.
Thereby making the very act meticulous.
'Is it?'
Wouldn't there be cut corners for the sake of time saving?
What do they do?
What do–?
What… do they… do.
The Hunted.
"Uh-huh you don't have an answer."
My trance was broken by his voice.
I looked at him.
He drank from the cup with it staining his lips.
"I bet 95% can't even give a good guess."
"Then what is The Hunted."
"We do things like this."
He raised the cup.
"Smoothies..?"
"N…No. It's all blended. How did I get this from that stuff?"
"You used the blender?"
"D– AHH– The situation! All the situations are a cluster made from too much I can't remember!"
Oh.
He sighed again.
"Have you heard of Takeniko village?"
A village The Hunted passed through during their travels.
"Yes."
"Alright, so, everything there was a lot like this smoothie. Mixed up and bundled. There was this girl. Through circumstances she nearly killed us."
Huh?
"Unlike the colour of this, everything there was. Haah. Where am I… Listen. Regardless of how you see things, I can't say everything with honesty."
A tinge of regret appeared.
"Quite the detestable… But I'm right! Always! And!"
It was washed away as if it didn't exist anymore.
"Whatever you thought of The Hunted, it's probably wrong!! After all, we are The Hunted!"
He moved his head to look outside the window.
"Just don't forget. We are The Hunted."
…
"Not really anything else. Just The Hunted."
I… See…
— —
[The Bad Deed(Viewed)]
[Top of The Chain(Viewed)]
[Small Shadows(Viewed)]
[>Stars. For only I, feel the presence trembling in my heart.]
— —
The only one who can peer into it is The Progenitor.
Uncertain.
A basic, summarized, word.
What we live for remains for the person.
But also it can be for another.
Even now, the aging bones grind once more as they move.
For life was given by our Creator.
If not for Their grace.
But that grace is not so easily confined.
It may jump out.
It may wither.
It may be given.
It may be desired.
Their responsibility holds true.
Like a parent They watched.
Their freedom was guided by Their own heart.
Even when we felt lost, did it deter a path to move forward?
A question The Progenitor who lived for so long can answer.
To those who lived and observed, change was inevitable.
Stagnation a parasite.
Lest our heavy hearts remain the same.
To give a hand with knowledge.
Nothing is more satisfying than seeing the engraving of history.
The light may flash and disappear to those in immediate vicinity.
But the stars who shine despite their own demise remain.
Raising a shimmering brightness yet to fade.
For life is a mystery derived from a single past.
Persistence and volume to sanctity.
Perhaps such thoughts differ with The Progenitor.
But these can be held closely if they resonate.
And for that, They would respect it.
To send us with what we found, into the next dream.
— —
"Did you like it?"
"I did."
"...."
"Yes. It's like this."
"What can you do?"