Somewhere in the Land of Despair
Two individuals advanced, both elderly men, moving at inhuman speed, sweeping through every part of the Land of Despair as fast as an airplane.
"Damn it! What is a group of Predators doing here?!" asked one elderly man with an angry expression.
"I don't know, Darin. I truly don't know where they came from. They targeted the students."
"Damn it, how do we find them?! By the time we find them, they might be..."
"What is this..."
They saw something glinting moments before and in an instant, they reached the spot and saw two corpses. They saw a hyena emblem on them, and in that moment, their gazes turned hostile.
"Tsk, Predators," Darin spoke with contempt.
"Wait, what's that over there?"
He looked ahead and saw a body leaning against a tree.
It was a boy with wolf ears and a tail, wounded by a spear embedded somewhere in his body.
"Is that a mutant?"
"It's a mutant hunter," Darin spoke as he rushed quickly towards him.
"Boy, do you know anything about__
"Hurry..." he spoke in pain.
"What?" asked Darin.
"The west side... above a tree... a tree with three fruits... that's where their hideout is. Go quickly," the boy spoke wearily.
"Their hideout? Are you sure about this?!" Darin shouted in shock.
"Yes, that person said it himself," Kuro spoke, pointing to the corpse of one of the Predators.
"Jericho, take him to the hospital quickly," Darin said.
"Alright, and what about you?" asked Jericho as he removed the spear from Kuro's body and picked him up.
"I have work to finish," Darin spoke angrily as he departed.
Darin left swiftly and vanished into the air. Kuro watched this with a silent expression.
Darin left, and after a while, he reached the place Kuro mentioned and found the hideout.
"It's exactly there, just as the boy said," Darin spoke.
But Darin noticed something, something horrifying.
"Wait, what in the__
He saw Predator corpses. They had been killed in a gruesome manner, and he saw the door was open.
"A monster!" Darin shouted in surprise and ran into the hideout.
The deeper he went, the more corpses he saw, and they were in increasingly worse states. Their corpses, in disturbing and horrific conditions, made him panic with anxiety.
"Damn it, damn it, I hope the children are okay! Please be okay!" Darin screamed in panic.
When he saw an open door with blood on it, he reached the door and saw living people. He saw a familiar face.
"Teacher Darin?" asked Leon.
"Leon! Oh my god, what did they do to you! Wait, are you all okay?___
Darin looked at the rest of the students and froze. He froze from shock, not because of the corpses, but because of the state of the students, what they had become.
And when he looked at Ilia and Aaron, suddenly the atmosphere became intensely suffocating, and the students could barely breathe.
Darin's eyes were bloodshot. His emotions were in extreme turmoil; his mind was filled with rage and hatred, and his magical pressure was suffocating and crushing, to the point of making light objects float around the place.
"These dogs! I swear when I find the culprit, I'll kill him!"
.
.
.
Two days later.... Inside a gate... in a hospital.
Kuro was sitting in a hospital bed with some bandages on his body, rising wearily.
He was currently looking at an elderly man. His eyes were tired, with clear dark circles under them.
"Thank you for saving them. Really, thank you."
"Don't say that. It was you who saved them. You killed all the Predators there, right?" asked Kuro.
"Yes.... (looked down) But if it weren't for you, Ridley wouldn't have been able to reach us and warn us."
"I am truly grateful to you," Darin bowed his head as a sign of thanks.
"If you want to thank me, I have one request," said Kuro.
"Of course, anything," replied Darin.
"Deny anything about me, regarding my involvement in this incident."
"What? But why?" asked Darin in a strange tone.
"Hey, do you think I'm that stupid?" asked Kuro indifferently.
"What do you mean?" asked Darin angrily.
"A mysterious group of Predators appeared here out of nowhere, built a hideout in the Land of Despair, a place known for its danger, and managed to capture students from the most prestigious hunter academy."
"They were prepared for you in particular. I don't know who's responsible, but I know well that I don't want to appear in the news so I don't become their next target," replied Kuro.
"That's... Yes, I'll do that," replied Darin.
"And there's something else I'd like to ask you about," Darin spoke while clasping his hands.
"What is it?" Kuro spoke while adjusting his back.
"Did you see anything strange?"
"Something strange? Like what?" asked Kuro skeptically.
"Like a monster or a strange creature that appeared here?" asked Darin in a serious tone.
"There are many monsters in the Land of Despair. Specify the monster," asked Kuro innocently.
"Something black, with sharp claws and red eyes," asked Darin.
"Hmm... I honestly don't know. To tell you the truth, this was my first day in the Land of Despair, so I don't know what kind of monster you mean," Kuro spoke innocently.
"I see. Sorry to bother you. I hope you have a speedy recovery," Darin spoke as he stood up.
"By the way, I have one final question," Darin spoke as he turned to Kuro.
"What is it?"
"What is your name?" asked Darin.
"My name is Kuro. Kuro Lanson," replied Kuro.
"Thank you, Kuro, for what you did."
"No need for thanks," answered Kuro as he relaxed on his bed.
When Darin left and exited the hospital, Kuro immediately got up, quickly removed his bandages, and revealed a part of his body where the spear had pierced him. But when he placed his hand on the wound, it healed at an unnatural speed. The injury regenerated, and his body became completely sound.
"And now I have to get out of here to avoid more trouble," Kuro spoke as he left the room and vanished.
"Hello, patient, may I have your name___
The nurse looked around and found no one, or any sign of a patient, and felt suspicious.
"Huh? But I remember there was a patient there?" the nurse asked while finding no one.
.
.
.
.
And so days passed after the incident...
The news of Dawn Academy students being kidnapped by Predators became the news of the hour, and New Hades was in a complete uproar. Many hunters came and intensively searched the Land of Despair. H.E.R.O.E.S. found their hideout.
They searched everything but found no evidence of who hired them. They confirmed that the hideout was over ten years old, and nothing new was discovered.
It was announced on news channels that the academy directors had completely eliminated the Predators and erased their threat. They didn't mention anything about a monster or anything else related.
Exactly as planned....
Kuro walked the streets with a cold expression as he walked. People were sending tweets; the kidnapping incident was still ablaze.
"I learned at least one new lesson: never go to a gate with hunters, or else I'll suffer a headache."
"The only good thing is that I hid my bag well and got good loot, but it doesn't cover the labor costs."
"(Sigh) At least this time I'm not attracting any unwanted attention."
"And here we are."
Kuro looked at the apartment building and went up, reaching his room. As he was opening the door, he heard a voice.
"Hello, neighbor!" Henry shouted with a smile.
"Speak of the devil," Kuro thought with a sullen expression on his face.
"Hello, what a beautiful day, isn't it?" Henry spoke.
"It's a cloudy day," replied Kuro.
"Oh, hahaha, right," Henry spoke with some embarrassment.
"So you rented an apartment here then?" asked Kuro.
"Yes, and what a coincidence, it's right next to your room."
"Yeah, a strange coincidence. Really strange that you'd rent a room directly opposite my apartment," Kuro spoke while crossing his arms.
"Is there a problem?" asked Henry.
"What's your deal?" asked Kuro.
"What?" Henry replied suspiciously.
"I know you didn't rent an apartment here without a reason. You want something from me. What is it? Or did someone send you to watch me?" asked Kuro with a cold expression.
"Whoa, whoa, I'm just talking to you, buddy. You know, casual chat with friends. You have friends, right?" Henry spoke.
"I don't need friends," Kuro replied indifferently.
"Come on, don't be so negative! Life isn't about pessimism and loneliness."
"It is for me," Kuro answered with a cold expression and closed the door.
"Hey!" Henry shouted, but it was too late. He let out a sigh with a dejected expression.
"Hey, Orange Man, are you really sure he's the right person?"
"Yes..." spoke the voice in his head.
"Because he seems very pessimistic. I'm thinking you might have mistaken him for someone else."
"My vision never fails. The thing is, the boy simply is still being hunted by his past," spoke the voice in Henry's head.
"His past?" asked Henry.
"Everything in its own time," replied the voice in his head.
"You and your strange riddles," Henry spoke as he returned to his room.
Inside Kuro's new room...
"Friends?" Kuro repeated with disgust.
"What a joke. An unfunny joke." Because there's no such thing as friends."
Kuro remembered fragmented memories.
"Hahaha"
"What a weakling!"
"Come on, grab him!"
"Boring, let's try another spell on him!"
"Hey boys, that's not the way, like this! (Kick)"
"They're all just clowns, pretending to be good people, but the truth is they mock you and beat you when they see you as worthless to them."
"Ahhhhhh!" Kuro screamed in anger.
"Wait, come to think of it, I wonder what that little girl is doing."
"She must be playing with her toys. I envy her, because she doesn't have to experience the pain of reality."
.....
Somewhere in the streets, people were walking and looking at their phones. There were some thugs talking amongst themselves, and they noticed a girl walking alone on the street. It was a strange sight for a small child to walk alone, but they ignored it because it wasn't their business.
The girl was Nina, walking the streets, unsure what to decide to do. She wanted to be free, but she didn't know what to do next. She was lost among the people. As she walked, she saw a certain street completely empty and headed there to get some air.
She found a street completely empty, but felt suspicious. Why was the road empty? And as she was walking between streets, she was pulled into a dilapidated house.
"What are you doing here?!" a girl her own age asked, wearing old clothes.
"I was just walking the streets and came across this place. But where is everyone?" Nina asked while...
"They're hiding," the girl replied.
"Why?" asked Nina.
"Because it's dangerous! There are scary people controlling the streets. It's dangerous to wander here alone!" the girl shouted angrily.
"Shouldn't someone stop them?" Nina asked.
"No one cares about us. No one," the girl replied in a sad and broken voice.
Nina could see the girl clearly now and saw that she had ram horns on her head.
"Are you a mutant?" Nina asked with admiration.
"Yes? Surprised because you haven't met one before?" she asked with some anger in her voice.
"No, but I didn't expect you to be one, and also you have shiny horns*
"Wait, aren't you afraid of me? I'm a mutant?" the mutant girl asked suspiciously.
"And why should I be afraid? You're like me, but you have horns," Nina spoke innocently.
"Where are you from," Roxy asked suspiciously.
"I... actually..."
"Roxy, are you inside?!" a woman shouted and knocked on the door, interrupting Nina's words.
"Mom!" she shouted with joy and opened the door.
"Hello, dear," the mother replied.
"You're back!" the child asked, and Nina noticed the mother had horns like hers.
"I'll always be fine, dear," the mother spoke tenderly.
"Who is this girl?" the mother asked.
"Haha, hello, I'm Nina," Nina spoke with some embarrassment.
"Is she your friend?" the mother asked suspiciously, pointing at Nina.
"This is she__
Drum bam!
"What's that sound? Are those drums?" Nina asked.
"No, they're coming!" the mother of Roxy screamed in fear.
"Who?" Nina asked.
"The Rocchi!" Roxy screamed in terror.
A group of people wearing masks with random numbers on them and carrying metal bats advanced, walking arrogantly down the street. They were looking for something. Almost all the houses were closed.
"Everyone, you have five minutes to come out, or we'll burn the place down if you don't!" a masked person with the number 144 shouted.
"You two stay here," the mother spoke as she ushered them into a room.
"Mom, please don't go," Roxy spoke firmly.
"Don't be afraid, dear. I'll be fine. Stay with your friend until this is over."
"Hey!__
The mother closed the door and went out to them, as did a group of other people. Many people gathered in the middle of the street. They were all mutants, with different forms.
Nina and Roxy watched from the window with worry. Roxy was very scared, and she looked at Roxy's mother from a distance.
"Roxy, who are these people?" asked Nina.
"The Rocchi, gang members, but it seems they've become very angry lately," Roxy spoke.
"What are they angry about?" asked Nina.
"I don't know. I heard from a neighbor that it's related to a gang that was recently dismantled by someone."
"All I know is that they had business with them, but it was cut off, and they're in a bad state now, and they started coming to us every now and then."
"What do they do?" Nina asked worriedly.
"I don't know. They take some people away, but they weren't in such large numbers before."
"I'm scared. Mom, please be okay," Roxy pleaded.
Nina looked at Roxy with sadness and looked at these people with some anger.
"So, mutants, do you know why I've brought you here?" asked a masked man with the number 144, circling them while resting his metal bat on his shoulder as he walked.
All the mutants were silent, with rigid faces, while being nervous around him.
"No answer? That's boring, you know. Don't you mutants have tongues?" asked Masked #144.
"Shall I make them talk?" asked Masked #616, who had a huge body, about two meters tall. The mutants were afraid of him and stepped back.
"No, no, it's fine," spoke Masked 144 and moved his hand to make 616 retreat.
"You know, we're in a bad situation. So you don't want trouble, and I don't want trouble. So I just want one thing."
"Tell me where the werewolf is," asked 144 with a serious expression.
"The werewolf?" asked a mutant with red scales on his body.
"The damn mutant werewolf that destroyed everything! Where is he?" asked 144 angrily.
"There is no such mutant in our neighborhood," replied an elderly mutant with four eyes.
"He must be here. You're trying to hide him here," replied 144.
"You're just making it up. There is no such mutant in this place," replied Roxy's mother.
"I wish that were so, but those were the boss's words, and the boss never lies," he spoke.
"We know each other, and there's no such person here. You've got the wrong place," replied a mutant with blades on his hands.
"How can I believe that when you mutants all look the same? How can I tell you apart when you all have the same ugliness?" replied 144 mockingly.
Roxy looked at him with hatred, while Nina looked at him and felt some anger in her hands and began to understand a little of what Kuro meant.
"So you refuse to tell the truth?" asked 144 as he returned to his group.
"What will you do?" asked another mutant.
"Simple. We'll kill a few until that bastard decides to reveal himself."
"That was your goal from the beginning. You never intended to leave us alive from the start," a mutant shouted.
"Took you long enough to realize that, boys..... Kill them!" the leader 144 shouted.
"That old man is mine!" shouted 616.
"Oh god!" the mutants screamed as they fled.
616 approached the old man, about to strike him hard with his arm charged with a magical device. Roxy closed her eyes, and Nina was in the middle of jumping.
But she noticed something rushing at speed and hit that huge person.
Boom!
616 was launched and flew, landing in a trash pile and completely smashing it. Everyone was shocked except Nina. Roxy saw this scene in shock.
"Who dares?!" shouted 144.
A mutant appeared. He had pale white skin and red eyes, with shark-like teeth. They all saw him and knew who it was.
"Raph!" the mutants shouted with joy.
"Son of a bitch, I heard you were in the hospital!" shouted 144 angrily.
"I was. I got better since yesterday," Raph spoke as he advanced.
"Congratulations on your recovery. I was hoping you'd sleep well in the dirt," replied 144 sarcastically.
"Sorry to make you worry. I'm in the best shape now, you Rocchi dogs."
"Get out of my neighborhood, now!" Raph shouted angrily.
"Oh, we were going to do that, but you know, the boss gave us something to motivate our mission, if you know what I mean," replied 144, showing a purple pill.
"This! It's Devil's Dope! That's a drug banned by A.E.G.I.S.!" Raph shouted with hatred.
"What are you going to do? Call the police? Oh wait, they don't care about whatever happens to you!" shouted 144 sadistically.
"Everyone, go to the nearest A.E.G.I.S. center and ask for help, quickly!"
"As if that's going to happen! Men, go!"
As soon as they all ingested that strange pill, suddenly their eyes glowed purple and some of their veins did too, and they started acting strangely, as if high.
They all rushed towards them at an unnatural speed, like hunter speed, and attacked, turning the square into complete chaos. Raph fought them with difficulty.
He sent anyone fighting him flying more than five meters, but they got up again and rushed at him. He was in a defensive position and they were jumping over him, and he couldn't be seen anymore.
Roxy's mother was fleeing but was pushed into a corner by the crowd. When Roxy saw this, she ran and rushed over.
"Mom!" Roxy screamed as she went to her mother, and Nina went with her.
"Cough, cough, Nina! Ugh, go back home quickly, it's dangerous here!" Roxy's mother coughed out.
"I won't go back without you!" Roxy screamed as she tried to pull her, but she was injured.
"Oh, Bingo! Hahahahaha!" another masked man shouted as he was about to hit Roxy with a metal bat.
"Roxy!" Roxy's mother screamed in terror as she shielded her with her body from the incoming attack.
Clang!
But suddenly, his attack was stopped. When he looked, he saw a little girl in front of him holding his reinforced bat with one hand.
"Bully," Nina spoke with a cold face.
"Huh? Where did this kid come from?"
Nina moved and punched him with force that made his whole body vibrate.
"Bwoaaaaghhh!"
Boom!
The punch was so strong it sent him flying over a house wall, and he fell to the ground.
"616!" Masked #144 shouted in shock.
"What? Where did this damn kid come from___
144 looked at Nina and for a second felt a magical power emanating from her.
"Wait a minute, what is this feeling? Is this kid a hunter?!"
"Damn, how can we... hey, she's still just a kid in the end!"
"Men, focus on that girl!" shouted 144.
"Huh? A little girl, hahaha, she's a big prize!" shouted a masked man with the number 007, wielding an axe.
Nina disappeared, and in a blink, she was above him, slamming him to the ground. The impact sound was so loud that he lost most of his teeth and bounced twice. Another masked man came at her, and she kicked him lightly, but he flew away with force and pain.
As more rushed in, she punched them powerfully, and they flew fast and stuck to the building walls. 144 saw this and was severely shocked; he didn't expect that little girl to be that strong.
"Damn it! Raph was a pain in ass, but this kid is a monster!" he shouted in terror.
"I have to find a way, and... Aha!" 144 shouted with joy as he looked.
"Nina, you are?" Roxy asked in shock.
"Yes, it's a long story," Nina replied while...
"Why... didn't you tell me your friend was a hunter, Roxy?" Nina's mother spoke with admiration while protecting Roxy.
"No, Mom, this__
"You, surrender now!" shouted 144.
Nina turned and saw that this person was holding an old man, with a knife at his throat.
"Listen, little girl, see this old man? Surrender if you don't want him dead," replied 144.
"Don't listen to him! I'll die soon, save yourself!" the elderly mutant spoke.
"Shut up, you mutant!" shouted 144.
"Hey, stop!" Nina screamed in fear.
"So unless you want him dead, surrender to us at once," 144 spoke cunningly.
Nina stopped fighting, and masked men slowly approached her.
"Yeah, that's right, any move and__
Bam!
Suddenly, 144 was hit with a side blow, flew, crashed to the ground, lost more than half his teeth, and his jaw twisted in pain.
"Shut up, you damn bastard," Raph spoke wearily, while there were scars and bruises on his body.
"Raph!" Roxy shouted with admiration.
"144!" the masked criminals shouted in terror and went to him.
"Now listen to me well, if none of you wants to die today..."
"Leave and get out of this neighborhood and don't come back, you scum!" Raph shouted.
"Damn it, retreat!" a masked criminal shouted, pulling his unconscious leader's body away, and soon they all retreated, far away.
As soon as they retreated, Raph staggered to the ground and nearby mutant relatives came to him, and Nina approached him.
"Thank you, sir," Nina spoke as she bowed her head.
He approached...
And Nina was...
"No, thank you, girl. If not for you, many people would have died today," Raph spoke as he patted her head.
"Huh?" Nina thought, puzzled.
"And she's also a brave girl," the old man spoke as he helped Raph get up.
"Yes, and very strong," another mutant spoke.
"She's a very lively girl," another mutant replied.
"Aren't they afraid of me.... don't they consider me a monster?" Nina wondered.
"Mr. Raph," Roxy screamed in terror.
"Oh, Mrs. Anderson."
"You must (cough) take him to the hospital!" she replied worriedly.
"Hey, are you hurt?" asked Raph.
"Not bad compared to you," Mrs. Anderson spoke with concern.
"By the way, who is she?" asked Raph.
"She's Nina, Roxy's friend," Mrs. Anderson spoke.
"I've never heard of a child hunter, especially a girl your age. Girl, did you come because you're Roxy's friend?" asked Raph.
"Actually, she's lost. I don't know if she's from here. I was trying to warn her but she ended up here," Roxy replied.
"Hey, so where are your parents?"
"My parents, they umm... are gone," Nina spoke, looking down.
"Oh, were they gate victims?" Raph asked solemnly.
"Yes," Nina lied.
"I'm really sorry. Do you have a place, little one?" asked Mrs. Anderson.
"Umm.... actually I don't have a place. I was wandering and ended up here. And what's the story with this werewolf?" Nina asked, changing the subject.
"It's something no one knows if it's a hunter or a loose monster."
"I saw him personally, and it's not a pleasant memory, believe me. He's a person about two meters tall with a form that looks more demonic than human," Raph replied with terror.
"Ah, thank you!" Nina spoke with a smile.
"So it's not that boy," Nina thought with relief.
"By the way, since you don't have a home, why don't you stay..."
"Can I?" Nina asked happily.
"Of course, you saved the neighborhood, didn't you, Mrs. Anderson?"
"Definitely," Mrs. Anderson replied.
"Thank you, thank you! Thank you!" Nina spoke with joy.
And that would be the beginning of the story of the unknown child of hope.