“I said—” Etienne stretched the word out, “Dylan, you don’t seriously want to fight over a poor little apprentice, do you?”

  “That’s Julius’s magic necklace, not his,” Dylan growled roughly.

  “But it’s not yours either. What right do you have to take it?” Etienne rose slowly.

  “Because I’m clearer-headed than you, younger than you, stronger than you,” Dylan sneered. “I take what I want.”

  “Not doing your job as a demon hunter properly, but a pro at infighting,” Etienne shot back. “There’s a Blade Demon prowling nearby. Go fight it, will you?”

  “Bring me that necklace.” Dylan simply stepped past Etienne and ordered Kellan directly.

  Kellan stared at the necklace they were fighting over. It was the most exquisite and expensive thing he had ever seen—pure gold links interlocking heavily, with a diamond-shaped emerald pendant at the end, cut with precision. As Kellan focused on it, he could faintly hear the hum of magical energy flowing through it. It was clearly a spell item, though its exact effect remained unknown to him.

  Wizards often infused their spells into objects, granting them powerful abilities. Only the most skilled wizards could create such artifacts, and it took great effort. That was why every magical item was so valuable.

  “No need to break it. Put it down,” Etienne said.

  Dylan released his grip first, and Kellan carefully placed the necklace back among the remains. The bones were still warm, yet people were already fighting over the relics.

  “What does this necklace do?” Kellan asked Etienne.

  “Julius’s shield necklace. It can resist other spells,” the old hunter said, looking at the necklace in Kellan’s hands. “It saved him many times… but unfortunately…”

  Kellan looked up at Dylan.

  Dylan was taller, more mature and fierce, battle-hardened—equally skilled against demons or men. Etienne had just been wounded and was over fifty years old. If a real fight broke out, both the old hunter and the apprentice would be dead before it ended.

  Though Kellan knew the situation was dire… entrusting a treasure to someone like Dylan? He couldn’t bring himself to do it.

  “Step aside,” Dylan urged.

  “No.” Kellan spoke little but stood firm with his actions. “It should be buried with Mr. Julius.”

  “Fool, idiot—what nonsense to bury treasure underground?” Dylan exploded in anger. “Hand it over. Our chances of beating demons improve with it. It not only blocks spells but also disrupts their dark magic.”

  Would you go fight a demon? Kellan doubted deeply.

  “If you die, would you want us to bury your things with you properly? Or would you prefer us to fight over your possessions?” Etienne dismissed Dylan’s attitude. “Of course, I agree, an inheritance is best left to the living. Dylan, you go bury Julius.”

  “Bury that fool? I’ll need a shovel first!” Dylan cursed.

  “Kellan, then you take good care to properly lay Julius’s bones to rest. Consider the necklace his burial fee,” Etienne ordered simply.

  “Fine, come and see what you’ll use to dig the grave,” Dylan sneered.

  Kellan said nothing. He picked up his sword—previously, the corrupted blade had bent it into an ugly curve, which ironically made it suitable for digging. Using this twisted sword, he silently began to scrape the earth.

  “Using that thing? Let’s see how long you can keep digging. Truly foolish,” Dylan mocked, watching Kellan with a smug grin, only to fall silent soon after.

  Because Kellan actually managed to dig a decent grave.

  He spent a full hour, utterly exhausted, but he succeeded in carving out a pit over a meter wide and nearly three fingers deep.

  With unprecedented courage and resolve, Kellan lifted Julius’s charred and decayed remains. The corpse was still warm, the face burnt beyond recognition, body riddled with countless cuts from the demon’s blade, large chunks of spine missing.

  “Disgusting,” Dylan frowned.

  Yet it was this very body that Kellan dared to touch with his own hands. He placed the main remains into the pit. After burning, Julius’s body had shrunk considerably, fitting the shallow, small grave.

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  Kellan patiently gathered the remaining ashes by hand, gently spreading them into the pit, until only a black human-shaped silhouette remained where the fire had touched.

  Once finished, he shoveled the dirt back over the pit, forming a barely noticeable mound. Thus, he buried a demon hunter who had fought and died in the Twilight Forest. The end might not be grand, but it was peaceful.

  Having given everything to fight the otherworldly monsters in life, shouldn’t he rest well in death?

  The corrupted blade—made from Julius’s spine—was more demon than bone and couldn’t simply be buried in the ground or it would bring disaster.

  If there were a chance, Kellan wanted to bury Denvar as well… Poor Denvar, his good friend, forgotten beneath the trees, Kellan felt a deep sadness.

  He stood and bowed solemnly to Julius’s remains. The tree nearby still burned fiercely, its trunk stubbornly smoldering through the night, the heat thick around them, sweat pouring down Kellan’s skin.

  Seeing Kellan’s quiet respect, Dylan said nothing, instead continuing to eat by himself.

  “Put that necklace on. Julius would be pleased,” Etienne said.

  “Hypocrites,” Dylan muttered. “Master and apprentice, two sides of the same coin. Stealing from the dead with no shame at all.”

  Kellan picked up the emerald necklace and carefully clasped it around his neck.

  Etienne patted his shoulder.

  “Hopefully, you’ll become a worthy demon hunter.”

  I just want to survive, Kellan thought uneasily. The darkness around them was thick and quiet. The Blade Demon’s hiding place was unknown.

  “What are you worried about?” Etienne noticed Kellan’s tension.

  “Demons,” Kellan said, seeming the only one still thinking about the threat. “Where would it hide?”

  “In any corner. It’s searching for a host,” Etienne stroked his sparse beard. “If it showed its true form, the demon would be in constant agony. This world hates it. So it must find a living creature here to hide inside, using that body to resist the pressure of this world.”

  “Could it be an animal?”

  “It can’t be beasts or insects,” Etienne explained. “Once a demon possesses a host, it can only think through the host’s mind. If the host is a simple creature, the demon’s own intelligence will dull. The host can’t be too weak either—if we kill the body it’s possessing, the demon becomes vulnerable and easy to banish or capture. So it always looks for a strong shell.”

  Kellan remembered the demon hunters’ sanctuary, where they kept demons imprisoned, locking them in the mortal world to prevent their return to hell.

  “So it has to be a human,” Kellan thought aloud. “Demons must parasitize humans.”

  “Not necessarily,” Etienne replied. “Demons can inhabit dragons’ minds, too. High dragons are far smarter than us; their strong wills make them especially paranoid once possessed. Elves and dwarves are possible hosts as well. History records demon-possessed dwarves attempting to forge demonic artifacts. Elves tend to avoid worldly affairs, but in theory, they could be tempted by demons… There were even attempts to have demons possess apes—a species close to humans. We don’t have them here, but I’ve seen them down south. But Kellan, if you encounter sorcerers or wizards experimenting with demons, you kill them on sight. Some knowledge is forbidden; pursuit leads to disaster.”

  “But if we don’t study them, we’ll never understand where demons come from,” Kellan protested.

  “Of course, you can study them—but only after they’re like this.” Etienne pointed at Kellan’s pack, where the now-dormant demon blade rested. “These are demon remnants, their power fading. The longer you delay with them, the more their strength drains, until the demonic energy dissipates and they become mere objects… Such things still carry some demonic traits, and can be studied slowly.”

  “Have you studied them?” Kellan asked.

  “Long ago, I did,” Etienne recalled. “Back then, I still had comrades I could call friends. They pursued knowledge by studying these relics, forming their own views. The Withered King, Blade Demon, and Brass Prince liked creating tangible evil. The Horned Lord and Minotaur demons spawned many smaller demons to invade the world—those are the kind we can fight and hunt… But, Kellan, the worst are the demons of pure essence, without any physical form. I don’t know how you’ll face those if you ever do.”

  “What should I do?”

  “Fighting those demons is deadly and beyond words. You’ll find your spells, swords, and crossbows useless. The allies you trust will abandon you. As a demon hunter, you end up relying only on yourself. That’s why we work alone, far from civilization. We know no one can be trusted, so we train to fight solo… Be strong. Very strong. So strong you can overcome anything, find their true form, face them alone, cut them out of their hiding shells, then banish them with exile spells.”

  “You haven’t taught me the banishment spell yet,” Kellan said, hopeful.

  “I’ll teach you once we safely leave the Great Forest,” Etienne said, shaking his head.

  The older hunter looked weary and sat down to rest.

  The three demon hunters sat by the burning tree, watching the fiery trunk crumble.

  Can we really defeat the Blade Demon? Kellan wondered again and again. Do we even stand a chance? They agreed to meet tomorrow morning at a campsite ruin inside the Twilight Forest—hopefully I’ll make it there… Will I survive? As a rookie hunter…

  “How old are you?” Dylan suddenly broke Kellan’s thoughts.

  “Seventeen,” Kellan answered.

  “Why become a demon hunter?”

  Kellan blinked, caught off guard by the question.

  “No choice,” he replied honestly.

  “Would you risk your life to fight demons?”

  “Yes.” Kellan frowned, confused. Were there demon hunters who wouldn’t?

  “Don’t ever do that,” Dylan shook his head. “Life comes first. If someday you face a life-or-death choice… staying alive is always what matters most. Crawl into a grave and ask Julius—if he had a second chance, he’d stay far away from this. Not a chance he’d join the fight.”

  “…”

  “You think I’m greedy? Violent?”

  “No.” Kellan said it against his better judgment. Deep down, he thought Dylan was almost a disgrace to demon hunters.

  “Look at Etienne closely. Since you started following him, have you ever seen him smile or lose his temper?” Dylan sneered.

  Kellan glanced at the older hunter beside him. Etienne’s face was blank, eyes closed in sleep. His thick white beard and deep wrinkles caught in the firelight made him look both aged and resigned.

  “Humans are beasts driven by desire. You think you’re noble? You need to realize—what’s abnormal is you.” Dylan’s smile was bitter, unsettling.