The largest city on the continent of Deigradus, Vail has served as the ruling seat of Humanity’s existence since the last great war against the Elves over five hundred years ago. Constructed in the natural valley created by the nearby Dragon’s Perch mountain range and the dense forests at their base, Vail is close to an impenetrable fortress. The only choice an opposing force would have to assault the capital would be a frontal assault. It was this reason that humanity survived not one but two wars.

  Looking up from the brochure in her hand, Alexi took the bustling city in, her smile so wide it almost hurt. Cobblestone streets twisted and turned like a labyrinth, making it easy to get lost if one was careless, though the snow-capped peaks of the mountain range provided a way to gather one's bearings. In the ten years Joshua had raised her, Alexi had travelled all over the continent, and despite this, they had not once approached Vail.

  “Vail is home to the most skilled hunters humanity has to offer. No novice could ever teach at Lostvail,” he had once told her.

  The city was a dream for her, a goal: to prove herself skilled enough to take the Lostvail entrance exam and gain entry. But now, it was a dream no longer. She was here, finally taking the exam.

  The exam is tomorrow, and Joshua is busy at the academy, which leaves me time to explore.

  The bustling streets surrounded Alexi with more people than she had ever been around, unable to go a moment without accidentally bumping her shoulder against another person, and the sound of horse-drawn carriages clattering down the street constantly filled her ears. She loved every second of the new environment, having grown up in a small town in Vail’s shadow. Her family had never visited despite being so close. They simply didn’t have any reason to. The memory caused Alexi’s smile to fade, and she flipped her hood up, crushing the brochure in her hands as she shoved them in her pockets.

  She sidestepped people on the street, her gaze wandering purposefully as she searched for something in particular. Black iron lamp posts lined the curb at regular intervals, shut off in the early afternoon light, but each advertising a different business in town. The buildings were built with identical weathered brick and steel beams, reinforcing the architecture. Far in the distance, with a thick mist hanging just below their snowy peaks, was the famous Dragon’s Perch. The mountain range was both menacing and awe-inspiring all at once.

  Finally tearing her gaze away from the capital's most remarkable sight, Alexi noticed a mug-shaped sign near her. It read Lilith’s Lounge. It hung from the front of one of the larger buildings on the street corner, swinging lightly in the late summer breeze and beckoning her welcome. Chestnut-coloured bay windows gave her a peek inside; the soft blue carpet and multiple brick fireplaces paired with plush armchairs gave a distinct rustic feeling. She felt her heart skip a beat as she noticed rows of books further back. Then again, when the scent of freshly brewed coffee met her nose and set the hook. Alexi was inside within seconds, marching right to the front counter.

  “I’ll have an extra-large dark roast. Heavy on the cream and sugar.”

  “How heavy?” Asked the young man behind the counter with a raised eyebrow.

  “Heavy,” Alexi responded, handing him some change. “No such thing as too much.”

  Silently, the barista took the money and returned with a steaming paper cup a few moments later. Taking a sip of the overly sweet coffee, Alexi turned back towards the aisles of books and began browsing their contents. She moved with purpose, her fingers gliding over the spines of the books as she read each title carefully. She recognized many of them, stopping for the ones she didn’t so she could take a closer look. She remembered being able to read three books within a week when she was a child. Now, she was lucky to get through one in a month. Halfway through the third aisle, she came across something she had hoped to find. Releasing a soft sound of triumph, Alexi pulled the book free, looking down at the cover with fondness.

  Prince Victor and the Wicked Plot of Wyn the Witch. The cover had a young, tired, determined-looking knight clashing with a beautiful yet cruel-looking woman. A wave of nostalgia washed over her, pulling her back to her past. The Prince Victor series had been her favourite as a child, with Wyn the Witch holding a special place in her heart. Until her seventh birthday, her parents struggled to get her to read. It wasn’t that Alexi couldn’t read; she just had little interest in it. That changed when, as a birthday gift, her Dad gave her the first Prince Victor book, informing her that the author was a kid, just like her. That alone was enough to get her to open the book, but the fact that someone her age could craft such a beautiful world ignited an eternal love for reading inside her. Her heart would race whenever he would come home with another copy of Prince Victor’s adventures-

  Stop.

  Alexi’s smile transformed into a frown as she lost herself in her memories, something she had sworn to herself not to allow. This personal hunt to find each copy of a significant portion of her childhood was the one exception to that rule. Clutching the book close, she turned towards the front counter.

  “What the hell is an Elf doing here?” An irate voice cut through the air, causing more than a few heads to turn in its direction. Alexi turned her gaze towards the outburst, her curiosity getting the better of her. Sitting in a loveseat by one of the roaring fireplaces sat a boy with features that seemed carved from glass. His high cheekbones, long lashes, and low-hanging ponytail made Alexi initially mistake him for a girl. Looming over him were two teenage boys, sneering at him with disdain and revilement. It was impossible to argue with their declaration. With the boy’s violet hair and pointed ears, he matched every description of an Elf she had ever read about.

  Alexi had never seen an Elf in the flesh before; she’d only ever read about them in the history textbooks Joshua insisted she read as a child. Human-Elf relations were incredibly tenuous since the war, even five hundred years later. Elves live a long time, long enough to see entire human bloodlines rise and fall. For Humans, grudges were almost hereditary. The two species seldom ventured into each other’s territories. The Elf boy ignored the pair, his eyes closed as he quietly sipped his drink.

  “He asked you a question, freak.” One of the teenagers growled, fists clenched as if preparing to strike. For a brief moment, Alexi considered intervening, before quickly dashing the idea away. This was none of her business.

  “Hey.” Drawled the other guy, reaching down to the deep V-neck of the boy’s shirt. A golden locket roughly the size of a robin’s egg hung from a delicate matching chain, resting right below his delicate collarbone. “What’s this?”

  Moving almost too fast for Alexi to catch, the Elf’s hand darted out to grip the teen’s wrist, fingers inches away from the locket. The boy opened his eyes, his violet irises burrowing into the pair with a chilling calm. “First of all, gentlemen, let me assure you I am not an Elf. At least not fully.” His voice was light, sounding very young with an almost musical lilt. Alexi noticed that as he spoke, he began to apply pressure to the teen’s wrist, causing the aggressor to wince and try to pull away, to no avail. “Secondly, don’t ever touch my pendant. Got it?”

  Finally pulling his hand free, the two delinquents shared a fearful glance as they backed away. “So a half-breed. Even worse. Let’s get out of here.”

  Alexi watched as the pair practically ran out of the cafe, leaving the half-elf alone. His gaze turned up towards her as if he sensed her watching, much to her dismay. She expected him to ignore her or give her a warning glare. Instead, he smiled warmly and waved at her, catching her off guard.

  Alexi felt she was rooted to the spot, unsure of what to do. She had done almost nothing but train and fight for the last ten years of her life; Navigating social situations was not something she was accustomed to. Her instincts were screaming at to turn around, buy her boo and be on her way. But another part of her pushed her forward instead. A part of her she desperately tried to keep buried inside the deepest part of her core. Before she knew what she was doing, Alexi was sitting across from the boy, her posture guarded as she sipped her coffee in silence. She felt like a creep.

  “Hello.” The boy said, sounding delighted for company that didn’t berate him on sight. “I’m Nathan. Nice to meet you.”

  “Alexi,” She muttered, glancing at him from beneath her hood. He was regarding her with casual curiosity, and combined with the boyish grin on his face, he gave off the air of a Cheshire cat.

  Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  “It’s nice to meet you, Alexi. Are you a local?”

  She shook her head, feeling painfully out of her depth as she tried to dig for something, anything to answer with. She had gotten herself stuck in this situation; now she needed to navigate it without making an utter fool of herself. “I’m from Jilvern.”

  Nathan seemed to perk up at her response, leaning in closer. “That’s just outside Vail, isn’t it? You must come here all the time.”

  “No,” Alexi replied more sharply than she meant to, her fingers digging into her thighs. “I haven’t lived in Jilvern for a long time.” Trying to keep the memories that threatened to rear their ugly heads at bay, she took a long sip of her coffee. Her hand was shaking.

  Nathan’s smile faded, and he rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to pry.”

  Great. You’ve made things even more awkward. Nice going.

  This was precisely the reason Alexi tried to keep to herself as much as she possibly could. She had given up on any chance of living a normal life the day she had woken up in the hospital to find Joshua sitting at her bedside. She had dedicated herself to one thing, and one thing only.

  Just walk away. It’s not like you’ll ever see this guy again.

  Had she not caught Nathan’s vibrantly violet eyes dull with disappointment, even if it was for just a second, she might have. Instead, she drew her hood back and looked him directly, swallowing hard.

  “Are you really a half-elf?”

  She regretted the words the moment she uttered them, having blurted out the first thing she could think of in the moment. She couldn’t deny that she was curious about the boy sitting across from her, and the strange heritage that he held. Nathan was stunned into silence for a long moment before finally breaking into a fit of laughter. The wave of embarrassment that followed hit Alexi hard, and it took every ounce of self-restraint not to cover her face again.

  “Wow, you really just came out and asked that, huh? Fair, I did mention something about that.”

  Seeming completely unperturbed by Alexi’s question, Nathan just shook his head with that boyish grin plastered across his face. He put his cup down on the coffee table between them before resting his chin on the palm of his hand.

  “It's peculiar, huh? An Elf showing just as much emotion as a Human. Everyone knows they’re incapable of feeling anything.”

  It was Alexi’s turn to apologize. “Listen, I’m really sorry. That was so stupid and insensitive of me to ask. You were just being harassed, then you have some idiot go and ask you that. I think I’ll leave now.” Moving to stand up, she was stopped by a gentle hand on her shoulder that guided her back onto the couch.

  “Please, there’s no need for that. We’re both clearly new at this.” Nathan leaned back in his chair, giving them both a moment before he spoke again. “Yes, I am a half-elf. It’s incredibly rare, but we do exist. I’m the only one I know, though, truth be told.”

  Nathan’s reassurance soothed Alexi, and her anxiety and doubt started to melt away, even if it was just a little. In its place came a slew of questions that threatened to erupt from her mouth without her control. She restrained herself, however, not wanting to make a fool out of herself more than she already had.

  “How is it possible for there to be half-elves? Even if Humans and Elves could co-exist, they’re emotionless. Surely they wouldn’t…you know?”

  It took Nathan a second to catch on to what Alexi was alluding to before he broke into a fit of laughter. “Let’s just say every rule has its exception, and leave it at that, alright? I’m not about to spill my whole life story to someone I’ve just met. As fun as they may be.”

  Alexi nodded, biting her bottom lip. “No, of course. Sorry for prying. Again.”

  “Here, why don’t we change to a less loaded topic?” Nathan asked, waving her words away.” What brings you to Vail?”

  Alexi perked up at a question she was eager to answer, straightening her back as she confidently smirked at the boy. “I’m taking the entrance exam for Lostvail Academy tomorrow. I’m going to be a Daemon Hunter.”

  His eyes widened at her answer, leaning against the table and closing the distance between them. “No way! I didn’t think I’d meet anyone else taking the exam before tomorrow.”

  “Wait, you’re taking it too?” Alexi’s face grew hot from the sudden closeness between them. “Does that mean I’ll see you tomorrow?”

  “Maybe,” Nathan replied with a shrug before pulling back away. “There’s going to be a lot of people looking to take the exam. Even if we don’t see each other tomorrow, we will at the academy. That is, if you pass.” Nathan winked.

  “If I pass?” Alexi asked, raising an eyebrow. “Listen. I’m socially awkward, but if there is one thing I’m confident in, it's my skill at killing Daemons. If I were you, I’d be more worried about whether you’ll make it in.”

  Chuckling, Nathan shook his head before checking the watch on his wrist. “Wow, is that the time already? I need to start prepping for tomorrow.” He rose from his seat and put his hand out to shake hers. “It was great meeting you, Alexi. Good luck on the exam tomorrow.”

  Alexi stood up as well, gripping Nathan’s hand and shaking it. “You too, Nathan. See you at the academy?”

  Tilting his head slightly, Nathan gave her a wink. “For sure.”

  #

  It was nearly midnight by the time Joshua had finished the preparations for tomorrow. The old room from his previous tenure as an instructor had been made up for him, and he wanted nothing more than to sink into his bed and sleep. The last few days had been long, between the carriage ride to Vale and everything he had to deal with once they arrived in the city. He could feel the exhaustion creeping up in the back of his mind as he approached the door to Alexi’s motel room. “I’m getting too old for this.” He grumbled before knocking on the door. No answer. The old hunter frowned and glanced over at the curtain-veiled window. The light was on. He knocked again, only to be ignored once again.

  His frown grew deeper as he tried the doorknob and found it unlocked, silently chastising Alexi for her carelessness. A familiar ringing sound met Joshua’s ears as he entered the room. Sitting cross-legged in the middle of the floor was his ward, her head lowered as she ran a whetstone over the blade of her sword, the source of the ringing sound. Alexi showed no sign that she was aware of his presence, and he knew there would be no way of reaching her. One of her strong suits was her ability to focus on whatever task was at hand, and he was sure she was lost in thoughts of tomorrow’s exam.

  Stepping over to the nearby desk, Joshua picked up Alexi's revolver, which was resting on it. He examined it, checking the chambers and barrel. Both showed signs of having already been cleaned, bringing a smile to his face.

  She'll be fine.

  The thought brought comfort and worry in equal measure to the veteran. Daemon hunting was a well-respected career that was always in demand, on top of being very lucrative. As much as he hated to admit it, Daemons would always be a plague on humanity, so those who put their lives on the line for the sake of their fellow man were often considered pillars of the community. The drawback was the incredibly high mortality rate that came with such territory and the one-sided rivalry that had formed over the years with the King’s Guard. However, that was more an annoyance than anything serious.

  "Joshua? When did you get here?"

  Alexi had looked up from her sharpening, her brilliant emerald eyes locked onto him. He gently returned her firearm to the desk before walking towards her, motioning for her to pass him her weapon.

  "Not long. Only a few minutes." He responded as he ran his thumb over the blade, drawing a bead of blood. "I see you've been busy."

  Alexi shrugged, groaning as she rose to her feet. "I have no idea what this exam is going to entail. You always say it's better to be prepared than dead."

  "I do say that, don't I?" Joshua chuckled, handing her the sword back. "But rest is also important, especially when you have an early start to look forward to."

  "Oh, come on. It’s not that late."

  "Alexi. It's after midnight."

  Alexi’s face paled. "Shit! I swear I just got back from the bookstore an hour ago!"

  "Somehow, I'm not surprised that's where you would spend your day." Joshua earned himself a scowl as he ruffled her hair.

  "I got distracted, ok? I-" She hesitated, causing Joshua’s expression to transform from playful to concerned. He was immediately worried that something had happened while she was out. "I uh…made a friend. I think?" Alexi scratched her cheek, staring at the ground to avoid direct eye contact.

  It was the last thing he expected her to say, despite always encouraging her to make friends. It was easier said than done since they were constantly on the move, never staying in one spot long enough for her to form any true, meaningful bonds. The guilt kept him up at night.

  "You're not saying anything. Why aren't you saying anything?"

  "It’s nothing!” Joshua replied, broken from his reverie. “I'm happy to hear it, Alexi. Truly. Tell me all about them."

  She smiled sheepishly. "Well, and you aren't going to believe this, he's a half-elf. And he's taking the exam tomorrow too.”

  Joshua whistled. "A half-elf? Now that is a rarity. I've never even seen one myself."

  “Considering you're practically ancient, it must be." She teased, nudging his side with her elbow.

  "And you're a brat.” He retorted playfully. Despite that, he couldn’t be happier for her. She would have lived like a typical eighteen-year-old girl if it had been up to him.

  But Alexi isn't a typical eighteen-year-old girl. You saw that firsthand.

  "Anyway," Joshua said, pushing the thought down. "You need to get some rest. If you're late, that's that. No second chances.”

  "Joshua, I got this. You really don't need to worry about me."

  Turning back towards the front door, Joshua gave her one last glance.

  "That’s my job, kiddo."