"Red... hide here, quick!""Don't worry, Mother will be back soon...""NO! Stay away!"Screams.
Flames tore through the home, engulfing everything—photos, furniture, books—years of life turning to ash. In the heart of the chaos stood a young girl, frozen in fear, her small frame trembling beneath the shadow of a towering lycan. Her mother, bloodied and barely able to stand, whispered her last plea.
"R-Red… run… please."
But Red didn't run. She couldn't. Fear anchored her to the ground as the creature stared into her soul.
"RR…Run."
The sky hung low, gray and brooding. The forest floor squelched under the wet weight of recent rain. A white rabbit hopped along, sniffing for food. Its ears twitched—BANG!A gunshot cracked the silence. The rabbit dropped, its pure white fur now stained red.
A teenage girl stepped from the bushes, cloaked in crimson, a rifle in hand. Her face was expressionless. She picked up the rabbit by the ears and turned toward a small, weathered cabin nestled deep in the woods.
She entered quietly, setting the rabbit and her rifle down. But she wasn't alone. Someone, or something, was watching.
The girl flipped on the radio as she began to clean the rabbit.
Radio (French):"Le dernier groupe, Agora Fidelio, vient de sortir son premier album..."(The latest band, Agora Fidelio, just released their first album…)
She clicked the knob until jazz played softly in the background. Then, suddenly—A scream.
??? (distant):"AUUGH! SOMEONE HELP ME—MONSTERS!"
The word echoed like a trigger. Red grabbed her rifle and bolted outside.
She arrived to find a middle-aged man crawling backward, three grotesque anomalies closing in. One was ape-like; the other two were gangly with elongated mouths and soulless eyes.
??? (desperate):"SOMEONE HEL—HUH?!"
The girl landed in front of him, red cloak swirling.
Red (flatly):"Beat it or die. Your choice."
??? (bewildered):"A little girl?!"
Red (firing):"Tch… GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE!"
She pulled the trigger—three clean shots. Two anomalies dropped, screeching. The third charged. She rolled, dodging a heavy swing.
Red (frustrated):"Click click click—Tch. Empty."(smirks)"Guess we're doing this the old-fashioned way."
She drew her axe and grinned.
The beast lunged. She responded by slicing off its fingers. It howled. Another swing—she ducked, spun, and severed its arm. One last blow, and the axe buried itself in its skull.
Red (spitting):"Heh… All that fat for nothing. Wretched merde."
From behind a tree, the man emerged—clapping.
??? (impressed):"Impressive. She really trained you well…"
Red (hostile):"What the hell are you talking about?"
???"Your mentor. The hunter who took you in."
At the word "hunter," Red raised her axe to his neck.
Red:"How do you know her?"
A blade touched her own throat. Another figure in black was suddenly behind her. A third was decapitating the corpses.
??? (calmly):"Let's not escalate this. I'm the Headmaster of the Church of Hunters. Your 'grandmother' was a dear friend and a retired S-Rank hunter. She wrote to me recently… But where is she?"
Red (quiet):"Dead."
Headmaster:"...Excuse me?"
Red:"Killed by a giant wolf—the one that slaughtered my parents. The Big Bad Wolf."
Silence. The Headmaster studied her expression. Her grief. Her rage.
Then he laughed.
Headmaster:"She always said she'd rather die to a beast than the flu… You shouldn't carry her burden, Red."
Red:"How the hell do you know my name?"
Headmaster (smiling):"She told me. You're the reason I came. She wanted you to join us."
He knelt and extended his hand.
Headmaster:"You have talent. Join the Church. Carry on her legacy."
Red (mocking):"Join a cult? Yeah, no thanks. Now get off my property. I think my stew's burning."
She walked past him, bumping his shoulder.
Headmaster (calling out):"Actually, Red… You do need us. See, hunting anomalies without a license is illegal. Life in prison illegal. Join us, and you get one."
She froze.
Red (thinking):"I don't care about prison… but with a license, I can hunt the wolf. The one that took everything from me…"
She turned, smirking.
Red:"Fine. I'll join. Grandmother always said to give to the church, anyway."
Headmaster (beaming):"Excellent. Next stop—Headquarters."