Spirit Hunting Union

River walked towards her bedroom.

All air particles in the narrow corridor slowed down when she stepped in. As calm as the girl herself. Warm. Careful.

At this rate, they were becoming a second River.

As she finally got to her doorstep, she reached for the doorknob. That was when her eyes caught the stain on her sleeve.

A faint black.

She immediately recalled what this was. It was the newbie's blood.

Both the blood and her uniform looked similar. So, it ended up being a washed-out patch.

Naturally, she should head inside already to change clothes. But something about this bugged her somehow.

River frowned.

She then brought the stained sleeve close to her nose…

A sharp noise screeched in her head. River clasped the doorframe instantly, shutting her eyes tightly. And resisting the push to scream.

Her chest ached.

But she put everything aside. And focused on the picture forming in her mind. It was a world she knew so well - the sky like a void, the surface a long stretch of black ocean.

It always reeks of decay here. Just like now.

It stinks.

A bold, italicised word floated in the thick air.

Dimensionist.

However, something was off this time around.

River's chest tightened more and more.

The figure half-buried right at the centre of the ocean wasn't anyone she expected. Not the person she always saw there.

But it was the rookie hunter. Their team's newest member!

River gasped.

Her nails dug deeper into the doorframe. She had to see it all!

Half-naked. Half-submerged in the water.

River couldn't see the exact expression on his face due to the darkness. But there was a thin curve at the corner of his lip.

Suddenly, the ocean surface shifted. Creatures crawled underwater.

In a moment, they clung onto the guy's skin. They, on one side, looked like shiny-skinned snakes. And on the other, beings unexplainable.

Drawing out their mucus-dripping fangs, they feasted on the guy's flesh. They ate. Devoured him as a whole.

River's face turned bitter.

…

"Hey!"

A feminine voice suddenly rang in her head. And she yelped as she forced her eyes back open.

A gentle pat landed on her shoulder.

River looked up to see Lady Maya's face. Then, she sighed in relief.

The woman asked with concern,

"Are you okay? Was it another vision?"

River slowly nodded.

"Yes."

Lady Maya drew closer, clearly interested.

"Did you manage to find its location now??"

River took a moment to reprocess everything. Her eyes flashed to the blood stain.

No, she didn't locate anyone. Instead, the scent of a dark creature wrapped around her like a cocoon of fear after she smelled the blood.

She immediately informed Lady Maya,

"The team leader was right. That new guy…"

Lady Maya blinked.

"Who? Quinn?"

River straightened her back.

The woman's hand slipped down her shoulder.

"If that's what he's called." Then she raised her sleeve. "Something's off about him. How come a human's blood scent envisions the black ocean?"

The woman gasped. Her eyes widened.

"T-the black ocean? Quinn's blood?"

"Yes."

***

Hours after the unforgettable spar with the girl, Quinn woke up. But his head ached a little from fatigue. And sharp pain stabbed his chest from inside.

Quinn raised himself from the floor.

His eyes scanned the surroundings.

Still in this cursed basement, eh?

'Shitty bastards can't even help me get inside.'

He sighed lightly.

Right as he rose to his feet, the faint screen popped up.

"Oh, I still have this thing. I forgot." His voice was low and weak. He started limping towards the other end of the ring.

Quinn read the messages,

[You have received +3 Agility points for training for two hours.]

[Unread messages] x1

[You have leveled up!]

[Stay strong!]

Quinn paused for a moment. He just stared at the screen before continuing moving.

So, basically, the Curse grants you rewards for training? Interesting.

Almost like a virtual game. Or even more advanced.

"Hm."

Quinn locked the door upon getting inside his room.

From sunset, when the sun dipped below the horizon, to the late hours of the night, he sat quietly by the window.

And watched the day pass by him.

Within this solitary moment, he had the chance to think about a lot of things. Those he had long ignored.

Quinn found himself exhaling too much now. Out of deep contemplation.

At night, he turned on his bed lamp and then sat before the monitor. Too bad he had no other choice but to continue using a budget monitor for now.

Quinn launched the browser. But his fingers retracted away from the keyboard when about to type in the words.

Because he was bothered.

He swallowed.

But does it really matter what's on the other side of the page? Not anymore.

Then he typed:

Fire incident near Kingslanding Academy.

The blue light from the computer cast a glow on his whole face.