"Joanna, it's time I teach you all the necessary skills needed to hunt just like my father once taught me. Tell me Joanna, what do you know of magic?"
"That's what you use, isn't it? Magic?"
Joanna's father smirked, nodded his head and then asked, "Joanna, have you ever tried to use magic?"
Joanna's father knew already that his daughter had a great aptitude for magic from the moment she was born. Her father was highly skilled in magic and from the moment Joanna was born, he understood that she was special.
"No, I've not once tried using magic. I guess it could be useful to learn..."
Joanna's father knelt on one knee and placed both his hands on her shoulder, looking straight at Joanna with a serious expression.
"I will teach you all that I know Joanna, that is only if you want to learn magic."
Joanna looked up at the sky her forehead now wrinkled, seemingly deep in thought.
"Ah! Sure why not, it could be a lot of fun!" In the back of her mind, all she could think of was impressing her younger sister with cool magic.
"Father, I do have a question?"
"What is it my daughter?"
"Is grandpa still alive?"
"Ah! Haha! I guess you haven't ever seen your grandpa, right?" He wore a surprised look as he replied.
"Well, I was just curious."
"Alive, huh. Well, my fathers too stubborn to die. He is alive and well."
"Where is he now?" Joanna asked; she never once showed curiosity about her father's life. Never thought about what her dad was like before having her until now. She wanted to know more about her father.
"You seem awfully curious...Well, I guess it's not unusual to know more about your family." Joanna's father stared up into the sky for a brief moment then answered her question. "I imagine still being a knight at that place."
"That place?" Joanna tilted her head. "A knight?" More questions sprang to mind when she heard her father's answer.
"Joanna, I'll tell you a little secret about your cool father!" He exclaimed, smirking while winking at Joanna. "Your father comes from a family of knights, sworn to continually protect some royal family."
"A royal family?!"
"Well, maybe a bit above royalty..." Joanna's father said quietly scratching his chin.
"What family?! What's their family name?"
"My father and my father's father and so forth pledged to serve the Nightingale family. This family, even though they have many knights, places my father above the rest. Joanna, your grandpa commands their army of knights and I was meant to inherit his position..." Joanna's father felt a bit awkward talking about his past, even if it was only a little.
"Nightingale, huh...my grandpa is an important knight, right? Ah! Father, why did you not want to be a knight?" Curiosity had kept growing in Joanna's mind.
"It's a little bit complicated but if I had to say."
Joanna's father picked up Joanna under her arm. "It's because I chose this family over theirs." Joanna's father said with a big grin on his face.
"Ahh! Put me down!" Joanna started flailing her legs and arms about.
"Haha! Too old for your father's love, are you?" Joanna's father gave her a strong hug and then put her down. He placed his hand on top of her head and started scruffing her head. "Let's get to hunting then, shall we?"
Joanna replied with a pout. She turned her face away and started walking furiously.
"I hope she never has to meet that family." Joanna's father thought to himself.
≡
Coldera
Shun had escaped from his decade-long captivity along with a wolf-boy that was being carried around his arm. He was moving at an incredible speed without any magical enhancements being used. Shun had gained great physical capabilities from the torturous experiments he had suffered through. He ran and ran distancing himself further away from the kingdom of Coldera and it grew further away until it couldn't be seen.
"Hey! Hey! Stop!"
Shun kept running like an animal.
"Oi! Stop I said!"
Shun had then immediately stopped in his tracks.
"...?"
"Haven't you run enough?! Look behind you!"
Shun turned his head to see the large spruce trees towering over and the typical snowy ground of Coldera.
"Were so far now we can't even see the kingdom so we should be safe, right?"
Shun nodded in agreement and put the young wolf-boy down.
The wolf-boy dusted his brown rags that had served as his clothes for as long as he could remember.
"Well...thanks for all your help!" The wolf-boy waved goodbye and walked off aimlessly.
A minute passed by...
The wolf-boy swung his head around and his eyes met with a feral and ferocious beast! A huge and merciless mons-
"-Oi! Quit following me! Shoo shoo!"
"..." Shun lowered his head like a sad puppy and kept staring at the wolf-boy.
"..." The wolf-boy scratched the back of his head and faced forward. "Well, you know...I guess you don't have to follow me." The wolf-boy kept walking forward and trailing behind him was a monster-turned human.
"Since it seems like were going to be sticking together for a while, why don't you tell me your name or something?"
"..."
"Ah you can't speak, can you? Ahem! Well, I'll just introduce myself. My names Holo and I'm from...well I don't really know where I'm from. I've been stuck as an experiment for as long as I can remember. My name is the only thing I know...the only thing I can remember from before my time as a test subject. Holo...you see, I really like that name! Don't you think it sounds nice...it makes me feel like I'm something more than just an experiment, you know? Haha..." Holo looked down at the ground, stopping in his tracks. He crouched down hiding his face in his skinny arms and legs. His lips started to quiver and his eyes started to tear up.
"T-that must've been the name my parents g-gave me, r-right? M-maybe I can find them..." A tear started streaking down his face. "I-I'm f-finally free, y-you know. T-those long and horrible years I spent t-trapped in a cage, every day being hurt and experimented on are finally o-over." His throat started to feel strained and his breathing became unsteady and frantic. Holo's wolf ears lowered and faced backwards. The wolf-boy was at his limit and finally broke down into tears.
Shun crouched down beside him. His large furry body provided Holo with a comforting warmth, he had wrapped Holo in his large, fluffy tail. Shun may not have been able to speak but the actions he displayed showed he was no longer a monster nor demon as he comfored and embraced a crying Holo, making the wolf-boy feel a sense of safety and comfort he had been missing for most of his life.