The Ashen Keeper

Chapter 29

Time has passed on.

Boys had become teens.

Marco and Fabrizo went looking for Gehrman, a retired hunters to join the hunt. Gehrman trained them. Fed them. And practically raised them. They were easily accepted into the hunt.

However, Marco later dropped out due to not being able to keep up with the other hunter. He knew his limits well. Fabrizo was a better fighter than Marco, but Marco possesses intelligence like no other.

.

.

.

[Marco POV]

.

We were making income now that Fabrizo had become a hunter. I, on the other hand, had joined the church of healing.

Mother was delighted to hear the news of her eldest son going into the embrace of God. But I fear she would break down once she knew that I only cure those who I could.

We were not good people. I would refuse to cure someone once they were inflicted with an uncurable disease. That is how I became famous for managing to cure everyone who came to me.

Fabrizo had become a well accomplished hunter. But the things he hunts, they're not beasts, they're people whose disease break out due to me not treating them.

I would mark down people I refused to treat and sent the information to Fabrizo. He would then hunt them down after they went mad. That is how Fabrizo became a well-accomplished hunter.

Fabrizo was famous for managing to track down people inflicted with the disease. Of course, I always took care of my own reputation not to affect my brother.

I made sure there were no witnesses. There are many different diseases. There are also some incurable ones.

One of the most rampant diseases turned man into beasts. It held no name. We only call them victims of the old blood.

The victim shows symptoms by bleeding out of their nose and start attacking anyone close by. They would then, mutate day by day before finally becoming a beast.

There is a period of hibernation before they became one. I noted down all those who were becoming one for Fabrizo to hunt when they were hibernating.

We killed for a living.

Today was a holiday where we would celebrate the coming of our gods. We all sat down in the kitchen as mother prepared our food.

She baked a meat pie. It was always a meat pie with a glass of milk.

We also brought Gehrman, the old man who once took us in.

"Dear lord,", our mother prayed as she clasped her hand. Julia did the same.

"Thank you for the food you have prepared for us.

Thank you for allowing us to share a delicious meal together.

Thank you for the beautiful snow and thank you allowing us to spend another year.

Thank you for giving me my children.

Thank you for allowing my daughter to grow up as a good woman and thank you for allowing my boys to grow up into good men."

She then opened her eyes.

"Let's eat!", she cheered like a child.

Despite the years that have gone by, mother was still as beautiful as ever.

Meanwhile during the prayer, I merely closed my eyes while Fabrizo just looked down. We dared not look at her innocent self with our sin-filled eyes.

.