Spring City has been thriving amongst all the cities in the Philippines, built where once a mountain stood high, a new sanctuary for Felicia after running away from a painful past.
On her first day, she meets an eccentric neighbor, Carlotta claiming...
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"Are you ready?" the senior dwarf hunter asked Crux. Crux was not supposed to be at the big door waiting for the clock to strike 12. He was meant to be peacefully at home, perhaps reading or sleeping. If it were not for his sister Aries who got sick because of the polluted air in the city of Spring, he would never be here. He neither dreamed of this job nor this responsibility – becoming a hunter of human souls. His only interest aside from the ones mentioned above was eating. Yes, he tried once or twice watching the human race's activity, but he found it too boring and repetitive. Human beings tend to have life stages – first they are born, then, they go to school to learn, followed by getting a job, have a family and then get old until they die.
A dwarf's life for Crux is something special. He can do whatever he wants without being judged. He could play, eat, and read as much as he could. He could choose whatever he wanted to do. They've got responsibilities as well, but taking responsibilities was merely a choice. His sister Aries has always been fond of being out of the Underground world, hunting souls every 31st of October. The ritual started two decades ago when Spring Mountain, their home that was once peaceful, was conquered by human beings, particularly the capitalists. The capitalists wanted to develop a city in the Philippines which would surpass Manila, Cebu, and Davao. The capitalists succeeded, a decade after the massacre of the guardians, Spring City was then known all over the world. Aries wanted revenge so she enjoyed every minute of being a hunter. Unfortunately, she started coughing a few days ago.
"Hey, I asked if you're ready," the cold-voiced Garuda asked again.
Crux nodded. "Yes, I'm ready. Never been ready my whole life," he answered untruthfully, almost bored.
"Do you know how important our role is?" Garuda was strict. She followed the rules mostly made by her. "Being hunters, we rectify the past mistakes by human beings, and a few minutes from now, we will need to take a soul which we are going to offer to the gods of the mountain." Crux did not reply. He was always opposed to vengeance. He believed that human beings could be selfish, have made bad decisions, and some were just idiots. However, he knew that there are still good ones out there. He had read too many books about humans where he learned and understood their characteristics. He stared at the big golden clock, hung at the largest trunk of the banyan tree. The tree was a gateway to the human world. He had gone through the tree before, where you needed to pull a certain crooked twig that would open the tree. Once you're inside, it would transform into a bright small room, an elevator that would take you to Building 325. Building 325 was the only portal they could use. A few seconds before the clock struck 12, Garuda pulled the twig. "Let's go. We better get moving. Once we're done here, I would want to catch up on my sleep." Crux followed Garuda inside the tree. They both stepped inside the tree that growled when its bark closed. The core where they were, vibrated, light coming out of nowhere turned on and off, transforming itself into an elevator. Buttons with lighted numbers appeared on the wall, signaling Garuda to press to the bright yellow button.
