❝how do you kill a monster without becoming one?❞
In the last city ruled by man, fish soar in the skies above and monsters lurk in the alleys below. Ten years ago, Jase lost both his legs and his mother to one such monster. However, tragedy couldn't...
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The second week of the Hopeful Conference went by just as quickly as the first.
Before Jase knew it, it was their last lunch break before the Hopeful Conference came to an end. Everyone had gotten more serious with the simulators but Huraira had the top score. She really was a badass with her stupid sword. She'd even gotten a few swipes at Red before the simulation had obliterated her and her two remaining lives.
The dining hall was consumed by a tense silence and no one was capable of swallowing more than a few bites of food. After tomorrow, half of them would be sent home and the other half would be sent to their deaths. Everything seemed a little too real for them to joke today.
As Jase played with his lemon jello, his gaze drifted across the room to the chubby brunette... Dolion. Bonnie Dolion. She had the sixth-highest score on the simulation'. And she'd also gotten a perfect score on the test, which made her smart. She was going to be a valuable asset to him.
"I'm gonna make another friend," Jase said.
Huraira cocked a brow as she swallowed the last bite of her shitty protein bar. "Another? After your first one went so well?"
"What do you think about Dolion?"
"Bad idea, Jase," Huraira said. "You know how the Church feels about Stingray - about Smiles." Jase grimaced. Huraira was right there. "She's probably here to destabilize Stingray for obstructing Ryenar's divine punishment." She rolled her eyes. "Because that's what saving lives is called these days."
"Or," Jase said, pressing his hands together. "She's here to kick some Smile ass like the rest of us?" He smirked, rolling out from underneath the table. "I'll tell you how it goes!"
He glanced back, but Huraira wasn't looking at him anymore. Or anyone really. She wasn't the type to entertain forgettables. Jase shook his head and returned his efforts to pushing himself to where Bonnie was sitting, all alone. And then, smiling.
"Hey!" he called. "You're Bonnie Dolion, right?" He extended his hand. "I'm Jase - Jason Williams."
Hesitantly, Bonnie accepted his hand, shaking it gently. "I know who you are," she said. She spoke in a slow, soft manner. "You're quite skilled with a pistol."
"And I've never seen anyone who uses magic to fight," Jase said in return. "Doesn't the Church's entire philosophy have to do with passivism? That the gods will protect you from the Smiles?"
"Rynear and Hykelia do protect us from Smiles," Bonnie said. "It was through Hykelia's kindness that magic was given to humans and it is in Her name that I use it to protect Last City... but you don't share my beliefs."
She was smart. Jase rewarded her with a nod. "If your goddess is so kind and loving then why wouldn't she just snap her fingers and smite all of the Smiles?"
"It doesn't work that way," Bonnie said, shaking her head. "Hykelia hears our prayers and whispers them to Her brother, Ryenar, but He had to have had a good reason for sending the Smiles."
