Monster Survival
By Jacob Horne

Prologue

“My child…”

Her somber smile trembled, hiding a helplessness she couldn’t quite conceal.

“Do you hate me—for the burden I’ve given you?”

In the boy’s fierce eyes, he saw only the reflection of a woman who’d already given up.

The room was pure darkness, not a single candle lit and not a single window to shed light within.

It was vast and deep, with a lone stage at its center, looked down upon by a council from the shadows above.

Why did I think of her now? He would ponder to himself curiously, his legs and arms shackled, his body covered in wrappings filled with strange symbols.

“Did I hate her…?” he mused. His expression was cold… distant. “Maybe… I just wish she’d done a little more.”

He glanced to either side, noting the men bound and shackled beside him.

Today, he would die. Am I ready to die? he pondered.. But for Agi Ansgar, that was the wrong question.

Perhaps the real question was–

Do I care if I die?

He looked to his left, a man with clear, sky-blue eyes, unfazed. His short, dark-brown hair and handsome features gave him a commanding presence. Towering above most, his body was built for battle.

His aura was detached, like he was above it all, uninvolved with the affairs of the world. But Agi knew better; a man could fool others, but not his older brother.

Others might see a man untouched by fear, but Agi saw something deeper in his eyes—a fierce will to live.

The taste of bitterness rose in his throat as he turned to his right.

There, a similar-looking man stood close in height, with the same hair and eyes, but his demeanor was entirely different.

He wore a slight, charming smile—one that hid layers.

His face was expressive, his eyes calm, yet unreadable.

He seemed both entirely known and deeply mysterious, as if he wore his emotions openly yet veiled something behind that openness.

Agi saw what others couldn’t: the wrath simmering beneath, the frustration, the yearning to leave this place alive. He, too, wanted to live

“The accused…” A voice echoed from the void, but it sounded like distant buzzing to Agi.

He glanced left at his brother Asketill, then right at Ari, the weight of weariness pressing down on him. When will it end…

“And so, in accordance with the laws set to protect humanity, as Head Priest of the Human Order, I hereby sentence the accused to… indefinite banishment.”

The cold voice echoed–Shocking the shackled men.

Agi raised his head, his gaze piercing through the darkness to the priest. His eyes held a strange, inhuman gleam as they took on a lizard’s visage. Banishment? he muttered, barely audible.

“They intend to seal us?”

His eyes narrowed further—the Oracle is absent, he observed.

Hooded figures poured into the room, surrounding the stage.

Small blue lights shone from their fingertips as they lifted their hands, palms open, their fingers tracing symbols into the air.

One by one, some faltered and fell to the ground, breathless, their strength spent, and their lives exhausted, only for others in white robes to take their place.

This continued for half an hour until the air shimmered with bright, floating runes that slowly drifted down.

The wrappings covering the three accused turned to dust, and the runes fractured, clinging tightly to their bodies before fading into their skin.

Ari suppressed a sigh as he glanced at Agi. There was a strength in his brother’s gaze—a gaze as unwavering as a mountain, as if even the years could not erode it.

Ari wanted to know what Agi was thinking at that moment, and wanted to share the weight Agi always carried alone.

But Ari was not worried. Agi had never failed them; ruthless, yes, even harsh, but he had kept them alive. Through every trial, they had not only survived—they had thrived.

The chains loosened, a strange force freeing them. For the first time, Ari felt an overwhelming sense of freedom.

He yearned to turn on their captors, to make them pay, but he knew if even Agi and Asketill held back, he would have to as well.

Guards surrounded them, escorting them out of the temple. Ari’s mind raced. Even after sealing us, they won’t kill us?

It was strange, an odd mercy that puzzled him.

He caught Asketill’s eye, seeing a shared unease. The whole situation felt wrong.

Ari looked up at Agi, and for the first time since they were children, he glimpsed something uncertain.

Agi’s footsteps were measured, but his silence was telling. Why seal us, not kill us? Ari knew it was the question plaguing Agi, too.

Asketill could feel the tension as well. He had locked eyes with Ari, sensing the same question, but he was already looking forward. The life of hunting was over.

He’d followed Agi to the Order searching for purpose, but silence and waiting were never his nature.

Now, he felt like a caged tiger given wings.

Sealed or not, I still have my body. I can still fight.

His purpose was simple: he lived to fight. And yet, a small part of him turned back to Agi.

Agi’s piercing gaze and almost-black hair reminded Asketill of their parents—a fierce, predatory stare, unreadable and watchful.

Asketill couldn’t read his brother, but he sensed his lack of fire. It was unlike the Agi he knew.

For a moment, Asketill felt an urge to reach out, but the distance between them was too vast.

“I’m going to the Scalapoise,” Ari said suddenly, breaking the silence. Agi seemed to drift into thought, while Asketill nodded, understanding.

“Will you be free?” Asketill asked.

“As a bird under the canopy,” Ari replied, a glint of resolve in his eyes.

The trio continued to walk, footsteps echoing in the silence.

When they reached the exit, the heavy rain battered down on the thick canopy above, the tree’s immense leaves sheltering them from the storm.

“I’ll explore for a while,” Asketill said at last. “Maybe I’ll visit the Asura—I can’t let them go back to their old ways just because I’ve been banished.” His gaze was stoic, distant.

Asketill turned, studying him with a faint smile. “And where will the fear of man spread its terror next?” he said, his tone half-joking, half-serious.

Agi’s gaze drifted up, his eyes distant. “I think I’ll go back…to Heram territory. The No Survival Zone.”

Both brothers looked at him sharply, their eyes wide with recognition. Asketill went silent, but Ari’s shock spilled over.

“What! Like this? Sealed and unstable?” He took a breath, steadying himself. “This… That’s crazy! Practically…” His voice slowed, “Suicide…”

He stared at Agi for a long time.

“Is this really it, Agi? Just like that?”

Asketill too turned, small moments of his childhood played in his mind.

His first sword… His first pain… He watched his elder brother closely.

Agi looked up at the canopy of leaves. “I don’t know. That’s why I’ll go. Because I know nothing.”

Ari was silent, only the mechanical clicking of the small bronze dog beside him brining him back.

“Brother… You’re going to make us worry, aren’t you?”

Agi glanced at his brothers before sighing, “Then let’s meet again.”

Ari looked at the ground, once he entered the Scalapoise… it wouldn’t be easy to leave.

Asketill looked at Ari, feeling he slightly understood the struggle in his mind, “Five years.” He finally spoke, “Let’s just meet again in five years.”

They didn’t bother setting a location, they both knew–If Agi was still around by then; he would find them.

Agi glanced at Asketill, “Where are you going?” He frowned watching him step back into that accursed place.

“I forgot something.”

“I’ll come with you.” Agi said stepping toward him.

Asketill shook his head, “You need to go, brother. I can take care of myself.”

He opened his mouth to retort, but only let out a breath.

With a nod he turned, vanishing within the expansive jungle that sought to devour them whole.

The three hunters went their separate ways, their futures uncertain.