Deep inside a forest there's a man running with fear. The damp soil floor's trembling underneath as the man doesn't dare to look back. Moonlight shine brightly in the sky capturing the man's retreating figure.
An old, battered and terrified man dressed in religious attire came to a stop with eyes widen in terror as he found the one chasing after him standing upon the hills edge.
"There's nowhere to run now. Better if you keep it simple and stop struggling." Said the man standing by the edge, his voice grim with his red eyes glaring at the man infront of him.
"You...what I've done to you!?." The man shouts with shaky voice.
"What do you want from me?. Money?. Just tell me whatever you want and I'll give you double." The man offers a deal in desperation.
Silence stretches between them as the fog intensified around them. The black smoke slithering like a serpent.
"S-stop!...what are you doing?.". The man said terrified by the darkness around him.
"You...you demon-argghh!!." The smoke wrap itself around him and suffocate him until he passed out.
**Two days earlier**
In the Bellonia duchy. There's a rumor about some people missing at night. And the only information the Duke get for four months investigating is there's a cult hiding between the shadows and is taking away his peoples.
"Haa... report update...". The Duke said with tired voice to one of his knights.
"There's another three more missing person my Lord." Said one of the knights.
The Duke runs his hand through his face out of frustration. No matter he does brings no changes, he had sent the knights, mercenary, priest, yet to no avail. The air in the city filled with fear and distrust, afraid that it'll be their turn next to disappear.
"What should we do now my Lord?. Not even a corpse in sight and we've patrolling all month even in the sewages." The guard asked critically, anxious of the state of the duchy.
"We can't give up yet, I'll find a way to track them. You can leave now and report to me once you see something suspicious." He wave his hand to dismiss the knight.
The guards nods curtly before exiting the room. The Duke stay seated in his desk, thinking of what should he do now since all his plan brings nothing. Then he thought of asking for a help from mercenary again, skimming through names of skilled personel he gain from acquaintance of his and land on one particular name.
"Nein Winter... interesting." He lean forward as he reads the file about the individual. The rest of the names scattered against his desk.
The file provided information such as his identity, status and also his performance as mercenary. It catches his attention due to the man's imposing appearance and the "deeds" he had done also the fact that he's been only active for two months.
He only takes a reconnaissance mission. There's a saying that whenever he's at, he always carries a faint smell of flesh burning and black smoke can be seen floating around him when he fights. But the one that truly intrigued him is that this very man is the one who responsible for handling the crisis happened in the neighbor country, Aligot and refuse to take the title for it before leaving once his jobs is done and gain the trust of Elias, the Baroness of Patio, the land of mercenary. A man who poses such capability makes his hope's up. As he command his secretary.
"Tell Elias that I want Nein winter's audience soon. Tell her that Duke Bellonia's the one giving the commands." he told his secretary standing nearby.
"Right away my Lord." The secretary nods curtly before exiting the room.
One day later, the very man's standing Infront of the Duke. His frame is huge with that imposing face covered in scars and his red eyes sharp amidst the calm.
"Are you the one hiring me?." Nein asked with his gruff and indifferent voice.
The guards about to warn him to show some respect for the Lord, but August immediately raise his hand to stop them.
"It's fine." He says briefly to the guard before looking at Nein's red eyes.
"Yes I am. I, August Bellonia, is the one asking for your audience." He introduce himself, standing with chin held high.
"I see." He says briefly.
"I'm Nein, here's to lend you my strength with anything you want me to do and I'll carry it out with the best of my ability." He introduced himself properly despite how he appear to be, he curtly bowing down to greets before standing straight again.
An unexpected but welcomed gesture, especially when the first thing he do after meeting the Duke is to ask questions.
"Well then, let's discuss about our business inside, please follow me." August begin to head back inside the manor followed by Nein and his guard behind them.
As they walking through the hallway, August immediately noticed something odds about the person behind him. Despite the lavish and grand interior, his gaze remain focused to the path Infront of him. And just like how the file stated, a smoky smell really coming out of his body, faint enough to only skilled sense can notice.
"Now then, about your job. I believe you've noticed something's wrong with this duchy. Your job's regarding that." August flick his finger and his secretary immediately hand him the reports of missing person and place it on the table between them.
Nein immediately grab it and skimming through the content with indifferent gaze. The maids arrived with two cup of coffee, but he pay it no mind as he focused with the paper in his hand.
"Is there's more today?." He ask briefly without looking away from the reports.
"Unfortunately, yes. There's two more missing person yesterday night. Despite sending patrol all over the corner, the number keep increasing.". He says with exhausted sigh.
"I see...".
Silence stretches between them before he close the reports after seeing enough information. He examining the warm coffee and take a sips of it deliberately before setting it down and rose from his seat.
"I'll off now. Just wait for the news." He said suddenly and beginning to walk toward the door.
"Wait. Just like that?. How about payment and supplies?." He's confused that Nein doesn't said anything and just went immediately to carry his mission unlike mercenary he knows.
"That can wait. It's not about the money this time. Pay me once I've done with the mission you gave me.". Just like that, the door closed behind him leaving August stunned. Wondering if his action's either arrogance or confidence.
Meanwhile, Nein's already doing his works. Standing in the dark alley and use his ability.
"{Tracer}"
A black smoke coming out from his skin through the line of his scars on his body. Gradually filled the duchy with faint and unnoticed fog. He shares his sense with that fog and scouting the capital solely by himself.
He stay still for hours until evening and finally got something. There's a bunch of individuals cutting through his fog with different speed from peoples around them. They simply wandering around while the townsfolk beginning to get inside their house.
And with that new information, he finally take his first step in this mission and begin his hunts.