Visionless

Varin's Perspective:

Today has been very quiet and relaxing. Nothing is happening in the guild—just a normal, peaceful day. Adventurers are coming and going, bringing back requested items and taking on new requests. I like this quiet atmosphere and can only wish it stays this way.

The sound of the guild doors opening catches my attention, and I see a familiar face. "Ah, if it isn't our little adventurer! Anything I can help you out with, little fella?" I greet him warmly, noticing his shirtless state. (Why is he shirtless?) Before I can finish my thoughts, he puts his hand into a sack and pulls something out, placing it on my desk. I look down to see what he brought, and my eyes widen in horror—it's a severed head!

I jump back in surprise and shout, causing a commotion among the other adventurers. The hall goes silent as everyone turns to see what caused the uproar. My heart races as I try to process what I'm seeing.

my showting cuases evry one in the building to comover to see whats hapning including ms eldez.

"M.mm.Ms. Eldez!!" I stammer, but before I can say anything else, she puts a finger to my lips and says, "Varin, go to the storage and check if we have anything missing. I'll deal with this."

I look at her and then back at the severed head before running towards the storage room as Ms. Eldez instructed. Halfway there, a thought crosses my mind. (Should I tell the guild manager?) Deciding that he needs to know, I make my way up the stairs instead of going to the storage.

I knock on the guild manager's door but hear no reply. Desperate, I start yelling, "Mr. Dyrk! Mr. Dyrk, we have a problem!" Still no response. So I decide to barge in, only to see him sleeping soundly. "Did you not hear all the screaming? Ahhhh, wake up right now!" I start shaking him vigorously.

Finally, he wakes up, rubbing his eyes. "Hmm, what is it? Can't you let me rest?" He is still half asleep, so I decide to do the only logical thing.

*Smack*

"WAKE UP RIGHT NOW, I NEED YOUR HELP!" I yell at the top of my lungs after smacking him in the face.

He jumps out of his seat. "WHAT? WHAT'S GOING ON!?" Then, seeing me, he adds with a kind smile, "Oh, hey, Ms. Varin, how can I help you?"

"Now is not the time for that! Come downstairs, we need you! Someone brought a severed head to the guild!!" I start losing my composure as I tell him.

The guild manager just stares at me for a second and then starts laughing. "Heh hehehehehe hahahahahahaha!" His laugh becomes more and more maniacal, and then he just starts running down the stairs while still laughing.

Ms. Eldez's Perspective:

I watch as Varin rushes off, clearly distressed. Turning back to the young adventurer, I take a deep breath. "Okay, let's get you cleaned up and figure out what happened." The young adventurer looks exhausted and traumatized. I gently guide him to a quieter area, away from the shocked gazes of the other adventurers.

"Stay here," I tell him, hoping my tone conveys reassurance even if he can't understand my words. I signal to one of the other guild staff to bring water and some clean clothes. As they rush off to fulfill my request, I turn my attention back to the severed head. The sight is ghastly, but it's a necessary piece of evidence.

Guild Manager's Perspective:

Still chuckling, I make my way down the stairs, my curiosity piqued. As I reach the main hall, I see the severed head on the desk and the young adventurer who brought it. "Well, well, this is quite a surprise," I say, trying to keep my tone light. But I can feel the weight of the situation settling in.

"Ms. Eldez," I call out, seeing her comforting the young adventurer. She nods, understanding that this needs to be handled delicately.

Guild Manager's Perspective:

I look at the child—no, the predator—sitting in front of me. (It's been some time since I've seen someone like this. I'll make sure to cherish it.)

"So, you're the one who brought a head to turn in, eh?" I say with a grin spreading across my face.

The little predator looks at me with pitiful eyes and says something I don't understand. "Don't tell me! You can't even speak properly?" The grin on my face grows bigger and bigger.

Suddenly, I feel one of my hairs get pulled out of my head. I see that it was Ms. Eldez, who, after taking my hair, makes her way over to the boy and does the same thing. She proceeds to combine the hairs until they look like one. She clasps her hands around them, and smoke comes out of her hands. After a few seconds, she says,

"Now you can understand each other, but beware, this will only last at most five hours."

I look at the child and say, "Oi, kid, can you understand me now?" He looks at me completely bewildered and confused.

"You... can understand me?" the child says.

"Yes, yes, I can. Now, I want you to tell me everything that happened," I say, trying to sound professional, but the shit-eating grin on my face probably takes that notion away.

Young Adventurer's Perspective:

I stare at the guild manager, my mind racing. I hadn't expected to suddenly understand him. He looks at me with a grin that makes me uneasy, but I push my discomfort aside. This is my chance to explain everything.

"Okay," I begin, taking a deep breath. "I was in

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**MC's POV:**

Ms. Varin jumps back and starts shouting, which causes the other adventurers in the guild to come over and take a look at what's happening. The atmosphere becomes tense as people crowd around, trying to see what the commotion is about.

After a while, a new lady shows up. She has raven black hair and eyes that are the same color. She says something to Varin after putting her finger on her lips, then she looks back at me. She motions for me to follow her, so I do. She takes me to a room with a table with two chairs and a desk. She points to a chair, and I understand to sit down. She gives me a reassuring look, then goes and stands next to the desk.

(There's something weird about her that I can't quite put my finger on. Maybe it's her eyes? They look quite empty and lifeless.) As I look the new lady over, I hear the door open and see a man with blond hair and blue eyes sporting a well-taken-care-of mustache. The man is quite short, but the grin on his face gives him a scary aura. (Who the hell is this guy? And why is he smiling so damn creepily?!) I think to myself.

The man sits down and starts sizing me up. Then he says something which I'm not sure about. I reply and say, "I don't know what you're saying." To which the man starts grinning from ear to ear as he says something else I don't understand.

Suddenly, the lady from before goes over and plucks one of his hairs, then comes over to me and does the same. She somehow combines the hairs and makes them look like they came from one person. She clasps her hands around the hair as smoke starts coming from her hands. Suddenly, I start to understand what they are saying.

"Oi, kid, can you understand me now?" the man says.

I look at him, bewildered, and say, "You... can understand me?"

"Yes, yes, I can. Now, I want you to tell me everything that happened."

I look at the man and begin explaining everything. As I do, I see his smile growing to an unnatural size, his breathing getting heavier, and his eyes completely focused on me.

Once I finish my story, the man kneels over to me and puts his hand on my shoulder. "Boy, I have got a proposition for you." He pauses for a second and says, "You will help me take care of the rest of those criminals that are on the wanted board. You will help me kill each and every one of them. Do you understand?" The man finishes his speech and looks at me expectantly.

I look back at him and shout, "NO! WHAT ARE YOU INSANE?! WHY THE HELL WOULD I WANT TO DO THIS AGAIN?!"

The man smiles and says, "Good to hear. I'll be waiting for you tomorrow so we can begin our hunt. You'll be like the son I never had!" He says with a kind smile on his face and eyes filled with pride.

"WHAT NO DID YOU NOT HEAR ME I SAID NO YOU FREAK!" The man laughs and says, "If you don't, then I'll just have to kill you to make up for my disappointment."

"....!!!!!!" I look at the man, not knowing what to say. (What... what just happened?!)

The lady from before opens the door to the room we were in. She is holding a small bag, having gone out of the room while we were talking, and she brought something with her. She puts the bag on the table and says, "Here, this is your reward for taking down that criminal: two gold and twenty silver coins."

I look at the bag and then back at her. (What the hell did I get myself into?!)

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**Guild Manager's Perspective:**

The kid's story is intense, and I can see the fire in his eyes. I knew he had potential the moment I saw him. This isn't just some scared boy; this is a predator in the making. His reluctance is amusing, but I can see the determination behind his fear. He'll come around. They always do.