“Blind Hunters” (Second Trial – The Test of Darkness.)

Time Skip: A Few Weeks Later

The weeks passed in a blur of training, pain, and exhaustion.

Isaac gave us no rest. The moment we mastered a technique, he forced us into a new situation where everything we had learned seemed useless.

Our bodies had grown stronger. Our reflexes were sharper. But in our minds?

Doubt still remained.

Isaac had once warned us:

"A hunter who only relies on one strength is already dead. Your sword can break. Your eyes can deceive you. Your faith will be tested. Survival means using all your senses."

Back then, we didn't understand what he meant.

Tonight, we would learn.

Gabriel

"You have survived the darkness," Isaac said calmly. "But what happens when you can't see at all?"

He slowly turned toward us.

No light. No moon. Only darkness.

Michael frowned. "What do you mean?"

Isaac pulled a small vial from his coat.

"This will make your eyes useless for a few hours."

My stomach tightened.

"You want us to fight blind?" Raphael asked sharply.

Isaac nodded.

"No," he said quietly. "I want you to survive blind."

He handed us the bottle.

"Drink or leave."

I looked at my brothers.

Then I drank.

Michael and Raphael followed.

It tasted bitter.

Then everything went black.

Michael

My hands moved over the forest floor.

Damp moss. Cold stones.

I had no idea where I was.

But I knew one thing:

Isaac had separated us.

Damn it.

I took a deep breath, trying to stay calm.

Without sight, I was vulnerable.

And somewhere out there…

Something was lurking.

Raphael

I hated these trials.

Not because they were hard. Not because they pushed us to our limits.

But because Isaac didn't do them out of cruelty.

He didn't just want to make us stronger.

He wanted us to understand something.

And I was starting to realize what.

Because when I looked around…

I was no longer in the chapel.

I was in a dark alley.

And in front of me lay a corpse.

It wasn't breathing anymore.

But I knew that face.

Gabriel

Slowly, I understood.

This test wasn't just about survival.

It was a lesson.

Isaac wanted us to feel.

He wanted us to sense the world without using our eyes.

To be hunters—even in complete darkness.

Michael

Suddenly, I heard a growl.

I froze.

An animal?

No.

It was something else.

Something hiding in the darkness.

I heard it come closer.

My heart pounded.

I reached for my sword—but then I heard Isaac's voice in my head:

"You don't need to fight. You need to survive."

Damn it.

So I did the only thing I could.

I ran.

Raphael

I heard the creature breathe.

It was close. Too close.

I waited.

Then I jumped—not away, but to the side.

The thing rushed past me.

I felt the air move as it missed me.

I had tricked it.

Michael

Hours passed.

I didn't know how long.

Then I heard it.

A bell.

Isaac's bell.

The test was over.

Gabriel

Isaac stood before us.

He looked at us as if he could see straight through us.

Then he spoke.

"This was a lesson I never learned."

His voice was rough.

"I always relied on my eyes. On what I could see."

He was silent for a moment.

"That almost got me killed."

Then he turned away.

"Go to sleep. The next trial is coming soon."

But as he walked off, he murmured—almost as if he wasn't speaking to us.

"And some things… you're better off not seeing."