“The Burden of Hunters”(Fourth Trial Final – The Choice That Should Not Exist)

Time Skip: Four Months After the Third Trial – Almost Two Years Since Training Began

The knife lay on the cold stone floor between us.

A simple piece of steel, cold and sharp—but it weighed heavier than any weapon.

Isaac stood in the shadows, his posture upright, but his voice carried something inevitable.

"One of you takes it," he said.

"And kills me."

Gabriel

I knew it was a test.

But that didn't make it any easier.

I felt my fingers clench into fists.

Michael, Raphael, and I exchanged looks.

No one moved.

"Why?" I finally asked.

Isaac let the question hang in the air for a second too long.

Then he slowly stretched out his hand and used the blade of a second knife to carve a bloody line across his palm.

Blood dripped onto the floor.

His voice remained calm.

"Because one day, you will have to make a decision where there is no victory."

Michael

"This is absurd."

Isaac tilted his head slightly, as if considering whether to answer me.

Then he raised his injured hand, let the blood drip— as if that was answer enough.

"The world out there is not fair. You will reach a point where you have to kill someone you don't want to kill."

There was no threat in his words.

Only a truth he had once tasted himself.

Raphael

I took a slow breath, my gaze fixed on the knife.

"And if we refuse?"

His answer was a whisper.

"Then you have already lost."

Gabriel

I knelt down and picked up the knife.

It was not heavy.

But in my hand, it felt like it could split the world in two.

"And you?" I asked.

Isaac looked at me.

Not cold.

Not waiting.

Just… tired.

"What choice did you make back then?"

He was silent for a moment, then he said, in a voice heavier than any sword:

"The wrong one."

Michael

It clicked.

This was not a test.

It was a glimpse into his past.

He had stood here.

In our place.

With a knife in his hand.

And he had done it.

Raphael

Gabriel weighed the blade in his hand.

His gaze was hard, his breathing steady.

Then he moved.

Gabriel

I rushed forward.

But this time, he didn't just disappear.

He raised his arms, blocked my attack—but I saw the tension in his shoulders.

He noticed it.

I was stronger. Faster.

No longer the boy from back then.

Michael was already in motion, his blades flashing.

Michael

I struck first.

Not a deep hit, but a line of blood on his hip.

But it was a hit.

He reacted quickly, kicked me back—but not with the same ease as before.

I rolled away, feeling my muscles burn, but I smiled.

I knew it.

He had to put in effort.

Raphael

My lance shot toward him.

He raised his arms, tried to evade—but Gabriel came from the other side.

For the first time, Isaac had to step back.

For the first time, we had pushed him backward.

He dodged, but this time, not effortlessly.

Gabriel

His breathing had changed.

Softer, heavier—barely audible, but I could feel it.

We were challenging him.

Not as students anymore.

But as hunters.

Michael

I attacked from below, Raphael from above.

Isaac dodged, but his movements were less fluid than usual.

I saw his left arm twitch briefly.

His muscles tensed.

His grip on his sword tightened.

Then his gaze sharpened.

I knew what that meant.

He was going to get serious now.

Raphael

He stepped forward.

His strike hit my side, sending me flying backward.

Michael went for him—but Isaac dodged, grabbed him, and slammed him against a wall.

Gabriel tried to strike him, but he caught the knife.

A sudden, brutal movement.

Gabriel fell.

Gabriel

My breathing was fast.

I could feel it.

He had used 80% of his strength.

And yet…

I had hit him.

I saw him rub his shoulder.

A wound. Small, but visible.

Michael

Isaac stood over us.

His chest rose and fell heavily.

"You have improved," he finally said.

He sounded… honestly surprised.

His gaze was darker than usual.

"But not good enough yet."

He turned away.

But then… his step faltered.

His hand briefly rose to his temple, his breathing was deeper.

His fingers twitched slightly before he clenched them into a fist.

Only for a second.

But I saw it.

Gabriel saw it.

Raphael too.

He was no longer untouchable.

Raphael

We lay on the ground, gasping for air.

Our bodies burned.

But for the first time, we had pushed him to the edge of his effort.

It was progress.

Not yet victory.

But the first sign of it.