After Midnight // jongdae ✔️

16 <Hunters>

TRIGGER WARNING: Dark themes. Mentions of death and blood. This chapter also only makes sense if you remember OT12 EXO.

1 Day until 1 year anniversary...

The start of the Hunters came from the idea of an Alchemist, whose aim is to purify, mature, and perfect certain objects; including turning lead into gold and the perfection of the human body and soul.

The Alchemist believed that not only should they purify objects, but also purify the world of the supernatural.

Thus, the Alchemist started the family tree of a perfect bloodline; The Hunters. They are flawless, perfect, and are the closest thing to angels on earth.

However, there is a sinister motive behind the existence of these 'angels.' Their sole purpose is to hunt down the supernatural; vampires, ghouls, goblins, werewolves, etc.

They intend to see through their idea of a perfect world; and that world did not include such abnormalities.

JinHyuk has always been against this philosophy. But being the only son, JinHyuk has to take over leadership when his parents retire. It was only expected.

And JinHyuk proved his capability quickly in life; learning to purify lead into gold at the age of 10, memorized all the colloidal solutions required for Alchemy at age 12, acquired close-handed combat at age 15, and learned to shoot silver bullets out of guns with precision by the age of 17.

At 8 years of age, JinHyuk could sense supernatural beings, and by 9 years old, he could distinguish a goblin from a ghoul and spot a vampire in a crowd.

But werewolves are a tricky subject.

Goblins and ghouls travel independently, which makes the job easier.

Vampires have covens, but they're sloppy and leave a trail behind that's easy to follow.

Almost all supernatural beings are easy to spot, since they have difficulty blending in amongst humans.

Werewolves are a tricky species to kill.

They can hide easily within plain sight, because unlike other supernatural beings that try to act human, werewolves ARE human. Partly.

During the day, they function as human beings.

They don't sparkle like vampires or hunch over when they walk like goblins.

Werewolves don't show any side effects when being exposed to the sun or any indication that they are not like the rest. Werewolves are one of the few species that can thrive during the daytime.

The best time to hunt them is after midnight, when their human side subsides and their inner wolf is unleashed. That's the only time Hunters who don't have a ring can actually confirm if they are supernatural or not.

But by the time Hunters track down a werewolf they would have already gathered into their packs. One werewolf alone is already a struggle, but in great numbers, they can trample you. That's why attacking a whole pack takes thorough planning in advance.

Wolf packs claim their territory, and rarely move from their chosen spot. There's only two packs JinHyuk has encountered in the area; the most memorable being the EXO Pack.

~~~~~

JinHyuk doesn't remember when it happened, but he knows it happened at one point in time a few years back.

The Hunters received a tip from the lone survivor of the only other werewolf pack in Seoul. He had arrived at the Yoo family doorstep in tatters, bruises, and scratches. Although he was able to escape death, this werewolf was on the verge of returning to death's clutches.