My faith in Selena had always been grounded. I trusted Selena as “Selena Fair” from Hunterworks—more than as just another hunter—I paid close attention when she added, "We''ve been circling around for fifteen minutes straight. The windows have illusions over them, good enough they almost fooled me."
I glanced around. “Is it Silhouette’s work?”
“No,” she replied. “Seems he was only contracted for the first half of the exam. This illusion is more… scientific than aura-based. And most hunters are too used to aura alone to pick it up.”
Curious, I tapped the window. Diamond raised a brow, glancing at me with mild interest. He had no idea the glass was enchanted, and the train had been looping for a quarter of an hour straight.
The exams had a relatively predictable structure: eight stages, each representing one of the Seven States of Aura, with an elimination round upfront. After culling the numbers from the starting stage, each following phases would be testing a specific aura type—first Trickster, then Dealer, and Seeker. We just made it through the artificial labyrinth based on the Seeker-type. That left Fighter, Caster, Maker, and Reader.
But the odds of a Fighter-style challenge on a crowded, moving train seemed low. If there were empty carts or a way to remove the seats, maybe, but everything here was bolted down. And for a Caster round? Equally improbable. There was nothing elemental here, no spacious terrain to amplify or draw from—one narrow space would only set up a Caster bias, which was against the exam’s principles. The chairman wouldn’t favor one type like that.
I tapped my fingers, thinking. “Selena, this test is probably gonna be based on Maker or Reader aura.”
Selena protested, “I should come to you… I am your bodyguard after all…”
“No need. I have Diamond here with me,” I replied. “If it comes to a shove, I’ll just use him. Better if you stay put—that way, we’ll have more advantage when the exam finally starts.”
I felt certain information would be a major factor in this stage. Maker-type and Reader-type hunters were among the most information-intensive aura types. While Seekers and Tricksters relied on wisdom and insight, Makers and Readers were different—they depended heavily on memory. And if that was the case, positioning was everything.
"Hey, Diamond," I said, leaning in a bit. "Want some time-sensitive information that’ll help you pass this exam? I’m only selling for the next five minutes… say no, and your chances might drop.”
Diamond looked at me with a deadpan expression. “Am I being scammed?”
"Come on, have I ever lied to you?"
"What’s the price? If it’s like your usual rates, forget it.”
"No worries,” I replied, keeping it light. “But first, let’s call a truce. Don’t want you getting any funny ideas about offing me to skip out on the favor you owe.”
He crossed his arms. “I’m fine with what you’re selling. So, what’s the intel, and how much?”
"Intel on the next exam. My price? Passing together.”
Diamond gave a small, approving nod. “That’s a roundabout way to ask me to team up. But I get it. Mutual benefits are always better than rolling the dice. And the truce? Sure, I accept. Now, what’s the info?”
"Glad you’re smart,” I said, easing into it. “The test’s happening on this train. It’ll likely be a Maker-type test, maybe Reader. The windows have been imbued with illusions, but it’s technology-based, not aura—probably pure science. That lines up with a Maker-themed challenge. Also, there are 28 carts filled with passengers, except for the conductor’s. Satisfied with the information?”
I felt a prick on my Soul Link. Someone had detected it. First time that had ever happened, though not entirely surprising. I immediately severed the connection, mentally tracing my Soul Marks to confirm that none were compromised.
Diamond noticed my pause. “What’s the problem?”
I shrugged, brushing it off. “Nothing much. Just decided your name ‘Diamond’ is too much of a mouthful… I’ll just call you Black from now on.”
In truth, it was just a convenient way to keep things casual. His three-syllable name took too much effort to say, and I wasn’t up for it.
“Whatever suits you,” he replied, unfazed.
Selena’s voice echoed in my mind through the tarot connection, “Status report: Geoffrey just fell asleep and is now leaning on my shoulder... Can I kill him?”
Geoffrey? That must be the homeless guy.
“Nah, don’t bother… He’ll be more useful as a friend. Besides, he’d probably survive an assassination attempt from you, and that means he’ll become a powerful opponent to watch out far early on in this exam.”
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“Tsk,” Selena ticked her tongue in annoyance. Maybe it was my response—or just Geoffrey’s obnoxious snoring against her shoulder. In my novel, I’d written Geoffrey as someone with impressive survivability. I had a feeling she’d need that patience soon enough.
I extended my Soul Link. I was careful to mask my aura and any sense of intent, then began browsing the attributes of the hunters I’d marked. My ‘connection’ attribute made it easier to skim their aura types and get a feel for what I was working with. I had three slots. Currently, ‘connection’ and ‘puppetry’ were filling two, leaving one open. Hm…
While I could borrow their attributes, replicating the same level of mastery or their version of mastery was impossible. My own skill level shaped how well I could wield it, creating something new in the process. I glanced over Selena’s set of attributes—disguise, light, and illusion. Strong, but not quite what I wanted right now. I needed something versatile, maybe for offense or information gathering.
I shifted my focus to Black across from me. Borrowing from his aura or attributes was out of the question. The thought of his aura infecting mine made my skin crawl. Skipping over him, I sorted through my options from those I’d marked and finally settled on something straightforward: vision.
"Already finished with your preparations?" Black asked.
I steadied myself. Of course he’d know—he was one of the most aura-sensitive hunters around. Despite not being a Seeker, he’d picked up on my movements. Looked like I still needed more practice.
“Yeah, I’m ready,” I replied, keeping it casual.
Black nodded and said, “I’ll be using one of my abilities. I’d need your protection during that time... can’t be too careless.”
And here I thought I was the paranoid one. I watched as spiders began to crawl from his sleeves, while his breathing slowed, his focus narrowing. It was a familiar sight; I knew his abilities well enough to stay unalarmed. These spiders—his aura beasts—were his primary tools for recon and attack, though no one in their right mind would want one of those things near them.
What exactly was Black?
In the beginning of Hunterworks, I’d written him as an enigmatic Occult Hunter with an aura of mystery. But as the story progressed, it was revealed he was something far rarer: a Devil hunter—the only Devil hunter known to have walked this world. And the reason for that was his unique ability.
Diamond Black could enslave Devils. Naturally, it wasn’t as simple as that; the requirements were stringent, nearly impossible to meet. Yet Black had succeeded, gaining control over Devils through his own twisted method. Judging by the timeline, he should have two Devils under his possession by now.
A shiver ran through me despite myself.
“Done,” Black said, sliding off his shades and wiping them with a cloth.
For the first time, I got a good look at his eyes: his sclera was pitch black, and his irises a ghostly white—almost like a congenital condition gone wrong. And at the center, instead of a typical round pupil, there was a diamond shape. It was unsettling, even for me.
He glanced my way, noticing my stare, and smirked. “Curious?”
“Just fascinated,” I replied, masking my discomfort.
Those eyes weren’t just for show; they were a reminder of his abilities and the Devils bound to him.
Black’s gaze narrowed as he considered my offer. “I won’t pry into your abilities, so don’t pry into mine. Our cooperation should stay on a need-to-know basis. Does that work for you?”
I liked that approach—clean and professional. “Agreed.”
To show some good faith, I started by telling him a tiny bit about my abilities. “I can create special links made of aura that are nearly undetectable. I use them for a lot of things: embedding marks on objects or setting unique frequencies for communication. I haven’t pushed the distance to its limits yet, but… it’s a lot more reliable than any smartphone.”
To make my point, I pulled out my tarot deck, sorted through it, and offered him the Devil card.
Telling him I could create communication frequencies on the fly was a slight misdirection. I didn’t want him getting ideas that isolating me would render me helpless. In the world of hunters, allies could flip on you without warning.
I held up the tarot deck, fanning the cards casually. “These tarot cards,” I said, keeping my tone even, “I’ve been distributing them for some time now… like a VIP pass. I prefer doing business with the strong, the smart, and the resourceful, and you check all three.”
I extended the Devil card to him, meeting his gaze steadily. “Take it.”
Black took the card, twirling it between his fingers before it vanished. “I like it,” he said. His voice was a low murmur of approval.
The Devil card was crafted specifically with Black in mind. His aura, insidious and infectious, was nothing I wanted bleeding into mine. But the card I’d handed him was built to withstand his energy, to resist and contain it. That way, he wouldn’t just hijack my aura on a whim.
Truth be told, each of my tarot cards was made with specific “characters” in mind, tailored for certain personalities and strengths. The connection attribute had been unexpectedly versatile; it allowed me to tap into nearby items and draw faint traces of attributes, though these were usually low in potency. It was a gamble that paid off in this case, however.
After all, the cards would be using their owners’ aura.
Black’s card carried the essence of faith from churches, restraint from bloodied chains, and malice from sins courtesy of the murders I’d just committed— attributes I’d carefully extracted from various elements. It wasn’t an easy feat to pull off, especially since concepts could be elusive and unpredictable in aura work.
Aura was indeed a mysterious thing.
I tested my Vision attribute, experimenting with a new technique as we waited for the next stage of the exam to begin. The train ride felt endless, with no hint as to where we were headed or how much time had passed.
With Vision, I tapped into the Soul Marks I’d left behind, borrowing their perspectives to stretch my awareness across multiple points in the train. The ability wasn’t without limits, but it gave me a rough idea of what was happening in different sections. A few hunters were restless, some already slouched in their seats, conserving energy. Nothing unusual.
As I refocused, a stewardess approached, her cart stocked with an array of refreshments. She stopped at our side, smiling politely. “Anything, gentlemen? Everything is free on this cart, so feel free to take one or two items.”
I glanced over at Black, who didn’t seem particularly interested, before nodding at her. Might as well keep up appearances.
"I could use some water," I said.
The woman handed me a bottle of sparkling water. As we brushed hands, I left a Soul Mark on her sleeve, and with a subtle shift, activated Soul Link.
Soul Link required direct physical contact and for my target to be actively aware of me, which could make it challenging to use in situations like this. That was why I paired Soul Link with a Soul Mark—a technique crafted specifically to work on inanimate objects or items rather than people. By marking her sleeve, I bypassed the usual physical contact limitation and her awareness requirements. This way, she’d unknowingly act as a nexus for my power.