"Yes. I saw you split my arrow, Celestia," he confirmed.
"I need to do that again. Hunter! Help me again," I asked.
He nodded with a smirk. "Of course."
* * *
"That was awesome. I can't wait to show Magnor when we get to go back home for break. He'll never hear the end of it from me," I vowed, placing the arrows back in their section of the shed.
"When we have a break, you'll go back home?" Hunter asked.
I turned and watched him place the bows away, waiting till he was done so we could both exit the shed. We walked out, closing the wood doors and using the spell Ms. Arcadia showed us to lock it.
"Most likely. Magnor would be lonely if I didn't come back and bother him. He tries to act like I'm a nuisance, but deep down I know he misses me. Just like I miss him," I confessed.
After the exam and discussion with Othello, Magnor and I hadn't gotten much of a chance to talk. During the brief moment we’d had together, he had revealed he was glad I was okay and didn't get seriously injured. He was also extremely impressed by my performance and for destroying the Forsakens single-handedly.
He'd said the other Council members watched the recording and were very impressed. I didn't know what the final outcome of that would be, but Magnor assured me he'd keep me posted.
"That's nice," Hunter whispered.
I frowned at his sad tone, glancing over to see his dark orange eyes seeming far away. "Hunter?" I asked.
He didn't reply, looking deep in thought.
I slid my hand in his and blocked his path from walking forward.
He blinked out of his daze, looking down at me. "What's wrong?" he asked.
"I should be asking you that question," I retorted.
"Nothing's wrong," he countered.
I stood my ground, looking into his eyes. "Hunter. When we were talking about the Forsaken, you sounded as if you knew something. And you walk around the school as if you've been here before," I pointed out. I hadn’t wanted to bring it up when I was with the others, but now that we were alone, this seemed like the best opportunity.
He was silent, looking everywhere other than at my scrutinizing gaze.
"Hunter," I used a sterner tone, narrowing my eyes.
He sighed. "Can we sit down at least?" he asked.
"Fine," I agreed.
He brought me to a bench a few feet away from the archery section; the bench faced a small pond. I smiled at the two swans that were gliding across the calm clear water along with a few lilies that floated aimlessly.
We sat in silence, but my hand lingered in his as we stared at the peaceful scenery. I wouldn't rush him to tell his story. From how tense his body was, I knew whatever had happened had been hard on him and I didn't want to be inconsiderate.
"My older brother attended Aslan," Hunter began.
"Is he your only sibling?" I asked softly.
He nodded, a thoughtful smile formed on his lips. "Our parents graduated from Aslan and work in a different dimension. My brother took care of me until he got accepted at Aslan. He brought me here on multiple occasions and showed me everything, stating I'd one day be a student at Aslan like the rest of our family and at least I'd be a step ahead after being here," Hunter explained. He squeezed my hand, looking up at the sky.
"He was in his final year and they had an exam in Omako Forest. It wasn't supposed to be difficult, and because he didn't want me home alone that weekend, he used our family connections so I was allowed to watch. I was twelve at the time. It wasn't like our entrance exams where they were competing against one another. It was based on different challenges and obstacles they had to overcome in a certain time limit," Hunter explained.
"Did something go wrong?" I asked. This already sounded like it had a bad ending.
"A Forsaken appeared. It was the first time it had ever happened and everyone was shocked. It was the weekend and there weren't any hunters or huntresses on campus. By the time a few Council members had arrived and taken down the Forsaken...it was too late. My brother had fought to survive, but eventually succumbed to his injuries. Even if he did survive, the darkness would have had an effect on him and he would have either gone insane or eventually become a Forsaken himself," Hunter admitted.