Draco wakes up in a bed inside a small cabin. Confused, he asks himself,

  “What happened? Where am I?”

  He gets out of bed and leaves the room. In the living area, he finds an old man sitting on a bench. The old man smiles and says,

  “Oh, you finally woke up!”

  Draco asks,

  “Grandpa, who are you? What happened to me?”

  The old man replies,

  “My name is Salazar Dellkion. I saw an explosion in the forest and went to investigate. When I arrived, I found you unconscious on the ground, surrounded by burned skeletons. That was three days ago.”

  Draco suddenly remembers what happened that night. He starts screaming,

  “Dad! Big brother!”

  “I need to find them! I have to go home!”

  He runs out in desperation, throws open the cabin door, and rushes into the forest.

  “Boy, wait!” Salazar shouts.

  As Draco runs, memories of that night flood his mind, making him more and more anxious. He runs toward his house, knowing the path well—he and Victor used to play in the forest all the time.

  When Draco finally reaches the place where his house should be, he finds only ruins. The house is destroyed, and there is no sign of his father or his brother.

  Draco kneels in the middle of the wreckage and begins to cry. He cries for several minutes, then starts looking around and notices a trapdoor in the middle of what used to be the living room.

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  “What is this?” Draco says. “How have I never seen this before? It must have been under the rug.”

  He opens the trapdoor and goes down the stairs. Below, he finds a room filled with books, swords, and all kinds of bladed weapons. Draco stares in shock.

  He finds a book titled Bestiary and begins flipping through its pages, observing everything carefully. Suddenly, he hears a noise coming from the trapdoor.

  “Well, well,” Salazar says, “I’m getting too old to chase after you, boy.”

  Draco sighs in relief.

  “Oh, it’s you, Grandpa.”

  Salazar looks around at all the weapons, then notices the book in Draco’s hands.

  “A bestiary? I didn’t know you came from a family of hunters.”

  Draco asks,

  “Hunters? What are hunters?”

  Salazar answers,

  “Hunters are people who fight monsters and the evil of this world. They protect others from malicious creatures. Your father must have been a member of the Hunter Order.”

  Draco clenches his fists.

  “So that’s why the monsters attacked us… They wanted Dad.”

  “I need to find my father and my big brother. I need to find out what happened.”

  Salazar replies,

  “Well, it would be easier if you joined the Hunter Order. They would have the information you’re looking for.”

  “Really?” Draco asks. “How do I join the Order?”

  “It’s not easy,” Salazar says. “You have to pass a test, and you must be at least sixteen years old.”

  Draco lowers his head.

  “I wish I could know something now, not ten years from now. Maybe Dad and Victor will show up before that. I’ll wait and see if they come back.”

  “I’ll stay here with you,” Salazar says. “We’ll wait together.”

  “Thank you, Grandpa.”

  Salazar’s stomach suddenly growls.

  “Well,” he laughs, “I think I’ll have to get us something to eat at the cabin!”

  “Hahaha!” Draco laughs.

  Three months later.

  Draco sits on a bench in the secret room beneath his house, looking sad. He looks at Salazar and says,

  “Yeah, Grandpa… I don’t think they’re coming back.”

  “I have the same feeling, kid,” Salazar replies. “What do you want to do?”

  Draco takes a deep breath.

  “If they haven’t appeared, then I have no choice. I have to join the Hunter Order. That’s where I’ll discover what happened to my father and where the monsters took him. I don’t know if my big brother survived… but while I train to enter the Order, Victor might appear. If he’s alive, I’m sure he will.”

  He looks at Salazar with determination.

  “So… how do I get strong enough to pass the test, huh, Grandpa?”

  Salazar smiles.

  “Well, you’re in luck. I used to be a hunter of the Order, and I can train you. But I’ll tell you this now—I don’t know anything about your father. I left the Order a long time ago.”

  “That’s okay, Grandpa,” Draco says. “Then let’s start training right away.”

  Salazar nods.

  “We’ll start today!”