Hunter Academy: Revenge of the Weakest

"What about the family named 'Carpenter?'"

The name hung in the air like a sudden chill. The Mayor's reaction was immediate and telling. His face paled, and his breath caught in his throat. His hands, which had been tapping nervously on the desk, stilled completely, gripping the edge of the wood as if to steady himself.

Maria's eyes widened in recognition of the name, a flicker of something like sorrow crossing her tired features.

Damian, who had been glaring at Astron with suspicion, now looked slightly down as if something had been revealed. Something that he wanted to hide. Celia, who had been simmering with irritation, now stared at her father, her expression shifting to one of shock.

The Mayor's mouth opened, but no words came out. It was as if the very mention of the name had robbed him of his voice. The room seemed to grow colder, the oppressive weight of unspoken truths pressing down on everyone.

Astron's voice cut through the silence, his tone still calm but carrying an undeniable edge. "It seems the name does ring bells for everyone here." He said while looking at everyone. "That is good, as this makes things easier."

Celia's voice cut through the thick silence, her tone defensive and strained. "That name... it can't have anything to do with what's happening now," she insisted, her eyes flicking nervously between Astron and her father. She tried to muster her earlier confidence, but there was a tremor in her voice that hadn't been there before.

Astron turned his gaze to Celia, his expression unreadable. "Really?" he replied, his voice carrying a weight that silenced any further protests. The single word hung in the air, challenging the very foundation of her denial.

The room remained silent as Astron began to speak again, his tone steady and deliberate, each word carefully chosen. "Let me tell you a story—a story about a family named Carpenter, who once lived in this very town. They were a family of three: a father, a mother, and a daughter. Simple farmers, like many in Shange Town, living a quiet life, tending to their crops, and contributing to the community."

Astron's voice remained calm, but there was an intensity in his eyes as he continued. "But then, things began to change. Rumors started to spread—rumors that the Carpenter family was involved in something dark, something unnatural. Witchcraft, they called it. The townsfolk whispered that while everyone else was struggling with their crops, the Carpenters were thriving. Their fields remained green, their harvests plentiful, even as others withered away."

He paused, letting the weight of the words settle over the room. The Mayor looked down, his face a mask of guilt and fear, while Maria's eyes brimmed with unshed tears, her sorrow palpable. Damian's earlier defiance had crumbled, replaced by a look of quiet shame, his eyes fixed on the floor. Celia, though still trying to maintain her composure, was visibly shaken, her earlier bravado now a distant memory.

"But," Astron continued, "the truth was far less sinister. The reason for the Carpenter family's success wasn't witchcraft. It was something much simpler, much more mundane. They refused to use the seeds that most of the town had been provided with—the seeds that had been supplied by a company with ties to a certain influential figure in this very room."

At this, the Mayor visibly flinched, his knuckles whitening as he gripped the edge of his desk. Astron's gaze bore into him, unyielding. "Those seeds were of low quality, bought at a fraction of the price they should have been. They were subpar, and they were the reason why the crops failed across the town. But the Carpenters, being prudent, chose not to use them. They stuck to their own methods, their own seeds, and that's why their crops thrived."

The realization began to dawn on the others in the room, the pieces of the puzzle falling into place. Celia's eyes widened in shock, her gaze snapping to her father, who sat trembling in his chair, unable to meet anyone's eyes.

"But someone couldn't afford to have that truth come to light," Astron said, his voice now edged with steel. "Someone who had made a deal embezzled money and provided those faulty seeds to the town. Someone who needed a scapegoat to cover their tracks. And so, the rumors of witchcraft were born—whispers seeded by that very person to turn the town against the Carpenters."

Maria's soft gasp broke the silence, and Damian's fists clenched at his sides, his knuckles white with the effort to contain his anger. Celia, still in shock, slowly shook her head, unable to reconcile the story with the man she knew as her father.

"The town began to shun them, ostracizing the Carpenter family, driving them further and further into isolation," Astron continued, his voice softening slightly. "And in the end, the weight of those lies, the cruelty of the townsfolk, led to their demise."

The room was deathly silent, the gravity of the story sinking in.

"But of course, that is not the end," Astron continued, his voice steady yet laden with the gravity of what was to come. The silence in the room was thick and suffocating as each person grappled with the dark truths that had been unearthed.

"Lingering Resonance," Astron explained, "is a phenomenon not commonly found in adults. Their emotions, though strong, are often tempered by experience and the ability to rationalize their suffering. It is the younger, more vulnerable souls—those whose hearts are untainted by the harshness of life—that are most susceptible to this phenomenon. When a child or a young person experiences an overwhelming sense of betrayal, fear, or despair, their emotions can become so intense that they leave an indelible mark on this world."

He let his words hang in the air for a moment, allowing their weight to sink in before continuing. "While the Carpenter family was ostracized, there were some in the town who were not satisfied with merely pushing them to the margins. There was a certain someone who despised the family even more—someone who was consumed by jealousy, particularly toward their daughter, Abigail."

The mention of Abigail brought a new tension into the room. Maria's face paled even further, her hands trembling in her lap.

Damian's knuckles were now bone white; his fists clenched so tightly that the tendons stood out starkly against his skin. Celia's wide eyes remained fixed on Astron; her earlier shock now mingled with dawning horror as she realized where the story was leading.

"Abigail Carpenter," Astron said, his voice softening as he spoke the girl's name, "was a bright and beautiful soul. She was kind, graceful, and intelligent—a girl who loved to help others. It wasn't surprising that many of the boys in town had a crush on her. But there was one person who couldn't stand the attention she received—someone whose jealousy twisted their perception, turning admiration into something far darker."

Celia's breath hitched as she listened, her gaze never leaving Astron's. The color drained from her face as she began to piece together the implications of his words.

The room seemed to grow colder with each word, the darkness of the story casting a suffocating pall over everyone present. Astron's gaze never left Celia, his words striking deeper with every revelation.

"And so, this certain person began spreading a vile rumor about Abigail," Astron continued, his voice calm. "A rumor that she was not only a witch but that she was selling her body, using her beauty to corrupt the town's boys. It was a lie, of course, but the seeds of doubt had already been sown with the rumors of witchcraft. It wasn't hard for these young, impressionable boys to be manipulated into believing the worst."

The tension in the room was unbearable. Maria covered her mouth, tears welling in her eyes as the full horror of what had happened began to take shape. Damian's hands were clenched so tightly that his knuckles had turned white, his whole body trembling with barely suppressed rage. Celia's face was ashen, her eyes wide with disbelief and growing terror.

"And then," Astron said, his voice dropping to a chilling whisper, "that certain person made a plan. They waited until the day when Abigail's parents had left the town to seek help from a doctor in another town. That night, a group of boys, emboldened by the lies they had been fed, went to the Carpenter home. They grabbed Abigail and dragged her to a shed on the outskirts of town—a shed that had been prepared for this very purpose."

Celia's breath grew shallow, her heart pounding in her chest as Astron's words struck deeper. His gaze remained locked on hers, unyielding, as he continued to speak.

"They were waiting for this very moment," Astron said, his voice a chilling whisper that seemed to echo in the silence of the room. His eyes bore into Celia's, never wavering. "From then on, days became hell for that girl. Confined, assaulted, with no one to call for help, no one to speak of her suffering."

He took a slow, deliberate step forward, stopping just inches from Celia. The cold emptiness in his eyes was overwhelming, a void that seemed to consume all light and warmth. It was a look devoid of rage, of anger, or even of sadness—just pure, pitch-black hollowness.

"Does that ring a bell?" Astron asked, his voice as empty as his gaze.

Celia recoiled slightly, her body trembling. The intensity of his stare sent a shiver down her spine, a cold, paralyzing fear taking hold of her. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. The truth, or perhaps the fear of it, had stolen her voice.

Astron turned away from Celia, his gaze shifting to Maria and Damian. "But well, that doesn't mean it ends here, does it?"

He paused, allowing the weight of his words to settle. Maria looked down, her eyes filled with tears, while Damian clenched his fists even tighter, his body shaking with barely restrained fury.

"While all of this was happening," Astron continued, "there was one family in this town that did not believe the rumors about the Carpenters. A family of two—a mother and her son—who knew the truth. The mother was an herbalist, knowledgeable about herbs and plants, and she understood that the Carpenters' success had nothing to do with witchcraft. She knew it was because they had refused to use the low-quality seeds that had been forced on the rest of the town."

Maria's head dipped lower, her shoulders trembling as she recalled the painful memories. Damian's eyes, now brimming with unspoken pain and anger, remained fixed on Astron.

"That family of two," Astron continued, "decided to help the Carpenters. The woman provided them with medicine, helping to ease their worries, while the boy played with the Carpenter girl, Abigail. He didn't want her to be alone, especially when the rest of the town had turned their backs on her. They even wanted to speak out, to defend the Carpenters, but the one who was truly guilty couldn't afford to let that happen. So, the rumors spread to them as well. They were also ostracized, associated with witchcraft, and shunned by the town."

Maria's silent tears fell, each drop a testament to the burden of guilt she had carried for so long. Damian's face was contorted with anguish; his teeth gritted as he struggled to contain the storm of emotions raging within him.

"The boy didn't care about the town's rejection," Astron continued, his voice a low murmur. "He had already begun to hate the townspeople for their cruelty, for their willingness to believe lies over the truth. He continued to visit Abigail, only to find one day that she was no longer there. Surprised, he assumed she had left with her parents, perhaps to find safety elsewhere."

Astron paused, his voice growing even quieter, more somber. "But when the Carpenter parents returned to their home, they found it empty. Abigail was nowhere to be found, and their panic set in. They came to the family of two first, desperate for answers. When they saw that she wasn't there, their panic turned to terror. And when the truth finally emerged…"

He looked back at the Mayor, whose face was ashen, his eyes wide with horror as he relived the events Astron described. "The family of two could no longer contain their anger. The truth of what had been done to that innocent girl was too much to bear."

Astron's voice hardened, the cold edge returning. "From then on, the deaths of two people occurred in this town. Two lives were taken, not by accident, but as an act of vengeance. To bury the truth, to ensure that the full extent of what had happened would never come to light."

The room fell into a silence so deep it felt as though the air had been sucked out.

But then, suddenly, a voice echoed all across the room.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHHA!"

It was a mad laugh of someone.

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