It was always the same dream. The details might differ but the plot was always the same. She would always find herself lost in a dark forest in the middle of nowhere. The moon never seemed to shine in this unholy place. Even the stars avoided this area like the plague. Her only source of light came from the pearl necklace around her neck, which she did not possess in real life but somehow always ended up wearing it in her dreams. Like a clockwork puppet, she was propelled to wander deeper into the forest until she reached a paved stone road.  

                And that was where the real nightmare happened. She knew she should be prepared for the attack since she was a demon hunter after all, but it always caught her off guard. Her brain was sending her signals to flee but her body always failed to react until it was too late.   

                Like a true killer, the monster went for her jugular vein. With nothing to protect the skin on her neck, the monster easily buried its fangs into the side of her neck. Gasping, she struggled against its hungry mouth. Using all her strength, she kicked the monster in the gut before elbowing it in the face to detach its fangs from her neck. She could feel blood running down the smooth column of her neck. Under normal circumstances, she would wipe it off and try to seal the bite marks before she lured more predators with her blood scent. But this was a dream — she didn’t have to worry about dying. Nonetheless, in order to wake up, she must slay the monster and turn it to dust.

               Digging into her back pocket, she pulled out her retractable dagger and swung it at the monster. The monster noticed the gleam of silver and backed away before she could embed the knife into its skull. Irked, she tried again. Again, she missed.

               When she raised the dagger the third time, the snake monster slinked low to the ground and began curling around her legs. Her eyes widened as it continued to spiral upward, constricting her body until she was deprived of oxygen. Her blood flow was cut short, causing her hands to become numb. The handle of the dagger began slipping from her hand. She wished she could hold on to it but her fingers were paralyzed.  She grunted as the monster wrapped itself around her neck. No, she couldn’t let the monster win. She must kill it.

               She must but she couldn’t. She wasn’t strong enough in this condition.

               Her breathing became shallower as the remainder of her breath was stolen from her. The pearl necklace dimmed as her heartbeat weakened. She wanted to smirk at her unfortunate condition. Oh, the irony of a demon hunter being killed by a demon. The hunter became the hunted. A prey for the beast.

              She awaited death. It wouldn't be a real death since this was a dream. But a dream death was still a type of death, dying in the dream world was still an unplesant feeling. Yet, strangely, death never came to take her away.

              On the contrary, death went to the monster. Her eyes shot open when the snake monster bellowed to the sky as an arrow was shot into its side. Viscous, dark purple blood spewed out of the wound, coating some of her hair and skin in the disgusting substance. It unwound itself from her body and thrashed against the ground to dislocate the arrow. Taking advantage of the monster’s position, she raised her dagger and stabbed it into the monster. Dragging the blade downward, she sliced its skin open until she reached it heart. Pulling the dagger out once more, she forced the blade right through the center the monster’s heart, effectively killing it once and for all.

              Gray ashes replaced the dead demon but the blood still remained. Using the back of her hand, she brushed the blood away from her neck, face, and hair. It smelled of rotting flesh. Vile like the very essence of evil it was spawn from.

              “You are losing your magic touch today, xiăo jiĕ, what happened?” asked the voice behind her. It was a voice that she knew well. A voice that enraged her and filled her soul with desire.

              Forcing herself to keep calm, she turned around to glare him, “I don’t need your help! I can handle this myself, you stupid fox!”

              Even though he was wearing a hooded black cape that covered the majority of his face, she could still see the smirk on his lips. She hated to admit it but he had nice lips. They were soft, pink, and smooth. Not to mention utterly kissable. Not that she want to kiss him. She didn't. At least that was what she'd always told herself.

              “I know you're a great hunter but you seemed to need my help today.” He moved closer until he was only a hairbreadth away. Most of his face was still shadowed by his hood but at this angle, she could smell the spicy-sweet scent of cinnamon in his breath. It was intoxicating. If they weren’t rivals, she would’ve stolen a kiss long ago, “And I have some wonderful news for you.”

              “What is it?” she asked warily.

              “I’ll be working with you starting tomorrow. We can finally meet in person.” His dimpled smile widened, “I bet you’re even lovelier in real life.”

              She gaped at him, speechless. If her eyeballs weren’t attached to her face, she was sure they would’ve rolled off long ago. What the hell! He couldn’t work with her! She was the best demon hunter in town; there was no need for a second demon hunter! What was her Nanna thinking? Damn it, they opened a demon-hunting business as a duo and everything was fine. Why did her Nanna hire another demon hunter? The most important question of all: why did her Nanna hire him of all people?! She knew they were rivals! Putting them in the same room was like putting fire and water together. All you would get was steam. A true Annihilation.    

              Her predicament only made the hú shén smile wider, “I’ll see you tomorrow, xiăo jiĕ. It’ll be great.”

              “No, it won’t be great! At least not in my perspective!” she shouted with raised fists. A growl escaped her lips when she realized he was gone, “Ugh! I won’t work with you, damn it. If you show up tomorrow, I’ll kick you out of the building!”