Chapter 158: Guardian Hunters

The Guardian killings continued. One every week. Methodical. Precise. Professional.

"Six Guardians dead now. Six left alive. They're hunting them systematically. By region. By power level. By vulnerability." Andres tracked the pattern. "Thomas is next. He's the weakest. Retired. Not at full power. Easy target."

"Then we make him hard target. We protect. We defend. We prepare." I organized security. Triple guards. Magic wards. Everything.

"This won't be enough. Whoever is doing this. They're killing Guardians. Beings who've lived for centuries. Who survived everything. If they can kill Guardians they can get past our defenses." Thomas was realistic. Not scared. Just honest.

"Then we don't wait. We hunt them. Find them first. Strike first." Nina suggested. Aggressive. Smart.

"How? We don't know who they are. Don't know where they are. Don't know anything." Sarah pointed out the problem.

"We use bait. We make Thomas visible. Public. Obvious. Draw them out. Then trap them." Luna offered a plan. Dangerous. Risky. Possible.

"Absolutely not. I'm not using my father as bait." I rejected it immediately.

"I'll do it. I volunteer. It's smart. It's strategic. It's necessary." Thomas agreed with Luna. "I'm dying anyway. Five years. Maybe less now. Might as well go out fighting. Protecting. Useful."

"No. There has to be another way." I refused.

But there wasn't. We all knew it. Waiting meant death. Hiding meant death. Fighting meant a chance.

"Fine. We do it. But carefully. With backup. With plan B and plan C and plan D." I gave in. Reluctantly.

We set the trap. Thomas appeared publicly. Council meeting. Announced his identity. His location. His presence.

"I am Thomas Crane. Guardian of the West. I'm here. I'm ready. Come for me if you dare." Thomas challenged the hunters. Bold. Brave. Reckless.

"Now we wait. See who shows up. See who's stupid enough to try." Cole positioned snipers. Wolves. Vampires. Everyone ready.

Two days later they came. Not one hunter. Not two. Five hunters. All attacking at once.

"Multiple targets. North. South. East. West. Center. They're surrounding us. Coordinating." Nina called out positions.

"Split up. Engage. Capture if possible. Kill if necessary." I gave orders. Led my team north.

The hunter I faced was young. Maybe twenty five. Female. Fast. Deadly.

She fought with precision. With training. With purpose.

"Who are you? Who sent you? Why are you killing Guardians?" I demanded while fighting.

She didn't answer. Just kept attacking. Silent. Focused. Determined.

I managed to pin her. Disarm her. Hold her down.

"Talk. Now. Or this gets painful." I threatened.

She looked at me. Smiled. Then bit down on something. Poison. Suicide pill.

Dead in seconds. Before I could stop her. Before I could save her. Before I could question her.

"Damn it!" I checked her body. Looking for ID. For clues. For anything.

Found a tattoo. On her wrist. Symbol I didn't recognize. Circle with a line through it. Simple. Strange.

The other hunters did the same. All suicide. All dead. All silent.

"They're fanatics. True believers. Willing to die for their cause." Marcus examined one. "This is bad. Really bad."

"At least we know they're organized. Trained. Committed. That's something." Maya tried to find positive.

"It's not enough. We still don't know who they are. What they want. Why they're killing Guardians." Sarah was frustrated.

Thomas examined the symbol. The tattoo. His face went pale.

"I know this symbol. I know what it means. I know who they are." Thomas looked terrified. Really terrified. "This is worse than I thought. Much worse."

"Who? Who are they?" I demanded.

"They're called the Erasers. Secret organization. Older than Guardians. Dedicated to eliminating all supernatural beings. Not controlling. Not enslaving. Eliminating. Extinction." Thomas explained. "They've tried before. Throughout history. They always fail. But they never stop. Never give up. Never quit."

"Why target Guardians first? Why not go straight for all supernatural beings?" Cole asked.

"Because Guardians protect balance. Maintain peace. Prevent extinction. Remove Guardians first. Then the rest fall easily. It's strategic. It's smart. It's terrifying." Thomas sat down. Shaking. "I thought they were gone. Thought they died out centuries ago. But they're back. And they're winning."

"How many Erasers are there? How organized? How powerful?" I needed information.

"I don't know. Nobody does. They're more secret than Guardians. More hidden. More dangerous. They could be anyone. Anywhere. Everywhere." Thomas looked at everyone. Suspicious. Paranoid. "They could be among us right now. In this room. In this pack. In this family."

Silence. Everyone looked at each other. Suspicious. Worried. Scared.

"No. I trust everyone here. I've fought with them. Bled with them. Survived with them. They're not Erasers." I was firm. Certain.

"You trusted Catherine. You trusted Cassandra. You trusted others who betrayed you. Trust isn't enough. Not against Erasers. They're too good. Too patient. Too perfect at hiding." Thomas warned.

He was right. We'd been betrayed before. By family. By friends. By allies.

Could it happen again? Could there be an Eraser among us? Waiting. Watching. Planning?

"Then we test everyone. Verify everyone. Confirm everyone. We root out any spies. Any traitors. Any threats." I decided. "And we protect the remaining Guardians. Warn them. Help them. Save them."

"It might be too late. The Erasers move fast. Kill efficiently. Work perfectly. By the time we warn the others they might already be dead." Thomas looked defeated. Hopeless.

"Then we try anyway. We fight anyway. We resist anyway. Because that's what we do. That's who we are." I refused to give up.

Through the bond Sarah and Maya sent determination. Strength. Unity.

We'd face the Erasers. We'd protect the Guardians. We'd stop the extinction.

Or die trying. Like always. Like forever. Like Luna Triad.