"Dad........when will Big Sister come back?"

A boy with choppy black hair and amber eyes was seen in his bed as he looked towards his father. The man had short black hair and amber eyes as he wore a lab coat with a black sweater underneath. He also had on a pair of black slacks and brown shoes. This man was Viktor von Degurechaff.

"Olivia is off to broaden her studies. I received a call from her earlier today and she says she misses you, Licht."

Feast.

Licht began to cough violently as blood escaped from his mouth. Viktor clenched his hands as he saw that his son was suffering from tuberculosis. As he sat down next to his son, Viktor pats the boy's head.

"Don't worry, Licht. Papa will find a way to heal you. Soon you can play around with other kids your age. You and your sister will be able to run around and have fun when she returns. I'll make sure of it."

Feast

As the man tucked his child to bed, he began to head down to the basement of his home. The moment he entered inside, various books and tools of the supernatural side were seen scattered around the area. When Viktor took a seat at his desk, he slammed a fist upon it as he was furious.

"DAMMIT!!! I spent years studying the other side of the world. Cursed Treasures, Curses, Magic, Holy Sacraments, and other sorts of supernatural phenomenon. I've made theories and won awards for discovering new phenomenon on the supernatural and yet...........I can't even save my own child. If I can't do that, then how the hell will the knowledge I gained be of help to him!!!!!"

Feast. Feast! FEAST!!!!!!!!

~?????~
Merkava was seen all alone in the forest. His mind seemed to have wandered as he began to stretch his body. What was that image that was playing inside of his head? Was it a dream, a distant memory? He couldn't tell, the only thing that consumed his mind was an insatiable hunger.

"Yo, Merkava. I came by to help you with something."

As Merkava looked in the direction from where he heard this voice, he saw Mahito smiling as he was carrying a large bag over his shoulders. The moment Mahito dropped the bag in front of Merkava, he simply smirked.

"There you go. I saw a large group of humans heading for you, so I transfigured them into piles of flesh. So go ahead and-"

"FEAST!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

In less than a second, Merkava lunged forward as he began to devour the flesh without hesitation. The markings on his body began to glow as mana was being stored inside of them. The blood of his meals dropped from his jaw as he couldn't stop himself. With a smile on his face, Mahito began to walk away.

"No you're starting to act like what you are."

"I....MUST....FEAST!!!!!!!!"

~Timeskip:After School~
"Shiki.....Shiki! Wake up!"

Shiki was slowly opening up his eyes as he saw that he was resting his head upon his desk at school. When he looked in the direction he heard the voice, he saw Mirei smiling at him as she was trying to get him to wake up.

"It's already the end of school. Are you okay?" Mirei asked while she saw the boy stretching his body a bit.

"Don't worry, just a bit sore from a workout the other day. Anyways, let's get going."

As Shiki stood up and walked out the classroom, he saw Mirei walking up to him. While they were walking outside of the school, Shiki had something he needed to confirm with his friend.

"Mirei, are you okay? You know, from the other night."

"Huh, oh yeah. That night is still a bit fuzzy in my head, but my parents told me that you brought me back home after getting into a fight with some thugs. So thank you, Shiki."

"D-don't mention it" Shiki replied with a nervous smile on his face. He didn't like that he had to lie to his best friend like this, but it was for her own safety. As Shiki was walking Mirei home, the girl's brown eyes were starting deeply into his green eyes.

"You seem different, Shiki."

"How so?"

"Usually you seem like you're in your own world. But now....it feels like you're more focused on something. You almost seem more dependable."

"The hell do you mean by almost!" Shiki shouted before both Mirei and himself started laughing. Though she wasn't wrong about him being more focused. He became a member of the Holy Church for one reason. To keep her and his father safe. He's not some hero who will save everyone within tunnel vision.

As Shiki was thinking to himself, he saw that he was now standing in front of the apartment complex Mirei stays in. Ever since that incident with the ghouls, he decided to walk Mirei home more often. Just as Mirei was walking up the stairs to her home, she turned around as she had one more thing she needed to tell Shiki.

"Shiki....I know I said this already, but thank you for saving me. I don't know how I'll repay you, but I promise I will."

"Mirei..."

"Anyways, I'll see you Monday. Time to enjoy the weekend", Mirei said as she was now safely in her home. As Shiki smiled as was heading back to his home, he felt his cellphone ringing and quickly answered it.

"Hello."

"Hey, my adorable kouhai. I'm just reminding you of what's going to happen. I know you want to enjoy your weekend, but we do have a mission."

"I know, Megumi-senpai. I haven't forgotten my duties. I don't plan on running away after making my choice clear. I chose to work with you and Ochita-san, and I plan to see that decision through to the end."

"...........c.......could you call me senpai one more time?!"

Shiki didn't respond to that request as he immediately hung up the phone the moment she asked. As Shiki was walking home, he began to think to himself.

This was his very first mission for the church. Not only that, there is a high chance he might meet that monster again. However, he wasn't scared nor nervous about that fact. As he placed his right hand upon his chest, he felt his heart beating rapidly.

"I'm not scared at the thought I might run into that thing.....what the hell is wrong with me?"

As Shiki said this and entered his home to get ready for his mission, he was unaware of a person that was sitting on top of the roof of Mirei's complex as he was smiling to himself.

"So that's the kid Merkava is interested in. Plus it seems he's part of the church. Hehehehe. Looks like things just got interesting."

~At the Holy Church~
"So he adapted to using the Black Keys well during his training?"

Ochita and Megumi were sitting inside of the sanctuary of the church as Megumi was reporting how Shiki's training went. As the girl finished her report, she looked at Ochita seriously.

"Yes, and that's the problem. He adapted too quickly. I already knew he wasn't normal after what he did to the ghouls. Then suddenly he shows signs that he's actually combat ready. Just who is he, Ochita-san. You know something, don't you?"

"........."

Ochita was silent for a moment. He indeed knew of the truth about Koritsu Shiki, however he shouldn't be the one to reveal that to Megumi. Seeing how the girl was staring at him, he decided to give her one small detail.

"The Demon Hunter Organization. I suggest you study up on it and the rules before trying to give orders to your superior."

"....I'm sorry. I was speaking out of term", Megumi apologized as she heard the sound of the church doors opened. When she turned around, she saw Shiki was in his uniform as he walked towards both her and Ochita.

"Ummm.....Shiki reporting for duty."

"It is good to see you again, Koritsu-kun. As you know, I am Ochita Eiyu. The leader of the Holy Church. This will be your first ever mission with the Holy Church."

As Ochita looked at Shiki, he couldn't help but think of a certain idiot who was always loitering around the church warning him about this child. The man sighed in his head as he decided to refresh Megumi and Shiki's minds about the situation.

"As you know, we of the church have been tasked to collect the 7 Special Ranked Cursed Treasures. Though due to circumstances, we have to take a minor detour from that due to word of people and animals going missing at Dainohara Forest Park."

"Plus you mentioned that the monster I saw one night was spotted there.." Shiki said as he was slowly clenching his fists. Seeing this, Ochita turned around as he was now staring at the cross inside of the sanctuary.

"Koritsu Shiki, Hayasaka Megumi, you two are to investigate Dainohara Forest Park. Should the reports prove true...eliminate the target on sight."

"YES SIR!"

~At Dainohara Forest Park ~
"Feast....."

The sounds of flesh being ripped and torn apart could be heard as one creature was seen in the vast forest. Its teeth were dripping blood as it is eating the latest victim it caught. However, the hunger would never end. No matter how much he ate...he was always starving.

"Papa, please stop"

A voice echoed through Merkava's head. He couldn't recognize it, yet for some reason, it was also very familiar to him. Soon Merkava looked at the man he just devoured, suddenly Merkava heard static in his head as he was shocked with what he saw. Instead of an adult man in a business suit, he now saw a boy with choppy black hair and amber eyes in a hospital gown.

"Wasn't it enough when you decided to eat me? Will you never be satisfied until you've eaten everything....being all alone."

"Licht! I-...I.....AAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGH!!!!"

Merkava screamed as it felt like something was hammering his mind. A hand was seen on top of Merkava's head as Mahito was seen smiling to himself. This is the cycle he created. Merkava would devour, Mahito would transfigure his mind so that he would be reminded of what caused him to be a beast.

"The more you break apart, the more unstable you. The more unstable you are, the more hungry you get. The more hungry you get, the more people you consume and store mana. Let's keep having fun until the church comes and our Master is provided with enough mana, Viktor von Degurechaff."

~At the church~
The light of the moon shines through the windows of the church as Ochita was seen praying at an altar. Whilst this happened, the church doors opened as Ayumu stepped into the sanctuary. Whilst this happened, Ochita turned toward the man.

"Koritsu Shiki, apparently he has shown potential and possesses great fighting prowess. So much so that Megumi asked for his background."

"Did you tell her anything?"

"I merely told her to study up on her knowledge of the Demon Hunter Organization. The real question is this, how long will you hide the truth from your son? Especially since he is now apart of our world now."

Ayumu was silent the moment Ochita said this to him. Truth be told, after a certain incident, Shiki's memories took a dire hit. Knowing this, Ayumu kept quiet about the rest of the family so the boy could have a normal life. But now that he is involved with the church, he's not sure how long he should keep it a secret.

"I'm sure you have your reasons, but the longer you wait to tell him, the more the truth will hurt him the moment he finds out. Koritsu......it's a perfect name, don't you think? After all, it means to be isolated. Just like how you and that boy were isolated to be branched off from the Nanaya Family, the trump card of the Demon Hunter Organization."