Herbert came to New Midian before I could send the horses to him. He had heard the gunfire from his home and came to investigate what was happening. His son had come along as well, but hung back until they knew it was safe.

I met him at the gates and informed him of the situation. He brought up his son, and they were checking the horses waiting for the Hunters. The boy was going to get his first good look at several of my Hunters. I had hoped to ease him into his future role over a few more years, but he was needed by his father to control the horses. In their rush, the second group had not secured the horses properly, and several had wandered away.

None of my Hunters were exactly looking human anymore. I had to decide on who I was going to send out there because the boy was going to get a close-up look at them. Ultimately, I chose Blackstone and Roberson. They were both the calmest of my Hunters and will get the job done quickly. I gave them their instructions and told them to promptly loot the horse's saddlebags, as I wanted Herbert and his son to be away.

The others were not digging graves, as it was the wrong time of year, with the ground still frozen. They were loading the dead into several different small tombs and mausoleums. They were looting the dead as they went.

I watched Joshua's reactions to the Hunters. He had encountered them before, but was always at a distance or during that brief time when they ambushed the men who had brought his family to the graveyard. Now he was going to look at them. I could see the fear, but he was doing his best to keep it under control.

I hope that would bode well for his future prospects.

By the time everything was finished, the sun was setting in the West. The horses were away, and the loot had been compiled within the church. The little tobacco and alcohol available were divided among the Hunters. Harrington complained about the low quality of the tobacco but ultimately took his cut, ignoring the alcohol claim that it was far too beneath him.

From what I could tell, it was all cheap, gut-rotting stuff anyway.

February continued.

In Australia, the six colonies agreed to merge into a confederation, and selections in both the North and the South of the Philippines. The German and Japanese forces seek to contain it, but it spreads quickly.

I start to see more articles and advertisements coming in the Portland Times calling for the Imperial Federation to be formed. In America, I see more advertisements for the prohibition of alcohol from the American Woman's Temperance and Morality League.

There were a few more snowstorms, but they were far weaker than the ones that had been passing through weeks earlier. More rain than snow now. This caused the ground to become muddy as the snow was melting. In the distance, I can start to see the first hardy travellers now moving up and down the road again.

Spring would soon be here.

Towards the end of the month, reports began filtering in from the Philippines that the Filipino was severely testing both the German and Japanese occupation forces' rebellion. Both sides had to call in naval gun support from ships to help support operations near the coast. Further inland, they were making headway but under intense pressure from the rebels. Casualties were mounting on all sides.

Both Japan and Germany were sending reinforcements to the area. In response to the German troop movements, France announced that it was sending additional troops to Indochina, thereby strengthening its position there.

With the arrival of March, I returned to my usual position at the top of the spatial bubble during the day. The possibility of more visitors increasing with every passing day, and we had to be prepared.

On the third day of the month, I noticed someone riding through the trees towards the gates. It was an odd direction to come from, as everyone else followed the path. I shifted to the gates and awaited who was coming.

Joshua rode up to the gates.

As he approached, I decided to take a good look at him.

He was fast heading towards 15 years old and was well into his growth spurt. He wasn't filling out yet, but I knew he would soon. The hard physical labour he was doing down in his household would take care of that. He looked a lot like his father, but his attitude was more like his mother's.

He dismounted before the gates, and I summoned my avatar. He got used to it and showed no surprise when I appeared.

"Keeper." He greeted me.

"Joshua Driver. This is a most unexpected visit."

Watching his body language, I knew that his parents did not know he was here. It seemed that this was the first step he was making as an adult regarding New Midian. I found myself somewhat melancholy towards this, as it was another sign of the loss of his innocence.

"I hope that you don't find it too forward, but I've come to learn more about New Midian." He had been wearing a hat and took it off when he spoke his request.

I looked up and down again and thought about what you wanted. I sighed internally and thought it must be time then.

"Do you have a gun in your possession?"

"No, Keeper. It's in my saddlebags as the town is putting up ordinances against carrying firearms openly now." He motioned to his horse's saddle. I recall having read about that over the last few weeks—another sign of the dying of the West.

"Put it on."

He was confused by my instruction, but did as he was asked. I waited until he had put his gun belt on before explaining.

"Never enter New Midian unarmed. If you do, you will trigger a series of events that I will not be able to help you with."

"What will happen?" I could hear this slight tremor in his voice as he spoke.

"You will be seen as what is called a 'Challenger' and my Hunters will come for you."

"But would you not stop them?" I could see his confusion as he did not fully understand how New Midian was run. I doubt even his father fully understood it, but it was time to explain.

"It is true I run New Midian. But I am bound by certain rules as my Hunters are. The one rule I cannot cross is that once recognised as a Challenger, any who enter are hunted, and I cannot interfere."

His face went white at that, realising the danger of crossing through these gates.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

"So, what happens when I pass through with my gun?"

"You will be seen as an intruder, and I get far more leeway to interfere. Come now."

I turned and walked further into the courtyard and turned northward. Joshua followed me after a few moments of hesitation.

[Alert! Intruder is not recognised as a Challenger.]

I sensed the Hunters stirring, but I reached out and told them not to bother, as it was Joshua Driver visiting with me, escorting him. I turned and motioned him to step up next to me, and he quickly hurried up.

"How big do you think New Midian is?"

"Pa, said the walls were about a mile enclosed." I could see that he was looking around and realising that that was incorrect. "But it seems that there is more here."

"There is. I won't go into all the details as there are no concepts in your language yet to explain them, but I will say that New Midian covers nearly 2.5 miles."

His jaw dropped at that revelation.

"How is that possible?" He asked after he recovered.

"Magic."

Honestly, I had no clue, but I wasn't going to tell him that.

He fell silent as we walked, looking around at the graveyard. It was early in the day, and the skies were cloudy, but there was no threat of rain. I knew there was no danger of us running into the Hateful Spirit. I decided to fill the silence with some information.

"The average person walks 3 mph. It takes roughly an hour to an hour and a half to walk through the graveyard to the church at the centre. That, of course, is reliant on you knowing which way to go through the paths. Of course, you can cut through the graves directly heading towards the church, but that becomes increasingly difficult the deeper you go into the graveyard. Taking that route will cut the journey to about 40 minutes to an hour."

We continued to walk, but he said nothing as I pointed out things along the way, our pace deepening.

"The overall architectural style of the graveyard is Victorian Gothic. There is a significant influence of classical architecture, as well as some Celtic influences. The bulk of the statues and symbols are those of the Christian faith, but there are a few others scattered around."

I doubt if he understood most of what I was saying, but he nodded along as I indicated different things.

"What of the Hunters?" He asked.

"What of them?"

"How do they come to serve you? Are they Demons?"

I thought about his two questions on what to reveal and what to keep hidden.

"In time, New Midian grows slightly when certain conditions are met. When this happens, the opportunity for a new Hunter to be recruited appears. Those who wish to become one come, and those who can handle the truth of that are recruited."

"So, they were once men?" He seemed shocked by this idea.

"Yes. The longer they spend here, the more it reveals their true nature, transforming them into their authentic selves."

"You mean there were always monsters?" I could see he was trying to grasp what I was saying to him, but was finding it hard.

"Some men have the souls of saints, others of monsters."

He went silent again, and I thought it was time for me to be quiet as well, to give him time to think about what I just said to him. We continued walking through the pathways that I guided him towards the church. The deeper we went into the graveyard, the denser the gravestones and surface tombs became.

As we walked, he was reflective, but the deeper we went, the more he looked around, and I waited for the following question to come.

"How many are buried here?" That was an interesting question his father never asked.

"Several hundred now."

"There will be more, won't there?"

"Yes, there will. New Midian can facilitate a million dead easily."

He shuddered at that number as we walked. I wondered if he could grasp that many, or was it just a number to him.

"Why is there a difference between intruders and Challengers?" He asked after a few moments of silence, still trying to process information about the death toll.

"A Challenger is someone who comes, whether they realise it or not, to test themselves here. They carry no firearms but are permitted to use melee weapons. The minute you bring a firearm into this place, you are changed from a Challenger to an intruder."

"And Challengers must fight your Hunters?"

"They can. Or they can avoid them; it's their choice."

"But what's the goal? Why come here and face possible death?"

"Do you know Alexander Rochester?"

"Yes. His family is quite wealthy, and he was ahead of me in school, graduating before me. He's been sent East to some fancy college, from what I heard."

That was interesting.

"He and his father both came here as Challengers and survived. By completing the challenge that New Midian presents to you, you are rewarded in ways you cannot completely understand."

"What is the challenge?" I could hear the interest in his voice.

"The stone plinth in the courtyard explains the challenge to all those who enter. Past the gates before sunset. Depart the courtyard and get to the church. Leave an offering there that represents a true sacrifice, and then get back to the gates after dawn, and you will be changed."

"Changed how?" I noted the hunger in his voice.

"That depends on you and what you did during the trial."

He falls silent again, and I can almost hear the gears turning in his head. He is a teenage boy, thinking hard and contemplating great and terrible ideas. I could read him like a bloody book.

I will have to knock that idea on the head quickly.

This silence continues until we reach the church. He had hardly been paying attention for the last 20-odd minutes and had not realised how deep we were into the graveyard now until I stopped.

He looked up and around, realising that we were now in the centre of the graveyard. This was a place you'd never been before. He now stood before the doors of the church.

"Sanctuary."

I read the word above the door and pointed to it. Joshua turned and looked at the word carved into the stone surface.

"If you are a challenger and reach the church, you are safe within. No Hunter will pass its threshold."

I walked up to the doors and opened them, entering the building. Joshua followed after a few moments' hesitation. He followed me down the central aisle between the rows of wooden pews. I knew his mother attended church frequently, and I suspected that he was familiar with the layout. What he was not expecting was standing at the end behind the altar.

I stopped before the altar, and he joined me, looking up at the statue.

"Not what you expected?"

"No, it's not. Normally, it's Christ on the cross."

"Well, here you get the Angel of Death."

"This is where the offering is made. The one that represents a true sacrifice."

"Yes. Many have tried. Few have reached here. And even less back to the gates."

Silence came again. I knew it was time for me to speak and crush the dream in his chest.

"Don't think about it."

"About what?" He was confused for a few seconds.

"Trying the challenge."

I turned and looked at him as I spoke. Once face-to-face with him, I crushed his dream.

"Listen to me, Joshua Driver. I know you're considering returning here to test yourself and claim the reward. I have a straightforward question to ask, and I would appreciate your careful consideration of it. You have seen my Hunters; do you think that you would get past them?"

His face pales as he realises I knew precisely what he was thinking. I wait for the fear and confusion to pass through his mind, and for my question to settle in. I could see him thinking through it and the dawning realisation that he would not survive. His pride, of course, was flaring, and the hormones pumping through his blood told him he could do it. But facing me and knowing what he knew, the cold, hard truth settled in and put out the fire of his passions.

"No. I don't think I could." He looked like he was going to throw up when he said it. The cold, hard truth was realised, and the death of another part of his innocence, as well as his ego. His shoulders had sagged with the fire and fight leaving him. I had crushed his spirit in some ways, but I hoped that he would recover and be stronger for it in the long run. It was essential to know one's limits.

"No, you could not."

I agreed with him but decided to soften the blow a bit.

"I suspect you might have made it to the church, but the return journey is a completely different matter. You are not trained to use close combat weapons, and that would put you at a severe disadvantage."

"So, what do I do with my life?" He asked in a weak voice.

"You need to remember the agreement you made with me. But that does not mean that you need to stay here right now."

He looked up at my words, a spark of hope in his eyes.

"You know what is required of you to fulfil this job that your father has. Until his death or if he can no longer perform his duties, you are free to live your own life if you want to travel. Travel. If you wish to continue your education, please proceed. Until it's time to take up your father's position, you are still a free man."

I see the spark of hope returning to his eyes. I realise that he thought he was trapped by his decision, never being able to spread his wings and move forward. That was never my intention. I wanted him to live before he was required to take up his father's role.

"Holding you here will cause you to stagnate. You have made a promise to me to take up your father's duties, but that does not mean I am so cruel to hold you in this town until that time."

"I can do what I want until then?" He asked, his lower lip trembling with emotion.

"Yes. But please don't be recklessly stupid and get yourself killed or maimed. That means one of your siblings will be called upon."

I took him from the church and New Midian. We never spoke as I guided him out, but his head was high, looking to the horizon with hope. I believe I handled this conversation correctly. I had not stripped him of all of his dreams, but reminded him that one day he would be called upon.

Until then, he got to live.

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