Lydia’s journey of becoming a magic hunter was paved with difficulties, as the majority of society views any magic-born individual poorly, she had to overcome that stigma and prove her worth. Even if the methods of doing so were brutal.
When Lydia was young, she had almost no friends. Almost no one wanted to interact with the local magic-born weirdo. All except Dahlia, a friendly fox who managed to look past societal bias and see Lydia for who she really was: a lonely creature who just wanted to be loved and accepted.
Lydia was extremely loyal to Dahlia in the beginning, after all, she was all Lydia had. She constantly tried to prove to Dahlia that she was of worth through risky stunts and daring adventures. Dahlia didn’t always approve of them, but knew deep down Lydia just needed to show that she was valuable, and confirm that Dahlia wouldn’t leave her.
Lydia’s parents payed little attention to Lydia’s friendship with Dahlia, seeing it as insignificant in the grand scheme of things. They had always had a plan for their daughter, to get her to join the magic hunters, and knew their influence was a cemented part of her. However, what they didn't recognize was that Lydia was planning to convince Dahlia to join alongside her.
Ulimately, Lydia convinced Dahlia on the basis of them staying together. She begged her friend, emphasizing the fact that, without the merit of joining the hunters, she would always be seen as something less, and that it was something she absolutely needed to do. Dahlia agreed not because she wanted to, but because she wanted what was best for her friend.
Once joining the hunters’ ranks, Lydia soon realized that, even though she was there to hunt the magic-born, those around her judged her significantly for being one herself. Dahlia was still the only one who looked past that. This devastated Lydia, who had dreamed of respect since she was a child, to realize she still wouldn't get it. This fact did not discourage Lydia, though, but instead drove her to work harder to gain it.
Lydia had to put in her all to prove her loyalty and dedication to the hunters, and strove to be more than just another recruit. Dahlia, meanwhile, did not have the same passion Lydia had. She did not have a personal stake in the game, and saw the hunting as nothing more than senseless killing. She always looked past those that they pursued as people instead of just the savage magic-born she was taught to believe. Slowly, this began to eat away at her. She did not have the heart to remain a hunter.
Meanwhile, Lydia’s need for validation only grew. She began to get the attention she felt she deserved, but there was one problem: the rest of the hunters saw Dahlia as weak, and Lydia by extension. Lydia began to condone Dahlia for this. She, too, began to perceive Dahlia’s compassion for weakness. The hunter's beliefs had intermixed with her own, and she held their cause above their, once strong, friendship.
With no drive and no friends, Dahlia had nothing left, and no reason to stay with the hunters. She tried to express this to Lydia, to try and rekindle their friendship, but Lydia only spat back at her. She accused Dahlia of holding her back, for being selfish. Dahlia hadn’t realized just how much Lydia had begun resenting her, and felt absolutely betrayed. That same night, Dahlia ran. She didn’t say goodbye. She didn’t leave a note. She just left, feeling lost and broken, as she gave up everything to become a hunter alongside Lydia, only to lose her too.
To put simply, Lydia was shocked by Dahlia’s departure. Even though she hated Dahlia by that point, she didn’t believe she was going to go as far as to abandon her. This left Lydia empty for a short while, but that void was soon filled by an even greater anger. Now, she too had nothing left. Nothing except a purpose to a higher cause. From then on, she strove to prove to others that her beliefs were right and above those of others. To Lydia, Dahlia was only a selfish rat that led her astray, and channeled her innermost fury into becoming stronger.
Lydia’s absolute rage was valuable to the hunters. She was merciless and had no moral conflict when it came to their deeds. She would not hesitate to kill. This was exactly what the hunters needed, so she was promoted quickly after becoming a full hunter. Her rising in the ranks was exactly the type of validation she needed to confirm internally that she was right in her actions, and she took it to heart. Lydia soon grew prideful and even further set in her beliefs, and there was no one left to ground her. She began to live in her own fantasy. One of good, one of truth, and one of violence. She became exactly what a monstrous magic-born was said to be, except, instead of being feared, she was praised.
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