"You're telling me he went alone?"
Rui's voice rose in disbelief as she stood in the training yard, eyes locked on the young Hunter who had just returned from the southern outpost.
The boy nodded nervously. "Yeah. Velia sent him. Solo elimination. Tyrant Jackals."
She froze. "And he came back?"
"Dragged three of them in by the tail," he said. "Didn't say a word. Looked like he'd just taken a walk."
Rui turned away, heart pounding. She clenched her fists, trying to steady her breath. Of course he did. Of course he wouldn't tell me.
---
She found him behind the Lyre estate, sitting on the wooden fence that overlooked the hills. His shirt was off—his shoulder wrapped in bandages, chest covered.
But she knew what was underneath.
Kael looked over as she approached. "You heard."
"I heard everything," Rui snapped, hands on her hips. "Do you have any idea how reckless that was?"
"I do now," Kael said, and winced as he adjusted the wrap on his arm.
"That's not funny."
He sighed. "It wasn't meant to be."
A pause.
Rui sat beside him, eyes on the horizon. "You could've told me."
Kael shrugged. "You had your own training. I didn't want to distract you."
"You're not a distraction, Kael," she said softly. "You're—"
She stopped herself.
Kael glanced at her. "I'm what?"
She hesitated, then looked away. "Stubborn. Idiotic. Heroic in the dumbest way possible."
He smiled faintly. "Thanks."
Rui's smile didn't reach her eyes. "You used the Voidfang technique again, didn't you?"
"…Yes."
"Did it call to you?"
Kael was quiet for a long time. "Louder than before."
Rui's fists clenched around the edge of the fence. "You can't keep walking that line. One day it's going to pull you under."
"I know," he said. "But I have to keep moving. As long as I do… it doesn't win."
---
Later that night, Rui sat at her desk, her academy letter open beside her.
Her parents' voices echoed faintly from the next room.
> "She's not ready."
"She's stronger than you think."
"And if Kael falls?"
"Then we save him. Together."
Rui folded the letter.
Two months until the academy season began. Two months to become strong enough to fight beside Kael—not behind him.
She rose to her feet and looked out the window, wind catching her hair.
If he was willing to carry a curse…
Then she would carry hope.
---
Elsewhere — Velthorn City, Western Outlands
Blood soaked the alley.
Crimson mist clung to the stone walls like fog. Soot and mana residue lingered in the air, thick enough to choke.
Seven bodies lay broken—armor shattered, blades snapped, expressions frozen in horror. They were a B-Rank Hunter squad. Elite. Trained. Armed.
And still, they'd never stood a chance.
A lone figure stood over the carnage.
Barefoot.
Shirtless.
Eyes black as void-glass.
The mark on his chest pulsed like a brand made of dying stars—burned deep into bone. But unlike Kael's… this one had opened.
His breath steamed in the cold night air, even though the wind around him had gone still. At his feet, a dying Hunter gasped, reaching for a blade.
The figure tilted his head.
"You called me a monster," he said, voice calm and distant. "But I never lied to the darkness. You all did."
He raised his hand.
A black flame bloomed like a flower—and the man's body turned to ash.
---
Velthorn Guild Hall – Hours Later
The Guild Master's fist struck the table.
"They were wiped out. All seven. No survivors."
The room had fallen silent. Guild officers and senior Hunters stood in a ring, watching grimly as the mission report was unfurled.
"Same symptoms as the Rivercliff incident," one officer muttered. "Internal decay. Shadow-burns. No known curse could do this."
A younger guild mage swallowed. "This isn't just a rogue mage. It's something else."
Another voice added, "He's only targeting Hunters. One squad at a time. Always at night. Always clean."
The Guild Master didn't sit. His voice cut through the tension like steel.
"We've confirmed his presence in three cities across the region. This is not random. He's testing us."
He turned to the mission board behind him. A fresh parchment was pinned to its center, marked with red ink.
HIGH-PRIORITY BOUNTY: UNKNOWN TARGET
Classification: S-Rank Threat (Unconfirmed)
Code: Shadowbrand
Reward: 500 Gold Pieces, Tier Advancement, and Guild Patronage
Condition: Dead or Confirmed Captured
He turned to the gathered Hunters.
"I want eyes on him. Now. No more dead squads. We find this 'Shadowbrand'—and we end this."
---
Far above, on a distant rooftop, the same black-flame-marked man crouched silently.
He looked down at the guildhall lights.
His expression didn't change.
"They're hunting me now," he whispered. "Good."
He turned and vanished into the dark—like smoke in the wind.