Kyle groaned, pushing himself up from the wreckage of shattered branches and torn-up moss. His body screamed at him—ribs cracked, ankle sliced, blood trickling from half a dozen cuts. The green aura flickered weakly around him, struggling to knit flesh and bone back together. Too slow.Zeke's heavy footsteps crunched through the undergrowth, deliberate, unhurried. Like he already knew how this ended.’Damn it.’ he spat blood, watching the crimson splatter against the roots. ’This guy’s no joke.’He thought the green core would be enough. Basic, sure, but solid. Stable. He was wrong.Zeke emerged from the trees, armor gleaming despite the dents, that monstrous sword resting casually on his shoulder. His expression was pure disdain."Still breathing? I’ll fix that."Kyle exhaled, long and slow. Then he reached deeper.The green aura snuffed out.For a heartbeat, there was nothing. Just the ache of his wounds, the metallic taste of blood in his mouth. Then—Silver.It erupted from his 2n

He darted in again, a low feint drawing Zeke's guard down, then exploded upwards with a vicious uppercut aimed square at the Commander’s chin.Zeke tilted his head back just enough, the blow glancing off his jawline rather than connecting cleanly. Still, it rocked him. His eyes narrowed, the fury momentarily replaced by calculation. He stopped swinging wildly.He planted his feet, crimson energy swirling around him, thickening. He wasn’t attacking. He was waiting. Daring Kyle to come closer.’Uh oh. Trying a different tactic? Turtle defense?’ Kyle hesitated for a fraction of a second. Charging into that solid wall of angry red energy felt unwise. But staying back let Zeke recover, maybe even pull out another reality-bending sword trick. ’No choice. Got to press the advantage.’He took a deep breath, condensed the energy tighter around his fists, the crystalline edges sharpening, humming faintly. He launched himself forward, weaving, angling for Zeke's head again.As he closed the dist

Kyle stepped back through the shimmering fissure, the air shifting from the heavy stink of Barack’s throne room to the cool, damp earth scent of his own forest. The tear hung open behind him, pulsing faintly.Arachne stood near the base of a tree, leaning against it slightly. Her breathing was shallow, her face pale beneath streaks of grime and dried blood. She straightened immediately when she saw him, wincing as she moved, and bowed low despite the obvious pain racking her body. Her hands clenched into fists at her sides, trembling slightly."Welcome back, my Lord." Her voice was quiet, strained, but steady.He looked at her, taking in the battered state, the way she held herself upright through sheer will. A faint smile touched his lips. He walked over and patted her head gently, awkwardly.’she is very loyal, cute.’Arachne went utterly still for a beat, her dark eyes widening almost imperceptibly. Then she straightened her posture even further, the trembling in her hands lessenin

Most Hunters stopped looking for Kyle days ago. Gone cold. Another rogue vanished, written off. Not him. He stood where Kyle's energy signature had spiked, then winked out. A week hadn’t erased everything. Faint traces lingered, like ozone after lightning. He knelt, pulling a device from his worn coat. Cylindrical, dark metal, humming faintly. He held it low over the pavement. Needles flickered behind scratched glass. ’Weak resonance,’ he thought. ’Sealed tight.’ He packed the device away. Stood up. He already been to his apartment. Empty. Clean, almost sterile, except for faint residue near a repaired door. He accessed the Guild archives too. Incident reports, Kyle's minimal mission history, Jenna’s team data. All thin threads. But combined with the residual energy here... patterns emerged. He walked back towards the mouth of the alley, stopping beside a stack of overflowing dumpsters. He opened a battered case that looked like it held cheap tools. Inside, nested in worn foam,

Kyle walked through the forest, his gaze fixed ahead. The steel sword stayed low at his side. Viv followed several paces behind him, her steps quiet on the moss and leaves. Kyle occasionally changed direction slightly, turning between trees without slowing his pace. They moved out of the forest, crossing the packed earth training ground. The castle loomed ahead, its dark stone walls silent. The main entrance doors stood slightly ajar. Arachne was not visible. He paused, looking at the open doors, then continued inside. Viv followed him through the entrance into the main hall. The large space was empty. Kyle looked towards the archway leading to the corridors. He walked towards it. He moved down a stone corridor, turning left, then right. He stopped outside a heavy wooden door. He pushed it open. Inside, bookshelves lined three walls, filled with bound volumes. A large desk sat near the far wall. The man stood near one bookshelf, holding an open book, his worn coat still on, the batt