POV: Narrator
Lyra entered the medical wing, which consisted of a small reception area and a large room with patient beds, divided only by curtains and with space for several people.
At the reception desk sat a nurse who looked like she hadn't slept much lately.
When she saw Lyra, she only nodded in her direction before going back to the papers in her hands.
Lyra watched her for a few seconds, expecting to be asked who she was here to see or something similar, but seeing how tired she looked, she didn't blame her.
She stepped into the room where the patients were. Almost a quarter of the beds were occupied.
Despite the constant danger of the profession, it was rare to see the medical wing so full.
It was uncommon for a hunter to sustain an injury that couldn't be treated with potions or mega potions—and if they suffered something worse, it was rare for them to return alive in the first place.
Lyra's gaze swept across the room, careful not to stare at any wounded hunter out of respect.
Her eyes lingered on the Guild Master longer than she would have liked.
Though in her defense, seeing the Guild Master without his armor was rarer than seeing a Golden-Bearded Ceadeus.
She only wished she could've seen him in a better condition.
At the moment, the man's entire torso was covered in bandages, both for the burns and for the wounds his own armor had inflicted.
His injuries, while serious, were not life-threatening. It was only a matter of time before he woke up.
As shocking as it was to see the greatest hunter of the New World in that state, Lyra hadn't come to see him.
The person she had come to see was awake, accompanied by his handler with her characteristic yellow jacket.
The hunter was lying in a hospital bed, his only notable injury being his right eye, which was covered.
But unlike the Guild Master, he was conscious.
—How are things outside? —the hunter asked when he saw Lyra approach.
—Depressing, tense, and full of doubt.
At her response, both the hunter and the handler fell silent.
—How could everything have gone so wrong? —the handler asked, not truly expecting an answer.
After a long pause, the hunter asked:
—What are the orders now?
—Since a frontal assault failed, it was decided that the best way to deal with the Phageris is to lure her into terrain prepared for combat.
The hunter simply nodded at her words, but the handler only frowned deeper.
She bit her lip as she hesitated to speak, but after several seconds of doubt, she finally spoke up:
—Why? … Why are we hunting the Phageris so desperately? I'm not the most experienced handler or anything, but… this isn't how we're supposed to act. This is wrong.
After she spoke, both the handler and the hunter turned to Lyra. Everyone knew that, although only a few usually attended the meetings about Chryssia, Lyra often did—even though she was by far the lowest-ranking person there.
Lyra could only feel the knot in her stomach tighten even further. They had asked her before, through hints and indirect questions, what was said in those meetings, but she always avoided answering by playing dumb.
But that was no longer an option.
She opened her mouth, ready to say something about how she had to keep it a secret—but instead, she closed her mouth again and looked at the Guild Master lying unconscious in his bed.
Injured and unconscious, but alive. Then she looked at the young hunter, knowing that if not for him, the Guild Master might have died.
She sighed and looked around the room. There were others present besides the three of them, but none were conscious.
The handler and the hunter remained silent, watching her hesitate and glance around, surprised by her behavior.
—Fine… I'll tell you. But promise me—promise me that this will never, ever leave this room!
Both of them stared at her, surprised and intimidated by her words, but after a mutual nod, they promised to keep the secret.
—First things first. The reason we're hunting the Phageris even before studying her is tied not only to the Ancient Civilizations but also to what may be the Guild's greatest secret.
Both the hunter and the handler were shocked and already began to doubt whether it was a good idea to keep listening.
But they didn't interrupt Lyra.
—As you know, the Ancient Civilizations fell because of a great war against dragons and wyverns. In that war, some of the greatest weapons ever created came into existence. Most of them were lost, and we only know of them through records from that time.
Lyra paused when she noticed herself getting more nervous as she spoke, so she took a deep breath before continuing.
—But one of these weapons was found… Those who discovered it called it the Equivalent Dragon Weapon. Probably the only one in the entire New World who has seen it with his own eyes is the head researcher, and he describes it as an aberration made from the parts of more than fifty elder dragons.
Lyra paused to let them process what they had just heard.
The handler's eyes were wide and her mouth hung open in utter shock, while the hunter kept a more stoic expression—but the surprise in his gaze was obvious.
The three remained silent until the hunter finally spoke:
—… What does this have to do with the Phageris?
At that moment, the handler also realized there wasn't an obvious connection between the two things and looked at Lyra, who continued:
—From what I was told, only a single Equivalent Dragon Weapon has ever been found, and it was deactivated. But it's believed that more were created. Many may have perished during the war… but apparently, among the Guild's scholars, there's a theory that some not only survived but also evolved. I admit I don't know if they evolved through descendants or if they were capable of evolving on their own.
The hunter connected the dots in his mind and said:
—… The Phageris has traits from multiple monsters.
The handler froze, and Lyra only nodded.
—H-how dangerous could she be? —the handler asked once she recovered.
—The scholars believe that Alatreon is the result of the evolution of the Equivalent Dragon Weapons.
At that moment, both the handler and the hunter were left in absolute shock.
Sorry for the delay I was in exam week. At first I thought about skipping Lyra's explanation about the Equivalent Dragon Weapon and all that, but in the end I decided to include it after all