Kharon nodded as he thanked the girl. His eyes lingered on her armour for a moment before he turned away. As he began walking towards the large gate she had pointed to, Kharon's heart suddenly clenched. A single streak of sweat flowed from his head as he warily looked around.
'It must be that pervert again. If he really is rich then he might have a mystic construct to conceal himself. Or could it be that he is a wielder of darkness...? Probably the latter. Why is he so fixated on me though? I don't have anything valuable or notable. Should I- No using that in an open space would be ludicrous.'
Walking in a slight daze, Kharon absent-mindedly walked through the busy space. His body moved instinctively as he weaved past several people with fluid movements. The gate was fast approaching as Kharon suddenly noticed his quickened pace. He immediately stopped as he stood still for a second. To his right, there was a massive archway which looked like a door made for a giant.
'This must be it. But why is it so big though? Surely they don't open the whole gate to let people in and out. Even if it is underground, the movements of such a gate would generate quite a noticeable amount of energy. I doubt the Association would be able to miss it.'
Kharon began walking towards the gate as he saw a few people queueing. Some of them chatted as they waited for their turn to get through. Kharon's eyes landed on a small arch beneath the larger one as he brought his hand to his face. He covered his eyes as he looked upwards.
'I have either not gotten enough sleep, or my mind is slowly deteriorating.'
He walked towards the queue as he stood behind a group of uniform hunters. They all wore a set of navy blue clothing with an emblem etched onto the back. Kharon looked at this as his eyes slightly narrowed.
'They must be part of a guild. Or they are just a very organised group. I wonder what type of mission they are going on. They may possibly be hunting down a powerful beast seeing as there are five of them. Their individual presence is quite faint, but as a group it seems almost equal to a partially assimilated tier 4 wielder. They have probably all fully assimilated with their cores.'
As Kharon pondered over the group's strength, he suddenly noticed as one of them tried to steal a glance of him. Acting like he hadn't noticed, Kharon quietly continued standing still. One of the members suddenly turned around and looked at Kharon. She was a girl of average stature with long, flowing black hair. Her sharp hazel eyes seemed to pry into his soul as he stepped back a bit.
Seeing this, the girl smiled revealing a row of perfect white teeth. The navy blue uniform seemed a few sizes too small as it pressed on her skin. Her flawless, ivory skin seemed to reflect the light in the Underground.
'She is definitely not a tier 5 wielder. How did I completely miss her- Wait a minute. Could it be that she reflected my gaze onto someone else? A wielder of reflection. Her presence seems to reflect or repel all things in the vicinity that she may not like. What a useful presence. Then again every path has a passive presence regardless of tier.'
She moved slowly towards Kharon as everything seemed to slow down. As they locked eyes, Kharon felt like a prisoner in his body as he momentarily looked through her eyes. His vision spun for a brief second before returning back to normal. Kharon was immediately on edge as his eyes slowly shifted from their pale grey colour, to a light purple.
The girl's eyes began to shift from hazel to red as they continued to unblinkingly stare at each other. The atmosphere suddenly shifted as it began to get colder. But as if countering this, the sudden drop in temperature seemed to be reflected outwards towards the world. Some by-standers began to look at them as faint whispers and murmurs circulated around the now quiet Underground.
"What did he do?"
"She looked at him first. Is she trying to get his attention."
"Isn't that the scion of the Hollow Syndicate?! No one outside of the syndicate has seen him before."
"Rumor has it that he left and took half of the organisation with him!"
The murmurs continued as some people visibly shook while others looked on in admiration. Kharon and the strange girl looked towards the growing crowd. The air around the whole Underground began to freeze as the crowd quickly scattered. People began talking to each other as they tried to avoid eye contact. Returning to their staring contest, Kharon once again stared at the girl. His indifferent gaze meeting her fierce stare.
Seeing as there was seemingly no end to this, Kharon broke the silence as he asked, "Why are you looking at me like that...? I haven't done anything wrong. Is staring at your group's emblem a crime? Because if it is, then I didn't know and I apologise."
The girl's fierce gaze slightly faltered as she smiled mysteriously. As Kharon looked at her, she finally answered back in an enchanting voice, "I was just curious about you. You have quite a peculiar presence and you seem very strong. All I wanted to do was test your strength without directly fighting. I have deemed you worthy. My name is Aurora Claro, the leader of the Midnight Fang."
"What do you mean...? 'Deemed me worthy' of what?!"
"You joining. Are you interested...?"
Almost immediately, Kharon said, "No. But thank you for the offer."
"I am glad to-"
Aurora froze as Kharon's voice seemed to echo across the Underground. Those walking by all turned their heads to Kharon who looked around like a lost child.
"What is wrong with the people here? Am I committing a crime in the Underground? I didn't know this place had a rule book."
One of Aurora's partners suddenly exclaimed, "You just turned down one of the best hunters in the Underground! Of course people are going to stare! You are throwing away a once in a lifetime opportunity to join something grand. Aurora Claro, the Moon Princess will one day ascend to angelhood-"
Aurora looked at her comrade as he stopped his ranting. She looked at Kharon's indifferent look before she once again smiled, revealing her pearly white teeth. Kharon remained unfazed as she asked him, "Are you a hunter, sir? What can I call you?"
"I am a hunter. However my name is irrelevant. I may not know a lot about the Underground and the different groups and guilds. But I know that I work best alone. Don't take it as an insult though. Judging from your presence, you are quite a formidable hunter. Maybe our paths will cross again. One day."
Saying this, Kharon began to walk past the stunned Aurora and her group. He quickly approached the front of the queue as the people slowly parted. Once he reached the front, he presented his soulbind token. As he did this, there was a sudden eruption of laughter. Kharon looked around confused as he heard someone say, "He really is clueless. No wonder he turned down one of the best beast hunting groups in Lunaris Haven. Someone should really get him up to speed."
Kharon looked at the man in front of him before asking, "How do I go in and out of the gate? Do I have to pay to get through?"
The man nodded as Kharon pulled out a pouch. He pulled a platinum mark as he handed it to the guard. The guard remained still as Kharon pulled out another one. Seeing as the guard's reaction didn't change he pulled out a few more as he asked, "Just how much do I have to pay to go through the gate?! Tell me the price and I will pay it."
The guard slowly looked at Kharon as he said, "The cost is 250 Aethermarks when leaving and entering. If you bring someone who isn't originally from Lunaris Haven, then the cost is 2500 Aethermarks."
"Then why didn't you say so? You could have saved me a lot of time if you had just told me that from the start."
Kharon pulled out two gold marks and five silver marks as the man took them. Kharon walked past the man as he went through the archway in silence. As he got through, he saw a long winding tunnel. The whole space was covered in intricate and precisely placed runes. Seeing this, Kharon began walking towards where he assumed to be the exit. But he heard someone call him as he was pointed towards a vehicle.
He thanked a young man who was wearing plain leather armour. The man smiled as he introduced himself, "My name is Luke Carson. It's nice to meet you. Is it your first time going through the Night's Breach?"
"What is the Night's Breach? Are you referring to the gate?"
Luke shook his head as he answered, "This vehicle is the Night's Breach. You really are new to this. If you need any help, then let me know!"
Luke smiled brightly as Kharon looked at him and smiled back.