Bandi stood still, the acrid smell of smoke stinging his nostrils. Flickering flames consumed Alisa's pyre as mourners wept. The heat, though distant, still radiated, a stark contrast to the chilling ache in his chest. He knew the pain of the cremation was terrible, but felt it was for the best to do it now, especially with Rodeo still unconscious.
He stood there with Terwy and the other werewolves, all of them carrying the weight of the greatest devastation the den had ever seen.
A permanent crack now split the earth, though no more water surged from it.
Bandi couldn't understand—if at this point Clementine still decided to wage war against them, it would only lead to their defeat.
He could already taste the bitterness of loss, the same as before. He never wanted to feel it again.
After the cremation, he sat outside, holding Alisa's ashes in his hands.
"Bandi… what should we do?" Terwy asked, sitting beside him. "The vampires Ozrik brought are gone… I think they left with Derelia."
Everything felt like a dream to Bandi—no, a nightmare. He could already imagine Clementine's victorious smile.
Is this it? Should I just surrender… and beg for my life?
He glanced at the meeting hall, still intact but haunting to look at from the outside. How was he supposed to explain any of this when Rodeo woke up?
"Bandi."
He didn't know how to face it. He didn't know what to do.
"Bandi!!"
He looked up. Terasvari stood there, hands on her hips.
"Ah… Miss Terasvari, Bandi's not really in the best—" Terwy's mouth was covered by her hand.
"What the hell happened here?" she demanded, scanning the wreckage before her gaze landed on Bandi's equally broken expression.
"I sensed a strange energy, like a buzzing in the air, which is why I ran here from my house." Her arms crossed tightly. She had felt that familiar oppressive power.
At the sight of her, tears welled in Bandi's eyes again. He was certain she would scold him, tell him he'd failed as a leader.
"Instead of crying, can you explain before I hit you?" Her voice hadn't changed—she always spoke like that.
'What am I supposed to say? That I was careless enough to let Claudius slip in… that Lumino lost control and declared he'd wipe out all werewolves?
I don't even know what to do anymore…'
"Bandi…"
Rodeo emerged, staggering from behind a curtain—awake at last. "What happened? Where's Claudius?" He moved closer, then froze. "You're crying?"
Terasvari's eyes widened. "Hey, kid! Claudius? That useless sleepy bastard? He came here?" She grabbed Bandi by the collar and shook him. "Bastard! Start talking!"
"Calm down, Miss Terasvari," Terwy tried to intervene.
"I… I failed to protect Alisa… and the other werewolves. The vampires have turned back to Clementine… I failed. I've failed in everything…"
"What did you just say? Say that again…" Rodeo's voice shook with disbelief.
"Kid! Are you saying all this happened because of that bastard?!" Terasvari's voice rang in his ears like static.
'What should I do? Bandi—take responsibility. Act like the leader they need.'
A chilling realization washed over him. Distrust was the foundation for the fractured unity, which is visible in the widening fault lines. He pictured Ozrik, a puppet, he easily swayed. He felt the ache of endurance, a dull throb of surviving this far.
Ironically, now he was about to do something unforgivable.
'There's no one left to prove me wrong…'
"Bandi, what do you mean? What happened to Alisa?"
He gave the urn with the ashes to Rodeo. Rodeo's eyes widened—he reached for it with trembling hands.
The shock hit him like a blade. He couldn't accept it. Bandi felt the same, but he knew he couldn't control everything anymore—and he didn't want Rodeo to drown completely in grief.
Rodeo dropped to his knees. Terwy knelt beside him, concerned.
"Alisa's dead. She died because of me… I should never have brought Lumino here," Bandi said.
'And so let the show begins. Not everything I'm saying is a lie… but not everything is the truth either.'
Rodeo looked up. "What do you mean? Are you saying he did this to Alisa… that he killed her?"
Bandi nodded. "Now Lumino's joined Clementine. With that, our chances of winning drop even further… maybe we should just surrender." The tears finally broke free.
He had told them eighty percent truth and twenty percent lie. Lumino hadn't killed Alisa—but he had killed Ozrik, Yudo, and other werewolves. That much was true.
"What about Ozrik?" Terasvari asked.
"He's dead too. Lumino killed him. This whole mess… is because of him. Lumino is causing this."
"I knew it… nothing good ever comes from anyone tied to that damned Seraphine," Terasvari sneered.
'And nothing good will come from making me your enemy either. Sorry, Lumino—but manipulating your fragile bond with Kael and Alira will be easy. I'll use it.'
"In that case, Bandi… I'll join you," she said suddenly.
'What?'
"It's clear that your enemy is tied to that damned Seraphine's goods." She ruffled his hair. "I'll help you."
"But you said you didn't want to get involved?" Bandi asked.
"Ha! I've changed my mind," she laughed.
'Better than I expected.'
"How about you, Rodeo?" Bandi asked, looking at him still staring at the urn.
"I feel like crap. If what you say is true, Bandi, I won't surrender to Clementine either. I'll wipe them out… and I'll kill anyone involved in Alisa's death." His eyes sharpened, voice like ice. "I'll kill Lumino."
"You want to get in line?" Terasvari smirked.
'You two look terrifying…'
"What about his friends?" Rodeo asked. "That black-haired, silver-eyed one—he seems to care about him."
"I plan to explain it to them," Bandi replied.
"In that case, come with me. It's been a while since you visited my place," Terasvari said.
"Huh… but what about Ronovan?"
"I'll take care of him," Terwy said firmly.
"I plan to train as well," Rodeo added, standing.
"You're a mess. Just rest," Bandi said.
"You think I can rest now? I was defeated by Claudius—completely. He didn't even use his full power. I hate myself for it."
I hate myself too.
"Believe in me, Bandi," Rodeo forced a smile. "I'll be your main strength. My power will be worth a hundred men—or a hundred werewolves."
I believe it.
Bandi nodded. "Then I'll go with Terasvari first…"
He waved to them both, then left with Terasvari toward her home.
Alright… what should I say to them later?
---
Sitting cross-legged in the cool grass, Kael tilted his head back and gazed at the wide sky. Although the sun had set and the air carried a subtle earthy fragrance, his mind was still preoccupied with the day's earlier events. What a foolish decision it had been, following Alira like this.
After the old woman had brought them to her house, Alira looked like a child in a candy shop the moment she saw the room full of books.
"Isn't this Ancient Rune!?" Alira exclaimed, her eyes sparkling.
"Indeed… I've lived long enough to understand the language," Terasvari replied calmly.
Kael frowned. "How can you be that happy just from seeing a room full of books? I get goosebumps just looking at this much paper."
"The last time I was stuck with you, I had to fight shadow-ghosts in Flirmus. Now I get to read instead—pure bliss!" Alira's gaze then snagged on something in the corner. "Wait… is that a Crafting Table? No way—is that a Trikulus!?"
'Trikulus?'
"A crafting table from two centuries ago. Famous for being nearly indestructible and able to brew potions twenty times more potent than normal." She clapped a hand over her mouth. "How in the world do you own this!?"
"I only just found out it's a crafting table. I thought it was a blunt weapon."
"Don't tell me… you used it as a weapon?" Alira shot a suspicious look at Terasvari, who had already averted her gaze.
"Unbelievable… no sense of care at all!" Alira ran her hand along the Trikulus's surface as if petting a rare animal.
"In that case, let's take it outside!" she grinned. "Time to work."
"Come on, young man," Terasvari said, grabbing the back of Kael's coat and hauling him toward the door.
"Hey! I want to stay here. And for what reason do I have to go out?"
"For what reason?" Terasvari tilted her head slightly. "To train, of course."
This damn woman…
"Listen—I don't need training. I never even agreed to be your pupil."
"Still saying that?" Terasvari scratched her head.
"I'm telling the truth. In my world, you don't need all that. Experience is everything. I can cut down Shadows without your training—because we use a System." Kael jabbed his finger at the air, and translucent panels appeared before him.
"Are you out of your rocks?"
"I'm not!" Kael snapped. "People outside the Reminvoyage dimension can't see it, but we Hunters rely on a System."
"So that's it… you're from another dimension." Terasvari pressed her thumb to her temple. "It's been a long time since I've seen one like you."
Wait… has this woman lived so long that she's actually met people like me before?
"Then explain it, you twisted old hag!"
"Name's Terasvari, brat," she shot back. "And I won't say a word until you agree to train."
"What exactly do you even want to train me in?"
"Hand-to-hand combat."
Kael just blinked.
That's how he ended up sitting cross-legged in the grass, "training" by practicing posture. Terasvari had told him it was to sharpen his instincts. Then she left, saying she was going for a walk and would return once he'd succeeded. Of course, Kael saw no point in any of this.
Let's see here… System!
A translucent interface bloomed before him:
[Welcome back, Hunter Kael]
"Status!"
--- Hunter Status ---
Name: Kael Eros
Job: Shadow Hunter
Rank: Grade 1
Agility: 170
Strength: 220
Mana: 167
Intelligence: 152
Skill Stock: Available
1. Drakeflamish Roar
2. Wind Blade
3. Lizardmen Camouflage
4. Postural Balance – New
5. Ultra Instinct – New
And that's exactly why Kael claimed he didn't need training—skills could simply be added by the System. Unless it was Alira's alchemy knowledge or Lumino's absurd power, anything could be slotted in. But there was a limit—only seven skills at once. If it filled up, one skill had to be deleted before adding another.
"Association Communication!"
The System could display news from his home world and connect him to other Hunters. This tool, created by a genius back home, was designed to help them deal with threats, particularly Shadows. However, Shadow Hunters were a rare breed. Counting himself, there were only 51. Monster Hunters were more common—about 300. Mage Hunters numbered around 100.
He checked for updates:
[News still not updated yet]
[Try again]
[Out of range]
Kael exhaled sharply. Still no way to access the Association's announcements or orders.
"Chat!"
A message list appeared. He didn't have many friends, but there were a few contacts.
Yurim - 10 messages.
Chairman Gose - 1 message.
"Let's see what Yurim wants…"
Yurim was a Monster and Mage Hunter at the same time, an all-rounder capable of taking down monsters or rogue humans. One of the strongest in their world.
- Kael, it's Yurim. Were you assigned to check the energy wave at coordinates 231.89.7?
- The wave's growing stronger.
- If you're reading this, respond! Chairman Gose thinks it might be a powerful mana stone.
- I checked the System Archives—it's called an Orb.
- Are you ignoring my messages?
- Please reply if you see this!
Kael scrolled down.
- The number of Shadows is beyond expectation! Where are you?
- Chairman Gose has been trying to reach you.
- Too many Shadows.
- Status in Darwin is now at Level-1 Alert. Where are you, you bastard?
- Destroyed… damn it. If you see this, call me.
The messages stopped there.
"What happened…?"
He typed a reply:
"Sorry, I just saw this. My System bugged out since i came in here."
"I'm in Letruish, and thankfully the system seems to be working fine now."
"I've found the Orb."
[Message failed to send]
His brow furrowed. Just how bad has it gotten back home?
Reminvoyage was a dimension that had narrowly escaped Apocalypse—a place where humanity had evolved and rebuilt civilization on the last habitable world, World DF-1. But sinkholes appeared at random, spewing threats from abandoned worlds. After centuries, they'd developed the Hunter System to survive.
Kael opened the Chairman's message:
- Hunter Kael, a massive sinkhole has appeared, wave value exceeding 70. Possibly the largest ever recorded. All Hunters are to assemble at Association HQ immediately.
This sounds bad.
But he couldn't return yet—not before securing the Orb Eternum, not before breaking the red-thread spell binding him and Lumino together. Dimensional travel burned massive amounts of energy; going back might mean never returning to Letruish. He usually used portals only between closer worlds like DF-1, DF-2, or DF-3.
'I just hope Reminvoyage is holding together.'
He tried to stay positive. Yurim was strong. The private associations would act too.
'Right now, Lumino's the real problem.'
Why had he looked so shaken? His nose bleeding that badly… And what was with Terasvari asking about his "communication"? Did he know that Lady Seraphine?
'Lumino… why won't you tell me? I've been waiting.'
Kael felt his trust in Lumino thinning, worry from the System's messages gnawing at him.
'What am I even supposed to worry about first?!!'
A sudden shriek split the air from inside the house. "Kyaa!" Then came a flash of blinding red light.
Kael shot to his feet and rushed in. "What happened!? Alira!?"
He burst through the door to see Alira beaming, eyes glittering like she'd just won a war.
"I did it, Kael!"
"What? Explain."
"I've created a potion to break Caroline's curse. Thanks to this book. Now we can heal Ronovan." She held up Lady Seraphine's ominous spell book.
"You're still keeping that creepy thing?"
"I also finished something else," she grinned. "I've translated the entire thing."
"Hah!?"
"Get ready, Kael. Say goodbye to that binding spell connecting you and Lumino."
"What…?" His jaw dropped. "Idiot! You said before, back in the library, that you couldn't undo the spell. You told me only the caster could remove it."
"tsk tsk tsk… Kael, you really don't get what I mean, do you?" Alira wagged her finger at him, eyes glinting with mockery.
"Do you want me to punch you?"
"My point, Kael, is—do you realize whose spell book I'm holding right now?" she asked.
Kael blinked. "The Red Witch's."
"Correct… And who do you think was the one who cast that spell on you and Lumino?" Alira arched a brow.
'This woman… always talking in circles.'
Kael let out a sharp breath, irritated. "Obviously, the one who originally possessed the Orb. Which means it's highly likely this Seraphine woman put it on us."
"Bingo!"
Kael still didn't understand why Alira couldn't just speak plainly.
"There's a spell in here that allows us to track the mark Lady Seraphine left behind. In other words, we can pinpoint her location!"
'…Okay, I take that back—that actually sounds amazing!'
"Really? If I can find her location, I could kill her and then cut the spell off completely," Kael said, his face lighting up with a rare, unguarded excitement.
Alira's jaw dropped. "What kind of twisted thought is that?! You? Kill Lady Seraphine? She's immortal! And why does your conclusion always jump straight to killing?!"
"Then what else would be the point?" Kael scoffed, not understanding why she was objecting.
On the other hand, Alira's lips curved into a flushed, almost giddy smile. "We ask Lady Seraphine to remove the spell."
Kael's expression soured in an instant. "I bet you're eager to meet her. Snap out of it, Alira! You think the woman Phel described—the mastermind behind Caroline's downfall and the same woman who smeared her scent all over Lumino is going to just politely undo the spell because we ask nicely?!"
He placed a hand on her forehead. "That woman sounds like a freak. Since I've arrived in Letruish, I haven't heard a single good thing about her."
Alira batted his hand away. "Idiot, you also believed those rumors about Lumino reeking of Lady Seraphine Midway's scent!"
"I–I did not… of course not." Kael turned his face away, lips pursed like a sulking child.
"Listen, Kael—right after we give this healing potion to Ronovan, we leave. We need an excuse to get out, and this will be it. We grab Lumino, continue our journey, and don't get dragged into their war. These people are insane."
"I don't want to." She shook her head firmly. "I don't want to be involved in some racial war, and… I have a very bad feeling."
Kael swallowed, his throat tight. He couldn't agree more. Being someone's weapon was the last thing he wanted, especially for people who looked down on Lumino.
"I'm in. Let's go," he said, ready to move.
"Besides," Alira went on, "I heard about Clementine's madness! Rosaria told me She's planning to resurrect Fenrir!"
Fenrir? Kael had no idea what she was talking about.
"Fenrir was a patriot of the vampire race centuries ago. Famous back when my Coven still reigned. A bloodthirsty man who only drank the blood of virgin women." Alira shuddered. "In short—he's a monster."
"A monster? How scary could he possibly be?" Kael asked, skeptical.
"He's as powerful as the Cursed Witch Caroline."
Kael's jaw went slack. If that was true, they were in serious trouble.
"In short, Kael, we need to leave—before Clementine finishes resurrecting Fenrir!"
"What?" A familiar voice came from behind the door.
Kael turned. Bandi and Terasvari stood there, staring into the room with wide-eyed disbelief.
"What do you mean… resurrection of Fenrir?"
Kael and Alira exchanged a glance.
'Crap!', they both thought at the same time.