While Dax was busy dismantling the physical and political laws of Solaria City, Juts, confined to Vigan and the luxurious prison of Commander Salazar's mansion, was undergoing a quiet, internal transformation. He was now the most powerful civilian in Vigan—the Controller's Shadow. He managed the limitless wealth generated by Dax's Polaris Ursus farm and handled the delicate, terrified administration of the Guild Master.
However, the wealth and authority did nothing to soothe the burning resentment and fear in his soul.
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Juts had completed his tasks flawlessly. He had secured Vigan, managed the resources, and kept the Central Authority's surveillance minimal. But every intercepted communication, every panicked report about Dax's impossible clear times in Solaria, was a fresh wound.
Dax, the reborn genius, was operating as an Epic-Echelon 2 hunter, casually defeating bosses that required platoons of experts.
Juts, the loyal twin, remained a Rank E utility hunter, capable only of the basic Silent Form Dax had taught him, forever confined to administration and the memory of their shared past.
The gap in their power was no longer just wide; it was a cosmic chasm. The fear of Dax's power—the Lich essence, the terrifying efficiency, the lack of human compassion—had long been present. Now, that fear was crystallizing into pure, poisonous jealousy.
He didn't just save me; he bought me, Juts thought, staring at his reflection in the pristine marble of Salazar's bathroom. He turned me into the perfect servant, trusting me only because he knows I can't escape his shadow.
The guilt over Aaliyah's death and the poisoning of Salazar had once bound him to Dax through shared crime. Now, it was the shackles of his own weakness.
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Juts made a decision. If Dax valued power and efficiency, then Juts would acquire them. He began utilizing the immense, uncontrolled Guild budget at his disposal. He did not buy conventional weaponry; he focused on Essences and Skill Cards that compensated for his lack of core power and could be easily hidden.
He began hoarding a specialized arsenal centered around Stealth and Utility Augmentation, moving him away from his basic Thorn Whip origins and toward a terrifying, surgical capability:
Chameleon Essence (Rare, Sensory/Defense): Purchased on the Solaria black market via an intermediary. This essence, upon consumption, grants a profound, continuous form of optical camouflage, making the user virtually invisible in motion. Juts's Goal: To break free of Dax's reliance on the basic Silent Form Dax taught him, and gain true, unquantifiable stealth.
Venomancer's Coil (Epic, Utility/Poison): This was a highly illegal, fragmented Epic artifact component, essentially a gauntlet that contained a dense reservoir of high-tier, complex toxins that could paralyze, corrode, or induce sensory hallucinations. Juts's Goal: To acquire a silent, lethal offense that could neutralize enemies much stronger than himself—a method similar to the poison he used on Salazar.
Mind-Lock Card (Rare, Psychic/Defense): A defensive card that could shield the user's mind from psychic intrusion, manipulation, and high-level sensory filtering (like Specter Sight). Juts's Goal: To build a defense against Dax's omnipresent sensory perception, a final, secret boundary between them.
Juts was not building a tool for hunting; he was building a tool for rebellion. He performed the infusions and bindings in the deepest, most secure vault of Salazar's residence, using the Guild Master's own private, archaic machinery, which was beyond the monitoring capabilities of the Central Authority.
The transformations were slow but absolute. The Chameleon Essence settled under his skin, granting him a ghostly shimmer. The Venomancer's Coil permanently discolored the skin on his left forearm, a visible, pulsing dark blue—a terrifying counterpart to Dax's electrically charged Epic Gauntlet.
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With his new arsenal, Juts attempted the ultimate test of his independence. He focused the Mind-Lock Card and activated the Chameleon Essence. He then walked through the Guild Hall—a building where every movement was theoretically monitored by Dax's surveillance protocols.
He moved silently, invisibly, watching the Guild Master cower at his desk, watching the low-rank hunters scurry away from Salazar's office. He reached the master surveillance console Dax used and saw the blinking, constant data from Solaria—the reports of the Summoner's Bell incident and the effortless defeat of the Ironclad Behemoth.
Dax was a phenomenon. Dax was a god.
Juts stood in front of the master monitor, invisible, shielded, and deadly. He activated the Venomancer's Coil, letting the paralyzing fumes wick into the air. He could wipe out the entire Guild Hall in a silent, unseen attack. He had the power.
But he didn't. He looked at the live feed from the Solaria Archon Square, where the cleanup was still underway.
I am invisible to the Grand Guild, but am I invisible to Dax?
Juts performed one final, terrifying check. He accessed the private log Dax kept on the Vigan Guild Master—a log that detailed every administrative failure and minor act of defiance. He scrolled through the entries and found a brief, recent addition, encrypted but accessible:
Vigan Local Asset J. - Increased spending on 'specialized exotic material.' High probability of Chameleon Essence acquisition. Monitor energy dispersal near Salazar Vault. Status: Contingency Activated.
The blood drained from Juts's face. Dax had not only known about his actions; he had anticipated them. The "Mind-Lock" and "Invisibility" were meaningless. Dax had placed a marker on his twin the moment he gave him the money.
The jealousy curdled into pure, ice-cold hatred. Dax hadn't just secured him; Dax had owned him, seeing him as a predictable variable in his massive game.
You think you know me, Dax? You think I'm just a predictable pawn?
Juts deactivated his essence and slipped back into the mansion, his heart a cold stone of rage. He would not just acquire power; he would use it to prove he was the one unpredictable element Dax had overlooked. The only person Dax truly cared about—his brother—was now the one factor he could no longer control. The stage was set for an internal reckoning.