The forest had begun to heal, but the air still remembered the fire.
Ash clung to the earth in pale drifts. The wind carried the scent of smoke and burnt resin. The morning sun looked weak through the haze — a dull orange sphere struggling to pierce the gloom.
Hunnt stood in the clearing barefoot, his armor stripped off, his shirt torn at the seams. His body still felt heavy from the battle, every movement dragging against exhaustion. Yet his mind refused rest.
He needed to understand that moment.
The moment when the wyvern's eyes had faltered — not from pain, but from something deeper.
The instant when the air itself had bent under his will.
He took a slow breath, steadying his stance. "Easy," he whispered. "Control it this time."
He closed his eyes.
At first, there was only silence — his breathing, the faint hum of wind. Then, deep within, he felt it: that faint rhythm beneath his skin. A pulse that wasn't heartbeat, but presence.
He reached for it carefully. It responded instantly, flickering like lightning under his ribs.
The air thickened. Dust stirred around him.
Hunnt's brow furrowed. "Too much—"
The world buckled.
A shockwave burst outward, silent and sudden. Ash lifted into the air, spiraling in a ring around him.
He stumbled backward, chest tight, breath torn short. "Not again…"
Then he heard a weak voice behind him.
"Ny—ah!"
Hunnt turned.
Pyro was down on one knee, paw pressed to his chest. His fur stood on end, tail rigid. The small Palico's eyes were wide and trembling.
Hunnt rushed forward, catching him before he fell completely. "Pyro!"
The little hunter gasped for breath. "M–Master… what is this… pressure…? It's not like before. It's heavier… alive."
Hunnt froze. He could feel it too — that same suffocating aura pressing down on them both, flowing from him. He forced his breath slow, grounding himself, letting the pulse fade.
The weight began to lift. Pyro slumped weakly against him, chest rising and falling in uneven rhythm.
"Breathe slow," Hunnt murmured. "It's fading."
Pyro's voice came out small. "It felt like the world forgot how to breathe, nya…"
Hunnt's jaw tightened. "You felt it because of me."
He helped Pyro sit up, steadying him. The Palico's ears twitched, still disoriented. "That wasn't like the pressure from before… not like when you use Haki."
Hunnt looked away, guilt heavy in his tone. "It wasn't."
He stared down at his trembling hands, the faint afterglow still flickering beneath his skin.
"I knew of it… once. From before this world. But feeling it is something else entirely."
Pyro blinked, confusion replacing fear. "What are you talking about, nya?"
Hunnt exhaled slowly. "You know there are two kinds of Haki — the ones we train: Armament to harden, Observation to sense."
Pyro nodded, rubbing his chest. "Aye. I can only use Observation. Armament eats too much stamina for me."
Hunnt's voice lowered. "There's one more. A rare kind — rarer than any other. Something that can't be taught or copied. I'd only ever heard about it before I came here."
He lifted his gaze, eyes sharp with quiet awe. "Conqueror's Haki."
Pyro blinked. "Con… what?"
Hunnt took a slow breath. "They call it the King's Will. It's not about strength or skill — it's pure spirit. The power to overwhelm the world itself with your presence. When unleashed, it forces anything weaker to bow or break."
Pyro's fur bristled. "So that's why it felt alive… It wasn't magic or energy — it was you."
Hunnt nodded. "It's the reason the wyvern ran. It didn't see power — it felt something older. Dominance. The kind that comes from will alone."
Pyro looked down, tail twitching uneasily. "I don't like it, nya. Feels… wrong. Like it doesn't belong in this world."
Hunnt's expression softened. "It doesn't. Not naturally. That's why it's dangerous. I wasn't ready to use it — and I nearly crushed you because of it."
Pyro sighed, still dazed but smiling faintly. "You didn't crush me, Master. You just… flattened me a little."
Hunnt chuckled quietly. "Still not ideal."
The humor broke the tension just enough to breathe again.
---
The rest of the morning passed in recovery. Hunnt stayed at the center of the clearing, kneeling with his palms pressed against the earth. He listened — to the rhythm of wind, to his breath, to the quiet hum within.
Each time the pulse stirred, he pulled it back. Controlled breathing. Small steps.
Pyro watched from the edge of the camp, still sitting on a stone. "If you explode again, I'm building a bunker, nya."
Hunnt smiled faintly. "If I explode again, there won't be much left to hide under."
Pyro flicked his tail. "Good point. Then I'll just start running first."
By midday, the tremors around Hunnt had stopped. His body trembled from exhaustion, but his breathing was calm. The faint heat of energy within him now hummed softly — quiet, waiting, obedient.
He exhaled. "Better."
Pyro blinked. "No earthquakes this time. Guess that's progress."
Hunnt nodded. "Control starts small."
---
That evening, under a silver sky, they sat beside a modest fire. The stars shone faintly through the haze, light returning to a wounded world.
Pyro poked the embers with a stick, glancing at him. "So, this Conqueror's thing… it's not something anyone can learn?"
Hunnt shook his head. "No. It's not taught. It's awakened — and it consumes a lot of stamina to control. More than any other form of Haki."
Pyro tilted his head. "So you've got all three now, nya. Observation, Armament, and this… King's Will. That's a lot of fire to handle."
Hunnt smiled faintly. "And a lot of responsibility. Power like this doesn't mean dominance. It means restraint."
Pyro gave a soft, approving hum. "Sounds like something Granma Mel would've said."
Hunnt chuckled quietly. "She'd probably hit me with her broom if she saw me lose control like that."
Pyro grinned, ears twitching. "Then let's train till she'd be proud, nya."
Hunnt's eyes softened. "Yeah. We will."
The fire crackled between them, warm and steady.
Hunnt closed his eyes, whispering to himself, "Control it. Don't let it define me."
The flames flickered, bending slightly in his direction — as if they understood.