The dungeon's shattered gate dissolved behind them, fragments of obsidian light scattering into the night air. The survivors staggered into the open field, their faces pale, their armor broken. The moon hung high, indifferent to the blood that dripped into the grass.
Aiden Rael followed at the back, Selene Arclight at his side, her hand steady on his arm. His legs felt like lead. Every step sent pain racing through his body, the fragments of power thrumming in his veins like restless embers. His vision blurred, and in the haze, words flickered at the edges of his mind.
[Synchronization: 1%][Warning: Eclipse Authority unstable. Further use risks corruption.]
He clenched his jaw, forcing himself to remain upright. The others already looked at him as if he were something monstrous; he couldn't afford to collapse now.
The guild's field camp sprawled at the edge of the forest—tents glowing with lanternlight, healers rushing between the injured. The survivors were ushered toward the medics, but one figure broke away from the crowd, his armor battered but his bearing unbowed.
The raid commander.
His eyes, sharp and unwavering despite the blood seeping through his bandages, locked onto Aiden.
"You," he said, his voice hoarse but edged with iron. "With me. Now."
Selene immediately stepped forward. "He needs rest. You saw what he—"
The commander's tone cut through her protest like a blade. "We all need rest. But until I understand what in the hells happened in there, no one rests easy. He comes with me."
Aiden exhaled slowly. Part of him wanted to refuse, to collapse in the grass and let the whispers devour him. But he understood. The commander wasn't wrong—his power was dangerous. Unfamiliar. Terrifying. And if the guild suspected too much, it could cost him more than his life.
So he nodded. "…Fine."
Selene shot him a look, worry plain in her violet eyes, but said nothing more as she fell into step beside him. She would not let them separate her from him—not tonight.
They gathered around the embers of a firepit, the flames low but steady. The remaining hunters formed a loose circle, their faces grim. Some had lost friends in that dungeon. All of them had seen what Aiden had done.
The commander sat opposite him, his expression carved from stone.
"Talk," he demanded. "What did you do in there? No one just—" his voice faltered, then hardened again "—erases a monster's breath and rips apart its body with claws that weren't human. What are you, Rael?"
The murmurs began immediately.
"He's not normal.""Did you see his veins? Black as ash.""Maybe he's… one of them."
The word hung unspoken but clear: Abyssal.
Aiden's stomach twisted. He could tell the truth—about the Eclipse Authority, about the fragments, about the System whispering in his head. But the moment he did, he would become a specimen. The guild would lock him away, dissect him, or worse.
So he forced his expression flat. "…I don't know."
A ripple of disbelief ran through the hunters.
The commander narrowed his eyes. "Convenient."
Selene's voice rose before he could push further. "Convenient? He saved us. Every single one of us would be lying dead in that cavern if it weren't for him."
Her words carried weight. Even the whispers quieted for a moment.
The commander's jaw flexed. "Maybe so. But power like that isn't free. If he loses control, he's a danger to everyone."
Aiden met his gaze. "Then you'll have to kill me."
The camp went silent. Even the fire seemed to hush.
The commander studied him for a long moment, then finally leaned back with a grunt. "Fine. Keep your secrets. But know this, Rael—if you endanger my people, if you turn on us, I'll put you down without hesitation."
"…Fair enough."
The tension lingered like smoke, but no one argued.
Later, after the fire had dwindled and most of the hunters had collapsed into uneasy sleep, Aiden sat at the edge of camp, staring into the forest. The night air was cool, but his body burned.
"Weak. They doubt you. Erase them, and you will never have to fear them again."
"Her too. Even she will turn on you when the time comes. Why wait? End it now."
He pressed his palms against his eyes, teeth grinding. The voices clawed at him, promising, tempting, demanding.
"Rael?"
Selene's voice was soft, but it broke through the fog. She knelt beside him, her silver hair catching the moonlight. Her gaze found his hands trembling in the dark.
"You're shaking."
"I'm fine." The lie tasted bitter.
Her hand touched his. Warm. Steady. "You don't have to lie to me."
The whispers hissed, recoiling faintly at her touch. The pressure in his skull eased, if only slightly.
He exhaled, shuddering. "…When you touched me, back there in the dungeon, it stopped. The voice. Just for a moment."
Selene blinked. "Voice?"
He hesitated. Telling her was dangerous. But hiding it felt worse.
"It talks to me," he said finally, his voice raw. "The power. Like it's alive. It wants me to… erase. Everything."
Her breath caught.
"I can't control it for long," he admitted. "Every time I use it, I feel like I'm slipping further. Like I'm… not me anymore."
For a moment, she said nothing. Then her grip on his hand tightened.
"Then let me help you control it."
He stared at her, stunned. "You saw what I did. You should be afraid of me."
"I am," she said softly. "But I'm more afraid of what will happen if you face it alone."
Her violet eyes held his, unwavering. "You're still you, Rael. And if my light can quiet that voice, then I'll stay by your side. Always."
Something cracked inside him—not the corruption, but the wall he had built around himself for years. He swallowed hard, unable to speak, but her words rooted deep.
For the first time since awakening, he felt hope.
Dawn broke. The guild's reinforcements arrived: armored hunters bearing the insignia of the Silverfang Guild, their presence heavy with authority. They took the survivors into custody, binding wounds and gathering reports.
When they came to Aiden, they didn't treat him as a survivor. They treated him as a threat.
"You'll come with us," one of them said curtly, his gauntleted hand clamping on Aiden's shoulder. "The Guildmaster will want answers."
Selene moved immediately, placing herself between them. "He's injured. He needs a healer before anything else."
The hunter sneered. "If he's what the commander says he is, he's not just injured. He's unstable." His hand drifted to the blade at his hip. "Best we find out now if he's dangerous."
The whispers surged in Aiden's head, eager, hungry.
"Erase him. Take his strength. Do it. Do it now."
His vision darkened. He could already imagine the hunter dissolving into fragments, power flowing into his veins—
"Aiden."
Selene's hand pressed against his chest, over his heart. Her voice was firm, grounding. "Stay with me."
The whispers faltered.
Aiden drew a shaky breath and met the enforcer's glare. "…I'll answer to the Guildmaster. Not to you."
The enforcer's lips curled, but Selene's eyes never left him, unwavering. Finally, with a grunt, the man stepped back.
Hours later, in the guild outpost's stone hall, Aiden stood before a long table where guild officials sat. Their robes marked them as bureaucrats, not hunters, but their eyes were no less sharp.
The commander gave his report first—flat, factual, and damning. A C-rank raid gone wrong. Casualties. A porter who erased an A-rank monster's attack and killed it with powers unseen.
Murmurs rose among the officials. Some were wary, others intrigued. One leaned forward, eyes gleaming.
"Such power could be… valuable, if contained."
Another scowled. "Or catastrophic, if left unchecked."
Aiden said nothing. The whispers churned, urging him to erase the table, the officials, the whole damned hall. But Selene stood behind him, her presence steady, her light brushing against his shadow. He held on.
Finally, the lead official spoke. "Aiden Rael. Until the Guildmaster himself evaluates you, you will be classified as an Anomalous Hunter. Restricted movements. Supervised raids only. One wrong step, and you'll be purged. Do you understand?"
Aiden's fists clenched. He hated the leash, the suspicion, the chains already tightening around him.
But he also saw Selene's face—calm, resolute, standing by him despite the risks.
"…I understand."
That night, in the quarters they had been assigned, Aiden lay awake, staring at the ceiling. The whispers were quieter now, but never gone.
Selene's voice drifted from the other bed. "You shouldn't have to carry this alone."
"I don't have a choice," he murmured.
"You do." Her tone was soft but firm. "You chose to save us instead of giving in. You chose to resist that voice. That means you can keep choosing. And I'll be here every time you need to remember who you are."
He turned his head. She was watching him, moonlight spilling through the window and catching in her hair.
Something unspoken hung between them, fragile but undeniable.
For the first time in years, Aiden didn't feel like a porter, or a failure, or even a monster. He felt… seen.
And that terrified him more than the abyss.