The outpost's gates groaned open at dawn, spilling hunters into the courtyard where squads assembled for raids. Armor clattered, weapons gleamed, and the smell of oiled steel mixed with morning mist.
Aiden Rael stood apart from the bustle, his wrists wrapped in faintly glowing shackles—runes etched into the metal, pulsing with containment sigils. They weren't physical restraints so much as symbols. Symbols that told every hunter who looked at him: This one is dangerous. Watch him.
Selene was at his side, her cloak drawn close against the chill. She glared openly at the stares and whispers that followed them, but Aiden ignored it. He had learned long ago that hatred was easier to carry in silence.
Still, the weight of the shackles pressed on him—not heavy, but suffocating.
[Eclipse Authority Suppressed: Output reduced to 10%]
Even the System mocked him.
"Move," a sharp voice barked.
Riven Kael stepped into the courtyard, his silver hair immaculate despite the early hour, his polished armor gleaming with the insignia of the Silverfang Guild. A greatsword rested easily across his back, though his gaze promised he needed no weapon to cut down what he despised.
"You're with me today, Rael," Riven said coldly. "Don't slow us down."
Aiden met his eyes, unflinching. "…I'll manage."
Riven's lip curled, but he turned away without another word, striding toward the waiting squad. Hunters fell into formation around him—four elites, their movements sharp, their discipline clear. They followed Riven with the kind of loyalty Aiden had never seen directed at him.
The commander from before appeared, his bandages fresh, his expression grim. "Today's assignment is a controlled raid. D-class rift, stable. Kael's team will lead. Rael will join under observation. Arclight requested assignment as support." His eyes flicked to Selene. "Request approved."
Selene inclined her head, but her hand brushed Aiden's arm briefly—silent reassurance.
Riven's gaze snapped to her. "You volunteered for this? With him?"
"Yes." Her answer was calm but firm.
"You're wasting your talent," Riven sneered. "You could be with any squad, but you chain yourself to a risk."
Selene's violet eyes narrowed. "Maybe I'd rather be chained to someone I trust than led by someone who only trusts himself."
A ripple of tension passed through the courtyard. Aiden almost smiled, but the weight of the shackles kept it from reaching his lips.
"Enough," the commander snapped. "The rift won't wait. Move out."
The D-class dungeon pulsed like a wound in the earth, its portal shimmering with a sickly green light.
Inside, the air was damp and heavy, the ground uneven with jagged stone. Mushrooms glowed faintly along the cavern walls, casting eerie shadows. The dungeon wasn't large, but its silence pressed close, unnatural.
The squad moved with precision—Riven at the front, his greatsword ready; two shieldbearers behind him; Selene at the center with her staff; and Aiden at the rear, unarmed but watched like a prisoner.
The first wave came quickly—twisted lizard-things crawling from the walls, their eyes glowing red. Their screeches pierced the air as they swarmed.
"Formation!" Riven barked.
The shieldbearers locked into place, holding the chokepoint. Blades flashed, Selene's light flared, and the monsters fell one by one. It was efficient, controlled, clinical.
Aiden hung back, fists clenched. He could fight. He wanted to fight. But the shackles buzzed whenever he stirred the fragments inside him, a warning shock that made his teeth ache.
"Pathetic. They cage you like an animal. Tear the chains apart. Show them what you are."
The whispers pressed against his skull, eager.
He ignored them.
When the last lizard fell, the squad regrouped. Not a scratch on them.
"See?" Riven said, his voice sharp as steel. "No need for anomalies." His eyes flicked to Aiden. "Stay at the back, and you might even survive."
Aiden said nothing.
They pushed deeper. The tunnels twisted downward, the air thickening. Faint growls echoed in the dark.
Selene drifted closer to Aiden, her voice low. "You're holding back."
His eyes flicked to her. "…I have to."
"You don't." She glanced at the shackles. "Those don't define you."
"They limit me."
"Then find a way to work around them," she said softly. "That's what hunters do. We adapt."
Before he could answer, the cavern opened into a wide chamber. At its center, a beast crouched—a hulking, four-legged creature, scales glistening black, a maw lined with jagged teeth. Its eyes glowed with the same green as the rift.
"Mid-boss," Riven said, drawing his greatsword. "Formation as before."
The squad surged forward, blades clashing against scales, shields bracing against claws. Selene's light seared through the dark, burning into the creature's hide.
Aiden remained at the rear, shackled, restrained, useless.
But then the beast's tail lashed wide, catching a shieldbearer off guard. The man flew across the chamber, hitting the wall with a sickening crack.
The formation broke.
Riven roared, driving his sword into the beast's flank, but it barely staggered. The second shieldbearer faltered under the pressure. The creature's maw opened, green fire gathering in its throat.
Aiden's blood turned to ice. He had seen this before—back in the nightmare dungeon. The breath that could wipe them all out.
The whispers surged, triumphant.
"Yes. Erase it. Take its fire. Consume."
The shackles burned against his wrists, but Aiden stepped forward. Selene's voice cried out, distant. "Aiden—!"
His hand rose. Shadows coiled from his palm, meeting the monster's breath. The green flame froze mid-air, shattering into fragments of light that spiraled into him. The beast recoiled, roaring in fury.
The shackles cracked, one rune flickering, sputtering.
Riven's eyes widened, but his roar cut through. "Attack!"
The squad surged again. Selene's light flared, guiding their strikes. And Aiden moved—not with claws this time, not fully unleashed, but with fragments slipping past the shackles. His fist drove into the beast's skull, shadow trailing behind. Bone cracked, scales split, and the monster collapsed in a heap.
Silence.
Then whispers—real ones, human ones.
"He did it again.""He stole the breath.""What is he?"
Riven's sword lowered slowly, his expression thunderous. "…You disobeyed orders."
Aiden's jaw tightened. "I saved your life."
"You endangered us all by tampering with whatever corruption that is." Riven's eyes burned. "Next time, I'll cut you down before the monster."
Aiden almost snapped back, but Selene stepped between them.
"He saved us," she said firmly, her voice echoing in the chamber. "Again. Maybe you should learn the difference between danger and the one keeping you alive."
For a moment, the two stared at each other—Riven's pride clashing against Selene's conviction. Finally, with a hiss of frustration, Riven turned away.
"Form up," he barked. "We finish this raid. Then I'm reporting everything to the Guildmaster."
The dungeon collapsed behind them as they emerged into daylight. The survivors carried their injured, their faces weary.
Aiden stood in the open field, breathing hard, the whispers still clawing at him. But Selene was there, steady, her presence holding him tethered.
For the first time since the Eclipse fragments had awoken, he realized something.
The guild feared him. Riven despised him. The whispers tempted him.
But Selene… Selene believed in him.
And that belief was the only thing keeping the abyss at bay.