Kael pushed through the dark oppressive interior of the dungeon, shuddering at the first touch of morning air as if it stabbed his senses awake. His boots clicked on cracked stone as he went toward the door, running all the awful moments of the past hours back and forth inside his head like a nightmare from which he could not wake.
The beast. The power. The rift.
And above all these, the voice.
Do you want power?
It all felt very surreal, as if out of a dream or some such thing. He hardly noticed the gnawing ache in his muscles or the heaviness in his limbs. All he cared for was the explanation he was going to need to give of this—what kind of tale he would spin when he returned to the guild. They were bound to pester him with questions. The guild would all over him, peppering him with questions.
He moved into the light, and his body twitched spasmodically at its brightness. He had lost track of time in the oppressive darkness below, the weight of his armor still heavy with the remnants of battle, but his body miraculously unscathed felt unnervingly whole, as though the pain and wounds had never existed
He began to think about those system messages-the ones that came after he killed the monster. The abilities. The strength. He was completely lost on what any of it even meant. Predatory Instinct, Crimson Veil, Reclamation—none of that spoke to him. And that sword that appeared in his hand? Yeah, that vanished the moment the fight was over. It was like it didn't even happen.
But it wasn't the worst of it. The worst of it was the truth. What was he going to tell them?
It took some quick thinking, though. Kael clenched his fists again, anger wanting to burst through his veins. He certainly could not go there; he had far too many admissions to make himself. For starters, the fact that the leader had rescued him? Or rather, he'd been weak, slow, just standing around there while the others were all dying? At least for the guild, perhaps.
Kael," he murmured to himself, his voice a stranger's. "Just say the leader did it. They're not going to believe you anyway.".
Kael nodded to himself. It wasn't entirely a lie. The team had been destroyed, and he alone had made it out, haunted by their absence, the weight of survival pressing heavily on his shoulders. The leader had given him the chance to escape—hadn't he? The words of his fallen team echoed in his mind, the taunts and sneers from the guild, but he swallowed them all down. There was no room for guilt. Not now.
He could see in the distance the tall guild building. He had been there so many times before, but today was unlike any other: a stifling heaviness in his chest, a feeling as if every breath could break him, the air was full of tension. He was not going to face his guildmates; he was going to face the Guild Leader, who might change everything.
His legs weighed like lead as he grasped the huge, wooden doors and swung them wide to enter the lobby. The receptionist, a young green-eyed girl looked up from her desk, paused, her eyes shifting from the blood-stained armor to Kael's face. Her mouth opened slightly as if to speak but then she faltered into silence.
"Kael…" she said slowly. "What in heaven and earth happened down there? Where is everybody?
Kael felt a lump form in his throat. He swallowed hard, trying to keep himself composed. "The mission didn't go as planned. The team… they didn't make it. I was the only one who escaped."
The receptionist blinked, her face showing nothing. She got up from her desk and waved him toward the back door. "Hold up. I'll let the Guild Leader know.".
So Kael just sort of lingers around the lobby, kinda zoning out as he surveys the place, and he knew that the receptionist was staring at him. She did not say a word more, but that silence was super deafening. He knew what they were thinking. He was the weakest link-a bad E-Rank hunter who couldn't even protect his team.
It is, man, an eternity for one minute. Well, then suddenly, finally the door to the Guild Leader office opened and into the room strides this tall guy who looked quite threatening. His face was worried and you could literally see the flames of anger on his eyes.
"Kael Eryndor," the Guild Leader said lowly and seriously, "explain yourself".
Kael felt his face growing red with heat, but he didn't back off. He focused straight at the Guild Leader and held on to what little confidence he had left. "It was just too much. We were totally outmatched. I couldn't do a thing. The team. they're gone. The leader told me to run, so I did.".
The Guild Leader squinted at him. "Oh really?" He crossed his arms, looking super frustrated. "So you're saying you were the only one who got away? And your team leader told you to bail while they were fighting?"
Kael nodded, even though he felt like he was about to choke on the lies. "Yeah. I. I did what I had to do."
The Guild Leader's face got even darker. "You're lying.
The words hit Kael like a slap, but he didn't budge. He'd heard it all before—that he was worthless, just a weakling and a failure. He had nothing more to lose.
"What?" Kael shot back, his voice getting louder. "I'm not making this up. I—I was the last one standing. The beast was just too powerful, and—"
No," The Guild Leader's voice snapped sharp, cutting off Kael. "I don't care what tale you've spun for yourself. I know you, Kael. You were always at the bottom, barely hanging in. And you expect them to believe you survived something like this?
Kael gasped for breath, his chest heaving violently. Anger began to churn, but there was something else going on, bubbling up—fear of the kind you get when the last hope the last shred of dignity you cling to is snatched away from you.
The Guild Leader took another step closer. His eyes were glacial. "You deserted your team, Kael. You left them to die. You were a coward, and you are no longer welcome here."
Kael's stomach churned as the words became clear. He felt the weight of the condemnation of the Guild Leader crush down on him, but he could not find the words to say anything. He had no defense. The truth, the real truth, was too dangerous to tell.
"Grab your stuff," the Guild Leader said. "You're outta here. Go."
Kael didn't say a word, didn't budge. He just turned and headed for the door, his boots making noise in the quiet.
The outside world felt like some far-off memory, like an old dream slipping away with each step he took.
He had nothing left. No guild. No team. No future.
Yet with the cool breeze blowing through his hair as he strode down the roads, Kael's fingers reached out and gripped the now-empty space in his pocket, where the sword had once nestled. It was gone, yet he could feel it-the power-and it seemed to be welling up within him, carrying him forward.
The road wasn't clear; one thing remained certain, though.
Kael Eryndor wasn't finished.