Chapter 14: The Hunter's Shadow
The dense forest stretched endlessly before them, the towering trees twisting like gnarled fingers against the gray sky. Raviel and Horizon moved cautiously, the damp earth muffling their footsteps.
They had escaped the hunters for now, but the weight of the Celestial Court's bounty loomed over them.
"So," Horizon mused, stretching his arms. "Are we just going to wander around, or do we actually have a plan?"
"Find shelter. Regain strength. Keep moving west," Raviel answered. His voice was calm, but his mind was already calculating their next steps.
Horizon sighed dramatically. "You make it sound so boring. No grand schemes? No dramatic duels?"
Raviel glanced at him. "You want a dramatic duel?"
"Not really," Horizon grinned. "Just making sure you're still fun."
But before Raviel could reply, his instincts flared—a presence, sharp and suffocating, brushed against his senses.
They weren't alone.
---
Chapter 26: The First Trial
A chilling wind swept through the trees.
Then—a voice.
"You run well for a pair of fugitives."
From the shadows, a lone figure stepped forward. Clad in a dark, rune-engraved cloak, his presence was overwhelming—not just in strength, but in authority.
A hunter.
No.
A Hellborn-ranked enforcer of the Celestial Court.
Raviel's muscles tensed. This wasn't a battle they could win.
The air grew heavy. A cold, suffocating pressure pressed down on Raviel's chest, making it hard to breathe. The hunter hadn't even moved, yet the sheer force of his presence felt like an invisible blade pressing against his throat.
Horizon shifted slightly, his eyes flicking toward Raviel. They didn't need words. The situation was bad.
They were facing a Hellborn—a warrior far beyond their current level. Even if they fought with everything they had, victory was impossible.
But winning wasn't the goal. Survival was.
Raviel subtly adjusted his stance, exhaling slowly. His mind worked rapidly, analyzing everything—the terrain, the hunter's posture, the potential escape routes. If brute force wouldn't work, then deception would.
The hunter, still as a statue, studied them both. His voice was calm, almost bored.
"I'll give you one chance. Surrender, and I'll grant you a painless capture."
Horizon scoffed. "Wow, how generous."
The hunter ignored him, his sharp gaze locked onto Raviel. "I know who you are, son of the Demon God. You are a danger to this world. But even threats can be contained."
Raviel felt a twinge of annoyance. Contained? The Celestial Court saw him as some kind of wild beast to be locked away.
He hated that.
But emotions wouldn't win this fight. Strategy would.
His gaze flicked to the ground for a split second—just enough for Horizon to notice. That was the signal.
Horizon grinned.
"Alright, alright," he said, raising his hands in mock surrender. "You got us. We're totally beaten. Might as well come quietly, right?"
The hunter narrowed his eyes, suspicious—but not suspicious enough.
Horizon took a slow step forward.
Another.
And then—
A sharp burst of energy erupted from Raviel's hands. It wasn't an attack, just a blinding surge of darkness, a smokescreen of writhing shadows that engulfed the clearing.
Horizon moved instantly, his speed unnatural as he snatched a handful of dust from the ground and flung it toward the hunter's face. Not magical, not infused with power—just dirt.
It worked.
The hunter flinched, just for a fraction of a second—but that was all they needed.
Raviel and Horizon bolted.
Branches tore at their clothes as they ran, the dense underbrush of the forest threatening to slow them down. But they couldn't stop. Not now.
Behind them, the hunter's voice boomed through the trees.
"Do you think you can escape me?"
A deafening crack—and the next moment, the entire forest lurched. The trees groaned, their trunks splitting apart as an unseen force ripped through them.
Raviel gritted his teeth. Damn it. This hunter wasn't just strong—he could manipulate the environment itself.
"Plan?" Horizon asked, leaping over a fallen tree.
"Keep running," Raviel said.
"I figured that much."
They burst into a small clearing, and for a second, Raviel thought they had a chance.
Then—a shadow moved.
The hunter was already there, standing at the edge of the clearing, completely unharmed.
Horizon exhaled. "Of course. He's fast too. Why wouldn't he be?"
Raviel barely had time to react before the hunter struck out, sending a shockwave of force ripping through the ground. The earth split beneath them, and Raviel felt his footing vanish.
He was falling.
Then—water.
The river swallowed him whole.
The icy rush of water slammed into his lungs, dragging him downward. He struggled, but the current was too strong, pulling him deeper, deeper—
A voice.
"You are not yet ready."
Raviel's vision blurred. Shadows curled around him, whispering, pressing against his skin like they wanted to be let in.
He felt something inside him stir. Something ancient. Something powerful.
But before he could grasp it, the current spat him out, flinging him into a dark cave beneath the riverbank.
He gasped for air, dragging himself onto solid ground. His whole body ached. He had barely survived.
Footsteps.
Horizon appeared at the cave entrance, dripping wet. He flicked water from his hair.
"That," he said, "was the dumbest, most reckless escape I've ever seen."
"It worked," Raviel muttered.
"Yeah, yeah," Horizon waved a hand. "But if you almost drown again, I'm leaving you behind."
Raviel didn't respond. His mind was still on the event which happened when he was inside the water.
He had almost awakened something back there.
And whatever it was… it wasn't done with him yet done with him.