2025-04-08 23:42:56The first thing Leo felt was the stiffness in his limbs. Then the soft humming of fluorescent lights. The antiseptic scent of the hospital wafted into his nostrils, grounding him in the present. His body was oddly light, and his chest didn’t hurt as much as he expected. He blinked groggily, his vision sharpening just in time to catch sight of Captain Draegon and Vice-Captain Nyx standing at the foot of his bed.
“You’re awake,” Draegon said, voice calm and composed.
Leo opened his mouth to speak, but all that came out was a low groan. His throat was dry, and his head still felt like it had been through a war zone.
Draegon stepped forward and placed a firm hand on Leo’s shoulder, keeping him from sitting up too quickly. “Easy. You’ve been out for two days.”
Leo frowned. “Two days?”
Nyx gave a curt nod. “We found you in the inner floor of a Rift in Darkvale Forest. Barely breathing. Your vitals were a mess, but… now?” She narrowed her eyes slightly. “It’s like your wounds vanished overnight.”
Leo glanced down at his chest and arms. Sure enough, only faint traces of bruises remained. The deep gashes and burns he remembered were completely gone. He blinked. “I… heal fast,” he muttered.
“That fast?” Nyx arched a brow, folding her arms. “You’re just a weak hunter, aren’t you? A level 1 F-class Hunter.”
Leo bristled. “You got a problem with that?”
Nyx shrugged. “Just wondering what a low-rank like you was doing alone in a place known for swallowing experienced scouts whole.”
Draegon sighed. “Nyx.”
She rolled her eyes but said nothing more. Draegon turned his attention back to Leo and offered an apologetic tilt of his head. “Forgive her. She doesn’t mean offense. She's just direct.”
Leo exhaled sharply. “It’s fine.” He paused, then smirked faintly. “I haven’t been mischievous in a while… figured I’d take a stroll. Except Liora and her little fan club thought it’d be funny to lead me into the forest and leave me there to die.” Well, he didn't lie. While he had been unconscious, memories of the original Leonis had wafted into his head.
Nyx’s eyes widened slightly, but Draegon’s expression darkened with quiet fury. “Liora did that?”
Leo nodded. “She and her minions. Thought it was some kind of joke, I guess.”
“I’ll deal with it,” Draegon said firmly. “That kind of behavior won’t be tolerated.” Apparently, Liora was his younger sister.
There was a beat of silence before Draegon straightened. “Leo… when we found you, there were corpses. Nightscale Crawlers—wiped out. Not just dead… mutilated. Almost surgical. It wasn’t the work of beasts or traps.”
Leo’s fingers tightened around the bedsheet.
“Was it you?” Draegon asked softly, his gaze unwavering. “Did you take them down?”
Leo’s pulse quickened. His mind spiraled—what would they do if they found out the truth? Would they keep him for questioning? Detain him? Experiment on him?
He looked away.
Silence stretched long between them.
Draegon finally sighed. “You don’t have to say anything. If it was you, we’ll keep your secret. Officially, I’ll report it as the work of a mysterious passerby. But… Leo,” he added, voice lower, “be careful. Whatever happened out there… it wasn’t normal. And let's just hope the news hasn't gotten to the ears of the government.”
Leo swallowed hard, saying nothing.
Then—
A knock echoed from the door.
It wasn’t the gentle kind meant to announce a visitor. It was slow. Measured. As though whoever stood on the other side already owned the room.
Draegon and Nyx exchanged a glance.
A nurse peeked in, her smile uneasy. “Captain Draegon? Sorry to interrupt, but someone’s here to see the patient.”
Draegon’s brow furrowed. “Who?”
Before the nurse could answer, the door creaked open wider, revealing a silhouette that didn’t belong in a hospital.
Bootsteps clicked softly against the tiled floor.
The man who entered was tall and composed, his frame wrapped in a charcoal-grey coat tailored to precision. His boots were spotless. A silver insignia glinted from his lapel—a stylized eye encircled by three thorns.
The mark of the Central Government Guild.
The air in the room shifted.
Nyx’s stance changed in an instant—her hand drifting toward the hilt at her hip. Her eyes locked onto the intruder with deadly calculation.
“Stop,” the man said smoothly, voice laced with velvet steel. “No need for that. I’m not here to fight.”
Draegon stepped forward, protective, but calm. “State your name and purpose.”
The man offered a polite smile that never quite reached his eyes. “Kale Valen. Representative of the Central Guild’s Investigations Division.”
He turned to Leo with the quiet deliberation of a man who had read every file and already judged the contents. His gaze pinned Leo in place like a specimen under glass.
“We’ve heard whispers about your… survival in Darkvale. A weak Hunter who walked out of the Rift alive—and left Nightscale Crawlers in pieces. That’s... not something we ignore.”
Leo’s stomach dropped, not in fear but in rage. "What is with these people calling me weak?" He thought.
“We’d like to ask you a few questions,” Kale continued, tone light but layered with authority. “Officially. You’ll be taken to Central. Cooperate, and it won’t have to be difficult.”
“No,” Draegon said sharply, stepping forward. “He’s still recovering—”
“With all due respect, Captain,” Kale cut in, producing a sealed document from inside his coat. He handed it over without fanfare. “The Guild’s authority supersedes all ranks, including yours. We have clearance.”
Nyx cursed under her breath. “Bureaucratic snakes.”
Draegon unfolded the warrant. His jaw tensed, but he said nothing.
Leo sat motionless, eyes fixed on Kale, who now smiled as if everything had already been decided.
“We leave in an hour,” Kale said.
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