The doors of the med station slid open with a soft hiss, and Belial stepped out into the corridor. His sharp gaze immediately landed on Xin, who stood a few paces away with his arms crossed. A faint smile tugged at the corner of Xin's lips.
"Hey," Xin called out, his voice light but carrying a thread of concern. "You feeling okay? Nothing out of place?"
Belial stretched his arms, rolling his shoulders as a soft groan slipped from his mouth. "I'm fine. Just a little stiff from all that sleeping."
Xin's brow knitted slightly. "What happened in there? The monsters weren't that strong."
Belial paused. His expression darkened, shadows of the memory flickering behind his eyes. "Yeah, but there was—"
A sharp voice interrupted him.
"Mr. Belial and Mr. Xin."
Both turned. A woman in a crisp, tailored black suit approached them, the clicking of her heels sharp and unwavering against the polished floor. Her posture was rigid, her tone precise and commanding.
"Please follow me. You've been summoned by the president."
Belial and Xin exchanged puzzled glances. Without another word, the woman turned on her heel and began ascending a staircase nearby, her pace brisk and unapologetic.
The two followed in silence, their boots tapping softly against each step. With each floor they passed, the tension between them thickened, neither voicing the questions hanging in the air.
By the time they reached the seventh floor, Belial's curiosity had twisted into something heavier, a tight coil of unease sitting in his chest. The room they entered was spacious and quiet, and the air carried the weight of authority.
"Please, take a seat."
The voice was calm, smooth, but carried an undeniable gravity. Seated at the head of the room was Cole Blackburn. His amber eyes held them both in place. "I am Cole Blackburn, the leader of this guild. And this is Leah, the person who cured you."
Leah stood nearby, a warm smile lighting up her face. Her large black afro framed her features, a soft contrast to the stern mood. "I was happy to help," she said gently. "I'm just glad you're both okay."
Belial and Xin looked at each other, eyebrows raised. The name Cole Blackburn was familiar, a name spoken in the halls of power and whispers of war, but seeing him now gave the name a presence they hadn't expected. Leah, though unknown, gave off a warmth that eased the tightness in the room.
Belial leaned forward slightly, cautious. "Thanks for inviting us, but why did you bring us here?"
Cole reclined slightly in his seat, eyes narrowing just a touch. "Leah mentioned she found abnormal ogre blood on you. May I ask what exactly happened in the woods?"
Belial took in a deep breath, nodding slowly. Then he began. He spoke of the registration mission, the gathering of materials, the pit of quicksand that separated him from Xin. He told them about the hidden dungeon, the swarm of creatures, and the ogre unlike anything he had seen before. His voice grew quieter when he described the fight—how it felt like something ancient had looked back at him from behind the monster's eyes.
Cole remained still throughout, watching with the focus of a predator. When Belial finished, Leah stepped forward, her voice quick with urgency.
"Do you understand what this could mean?" she asked. Her eyes lit with both awe and concern. "This ogre might be a completely new species or even a hybrid. It's worth investigating."
Cole gave a slow nod, fingers steepled beneath his chin. "I agree. This warrants a closer look. I'll send a team to investigate the area."
A strange thrill surged in Belial's chest. Something about the idea of their near-death ordeal turning into a discovery stirred a sense of purpose in him.
Cole stood and extended a hand toward Belial. "Is there anything else you can remember about the creature?"
Belial rose and met the guild leader's grip with his own, firm and steady. "It had stitching all over its body. And a red gem in the center of its chest. That's all I saw."
A silence fell over the room. Heavy. Still.
Then the air shifted.
It wasn't a breeze, but a pressure. The heat in the room seemed to rise, faint at first, then slowly more intense. Belial felt it in his chest. Xin shifted beside him. The change was subtle, but unmistakable.
Cole didn't speak.
His face twitched, ever so slightly.
Then the muscles in his jaw clenched, and the veins along his neck began to rise. His amber eyes darkened, gold flickering at the edges like sunlight barely restrained behind clouds. The hand that had just gripped Belial's now curled into a tight fist at his side.
Xin spoke cautiously, his voice low. "Mr. Blackburn… is everything alright?"
Cole didn't answer immediately.
When he did speak, it was through clenched teeth. "He escaped. From purgatory."
The words hit like a weight dropped in water, rippling out and pulling the silence tighter.
Leah stepped forward, alarmed. She placed a hand gently on Cole's arm. "Cole," she whispered, "calm down. There are children here."
For a moment, Cole didn't respond. His face was a mask of restraint. The heat in the room lingered, wrapped around them like a coiled beast.
Then, slowly, he exhaled. A long, weary breath. He removed his glasses and rubbed at his eyes with a trembling hand, like he could scrub the past from behind them.
When he spoke again, his voice had changed. No longer brimming with rage, but weighted with memory.
"His name is Alexander. One of the first members of this guild. He was appointed as vice president shortly after it was formed."
Belial and Xin paid close attention as Cole recounted the story of Lex. His voice was steady, but there was a sorrow in his words, something unspoken that ran deeper than the facts.
"He was one of the best," Cole said, his gaze distant. "Not just strong—brilliant. A natural leader. People followed him because they believed in him." He paused, his jaw tightening before continuing. "But he returned from one of his trips… different. Withdrawn. Brooding. He stopped smiling. Wouldn't talk to anyone."
Belial's brows drew together as the atmosphere thickened, the light from the office windows seeming to dim under the weight of the tale.
"The man who came back wasn't Lex anymore. Whatever he saw, whatever happened out there, it broke something inside him."
A silence passed. Then Cole's voice dropped, tight and bitter.
"He came back, killed a fellow guild member, and vanished. All within one week."
It hit like a hammer. The air grew dense with gasps and murmurs from the staff nearby. Belial and Xin exchanged a look their eyes wide, expressions unreadable. The truth settled like a stone in their stomachs.
"We have to find him," Cole said finally, steel returning to his voice. "For the safety of everyone, we need to bring him in. Alive, if possible."
A knock on the door interrupted the silence. The guards moved to open it, and a receptionist entered—her voice clean and crisp against the quiet tension.
"Sorry to disturb you, Cole, but I'm here to inform you that the combat test for these two is ready."
Cole nodded, visibly grateful for the interruption. "Thank you, Natalie. They'll be there shortly."
He turned back to them. Some of the fire had left his expression, replaced by a quiet resolve. From the folds of his coat, he produced a small, smooth stone and held it out in his palm.
"If either of you come across Lex… place some of your aura into this. It'll notify me."
Belial accepted the stone with a solemn nod. Xin turned it in his hand, brow raised. "Are you sure this'll work?"
Cole's golden eyes sharpened. "It's new tech. Something I've been developing. It reacts to aura signatures—any interaction with it sends a signal to my device."
They said nothing more. Implications of Cole's trust and the mission ahead hung between them like chains.
Outside, Natalie led them through the back of the guild toward the forest. The hum of insects and rustling leaves replaced the tension of the office, but the heaviness in their chests remained.
At the edge of the trees, she stopped and faced them.
"You have to find and defeat them before time runs out," she said firmly. "No Haxe's allowed. This is your final test. Prove you're worthy of being hunters."
Belial and Xin nodded.
They stood in silence for a moment, staring into the forest's dense undergrowth. The shadows beneath the trees looked like waiting mouths, hungry and silent.
Belial let out a slow sigh. "Guess this is it. You take west. I'll take east."
Xin grinned, that flicker of warmth breaking through. "Good luck."
And without another word, they parted ways—vanishing into the trees, alone.
The hunt had begun.