Chapter 4: Chainbreaker
The night had grown still. The streetlights outside flickered softly, casting their pale glow across the narrow windows of Kaela's home. From the guest room, Ryz stood motionless, hands behind his back, watching the world in silence.
There was something calming about the quiet.
Then, without warning, the stillness changed.
A pulse barely noticeable to anyone else rippled through the air. Like a single string of the world had been plucked by a wrong hand.
Ryz's eyes narrowed. He didn't turn his head, but he felt it.
Someone was coming.
Not from the street. From above.
A presence descended from the rooftop quiet, practiced, arrogant.
The window creaked open, and a shadow slipped through.
Draven Voss.
He dropped onto the wooden floor like a predator, dressed in lighter hunter gear this time, boots silent, breath slow.
He stared at Ryz's back, smirking.
"You didn't think we were done, did you?" Draven said.
Ryz turned slowly, face unreadable.
"I told myself I'd leave it," Draven continued, stepping closer, "but the more I thought about it, the more I knew I couldn't let someone like you stay near Kaela."
Ryz remained still. "I haven't harmed her."
Draven scoffed. "No. But you scared me. That wasn't normal."
He raised his gloved hand, where a silver ring glowed faintly.
"Whatever trick you used at the store it ends tonight."
Ryz looked at the ring. "What do you plan to do?"
Draven grinned. "Teach you what fear really is."
In a flash, his hunter ability activated.
Chains of glowing blue energy burst from his hands writhing, living extensions of his will. They coiled through the air with a sharp crack, surrounding Ryz in an instant.
"Chainburst." Draven's voice echoed in the room.
The chains slammed toward Ryz like a thousand whips.
They never touched him.
Just inches away, the chains froze in midair, trembling violently.
Draven's eyes widened. "W-What?"
Ryz had not moved. Hadn't lifted a hand. He only stared.
Then, quietly, the temperature dropped.
The wood beneath Draven's boots creaked.
His breath fogged the air.
"I warned you," Ryz said, voice flat. "But you came anyway."
Draven growled, trying to force the chains forward. "You're not special. I've fought monsters. I've survived S-class tests. You're just—"
"Be quiet."
The chains shattered.
One by one, they broke like glass shards of blue light scattering across the room, disappearing into dust.
Draven staggered backward, hand shaking.
Then, Ryz raised one finger.
"Let me show you," he whispered, "what you really are."
And the room changed.
The world twisted not physically, but within Draven's perception.
He looked down at his hands.
They were old. Wrinkled. Pale and weak.
His joints ached. His breath came slow and shallow.
His body was no longer young.
"What... what is this?" he gasped, backing away.
Ryz stepped forward once. The shadows followed him.
"You hunt because it makes you feel powerful," Ryz said. "You think strength is measured in chains and kills."
Draven fell to one knee, panting.
"But you are a man ruled by fear. By ego. And I could take it all from you."
Ryz raised his other hand.
The badge of Hollow Fangs on Draven's chest turned black.
Then it disintegrated.
Draven screamed as his body rippled again his aura vanishing, his power hollowing out, like a well running dry.
"No... no, my rank—my license—what did you—?!"
"You never had control," Ryz said coldly. "Only borrowed strength."
Tears welled in Draven's eyes not from pain, but from panic. "Please... I didn't mean to... I just... Kaela—"
Ryz stood over him now.
His shadow covered the man completely.
The mist behind his eyes glimmered like the void between stars.
And then
He blinked.
Everything reset.
Draven lay on the floor young again, body whole, badge intact.
He blinked, confused, as if waking from a strange dream.
Ryz crouched beside him, watching.
"You'll forget this," he whispered. "Because I choose to let you go."
He placed two fingers against Draven's temple.
The hunter's eyes rolled back and then gently shut.
---
Minutes passed.
Draven awoke on the rooftop outside, leaning against a pipe. The moon was high, and a dull ache filled his head.
"Ugh... what the hell happened?"
He rubbed his face. "Was I drinking?"
His memories from the past hour were gone.
He stood, groaned, and started walking off across the roof, muttering about headaches and sleep.
Back in the room, Ryz closed the window.
The mist inside him whispered again wanting more. Demanding more.
But he stayed silent, letting the stillness return.
He didn't enjoy showing his power. Not anymore.
But people like Draven—they made it necessary.
---
Kaela returned earlier than expected.
She stepped into the house with a small sigh, rubbing her temples. The smell of antiseptic clung to her uniform, and her hair was slightly out of place.
"Ryz?" she called.
He was already coming down the stairs, composed as always.
Kaela raised an eyebrow. "You look like you just saw a ghost."
"I was looking at the sky."
She gave him a look. "That's what you always say when you're being weird."
He said nothing, but there was something in his eyes faint, buried, distant.
Kaela slumped onto the couch. "God, what a day. Someone tried to sell me 'gate monster horns' at the hospital parking lot. Can you believe that?"
"Are they real?" Ryz asked.
"I hope not." She leaned her head back. "Those things are illegal if they're harvested wrong. There's rules now, you know. Monster parts, gate residue, even weird materials they all need to be processed by registered guild labs. People think they're hunters just because they swing a knife."
Her words trailed off as she turned toward him.
"You're quiet tonight."
"I usually am."
"No, I mean… colder. Like you're holding something back."
He paused.
Then, very quietly: "Someone came here."
Kaela sat up straighter. "Who?"
Ryz didn't answer immediately. "Your brother."
Kaela groaned, covering her face. "Don't tell me he showed up again to lecture you."
"No. He tried something. I stopped him."
She blinked. "He attacked you?"
Ryz didn't nod, but didn't deny it either.
Kaela was already getting up. "I'll kill him. I swear, if he laid a finger on you—"
"He's fine. He won't remember it."
She froze. "What?"
Ryz looked out the window.
"I made sure he wouldn't remember anything."
Kaela stared at him.
For the first time since she'd met him, she didn't have a sarcastic remark or frustrated rant. Just quiet.
"…Okay," she said eventually. "I don't want to know more."
"You shouldn't."
She sat back down, slower this time.
"Are you… angry?" she asked.
"No."
"Then what are you?"
Ryz closed his eyes. The mist inside him was quiet, but not satisfied. It always wanted more.
"Still tired," he said.
Kaela studied him for a long moment. The silence stretched.
Then, with a sigh, she leaned her head against the side of the couch.
"You're weird," she murmured.
He looked at her.
"But… you don't scare me."
He said nothing.
She glanced up at him again.
"You want to stay, right?"
"…Yes."
"Then don't destroy anything. I'll handle the rest."
He gave the faintest nod.
She drifted into sleep shortly after, half curled on the couch.
Ryz sat beside the window again, staring out into the night.
Even with the mist calm, even with the danger passed… he felt something shift in the wind.
This world wouldn't let him live quietly for long.