The city had never felt so heavy. Even the bright morning sun couldn't lift the weight pressing down on my chest. Every alley, every flicker of movement, whispered reminders of the life I'd lost—and the reckoning I still owed the world.
I tightened the straps on my worn leather armor, feeling the familiar pulse of Soul Resonance thrum beneath my skin. My rank: still D. Far from the power I once wielded as an SSS hunter. But I could feel the change coming. Every fight, every scar, every sleepless night was shaping me back into the man I was meant to be.
My thoughts flickered to the Silent Serpents—the shadowy faction that had betrayed me so long ago. They were no longer just a threat lurking in the distance. They were the axis upon which my entire fate would turn. Revenge wasn't just a goal; it was the fire igniting every ounce of my being.
Today, I wasn't hunting petty thieves or goblins. I was moving toward my first real lead—an informant rumored to hold secrets about the Serpents' movements.
The market district buzzed with life, the usual chaos masking the undercurrents of danger. I kept my hood low and my gaze sharp, scanning for any sign of trouble—or opportunity.
Near the old well, where merchants haggled over prices and children darted through the crowds, I spotted her. A slender figure draped in a gray cloak, eyes darting nervously. She was the informant—a woman named Saria, whispered about in the darker corners of Valenport's taverns.
I approached cautiously.
"You Kael Draven?" Her voice was a harsh whisper, edged with fear.
I nodded. "Depends on who's asking."
Her eyes flickered with recognition—and something like relief. "I have information. About the Serpents. But it's dangerous. We can't talk here."
I followed her through winding alleys, the sounds of the city fading behind us until only the cold silence remained. She stopped beneath a cracked stone archway and lowered her hood.
"The Serpents... they're preparing for something big," she said, glancing over her shoulder. "Not just hunting you anymore. They want to control the entire city—starting with the merchant guilds."
The words hit me like a blade. The same guild that had once betrayed me, that had conspired with the Serpents, was now their target?
"Why tell me this?" I asked, voice low.
"Because I want them gone," Saria said, her eyes burning with fierce determination. "And because you're the only one who's shown any real power since all this started."
Her faith shook something inside me. I wasn't just a forgotten hunter anymore. I was a symbol. A threat. A chance for change.
But with that came danger.
As we parted ways, I felt eyes on me—always watching, always waiting.
Back in my small apartment, I sat cross-legged on the floor, summoning the Soul Resonance again. This time, I pushed harder, forcing the energy to flow faster, to burn brighter. Pain lanced through my temples, but I welcomed it. It meant I was alive. Growing. Becoming more.
Tonight, I would take a new step toward reclaiming my name.
The path was long, and the shadows deep.
But I would walk it—no matter what it cost.
Because one day soon, the city would know fear again.
And that fear would have my name.
To be continued...