The sun was barely past its peak when Hunnt, Alder, Kael, and Seren stepped through the gates of Korvan Village. The guards' faces brightened when they saw them—but the exhaustion in the hunters' eyes spoke louder than any words.
Inside the longhouse, Chief Maerin awaited. Maps, ledgers, and old steel littered the table before her. She glanced up as Hunnt entered.
"Well?" she asked, voice low.
Hunnt set his gauntlet on the table, its blackened surface still smeared with monster ash. "The pack's dealt with," he said. "But it wasn't small, Chief. There were far more than you warned us about. Dozens scattered across the fissures—some already running toward the valley."
Alder nodded. "We tried to cut them off, but they split in every direction. I followed the ones escaping north; Hunnt stayed behind to finish the rest."
Hunnt continued, "By the time I cleared the last den, half the pack had already fled. I went after Alder and found him tracking them through the ridge. That's when we realized where they were heading—straight for the village. By the time we arrived… Kael and Seren were already holding the line."
Maerin frowned. "All of them?"
Hunnt nodded once. "Every last one we found."
Seren crossed her arms. "You're telling me you took down an entire pack alone?"
Hunnt's expression didn't change. "They didn't leave much choice."
Maerin studied his face, disbelief flickering—but the way he said it made her believe anyway.
Alder added, "When I caught up, the stragglers were already running. I followed them here, saw the locals pinned down. Kael and Seren had been fighting for hours."
Kael stepped forward next, setting his light bowgun down on the table. "We were patrolling near the ridge when we heard screams. A group of villagers was being chased by the first wave. Seren ran before I could even call to her—shield first, not thinking twice. We fought them off, but the noise drew more. By noon, it was a siege. If these two hadn't shown up when they did, the forest would've been painted red."
Seren looked aside but said nothing.
Hunnt nodded slowly. "You did well. Both of you."
The compliment caught Seren off guard, but Kael's small grin told her it was deserved.
Maerin rubbed her temples. "I never thought lesser beasts would swarm like this. Something must've driven them."
Hunnt's gaze darkened. "They were running from something."
Alder straightened, remembering. "When we followed their tracks, we found heat fissures—fresh ones. The ground was trembling."
Maerin froze. Her eyes lifted toward Hunnt's, realization dawning like a spreading fire.
"They were escaping the depths," Hunnt said quietly.
Maerin whispered the name with dread. "Vulcarion Basal."
The air changed.
Before anyone could speak again, the ground shook violently. A deep, rolling thunder echoed through the valley. Dust cascaded from the roof beams; lanterns swayed and shattered.
Then came the boom—a single, deafening eruption from beyond the ridge.
Outside, the sky turned orange. A plume of black smoke rose, crowned by a red mushroom cloud that blotted the sun.
Kael and Alder rushed for the door. Villagers were already screaming, running through the streets as the tremors tore through the foundations.
Maerin gripped the edge of the table. "No… not now."
Hunnt stepped outside, the heat hitting him like a wall. The horizon blazed. Rivers of molten rock burst from the ridges, and the mountain itself seemed to breathe fire.
"Vulcarion Basal has woken," he said. His voice carried no fear—only grim certainty.
Seren stumbled beside him, wide-eyed. "That… that's a myth. It's real?"
"Too real," Hunnt replied. "Those beasts we fought—they disturbed its den. It's awake, and it's angry."
Maerin emerged from the longhouse, shouting orders to rally the village guard. "Get the water lines open! Move the stores to the lower shelter!"
Kael steadied his stance. "How long until it reaches us?"
Maerin's tone dropped. "If it's moving fast—less than a day."
Alder exhaled. "Then we go now."
Maerin turned sharply. "No! I've already sent word to the Guild for reinforcement. We'll hold until they respond."
Alder's mouth tightened. "You mean until they decide if the bounty's worth the risk."
Her silence was the answer.
Seren clenched her fists. "So that's it? They won't come because the pay's low? Because the monster's dangerous?"
"Seren—" Maerin began, but the younger hunter cut her off.
"No! Villages are burning, people dying—and those hunters hide behind coin?!" Seren's voice cracked with fury. "What kind of hunters are they?"
No one answered.
She stepped forward, eyes blazing with resolve. "I didn't become a hunter to run from danger. My father died saving a village like this one. I won't let another fall while I stand here doing nothing!"
For a moment, no one moved.
Then Hunnt spoke softly to Kael and Alder, just loud enough for them to hear:
"She's one of us."
Kael nodded. "A drifter born from fire."
Alder smiled faintly. "Then let's see if she burns as bright."
Maerin's voice cracked, her composure faltering. "Seren, you can't. Your father—he made me promise to keep you safe!"
Seren's reply was calm but unyielding. "Then let me honor him the only way I can. By fighting for others, not hiding from them."
Without another word, she turned and sprinted down the main road toward the burning horizon.
"Seren!" Alder called after her and swore under his breath. "That girl's insane."
Hunnt's lips curled into the faintest grin. "No. Just brave."
He looked to Kael. "Stay with her. Keep her alive."
Kael nodded, already moving. "You don't have to tell me twice."
As the two vanished down the path, Maerin turned to Hunnt, voice trembling between fear and command. "You can't stop them, can you?"
Hunnt's gaze remained on the red sky. "No one can stop fire once it finds its purpose."
Maerin swallowed hard. "Then what will you do?"
Hunnt turned toward her, eyes calm but resolute. "The Eternal Wanderer doesn't wait for orders. We move when the world needs us."
Kael's voice echoed from the gate, calling for Alder to hurry. The roar of the volcano answered from beyond the valley—low, rising, alive.
Hunnt adjusted his gauntlets, their ember lines glowing faintly. "You said you sent word to the Guild. Keep the villagers safe, Chief. We'll handle the monster."
Maerin wanted to protest, but Kael's words stopped her cold: "It's not about our lives anymore. It's about theirs."
Her eyes softened. She remembered what Kael once was—reckless, stubborn, relentless. The same traits she'd buried long ago as a chief now stood before her, alive again in them.
She bowed her head. "Then may the fire guide you."
Hunnt nodded once, stepping out into the rising heat, the air already rippling with the pulse of the awakened beast.