The man who had rushed into the costume shop barely let me breathe. He looked half-dead already, his chest rising and falling in sharp bursts, his hands trembling as if chased by something unseen.
"Sir… I heard from the rider—you are a hunter, right? Please, come with me."
Hunter. That single word echoed in the shop like a curse. I had used it as a disguise, a lie to keep suspicion away from me. Yet now, it was a chain pulling me toward something I was not prepared for.
Still, I nodded. "Lead the way." My voice came out calm, sharper than I intended.
He didn't even ask my name. Perhaps he didn't care. Perhaps in his mind, the word hunter alone was salvation. He grabbed my arm and pulled me out of the shop. I adjusted my new disguise—spectacles, the moustache, the pipe clutched between my teeth. None of it made me feel safer.
The streets of Elicia blurred around me. The city, so vibrant only moments ago with its traders, posters, and the clamor of prosperity, now felt like a trap closing in. My boots struck the cobblestones in rhythm with the man's frantic steps. We passed guards, nobles, and peasants, all moving about as if the world wasn't about to swallow us whole.
The palace loomed ahead.
Even from the outside, its scale was staggering—walls that reached toward the heavens, banners bearing the royal crest fluttering in the morning breeze, and golden spires catching the light like spears from another world. I felt small, almost insignificant, walking under that shadow.
But my companion wasn't slowing down. He shouted something to the guards, words I couldn't catch, and suddenly they were letting us through. I felt eyes on me—suspicious, wary, respectful. Hunter. That lie was a heavy cloak now.
I was escorted by three guards down a long marble corridor into what looked like an imperial office. The doors groaned open, and that was when I saw her.
Princess Elicia.
Eighteen years old, yet carrying herself like someone who had already borne the weight of an empire. She was dressed simply for royalty, her long hair tied back with silver pins, her eyes bright but tired. When she saw me, she rose immediately, and her lips curved into the faintest smile.
"You came," she said. Her voice was calm, almost relieved.
I stiffened. "Why was I summoned?"
The princess's smile faltered. "My maid… someone dear to me… she is no longer herself."
The room fell silent.
"She was cursed," the princess continued. "In her madness, she tried to kill me. We lost too many guards before we could subdue her. Now she is sealed in one of the chambers with holy techniques. But the seals will not hold forever. We need… someone like you."
I wanted to laugh. Someone like me? I wasn't a hunter. I wasn't anything close to what they thought I was. Yet her eyes—bright, determined, fragile—were fixed on me, as though she saw salvation where I felt only doubt.
I couldn't say no. Not now.
"Show me," I whispered.
The princess herself led me down twisting corridors, each step echoing like a drumbeat in my skull. My palms were damp with sweat, my throat dry. The air grew colder as we approached the chamber, a chill that seeped into my bones.
Then I heard it.
A voice. No, voices. Screams muffled by stone, whispers that clawed at the mind. I felt my stomach churn, bile rising.
The chamber door stood before us, engraved with glowing runes that pulsed like a beating heart. Even sealed, it radiated malice.
The princess stopped, her hand brushing mine for the briefest moment. "Be careful."
The door creaked open.
I stepped inside.
The world shifted.
The chamber wasn't a chamber anymore—it was something else, something twisted. Walls stretched unnaturally, the floor warped into endless cracks, shadows slithering like living things. I heard a voice, clear and sharp now.
"Where is the princess?"
I turned, my eyes widening. She was beside me. Elicia had been dragged in too, her body trembling as the curse pulled her into its nightmare.
Then she appeared.
The maid.
For a heartbeat, she looked normal. Gentle features, eyes lowered, hair neat. But as her head snapped upward, her body cracked and twisted. Flesh split, bones shifted, her skin bubbled into blackened scales, and her mouth stretched far beyond what was human.
A hell creature.
The princess screamed.
I didn't think. I grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the exit. But the creature was faster. In a blink, she was in front of us. Her hand shot out, claws wrapping around the princess's waist. Her jaw unhinged, teeth dripping with black saliva, and she began to drag the princess toward her mouth.
"No!"
I drew my gun. The world slowed. My heartbeat thundered in my ears. I aimed and pulled the trigger.
Bang!
The bullet tore through the creature's eye. It howled, a sound that shattered the air itself, and dropped the princess. I caught her in my arms, pulling her close, my lungs burning.
"Run!" I shouted, shoving her behind me.
The creature lunged again, her claws slashing toward my chest. I raised my arm instinctively, and pain exploded as her claws tore through flesh. My hand—my hand was hanging by threads of muscle and blood.
I screamed.
The world swam red. I staggered, yet when the creature lunged for the princess again, I forced my body forward, diving between them. My wounded arm burned, but I pushed her back, shielding Elicia with everything I had.
"Why… why am I doing this?" I thought, my vision blurring. I wasn't her knight. I wasn't her hunter. I wasn't anyone. Yet the thought of her dying before me—it was unbearable.
"Adrian…" she whispered, though she didn't know my true name. Her voice trembled with sorrow.
I rose to my feet, swaying. My mana surged, wild, untamed. Fire licked at my skin. The air around me twisted, shadows and flames colliding.
"No more."
I clenched my teeth, shoving my remaining strength outward. Fire burst from my hands, engulfing the creature. She screamed, her body writhing, but I didn't stop.
I charged through the flames, fist drawn back, and punched her. The impact shook the chamber, sending cracks through the cursed floor. We fell together, smashing through one level, then another. Stone shattered, dust blinded me.
I roared, grabbing the gun that materialized in my hand. My mana twisted around it, reshaping it. The barrel stretched, glowing red-hot. I aimed at the creature's remaining eye.
"Burn!"
Bang!
The bullet wasn't just a bullet—it was an illusion turned real, magnified a hundredfold by my mana. It tore through her skull, ripping apart curse and flesh alike. The creature's scream faded into silence as her body crumbled into ash.
I stood there, shaking, drenched in blood, smoke curling from my weapon.
The world rippled. The chamber dissolved, and suddenly we were back in the sealed room. The door burst open, guards storming inside. Their eyes widened as they saw the destruction—the burned runes, the collapsed walls, and me standing there with flames still burning in my gaze.
Elicia rushed forward, clutching her chest, her voice soft yet resolute.
"That… was no ordinary magic. Who are you?"
I stared at her. My breath was ragged, my body broken, but my voice was steady.
"Call me… Phantom."
Her eyes widened, a spark of awe mingling with fear. "Then, Phantom… will you serve the Empire? Join our special forces? Stand with me in the wars to come?"
I didn't answer. Instead, I turned toward the shattered window.
Without hesitation, I leapt. The wind tore past me, my body twisting, mana flaring. I vanished into the night with a whisper of illusion magic, leaving only smoke in my wake.
Behind me, I heard her voice—sharp, commanding, desperate.
"Find him. No matter the cost… bring Phantom to me."
And as the city shrank below me, I knew the game had changed. I wasn't hiding anymore.
The hunter's mask had become real.