The Binding Chamber's gates creaked open, spilling harsh daylight across the scorched floor.
Haruki staggered out, supported by Kana on one side and Rai on the other.
His body felt like it had been dragged through fire, his muscles trembling with every step.
But the weight pressing on him wasn't just exhaustion. It was the silence.
Hundreds of Hunters had gathered in the plaza outside. Now, they watched him with wide eyes, lips moving in hushed whispers that carried far too easily.
"Did you see that…?"
"His System spoke."
"No, that was something else something inside him."
"He's dangerous. More Banting than boy."
The words stabbed deeper than the chains of the Circle. Haruki kept his gaze on the ground, jaw clenched.
Guildmaster Renshiro stepped forward, his heavy boots echoing against the stone. The Hunters parted instantly, heads bowed. He stopped before Haruki, his shadow looming over him.
"The Trial is concluded," Renshiro declared, his voice steady, but sharp as steel. "The Binding has not condemned you… yet. But neither has it cleared you. Until further judgment, you walk as a Hunter on probation."
The crowd erupted in debate shouts of anger, fear, disbelief. Some cried that he should be executed, others argued he should be studied, a few demanded his freedom.
Haruki forced himself to meet Renshiro's gaze. "Probation… means what?"
"It means," the Guildmaster said, lowering his voice, "your every step will be watched. Your power… recorded. And if you falter, even once, the Guild will end you."
His words weren't a threat. They were a promise.
Kana squeezed Haruki's shoulder gently, as if reminding him he wasn't alone. Rai said nothing, his silence heavier than any words. Kuro, of course, chuckled softly, eyes glinting with amusement.
"Probation, huh?" Kuro said. "Sounds like a leash. Better hope you don't choke on it."
Haruki wanted to retort, but the weight of the plaza's stares crushed the words in his throat.
The Trial hadn't ended his life. But it had branded him.
And that brand burned deeper than any chain.
The Guildhall had always been a storm of voices, a place where Hunters bellowed out victories and bragged about their kills. But tonight, the noise had shifted lower, sharper, filled with venom.
Haruki sat alone at the corner table, a bowl of untouched stew cooling before him. Kana and Rai had gone to gather supplies. Kuro lingered somewhere in the shadows, drinking with the smugness of a man who wanted chaos to unfold.
The whispers floated easily through the hall, cutting through the clatter of mugs and the smell of ale.
"F-rank, and he survived the Binding? Impossible."
"Not survived corrupted. Didn't you see the red glow in his eyes?"
"Mark my words. He's carrying a Banting seed inside him. One day it'll hatch, and then we'll all regret letting him walk free."
Haruki clenched his fists under the table. Every word fed the fire crawling in his chest.
He wanted to shout, to prove them wrong, to show them he was more than their rumors. But he knew arguing now would only prove their fears.
System Zero pulsed in the corner of his mind.
[ALERT: Emotional stability dropping. Do you require… sarcasm therapy?]
Haruki nearly laughed, though it came out bitter. Not now, Zero.
[Noted. Logging current mood as: "Brooding protagonist energy."]
The System's dry commentary didn't soothe the glares. Across the hall, a trio of Hunters slammed their mugs down and marched toward his table.
Their leader, a broad-shouldered man with scars carved across his jaw, leaned in close enough for Haruki to smell the bitter ale on his breath.
"Listen here, kid," the man growled. "I don't know what trick you pulled in that Trial, but you're a danger to all of us. I won't wait for the Guild to decide. If you turn into a monster, I'll be the first to put you down."
Haruki didn't flinch. His voice came low, sharp. "If I was a monster, you'd already be dead."
The man's eyes narrowed. Silence fell over the surrounding tables, every ear tuned in.
Then laughter. Cruel, mocking laughter from the scarred Hunter. He spat on the ground beside Haruki's boots.
"Talk tough while you can, F-rank. The Guild's leash won't hold forever."
He turned and stalked away, his lackeys following, leaving behind only tension and suspicion thick as smoke.
Haruki exhaled slowly. For the first time, he wondered if the chains of the Circle had been kinder than the eyes of men.
The Guildhall quieted as the night deepened, most Hunters stumbling out drunk or retreating to their quarters.
Haruki stayed behind, staring at the cold stew until the fire in the hearth burned low.
Kana returned, dropping a pouch of herbs onto the table. "You didn't eat again," she scolded softly. "If you keep this up, even your System won't save you from collapsing."
Before Haruki could reply, a folded scrap of paper slid across the table. He blinked. No one had been close enough to deliver it.
His gaze darted around the hall nothing but shadows, empty benches, and the faint creak of the rafters.
He unfolded it with caution. The handwriting was jagged, rushed:
They're planning to kill you before dawn. Not everyone trusts the Guild's leash. If you want to live, leave the hall and follow the raven.
As if on cue, a black raven perched on the window sill, its crimson eyes gleaming faintly in the firelight.
Kana frowned. "What is that?"
Haruki tucked the note away. "A warning."
Rai appeared then, stepping out from the shadows. His sharp eyes scanned the raven, then the room. "Someone's watching you. And if they wanted you dead, they wouldn't bother with a warning."
"Unless," Haruki said grimly, "they want me walking straight into a trap."
System Zero buzzed in his head.
[Advisory: 87% chance this is an ambush. 13% chance it's a dramatic love confession.]
Haruki rolled his eyes. Zero. Not the time.
[Correction: 99% ambush. 1% awkward hug.]
Kana bit her lip. "Whether it's trap or not, we can't ignore it. If Hunters are plotting behind the Guild's back, then"
"then the leash means nothing," Rai finished, his voice like a blade.
The raven croaked once, fluttering its wings as if impatient. Then it flew out into the night.
Haruki rose from his seat, resolve hardening. "Trap or not, I'll face it. If they're planning something, I need to know."
Kana cursed under her breath, gathering her staff. Rai's hand drifted to his twin blades.
They followed the raven out into the chill night air, shadows stretching long under the twin moons. Somewhere beyond the Guildhall walls, Hunters sharpened their knives in secret.
And Haruki walked toward them willingly.
The raven's wings beat silently as it glided over narrow streets, leading them away from the glowing lanterns of the Guildhall and into the labyrinth of Driath's back alleys.
The air grew colder here, the stone walls slick with moss, the silence broken only by the distant drip of water.
Haruki's instincts screamed louder with every step. This wasn't just a warning it was a lure.
"Too quiet," Rai muttered, his hand hovering over his blades. "They're here."
Kana's staff pulsed with a faint glow, ready to summon healing wards at a moment's notice.
Her usual playful smirk was gone, replaced with grim focus.
The raven landed on a cracked post, cawed once, then vanished into a cloud of black mist.
From the darkness, shadows moved. Five figures emerged, cloaked and masked, their weapons gleaming faintly under the moonlight. Hunters. Not Bantings.
One stepped forward, a woman with silver daggers in each hand. "Orders are simple," she said coldly. "The Guild might hesitate, but we won't. Haruki Aoi, F-rank anomaly you die here."
Haruki felt the heat rise in his chest, his vision flickering faintly red. He forced it down, teeth gritted. "Why?"
"You survived the Binding," she spat. "That makes you a threat to everyone. Better to kill you now than wait for the monster in you to wake up."
System Zero chimed in his head:
[Recommendation: Quick sarcasm followed by punching them in the face.]
Haruki almost smirked. "Funny. You call me a monster, yet you're the ones planning to stab me in the dark."
The woman hissed and snapped her fingers. The assassins lunged.
Steel clashed instantly. Rai blurred forward, his blades sparking as they parried two attackers at once.
Kana slammed her staff into the ground, casting a shimmering barrier that deflected a volley of poisoned darts.
Haruki met the charge of the dagger-woman head-on. Her movements were fast, ruthless, but his gauntlets shifted, adapting to her strikes.
Sparks flew as metal met metal. Each blow rattled his arms, but for the first time since the Trial, Haruki didn't hold back.
Chains of energy wrapped faintly around his gauntlets, echoes of the Binding Circle. He swung, and the impact cracked the cobblestones beneath their feet.
The assassins faltered for the briefest moment. Enough for Rai to cut one down with a single precise strike. Enough for Kana's barrier to shatter outward, knocking another into the wall.
But more shadows stirred at the far end of the alley. Reinforcements. Twice as many.
Haruki's heart pounded. This wasn't an execution.
It was a war declaration.
The alley tightened into chaos. Steel rang against steel, sparks scattered like fireflies, and the stench of blood seeped into the cold air.
Haruki's pulse thundered in his ears. More assassins poured in from the shadows ten, maybe twelve now.
Rai's blades whirled in streaks of lightning, holding back three at once. Kana's wards flickered dangerously, her staff glowing brighter with every desperate chant.
But it wasn't enough.
The dagger-woman pressed Haruki hard, her strikes faster, sharper, fueled by intent to kill.
His gauntlets shifted forms sword, shield, spear but each exchange chipped at his stamina.
You're cornered, a dark whisper slithered through his mind. Why fight the leash? Unchain yourself.
His vision blurred. Red sparks flared in the corner of his eyes. The chains from the Binding Trial appeared faintly around his arms, rattling, glowing with suppressed power.
"Haruki!" Kana shouted, breathless. "Don't you'll lose yourself"
System Zero cut in, urgent:
[ALERT: Power surge detected. WARNING: Threshold breach at 72%. Release will override control.]
Haruki gritted his teeth. "Then I'll make it mine."
He let go.
Energy erupted, slamming outward like a shockwave. The cobblestones shattered, walls cracked, and several assassins were thrown back screaming.
His gauntlets pulsed crimson, etched with living runes that twisted and shifted with each breath.
The dagger-woman froze mid-strike, eyes wide. "That… that's not System power…"
Haruki moved. Faster than before, almost too fast for his own body. His fist slammed into her guard, snapping one of her daggers in half. She staggered back, disbelief etched across her mask.
Rai stole a glance mid-battle, his face pale. "Haruki… what are you becoming?"
Haruki couldn't answer. The power was intoxicating, roaring through his veins, making every motion feel inevitable. He was no longer reacting he was dictating the flow.
Another assassin lunged from the side. Haruki twisted, gauntlets morphing into a hooked blade, cleaving through the man's weapon and hurling him into a wall.
Kana's barrier finally shattered, the backlash sending her to one knee. "Haruki enough!" she cried, eyes wide with fear.
The chains around his arms rattled violently, a phantom echo of the Binding Circle.
For a heartbeat, he saw himself in the reflection of a cracked window red eyes glowing, aura seething like fire and shadow entwined.
Monster.
The word sliced through his euphoria.
The assassins hesitated now, their confidence splintered. The dagger-woman barked, "Fall back! He's unstable fall back!"
In moments, the shadows melted, retreating into the night as swiftly as they'd come.
Silence crashed into the alley. Broken stone, blood, and Haruki's ragged breathing were all that remained.
Kana reached him first, gripping his trembling hand. "You didn't lose yourself," she whispered. "But you're walking a blade's edge."
System Zero's voice returned, quieter this time.
[Assessment: Congratulations. You are officially terrifying.]
Haruki's knees buckled, and darkness finally claimed him.
By the time Haruki stirred again, dawn light filtered through the infirmary windows.
The smell of herbs and bandages filled the air. His body ached as if it had been set on fire and doused in ice, but his mind was sharp.
Kana sat nearby, exhaustion etched in her features, while Rai leaned against the wall, arms crossed, eyes closed but alert.
Before Haruki could speak, the door opened. Guildmaster Renshiro entered, his heavy presence filling the room. Behind him trailed several senior Hunters, their faces grim.
"Word of the ambush reached me before sunrise," Renshiro said, his tone cold. "Assassins our own turned their blades on you. Yet instead of dying, you unleashed… something."
His gaze bore into Haruki, sharp as a spear. "Explain."
Haruki swallowed. The memory of red light, of chains breaking, of his fists shattering stone still clung to him like smoke. He opened his mouth, but no words came.
System Zero answered for him.
[EXCUSE: 'I tripped and accidentally leveled a street.' Suggestion: decline.]
Haruki bit back a bitter laugh. "I don't know what it is. But it's mine. And I'll master it before it masters me."
The room tensed. Some Hunters muttered under their breath. One of the elders spoke, voice sharp with fear. "That power wasn't System-born. It reeks of Banting corruption. He's a danger!"
"Enough," Renshiro's voice cracked like thunder, silencing them. He studied Haruki long and hard. "Your leash grows thinner, boy. The Guild cannot ignore this."
He finally turned, cloak sweeping behind him. "Haruki Aoi, from this day forward, your probation is doubled.
You are forbidden from leaving Guild watch without escort. And if you lose control again… I will strike you down myself."
The words hung in the air like a guillotine.
Renshiro left, the other Hunters following. The door shut, leaving only silence.
Kana touched Haruki's shoulder gently. "Don't let them break you."
Rai finally opened his eyes. "Or worse don't let yourself break us."
Haruki lay back against the pillow, staring at the ceiling. The leash was tighter. The eyes sharper. The chains louder.
But deep down, something else stirred. Not fear. Not regret.
Resolve.