Morning arrived without mercy.
It came not with birdsong or warmth, but with pressure—an invisible weight that settled into the bones of the world and refused to lift. Even before the sun breached the horizon, the lodge felt wrong. The wards hummed too loudly. The air resisted breath, thick with mana that did not belong.
Lunaria was awake long before anyone else.
He sat at the edge of the bed, silver hair spilling down his back like liquid moonlight, ribbon neatly tied once more. His posture was straight, hands folded gently in his lap, expression serene in the way of someone who had already accepted the shape of the coming day.
[System Notice: Elevated hostile intent detected.]
Lunaria did not flinch.
[System Notice: Probability of external interference within the next six hours exceeds 73%.]
"I know," Lunaria whispered.
The system did not respond immediately. When it did, its tone softened—barely perceptible, but unmistakable.
[System Advisory: Recommend remaining within S-rank protective radius. Do not engage independently.]
"I wasn't planning to."
That was not entirely true.
Outside his door, footsteps approached. Quiet. Controlled. Ash.
"You're awake," Ash said softly, leaning against the doorframe.
Lunaria turned his head slightly. "I didn't sleep."
Ash grimaced. "None of us did. Not really."
The others were already gathering in the common room when they stepped out—Kieran pacing restlessly, Valen seated by the window with an arrow already nocked, Seraphine sharpening her blade with deliberate, irritated strokes. Aurelion stood at the center of the room, staff planted firmly against the floor, golden runes orbiting him slowly like wary sentinels.
"They're circling," Aurelion said without preamble. "Not attacking. Observing."
"Demons?" Kieran asked.
"Not just demons," Aurelion replied. "Envoys."
That single word chilled the room.
Seraphine clicked her tongue. "So they've decided subtlety might work."
Ash's gaze flicked to Lunaria. "They're here for you."
Lunaria inclined his head. "Yes."
Valen frowned. "You're agreeing too easily."
"It would be stranger if I didn't," Lunaria replied gently. "They saw me yesterday. They won't pretend otherwise."
As if summoned by the acknowledgment, the wards screamed.
Not audibly—but in a way every hunter felt deep in their marrow. Mana spiked violently, then twisted, folding in on itself like silk being pulled through a ring.
The front door did not explode.
It simply… opened.
The air beyond it shimmered, bending light into something almost elegant. From that distortion stepped figures—five of them—tall, composed, their forms wrapped in tailored coats and immaculate attire that mimicked human fashion a little too well.
They were beautiful.
In the wrong way.
Each bore horns carefully concealed beneath glamours, eyes glowing faintly with infernal gold or crimson. Their smiles were polite. Controlled. Predatory.
Aurelion's staff flared. "You stand on protected ground."
The one at the center bowed. "We are aware."
Ash stepped forward, sword half-drawn. "State your purpose."
The demon envoy's gaze slid past him.
And locked onto Lunaria.
The pressure in the room intensified immediately, as if reality itself leaned closer to listen.
"We have come," the demon said smoothly, "to extend an invitation."
Lunaria did not move.
Seraphine snarled. "He's not interested."
"On the contrary," another envoy said, voice lilting, amused. "He already belongs to us."
The temperature dropped.
Ash's sword cleared its sheath with a sound like tearing silk. "Say that again."
Lunaria raised a hand.
The motion was small—but absolute.
Ash froze.
Everyone froze.
Not because they were compelled.
But because the mana in the room aligned with Lunaria's gesture as if it had always been waiting for permission.
"Please," Lunaria said softly. "Let them speak."
Ash stared at him. "Lunaria—"
"I won't go," Lunaria continued calmly. "But I want to hear what they think they can offer."
The lead envoy smiled wider. "Wise."
He stepped forward, ignoring the lethal intent radiating from five S-ranked hunters. "You are wasted here. Bound by fragile alliances. Shackled by systems that fear what you represent."
Lunaria tilted his head. "You fear me too."
"Yes," the demon admitted without shame. "Which is why we respect you."
Kieran scoffed. "That's not respect. That's hunger."
The envoy's eyes flicked to him briefly, dismissive. "Call it what you like."
He turned back to Lunaria. "Come with us willingly, and the Abyss will kneel. Refuse, and this world will burn itself trying to cage you."
Silence followed.
Heavy. Suffocating.
Lunaria stood.
The movement was unhurried, graceful. He stepped forward until he was only a few paces from the envoys. Up close, the difference between them was stark—where they radiated calculated menace, Lunaria radiated something quieter.
Inevitable.
"You misunderstand," Lunaria said gently. "I am not caged."
The lead envoy's smile faltered.
"I choose to be here."
The air screamed.
The glamours shattered.
The demons revealed their true forms—towering, monstrous, wings unfurling, claws dripping with abyssal energy. The lodge cracked under the sudden pressure, wards flaring desperately.
Ash moved instantly, placing himself in front of Lunaria.
So did everyone else.
"You won't touch him," Ash growled.
The lead demon laughed. "You cannot stop us."
Lunaria reached out.
Not forward.
Downward.
His fingers brushed the ribbon at his neck.
[System Warning: Hostile entities exceed acceptable threat threshold.]
[System Directive: Do not remove ribbon.]
Lunaria hesitated.
For the first time.
Ash sensed it. "Lunaria. Don't."
Lunaria's voice was barely audible. "If I don't… they won't stop coming."
Aurelion stepped closer. "Then we fight them together. You are not alone."
The demon snarled. "Sentiment."
And lunged.
The world exploded into motion.
Ash intercepted the strike, blade ringing as it met infernal claw. Seraphine vanished in a blur of steel. Valen's arrows tore through the air like judgment. Aurelion's magic erupted, sigils layering reality itself.
But the demons were many.
And they were prepared.
One slipped through.
Too fast.
Too close.
The claw slashed—
And severed the ribbon.
Time stopped.
Lunaria's hair spilled free, silver cascading down his back, catching the fractured light like falling stars.
The air went silent.
[System Alert: Restraint compromised.]
[System Status: Emotional limiter disengaged.]
Lunaria inhaled.
And the world knelt.
His presence changed—not violently, but completely. The elegance remained, but it sharpened, honed into something lethal beyond comprehension. His movements became a dance written in death, every step precise, every turn final.
He drew his sword.
One motion.
One arc.
The demon dissolved.
Not fell.
Not died.
Ceased.
The others recoiled too late.
Lunaria moved.
He flowed between them, blade tracing moonlit paths through the air. Each strike was gentle. Each outcome absolute. Demonic bodies unraveled, cores collapsing inward as if ashamed to persist in his presence.
Ash watched, heart hammering—not in fear.
In awe.
It was beautiful.
It was terrifying.
It was Lunaria.
When the last demon vanished, the lodge stood in stunned silence, walls cracked, air trembling.
Lunaria stood at the center.
Breathing evenly.
His sword lowered.
Slowly, he turned.
"I'm sorry," he said.
No one spoke.
Ash stepped forward and did something unexpected.
He took Lunaria's ribbon.
And tied it back himself.
"We'll talk later," Ash said quietly. "For now… you're safe."
Lunaria's eyes softened.
Outside, far beyond mortal sight, something ancient watched.
And smiled.
Because the moon had chosen.
And the world would never be allowed to forget it.