The rain returned that night—thin and silver, whispering against Citadel J's metal veins as if it were trying to wash away what had happened beyond the city's walls. The hover-gates sighed open as Raiden stepped through, his coat heavy with mud, his pulse still dragging from the battle. The forest's scent clung to him—ozone, smoke, and the iron tang of monsters long gone.
A girl was slumped on his back, breathing shallow but steady. Her hair brushed his shoulder, streaked with soot and a faint trace of the forest's corruption that still shimmered faintly under the neon streetlights. Around them, the city hummed like a living machine.
The night felt slower now. Every step echoed.
---
Inside the Adventurer's Hub, the usual noise had dulled to a reverent hush. Word of the forest purge had already reached the city's circuits—rumors whispered that an SS-rank creature had fallen, that the anomaly was finally gone.
Kairo, the elder of the Hub, stood near the counter when Raiden entered. His eyes flicked to Alya, then back to Raiden. He said nothing at first; he just watched. Then, slowly, he nodded.
"You made it back," Kairo said, voice gravel-low.
"Barely," Raiden replied. His voice carried exhaustion, but also a strange calm—a current beneath still water.
He lowered Alya gently onto a medical cot, and the Hub medics swarmed around her. Kairo followed him to the registration deck, his hand sliding a slate across the polished surface.
"Your report's already circulating," Kairo murmured. "Forest cleansed, anomaly neutralized. The Guild Board is paying out in full. You've earned yourself some rest, Raiden."
Raiden didn't respond immediately. He was staring at his hands—steady, but not entirely his own anymore. Beneath the skin, power hummed like something caged. His fingers looked sharper somehow, his reflection a little more foreign.
---
The Hub Interface lit up across the desk.
> [Mission Complete: "Forest Corruption Purge"]
Reward Distribution:
— 5,000 Credits (Hub Standard)
— 3 A-Rank Beast Cores (for trade or crafting)
— 1 Enhanced Body Suit [v. K-9 Adaptive Weave]
— 1 Stormrend Maintenance Voucher (Blacksmith Korrin)
— 2 Vials of Restorative Elixir (Advanced)
— 250 Hub Merit Points
Raiden watched as the digital list flickered into the Quantum Watch, every line of code translating into physical material on the counter in front of him—a clean pile of cores, a sealed case holding the new suit, a cred-chip still faintly warm from transfer.
A quiet chime followed.
> [System Reward: Combat Performance A-Grade]
Exp + 4,500
Current Level: 11 (Exp 450 / 12,000)
Stats Updated
— STR + 2
— AGI + 2
— VIT + 2
— MC + 2
— + 5 Unassigned Points
Raiden blinked at the holographic text, eyes narrowing slightly. The hub clerks couldn't see it—it was for him alone, quiet as a heartbeat under his skin.
He dismissed the screen, pocketed the gear, and turned back to Kairo. "Where can I get her a place to recover?"
"The Hub's medical wing has private rooms," Kairo said. "Your mission rank covers the cost. I'll have her moved."
Raiden nodded once in gratitude.
---
Hours later, he sat outside the infirmary's windowed corridor. The city sprawled beyond the glass, awash in storm-light and high-rise shadows. His coat lay beside him, tattered and stiff with blood that wasn't entirely his. Stormrend rested across his knees, its blade faintly humming with a soft blue pulse.
He turned it slightly, watching droplets of condensation slide down the edge. The sword had tasted too much already.
"Stormrend," he murmured. "You're starting to live up to your name."
The weapon gave no answer, but the faint electrical hum beneath its runes pulsed in rhythm with his heartbeat. He wasn't sure if that comforted or unnerved him.
The silence pressed around him, and in that silence, the System pulsed again—gentle, insistent.
> [Notice]
User evolution stable.
Physical composition: 78 % human, 22 % unknown genetic code detected.
No anomalies threatening host integrity.
He exhaled slowly, staring at the words until they faded. Unknown genetic code. The term lingered in his mind like a whisper that wouldn't leave.
"Half human, half something else," he said under his breath. "Guess that explains the way I feel."
His bones still ached from the transformation. Each movement reminded him of the night his body had broken and reformed under the lightning's roar—every nerve screaming, every muscle reshaping. But now… now he felt the quiet surge of control. The kind of strength that didn't roar; it simply was.
---
Morning came pale and wet. Alya stirred at last, her eyelashes trembling as the city's light filtered through the glass. Raiden leaned on the frame of the door, arms crossed.
"Welcome back," he said.
She blinked twice, eyes searching the unfamiliar room. "Where…?"
"The Hub. You were out cold for a day and a half."
She pushed herself up, wincing. "Then you really did kill it. The Brood Mother."
Raiden nodded once. "And the forest's clear. For now."
Her gaze drifted to the faint lines of scars across his forearms, the pale glow still threading faintly under his skin. "You changed," she said quietly.
"Maybe," he replied. "But I'm still me."
The air between them felt fragile. Alya's expression softened with exhaustion. "Thank you," she whispered, almost shyly. "For not leaving me there."
Raiden looked away, watching the rain trail down the windowpane. "No one deserves to be left behind."
---
Later, in the Hub's main hall, Raiden collected the last of his rewards from the Guild vault. He traded one of the beast cores for an upgraded energy capacitor for Stormrend, a device that would channel his lightning more efficiently without draining his stamina. The blacksmith Korrin—a grizzled veteran with one arm replaced by a heavy synth-prosthetic—watched him with the faint grin of a man who respected warriors more than words.
"You're the kid who brought down that corrupted nest, huh?" Korrin rasped, turning the sword under bright forge-light. "Stormrend's already half a legend. Treat her right."
"I intend to," Raiden said, sliding the blade into its sheath.
Korrin's gaze lingered on him for a moment. "You've got a strange air about you, boy. Feels like standing next to a thunderstorm that's pretending to sleep."
Raiden gave a small smirk. "Then let's hope it doesn't wake up too soon."
---
Night fell again before they left the Hub. Alya walked beside him now, steady but still pale. She wore a fresh uniform—gifted by the medics—and a faint silver band around her wrist, proof she was under Hub protection. The streets of Citadel J buzzed with distant traffic and flickering signs.
"You're really not staying?" she asked.
Raiden shook his head. "Not yet. The forest might be done, but something started this."
Alya studied him quietly, then nodded. "Then I'm coming with you. I can fight, remember?"
He didn't argue. He'd seen the determination in her eyes before, the same kind of fire that once burned in his wife's.
"Fine," he said. "But stay close. The next path won't be as kind as the last."
---
When they reached the city's edge, the System stirred again, flickering against his vision in a cold whisper.
> [Hidden Quest Reactivated: Echoes of the Black Sun]
Objective: Trace Dr. Voss's research trail through Citadel J's under-district.
Status: Active
Warning: Intelligence suggests Black Halo involvement.
Recommended Level: 11+
Raiden's jaw tightened. The same name again—Black Halo.
He glanced toward the skyline where the neon lights bled into the rainclouds. Somewhere beneath those towers, the truth waited.
"Looks like the storm isn't over yet," he muttered.
Alya looked at him, brow furrowing. "What is it?"
He slipped Stormrend onto his back and gave her a faint, grim smile. "Just another job."
The city lights reflected in his eyes—blue and fierce, like lightning waiting to strike. The rain fell harder, drumming against steel and glass, as Raiden and Alya vanished into the neon-veiled streets of Citadel J.
And somewhere, deep in the under-district's black heart, the name Black Halo whispered like a promise waiting to be broken.