The air in the chamber hung heavy with fading energy. Sparks crackled on the stone floor as the echoes of the battle slowly faded.
Shin stood quietly, his bi-colored eyes scanning over Grant and Misha. Their expressions were still pale from shock, their bodies trembling from exhaustion and awe.
They had seen too much. Not just the battle, but Shin in his true form—something no outsider should have witnessed and lived.
Shin took a step forward. The shadows clung to his form like a second skin, the foxfire in his wake flickering with a threatening pulse. "You saw what no one was meant to see," he said, his voice low, cold. "And for that, you're not supposed to leave here alive."
Misha's breath caught. Her lips parted, but no words came out. Her legs trembled beneath her.
Grant instinctively stepped in front of her, despite the pain in his ribs. "We won't tell anyone. I swear it. Not to the Guild, not to the Crown. Not even in our dreams."
Shin's eyes narrowed, bi-colored and glowing faintly. "Swearing won't save you."
The room dropped into silence. Misha fell to her knees. "Please… you saved us. We owe you everything. Don't kill us. We're loyal. We know what's at stake."
Shin studied them both for a long moment, his expression unreadable. Then slowly, the tension in the air shifted. "For now," he said at last, voice still ice, "I believe you."
Behind him, Laverna watched in stunned silence. She had never seen Shin like this—so cold, so detached, so utterly in control.
It terrified her. Yet, a gnawing twist in her gut, fear mixed with something more treacherous, desire, drew her in like a flame in the dark.
Desire.
The raw power, the ruthless logic, and the unshakable dominance shook her. It was both unsettling and magnetic.
Shin's gaze lingered on them. His expression is unreadable. But inside, he weighed their every movement, their tone, the rhythm of their breath. His insight pierced deeper than any interrogation could.
He saw no deception.
"For now," he said quietly. "I believe you."
Laverna stepped beside him, arms still crossed, but tension in her posture eased slightly. She watched the two warily but didn't speak.
Grant grunted, rising to his feet slowly. "So what now? That thing—it's going to come back, isn't it?"
Shin nodded once. "Eventually. But when it does, we'll be ready."
Misha's fingers tightened around her staff. "What was that? What happened to you two when you touched the orb?"
Laverna exchanged a glance with Shin, but he simply answered, "A memory. Not just ours. Something older. Deeper."
Grant leaned back against the wall, shaking his head. "Well, whatever it was, it turned you into gods."
Shin gave a rare smirk. "Not gods. Just more of who we were meant to be."
Silence lingered, broken only by the flicker of the torches.
Then Shin turned to Laverna. "Let's move. We'll get them out, then collapse the entrance. No one else needs to find this place."
Laverna nodded, her voice low. "Understood."
Behind them, Grant and Misha stood. They had been spared, trusted—for now. But if they ever broke that trust, they wouldn't be spared again.
The four of them ascended from the vault, the taste of battle still fresh on their tongues, and the weight of new truths pressed into their souls.
As if on cue with Shin's chilling declaration, the ruins groaned and rumbled. The walls trembled, and dust fell from above.
Shin glanced up at the ceiling with a sigh and muttered, "Me and my damn mouth."
The central pedestal where the dark orb once rested began to sink rapidly into the stone, vanishing into the earth. Cracks spiderwebbed across the floor, signaling that the entire structure was collapsing.
"Move!" he commanded sharply.
The four of them sprinted through the crumbling corridors, dodging falling debris and leaping over widening gaps. The heat and light that once pulsed through the ruins faded with each passing moment.
Just as they cleared the final exit, the ground behind them gave way. In mere seconds, the entire structure vanished into the earth, swallowed whole.
When they looked back, only untouched earth remained. No sign of the ruin lingered, as if it had never existed.
They would need to report to Guild Master Davis. Bound by their vow of secrecy, they would claim they found nothing in the ruins.
Shin took the lead, his mind already crafting a convincing tale. He would say they stumbled upon the ruins while tracking corrupted howlers, the structure serving as their den.
"We'll tell Davis we were hunting those cursed howlers," Shin said, his voice steady as they trudged through the forest. "The ruins were their lair, nothing more."
Grant nodded, wiping sweat from his brow. "And after we took them down, the whole place just collapsed, right?"
"Exactly," Shin replied, his tone unwavering. "We fought, we barely got out alive, and the ruins are gone, no trace, no artifacts, nothing."
Misha clutched her staff, her voice soft but resolute. "I'll back you up, Shin, we say nothing about the orb or... what we saw."
Laverna glanced at Misha, her eyes narrowing slightly. "You better, because if a single word slips, you know what happens."
Grant shot Laverna a look, but his voice was firm. "We've sworn it, Laverna, our lips are sealed, you have our word."
Shin kept his gaze forward, his expression unreadable. "Good, stick to the story, no deviations, Davis doesn't need to know more than that."
The group fell silent, the weight of their shared lie settling over them. Each step toward the Lucky Sturgeon felt heavier, the truth buried beneath the earth they left behind.
Upon reaching the city, Yuri met them at the Lucky Sturgeon, happy as she can be. Misha carried Corrin's Hunter ID, and Grant held Corrin's badge, both retrieved on their somber journey back.
Yuri's face fell as Misha handed her the ID, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. Another Hunter lost, a familiar pain that never dulled despite the perils of their trade.
"Corrin was brave," Yuri said softly, clutching the badge Grant offered. "He knew the risks, but it never gets easier to hear."
Misha's throat tightened, her voice barely a whisper. "He fought hard, Yuri, we all did."
Grant shifted uncomfortably, his hand brushing against the badge's worn edges. "He deserved better, but we made it out, that's what he'd want us to say."
Yuri nodded, her expression heavy with grief yet tempered by duty. "I know you did everything you could, I'll make sure his name is honored."
Laverna watched the exchange in silence, her arms crossed tightly. The weight of their deception pressed harder, knowing Corrin's fate was another secret they bore.
Shin placed a hand on Yuri's shoulder, his voice calm but firm. "We'll handle the report, Yuri, let us take it from here."
Yuri managed a small, grateful smile, though her eyes lingered on them. "Guild Master Davis wants you at the Main Guild Hall, he's waiting at the town square."
The Guild had already received word of their mission's completion. Davis, ever meticulous, expected a full account of their venture.
As they made their way to the town square, Misha's steps faltered slightly. The guilt of their lie gnawed at her, clashing with the fear of what Shin might do if they faltered.
Grant noticed her hesitation and leaned closer, his voice low. "Keep it together, Misha, we stick to Shin's story, it's the only way."
"I know," Misha murmured, gripping her staff for strength. "But lying to Davis, after Corrin, it feels wrong."
Laverna overheard, her gaze sharp but not unkind. "Wrong or not, it's survival, you saw what Shin can do, you want to test him?"
Shin, walking ahead, didn't turn, but his voice carried back. "Focus, both of you, we tell Davis what he needs to hear, nothing more."
The Main Guild Hall loomed ahead, its stone façade a stark reminder of their duty. Inside, Guild Master Davis waited, unaware of the truths they would bury to protect themselves and each other.