The silence after the Hunter vanished was heavier than any battle.
Aren stood in the broken street, dust drifting slowly through the air. Pieces of shattered crystal from the Hunter's spear still glowed faintly across the ground before fading into nothing.
No one moved.
Hundreds of people watched him.
Pit fighters.
Guards.
Citizens.
Even the wardens.
No one had ever seen a Hunter lose.
Cael climbed down from the rooftop carefully and approached Aren. His eyes were wide with disbelief.
"You… broke it," he said.
Aren shook his head slowly.
"No."
He looked up at the sky where the fracture had closed.
"I only proved it can be broken."
Cael exhaled.
"That's worse."
Aren turned to him. "Why?"
Cael pointed upward.
"Because January doesn't hesitate often."
At that moment the mark on Aren's wrist burned again.
But this time the voice that appeared in his mind wasn't the ancient system.
It was January.
Cold.
Sharp.
Precise.
System Directive
Anomaly escalation confirmed
Authority response recalculating
Aren felt something massive shifting far above the world.
Not another Hunter.
Something bigger.
The message continued.
Phase Two Authorization Pending
Cael paled immediately.
"Oh no…"
Aren glanced at him. "What?"
Cael whispered the answer.
"Hunters are only phase one."