The forest had quieted. The last echoes of roars and snapping branches faded into the distance, leaving only the whisper of leaves stirred by the wind and the occasional chirp of cautious birds. The scent of churned earth and monster musk still clung to the air, but slowly, nature's rhythm returned.
Hunnt sank onto the forest floor, gauntlets heavy on his knees, his chest rising and falling with deep, steady breaths. Pyro collapsed beside him, tail twitching lazily, though his sharp ears still flicked at every sound. Their bodies ached from the clash, but their spirits pulsed high—the kind of satisfaction only a hunt could deliver.
On a nearby boulder, Kael sat with his Light Bowgun resting across his lap. He leaned back, exhaling long and slow, a crooked smirk tugging at his lips.
"Hah…" He chuckled softly, shaking his head. "I haven't had this much fun in a long time. Not since…" His voice trailed off, words dying in his throat. His gaze flicked unconsciously toward Hunnt, lingering a moment too long.
Hunnt caught it. His brow furrowed, suspicion knitting into his expression. "Why do you keep looking at me like that?" His tone carried an edge, sharper than curiosity—almost defensive.
Pyro's ears twitched, his tail flicking nervously as he looked between the two men.
Kael laughed again, but this time it wasn't the carefree sound of a man reliving glory. It was quieter, tinged with something heavier. "Haha… I just remembered two of my best friends. We were a party once, a long time ago. They had a son." His voice softened, almost reverent. "He'd be about your age now."
Hunnt blinked, curiosity cracking through his wariness. "…What happened to your friends?"
Kael's smirk faltered. His eyes drifted past the trees as though peering into a memory carved into stone. His laugh came again, but now it was bitter, fractured. "They died saving their village. Their own people. The monster they faced… it survived. That's why I'm here. That's why I track these beasts." His grip on the bowgun tightened, knuckles whitening. His voice hardened, cutting through the forest air. "I'll kill that monster. No matter how long it takes."
Silence followed. The forest seemed to lean in closer, branches creaking, as if it too waited for Hunnt's response.
Hunnt shifted slightly, unease prickling at the back of his mind. He studied Kael, then asked the question that pressed hardest on his chest. "Then… why do you keep looking at me?"
Kael's expression softened again, the edges of grief dulling into something gentler. He leaned forward slightly, his voice lowering. "Because… you remind me of him. My friends' boy. He had the same white hair, the same red eyes. Just like you." He paused, as if tasting the weight of the words before speaking them. "He should still be alive… with his grandparents, I'd imagine."
Hunnt's breath caught in his throat. Pyro's eyes widened, his fur bristling with unease. The forest around them felt heavier suddenly, like the air had thickened.
"Uh… Kael…" Hunnt's voice wavered, barely more than a whisper. "What was the name of the village?"
Kael's gaze met his, calm but piercing, like a blade honed by years of sorrow. "Ravenshire," he said without hesitation. Then, after a heartbeat, he added, "And the boy's name… was Hunnt."
The world tilted.
Hunnt's vision tunneled, the name striking him like a hammer blow. His stomach dropped, and his hands trembled against his knees. Pyro's mouth opened slightly in shock, a strangled chirp slipping out. Both of them stared, wide-eyed, frozen in disbelief.
Kael tilted his head, confusion flickering across his face. He studied Hunnt's stunned reaction, his lips twitching into a half-smile. "Hm? What's with the face, boy?" His tone tried to tease, but beneath it was a razor edge of anticipation, as though he already suspected the answer and feared to hear it.
Hunnt swallowed hard. Slowly, he rose onto one knee, eyes locking with Kael's. His voice came steady, but charged with a fire that burned through his youth. "…I am Hunnt."
The words hung in the air like thunder.
Kael's smirk shattered. His jaw dropped, his entire body stiffening as though struck. Then his voice exploded from his chest, loud enough to startle birds into flight. "WHAT?!"
The forest erupted with startled wings, then fell silent again, holding its breath. Kael stumbled back a step, his bowgun slipping slightly in his grip, eyes blown wide. He stared at Hunnt, his mind racing to bridge disbelief and reality.
"You—?!" His voice cracked, choking on the words. "You… you're Hunnt?!"
Hunnt nodded slowly, his lips pressed into a thin line. "Hunnt of Ravenshire. The boy you're talking about. That's me."
Kael's breath caught. He lowered himself back onto the boulder heavily, his hands trembling as he tried to steady them against his knees. His voice dropped to a whisper, fractured by awe. "I… I can't believe it. After all this time… you survived…"
Hunnt's smirk flickered faintly, though it carried a teasing edge. "Well… now you know."
Kael's head snapped up, eyes wide, incredulous. "You… YOU—are Hunnt?!" He shouted again, louder this time, disbelief spilling into raw, unfiltered emotion. His voice shook, half awe, half something dangerously close to hope.
Pyro shifted onto Hunnt's shoulder, his tail flicking nervously as he chirped low, sensing the storm of emotion between them. The tension was palpable, thick as smoke, but no longer the wariness of strangers. It was something else now—something deeper, binding, charged with the weight of past and present colliding.
For a long moment, the three of them sat in silence, the forest around them hushed, as though it too acknowledged the gravity of the revelation.
The hunt was over, but in that quiet clearing, something greater had begun.