The Hunter's Guild loomed over the city of Emberfall like a skeletal hand clawing at the sky. Its spires, forged from blackened Void-touched steel, pierced the clouds, their peaks lost to the swirling ash of the Shattered Realms. Veythar eyed the structure with a mix of disdain and grudging respect.
A den of opportunists, he thought. But then again, so was he.
Thalion walked beside him, his newly unmarked arm flexing unconsciously. The absence of the cursed vines still seemed to unsettle him.
"You're sure this is where Valenor's trail leads?" he muttered, his gaze sweeping the crowded streets.
"The guild trades in secrets,"
Veythar replied, adjusting the tattered scarf around his neck.
Flicker, now little more than a wisp of shadow, clung to his shoulder.
"If anyone knows where that bastard's hiding, it's here."
They passed through the guild's iron gates, where a gauntlet of hunters in mismatched armor eyed them with suspicion. The air inside reeked of burnt ozone and desperation.
Maps of fractured realms plastered the walls, their edges singed. At the center of the hall, a massive hologram flickered—a pulsating rift, jagged and bleeding violet light.
"Valenor's work," a gravelly voice said.
A grizzled hunter with a scarred eyepatch gestured at the hologram.
"He's been tearing rifts wider across the city. Lets the lesser Void Beasts through as distractions. Smart tactic—keeps us busy while he hunts bigger prey."
Thalion's jaw tightened.
"Where's the nearest rift?"
Before the hunter could answer, a scream tore through the hall.
[Core Memory: A Sister's Shadow]
The crowd parted like a startled flock. A young woman staggered into the open, her raven hair matted with grime, eyes blazing with unnatural violet fire. Rune. Thalion froze.
"No," he whispered.
She lunged at Veythar, her fingers twisted into claws, dark energy crackling around them. Flicker hissed, its form flaring weakly. Veythar dodged, but a tendril of shadow grazed his arm, searing through leather and flesh alike.
"Rune, stop!" Thalion roared, his voice raw.
She didn't—couldn't—hear him. Her next strike aimed for Veythar's throat.
[Unique Mechanic: Time's Fragile Thread]
Veythar gritted his teeth. "Flicker—now!"
The Void Beast uncoiled, its smoky body merging with the Void Core's light. Time fractured.
The world slowed to a crawl. Ash hung suspended in the air. Rune's claw halted inches from Veythar's neck, her face contorted in a snarl. But then—he saw it. A flicker of gold in her eyes. His own reflection, clear and sharp. She's still in there.
The realization struck like a thunderclap.
As the stasis crumbled, Veythar twisted aside, grabbing Rune's wrist. "Thalion—her eyes! She's fighting it!"
[Emotional Peak: The Weight of Hope]
Thalion stood paralyzed, his sword trembling. For years, he'd believed Rune lost—her soul devoured by the darkness. But now… hope. It was a blade sharper than any he'd wielded.
Rune writhed in Veythar's grip, her snarls dissolving into choked sobs. "Th-Thalia…?" she stammered, the violet fire in her eyes dimming.
Thalion dropped his sword. "Rune," he breathed, stepping forward.
A guttural growl echoed from the guild's upper balconies. Three hulking Void Beasts—their hides glistening with corrupted energy—leaped into the fray. Valenor's hunters.
"Not now," Veythar snarled.
Flicker's form flickered dangerously as he reactivated the stasis. Time splintered again, but the effect was weaker, shorter.
He severed a beast's limb mid-lunge, but the creature regenerated instantly, its wounds stitching together with blackened tendrils.
Thalion seized Rune's shoulders. "Listen to me! Fight it!"
Her eyes darted wildly between gold and violet. "I… can't…"
A Void Beast slammed into Thalion, sending him skidding across the floor. Rune screamed—a sound half-human, half-monstrous.
Veythar, cornered, pressed a hand to his Core. "Flicker—one more time."
The Void Beast shuddered but obeyed. Time froze.
In the silence, Veythar met Thalion's gaze across the chaos.
"Get her out. Now."
[Revelation: The Reflection in the Abyss]
Thalion didn't hesitate. He hauled Rune toward the guild's rear exit, her struggles weakening with every step. Behind them, the stasis shattered. Veythar's roar of pain echoed as Flicker's light snuffed out entirely, its form dissolving into smoke.
In the alley, Rune collapsed, her breathing ragged. The violet fire in her eyes had dulled to embers. Thalion cradled her head, his voice breaking. "I'm here. I'm here."
She looked up, her gaze clearer.
"The rift… Valenor… he needs a key," she whispered. "A Void Core… like yours…"
Thalion's blood turned to ice.
When Veythar stumbled into the alley minutes later, his arm bleeding and Flicker's remnant coiled like a ghost around his neck, Thalion didn't ask questions. He simply nodded at the guild's spires.
"We're closing that rift."
Veythar's grin was all teeth.
"About time."