(#●― Bro, not that kind of joke. ―#)
(#●― Hello? ―#) x15
(#●― This isn't funny. ―#)
(#●― Hunt? ―#)
(#●― I don't know what game you're playing, but I don't like it. ―#)
― Dalia ― Neo… Hey, can you hear me? ― said Dalia, desperately sending messages to Hunt.
I jumped out of bed. As expected, Dalia got upset and started scolding me while I put on my shoes and grabbed a T-shirt from the clothes chair.
― Dalia ― What the hell is wrong with you? ― she said, clearly angry, but there was a trace of fear in her voice.
●― Where's Durman and Astrid's room? ― I asked, almost shouting, barely catching my breath.
― Dalia ― Why do you want to—
●― Dalia, where… is… Durman and Astrid's room? ― I said as I shook her, gripping her by the shoulders.
― Dalia ― Okay, okay... I'll take you. ― she said, scared, her voice barely a whisper.
(I don't know what the hell he's up to now. The supercomputer console's throwing an over-analysis error, and what the hell is this message? Why did he go offline? He never disconnects. Not even to sleep! Shit, shit, shit...)
― Durman ― Neo! What the hell are you doing?! Get out! ― he shouted the second I opened their door.
●― Sorry, Durman ― I said quickly, out of breath. ― Hunt's just been stabbed. ―
― Astrid, Durman, Dalia ― What?! ― they shouted in unison, frozen by the news.
●― He messaged me about the supercomputer thing I told you about. ― I said, not realizing Dalia was listening too. ― I have to go now, but I'm leaving the door open. ―
In the hallway, I made the motion of knocking with a closed fist, and out of nowhere, my door to the subdimension appeared. I grabbed the handle tightly, my hand shaking from the adrenaline, and flung the door open. The moment I crossed the threshold, I launched the subdimension console and, just as I feared—Hunt wasn't inside.
A cold, crushing emptiness wrapped around my chest, like something had been ripped out from inside me.
― Durman ― Neo, is that...? ― he asked, placing a hand on my back.
●― Yeah, but there's no time to explain. Get ready! I'm bringing Hunt back in a few seconds. ―
― Durman ― But what do you want me to do?! ― I heard him say faintly behind me, powerless.
As soon as I confirmed Hunt was gone from the subdimension, I opened a window in the hallway, sat on the ledge, and let myself fall backward into the void.
●― I'll bring him back.―
The flight system didn't kick in on time. I slammed into the ground with a dull thud, my back and elbows hitting the pavement brutally. I let out a grunt of pain. (Wow, I'm pathetic.)
Wasting no time, I jumped to my feet, ignoring the burning pain all over my body, and activated flight immediately. Like an arrow, I shot into the air.
Looking back, I caught a glimpse of Astrid and Dalia leaning out the window, their faces pale.
(Where the hell are you, bastard?)
Because of the supercomputer failure, I didn't have his exact location—but he was far. I shot forward like a bullet. Without activating flight protections, I relied on rapid thought-processing to avoid crashing into buildings. Going at roughly 300 km/h, at that speed, I was barely skimming over rooftops. I weaved between them, brushing against chimneys and sharp corners, darting through narrow streets until I reached the area of his last connection.
I kept flying at full speed along the perimeter. Hunt's life was in danger. I couldn't afford to stop. Not now. Mana cost didn't matter.I flew past the cathedral, where, despite the night, lights still burned inside.
(Of course… I just need to look for a cluster of lights.)
I pulled up suddenly, soaring over the city. Wind whipped my face as rooftops blurred beneath my feet like shadows. Then I saw it: a large crowd, frozen, packed tightly together as if time itself had stopped—surrounded by a ring of guards holding torches. The flames cast long shadows across the scene. My heart clenched brutally, like someone had squeezed it in their fist. A knot caught in my throat; a stab of terror laced with hope. And then, I spotted him in the crowd: a fallen figure, barely visible… (Is that him?) My focus snapped. My flight broke for just a second. My body dropped a few meters, swallowed by the void. I reacted just in time to stabilize, heart pounding, eyes blurred with tears.It had to be there. It had to be him.
I flew straight down, crashed into the ground, scraping my knees and hands—but I didn't even feel it. Only one thing mattered: getting to Hunt. I didn't look at my wounds. I could've been bleeding, bones could've been broken—I didn't care. All I cared about was whether he was still breathing. (Hunt and I heal quickly... but I don't know if his wound will.)
I shoved aside everyone in my way—civilians, drunks, even guards. The crowd roared with complaints, curses, confusion. Some tried to stop me, others backed away in fear. But I didn't care. I didn't apologize. I didn't stop. I saw only one thing: finding Hunt. I tore through the chaos like a storm, and as I burst into the tavern, my eyes locked onto what mattered most: I saw Teodoro tied up, and a man named Nerut speaking with the owner, Mateo.
●― WHERE IS HE?! ― I shouted so loud that the entire room fell silent. The echo ricocheted off the walls like a gunshot. The force in my voice made the air turn heavy, stealing the breath from everyone present. No one dared to speak. Not a whisper. Not a breath. Only my scream, still ringing through every corner of the room.
― Selene ― Neo! ― Selene cried out, her voice full of terror.
Two guards tried to stop me. Their hands reached out to block my way, but it was like I was brushing them aside. The first, his voice trembling, tried to sound authoritative:
― You can't go in! ― But his voice lacked strength. He couldn't stop me.
The second one, after seeing the fury in my eyes, said nothing—didn't even dare raise a hand.
I shoved them both so hard they slammed into the wall, the impact echoing down the hall. Their attempts to stop me were useless, like I was sweeping obstacles out of my path without effort.
I kept moving forward without looking back, every step steady, until I entered the hallway. I saw several doors—and at the end, I found what I was looking for... Selene. And Hunt. Both of them covered in blood.
(I saw him there, soaked in blood, and I could only repeat one thing: no, not now, no, no, no, no, no, not like this...)
― Nerut ― Miss Selene is fine.
― Selene ― Take care of all this. ― she said, glancing at a pile of gold on the table.
(But Hunt… what the hell were you doing here?)
I reached out my hand, clenched it tightly, and when I opened it, a portal appeared beneath Selene and Hunt. With a sharp gesture, the portal swirled like a ravenous beast, devouring the three of us whole.
Durman, Astrid, and Dalia stood frozen, mouths agape, stunned by the sight before them. The house, the fields—none of it made sense. It was too much, too fast.
― Selene ― Help! ― Her scream cut through the air like a knife breaking apart. It wasn't the volume that hurt—it was the desperation in her voice.
Durman dropped to his knees beside Hunt, examining the wound with the practiced eye of someone who'd stared death in the face before.
― Durman ― This... this wound isn't normal. Do you know what kind of weapon did this?
Astrid didn't wait for orders. She turned and shouted at Dalia.
― Astrid ― Go get all the servants! Bring anything that can heal—right now!
I... I was frozen. That scene was too much for me. My best friend was dying right in front of me. And I couldn't do a thing.
Astrid stormed over and slapped me across the face. Not out of anger—but with enough force to snap me out of it. She dropped to her knees and, tearing her nightgown, began bandaging my hands and knees, raw from the landing. I barely reacted.
Durman stood up, resolute.
― Durman ― Go get the Guildmaster Healer!
●― I don't know where he is! ―
He grabbed me by the collar.
― Durman ― Can you fly?
●― Yes! ―
― Durman ― Then you fly. I'll guide you!
We shot out the window again, climbing into the night sky until we cleared the rooftops. From up there, Durman went quiet for a moment.
― Durman ― I've never seen the city from up here... but there. Over there. Let's go!
In the blink of an eye, we landed in front of an old house, wrapped in a strange calm. Durman barged in with a yell:
― Durman ― Salomon! Where are you?!
Five men came rushing from the kitchen, seven women from another room. And then, the Master appeared, walking with measured gravity.
― Salomon ― What is it? What's the emergency, Durman?
Durman didn't ask permission—he grabbed his arm.
― Durman ― Come now! My son-in-law's brother is dying!
A staff appeared in Salomon's hand, glowing like the light of dawn.
― Salomon ― Where?
At that moment, Orlan came running in.
― Orlan ― I'll pay whatever it takes! Just save him!
We all ran through the door and into the dark. I opened a portal, and we entered the subdimension. Astrid and Selene were still trying to slow the bleeding, surrounded by blood and panic. The servants still hadn't arrived.
Durman and Selene quickly filled Salomon in.
The healer knelt down, touched the wound, and murmured:
― Salomon ― This wound... to close it I'll need at least 5,000 liters of mana. And I only have 80.
We looked at each other. Dalia, Astrid, Selene, Durman, and me. We gave everything we could—but we only reached 1,910.6.
●― There's a mana tank behind this house! 10,000 liters!
Salomon shook his head.
― Salomon ― It's impossible to draw from it without freezing everything...
●― I don't care. I can do it.
I placed one hand on the tank's crystal, the other on the healer. I channeled the entire transfer of mana. I felt my body getting colder, steadily, relentlessly. My temperature dropped to -30°C. The pain was unbearable. Like my bones were being ripped apart.
Dalia and Astrid reacted instantly, summoning fire in their hands to keep me from freezing to death. Everything shook. Everything burned and froze at once. It took hours to bring Hunt back. But just when I thought I was going to black out... He opened his eyes.
■― Selene... This is why I get to joke. Neo's always there when I need him.
The world stopped for a second.