Many had seen Merilyn’s unique class in action, but most had passed on during the First Rift collapse incident, and even fewer remained after the Cataclysm.

  Those who survived those harsh times now lived in seclusion as the Hunter World entered the era of entertainment.

  The number of people, alive, who knew of her skills could be counted on one hand. Johan entered that list too, as Lucas was already on it.

  “Beautiful…” Johan’s eyes locked with hers; he couldn’t and wouldn’t look away.

  It wasn’t a passing comment one made when looking at the sky or a newly bloomed flower. It carried a wonder that only the pure could have. Merilyn hadn’t seen that look of wonder for a long time. Though many had called her eyes useful, not one had called them beautiful. Even to her, those eyes were more of a curse than a blessing.

  But this wasn’t about her.

  “You’ve been neglecting yourself too much.” She noticed knots of dark all over the boy’s body, much clearer now. Most of it centred around his head.

  He must’ve felt immense pressure, knowing that the life of an important awakened hung in the balance. An awakened whose death could weaken Hunter’s globally. She could now see the drive, the hours he poured in, the pain, and the grit it took to make that one potion. He hadn’t slept at all these past days; his body told her that and much more.

  The dark circles under his eyes seemed so prominent, almost dragging his whole face down. Such a waste of those high cheekbones and sharp jawline. She took his hand into her own; she didn’t have to, but at that moment she wanted to.

  Despite the difference in their positions and age, the two shared a common pain. Even though the cause and reason differed, that commonality was enough for the connection.

  “Do not resist.” She said, squeezing his hand.

  “I have no plans to.” He answered, eyes brimming with brightness.

  “Aren’t you a charmer?” To be young was a wonder in and of itself; she hoped he wouldn’t lose these prime years and innocence like her.

  The dark knots from all over his body started to gather in Johan’s hand. He winced, glancing at it. His hand cramped in her grasp. That’s when she pulled that darkness into herself. It was a simple process of pouring water from one cup to another, but she had to be mindful and not take what didn’t cause pain.

  The dark circles below Johan’s eyes vanished. His face became fuller. Complexion turned redder, and his body straightened out. The fatigue his body had accumulated over the years passed onto Merilyn; it wasn’t even a tickle to her. But Johan looked wildly different. Bursting with fresh vitality.

  “What?” He blinked, fighting the heavy eyelids. She covered his eyes with her free hand.

  “Rest for today. You deserve it.” The magik-laden words echoed in the mart like a distant murmur. Johan swayed and fell forward; she caught him. His head rested against her shoulder.

  “The Association President is trying to honeytrap a kid 50 years her younger. This will be a hit, right?” Lucas had his phone out, ready to snap a picture.

  “You better not give me a reason to look at you.” She looked at Johan’s face, brushing the platinum bangs off his eyes. “Well, I wouldn’t really mind seducing him. Good-natured, willing to listen, sharp, and emotionally present. He is my type. His inexperience is just as charming.”

  “Hello FBI, I’d like to report a groom—ack!”

  Merilyn struck Lucas’s nape, twisting an aura point, with her middle finger. The phone clattered to the floor as he grasped his neck, coughing.

  “Adrian, I know you are listening. Place Johan in his bed, and attend to your bumbling idiot.” She said, unamused.

  “This old hag…” Lucas’s voice turned hoarse as Adrian walked into the mart.

  He took Johan upstairs while Merilyn retied the cloth around her eyes, returning to the world of black and white. She turned to Lucas, who had recovered fully.

  “Why did you come today anyway?” Merilyn didn’t tell him; maybe Johan did. Still, he shouldn’t be that free.

  “I just wanted to see you get rejected.” He shrugged, his voice returning to normal.

  “Too bad for you, I’ve had a change of mind.” Merilyn felt a smile tugging on her lips; she could see right through this kid. “Well, I won’t say no if he wishes to be mine.”

  “Won’t you stop with that talk? It’s getting creepy.” Lucas’s lips pressed into a hard line.

  “You are the one making weird interpretations. Did that boy Ivan not tell you anything about my Oath?”

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  “Wait, so that is real?” His eyes widened, and he pointed at the illusory silhouette behind her.

  “Very much real.” She nodded, feeling the hand on her shoulder tighten.

  “Those Angels are worse than clingy lovers.”

  “I don’t mind clingy.” She shrugged, brushing the hand off her shoulder lightly. “Now, I have a problem to solve, so you should run along too.”

  “See you never,” Lucas shouted as she left the mart.

  Adelan only had a few days if he didn’t get the potion in her hand. There was no way she’d allow that brat to die so early. With that thought, she entered through the doors of the Mage Tower in Sector M and headed for the teleportation room.

  Her destination? Mage Tower’s Londinium branch.

  ***

  Because of Merilyn’s status as the Association president of a country, she didn’t need to pay for the services. But she did regardless. She wasn’t much fond of the stuck-up mages like many of today. And they weren’t exactly fond of her either.

  It was a love-hate relationship that festered over decades, with either side refusing to let go of their grudges.

  So, when word arrived that Merilyn would arrive in Londinium, the Round Table shifted Adelan from the Mage Tower’s branch to their home base.

  She passed through the paved streets of the city in an adorned carriage, pulled by two white stallions. A mix of medieval and modern, that was the city in a nutshell. Suited office workers and knights in full armour and straight swords littered the streets; they walked near fast-food chains and cold weapon stores. Many engaged in chatter.

  Through the centre of the city flowed the river Thames, and on the banks of that river was the castle of the Round Table. Its white walls towered over the nearby buildings and clock tower, with numerous bowmen lining the parapets. She could feel their hawk-like gaze kilometres before the castle even came in sight.

  “Lady Merilyn, you have my deepest gratitude for accepting our request.” Galahad, the suave young man he was, offered her a hand as she stepped down from the carriage.

  “Just show me to the room, I am not doing this for free anyway.” She said, feeling the red brick path below her feet.

  “Very well.” Galahad led the way in the castle’s inner wing, a place for the clan leaders and the higher-ups to gather and live.

  A series of winding steps led her to the underground bunker, not a soul in sight in that vast basement that could house ten Wembleys. At the end of that echoing expanse was a vault door gilded in platinum and gold with runic symbols.

  He opened the room next to the Clan’s vault, the heavy door of old iron opening with a wistful cry as he stepped aside.

  “Everyone is guarding the inner wing, not even a fly can peek down here.” He added, his violet eyes downcast. “Please save Master Adelan, I beg of you.”

  “I’ll do what I can.” She kicked the thick metal door closed after entering.

  The inside of the room wasn’t much different; cold red metal spanned over the wall and ceiling with numerous ancient runes glowing in the dim yellow light.

  At the centre of this was Adelan, the stocky man with trunk-like arms. He lay on a slime bed, brow crooked as the stony curse climbed up his abdomen. It had almost reached his chest.

  The request to help him had come to her the moment healing and potions wouldn’t work. The Round Table was willing to pay a hefty sum, but she had found Johan around that time. Good thing she let the boy try his hand.

  The scent from the uncorked potion bottle caught her nose. It was a curious scent now that she focused, a sweet whisper almost. She was half tempted to drink it herself. But decided to pinch Adelan’s hawk-like nose with her fingers. When his mouth opened for air, she dumped the bottle’s contents inside it.

  There was a bit of a struggle as she smothered his lips shut, preventing him from spitting it out. Eventually, the potion transformed into a mist and seeped into his body.

  The effect followed immediately, the purple from his face drained, replaced by a plump red. The stone layer on his lower body started to crack and peel off as his eyes opened.

  “Blimey! I’ve seen better days!” He jumped off the squishy bed that had held him gently and landed on the ground with firm feet. Bits of stone fell down the bottom of his trousers as he tried to undo them.

  “Remove your pants, and I crush that little worm you are trying to free.” She said, looking up at the brat who was a head higher than her. How did a half-dwarf grow this big? She had no clue.

  “It’s you, of course it’s you.” He faced her with eyes as black as the coals, shifting uncomfortably as the stone poked at him. That was a good punishment for him. “How many months did you take in exchange?”

  “None, got my hands on a potion.” She waved the empty glass bottle.

  “You pulling my leg?” He raised his caterpillar-like brow, shaking his trousers. “The Mage Tower don’t got a potion that can handle both poison and status effect at once, if they did, they won’t give em to me.”

  “It’s not from the Mage Tower.” She lightly told him of Johan’s circumstances.

  “Was he in the Book Do-Yun left?” He asked, his face as stern as the metal around them.

  “No.” Merilyn shook her head. “That’s what worries me.”

  “You? The Mighty Merilyn worrying for a random boy? This is hot news.” He gaffed, returning to shaking the pants as bits of stones slipped down. “Still, since you came here, you aren’t all that cold after all.”

  “My temper still burns hot, even after I warned you of the threat to your life, you end up getting poisoned.” She waved her fist around, much to his joy.

  “You hafta be more specific. When has my life not been under threat? For one, Its gotten worse since I took Pa’s mantle.” He stretched his body, and pops echoed through the room. “Well, I got some good rest in the end.”

  “Don’t be so reckless, I can’t do anything if you’re dead.” She stressed the last part.

  “Then imma hold on as best I can, a few years ain’t but a scratch on my lifespan.”

  Merilyn really wanted to discipline him, but that hadn’t helped yet, and wouldn’t help this time either. She’d only met two dwarves in her life, counting Adelan, both stubborn as mules.

  “Any news from Do-Yun? His sword’s long overdue for a repair.” He asked, cracking his neck.

  “No contact since The Gate of Du’at.” That was a decade ago. Their seer had vanished right when she needed him most.

  If he were around, she’d ask him about Johan, but it seemed like she wouldn’t have that luxury anytime soon. She could only hold onto the position till the noble cockroach eventually came back.

  “You said the lad was an alchemist, right?” Adelan asked, a rustic hammer as big as her head already in his hand. “I gotta repay the debt somehow.”

  Merilyn saw through that cheery laugh; he was trying to hide behind the mountain of work again.

  “Don’t you think there is something else you ought to be doing? Like catching the one who poisoned you?” She crossed her arms, her feet rapping against the metal floor

  “It’ll make no difference.” He said, the smile vanishing from his face. The one who poisoned him was none other than his disciple.

  “You know where he went, don’t you?” Merilyn got a curt nod in response.

  “Mordred, that kid joined Pandemonium.”

  Merilyn felt the headache rising; the rise of chaos was truly at hand.

  Just like Do-Yun’s book warned.

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