Seraphina greeted me on the other side of the testing arena when I stepped out. She seemed to have left the viewing stands to come right by my side. It was very sweet of her.

  I blushed a little as I saw her.

  “Sorry,” I said. “I messed up with the mana a little.”

  “Yes, I noticed.”

  Shouldn’t you be encouraging me right now? I thought of how it would have been better to see someone sweet, but instead, she held back no punches. What a girl. I liked the honesty a lot more than fake reassurances.

  A smile left me. It was intense how being with an S-Ranked Hunter had changed my common sense to a degree where even I was believing things to be underwhelming.

  The ice spear that I thought was a mistake and a failure had instead earned me not just the renewal of my license, but also the possible and probable increase in the rank that I held.

  With this, the Hunter Association was finally behind me.

  “Elara,” Seraphina said. “Congratulations. You have completed everything that the Leader had asked of you. From now…”

  The thing that I thought would end for me had swung open a new door.

  “You will be called Vice Leader Elara.”

  It seemed I had suddenly become someone important in the Guild. Such was life, it seemed; sometimes you just need to flow.

  The rest of the work flowed smoother than I could have expected. Since I was with Seraphina, we had someone from the Association following us around at all times. In the few minutes it took to prepare the documentation and to deliberate over my next rank, a new cohort of journalists and reporters had already come around and were standing outside the Guild building. It was a question of why Hunter Seraphina had entered this place, and the Hunter Association was quick to dismiss them, citing it off as just a visit.

  It was common for Ashen Gryphon to be involved in a lot of matters, both purely formal and matters of more importance. That was why the media did not stay for long. After a bit of waiting in the lounges reserved for the VIPs of the Hunter Association and a brief meeting with the Director of the branch, we finally got out of the place with the card in our hand.

  A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  I didn’t know if it was the smartness of the person or his consideration, but he did not ask a word about why the Guild was interested in me enough for me to come here with an S-Ranker.

  Finally, after finishing the complete procedure, I left with a new hunter license in my hand.

  [Elara Klein] [Hunter - Rank D]

  It was a D-Ranked certification.

  “Did they go easy on you?” asked Seraphina. “I mean, why would you become a D-Ranked Hunter right away?”

  “You do understand the difference between each rank is enormous, don’t you? They would need at least thirty D-Ranked Hunters to pose a threat to a C-Ranked Hunter. And then fifty more C-Ranked Hunters to be standing up against a B-Ranked Hunter…”

  The sun was already setting by the time we left the place. The initial excitement of taking the test and then waiting for the result was all gone. I could feel the leather of the comfortable car seat better on my skin today. I peered out of the window of the car. The front side was completely blocked off; it was just the two of us sharing this space.

  I placed my hand on the seat. I was tired.

  Cold reached my hand.

  I looked at Seraphina, just turning my head while still resting it back. Seraphina pensively looked out of the window.

  Her hand was trembling slightly.

  “Are you in pain?” I asked.

  Seraphina turned to me in a fluster. She pulled her trembling hand to her and shook her head.

  My lips, almost on their own, went downward. I didn’t like this.

  I reached forward. Was it the fatigue? Or was it perhaps the moment? I couldn’t tell.

  But a strange kind of feeling was bubbling in my chest.

  Almost a sense of mana.

  [Symbiotic Bond is active] [Compatibility between bond-mates has been increased]

  Those were messages from the system which I did not see.

  I took her hand from her. “I know about you, Seraphina. You can tell me.”

  How painful must it have been?

  To be in a world of hurt. And have no one to speak about it to.

  “There is no need to hide it anymore, Seraphina.”

  The Ice Queen looked into my eyes.

  “Yes…” she said. “It hurts…”

  Her lips quaked. The slightest bit, but they quaked.

  I leaned closer. We were both inches away from each other’s eyes.

  Gently, softly, I pulled her hair back from her ears. Slowly leaning in.

  There was something I could do.

  That was a fact.

  There was a way to make that pain go away a little. It was something I could do, and naturally, something I wanted to do.

  It was very saddening.

  To see her in pain.

  “It’ll be easier…” I said.

  Seraphina’s eyes shook. She tried to pry them away, but couldn’t.

  Instead, she retreated.

  She closed her eyes.

  In the back of the car, under the light of the setting sun.

  I felt the leather of the seats leave my back.

  Two breaths mingled.

  One hot and one cold.

  A bond.