Hunter Of The Six Realms

Chapter 23

Inside the stone walls of Black Veil Guild's upper council chamber, ten people sat around a long, rectangular table, they were the captains of Black veil, the one's at the top.

They all seemed tensed and a bit angry. Some had their faces twisted in a deep frown while the calm ones kepy a blank expressions.

Guildmaster Ardan leaned forward, hands clasped tightly, his expression unreadable. He was a tall man with a giant build, grey streaking his short black hair and beard. His eyes, however, were still sharp and alert.

On his right sat Captain Fenrick, basic stature, medium height, the metal plating on his shoulder still stained from his last mission. He was the first to break the silence.

"How in the hells does one beast wipe out nine of our hunters?"

They'd all been gathered to discuss what Kael had reported. It was hard to believe something like that could happen, Level one raid team all wiped out just like that by a single beast? That was unheard of.

No one answered at first. Then Captain Lurei spoke up, arms crossed tightly over her chest. She wore white robes marked with gold seams and the emblem of the Water realm. Her eyes were cold.

"Kael said she didn't look like a beast. She spoke, she thought... She was alert. That's not a beast… that's something else entirely."

The beast realm was endless, and no one knew exactly what could be lurking inside, but this was still hard to process.

"She's not a natural spawn," said Captain Droven, the youngest among them, fire realm, quick-tempered and always the first to speak his mind. "She can control the damn portal itself, open it, close it, trap people inside. What kind of beast can do that?"

"And none of you are considering the fact she let Kael live," said another voice, this one deep and grim. Captain Saul, Ice realm. He sat at the end of the table, his expression tense but cold. "She wanted a message sent. That wasn't mercy. That was a warning."

The table fell quiet again as everyone tried to make sense of the whole thing.

"Rael, Nyra, Solas." Lurei said, voice tighter now. "They weren't just anyone. They were some of our best S-rankers. But she had killed them, In less than a minute... without breaking a sweat."

Droven slammed his palm down on the table. "We need to re-enter, full force this time. We bring everything we have. If she wants a warrior, then we'll give her a goddamn army."

"And lose twice as many?" Saul shot back, interrupting Droven. "You think numbers matter against something that can bend time and space inside its own domain? You weren't there. Kael was."

All eyes turned to the far end of the room.

Kael sat alone, hunched, arms limp at his sides. His hair was disheveled. His clothes were clean, but his hands still trembled. He hadn't spoken since the meeting began. Not until now.

"…You can't defeat her."

His voice was low, hoarse. He had refused to speak when he returned, for a whole God damn day, they asked him a lot of questions, and finally he opened up and revealed what he could, including the message she sent him to deliver. He was invited to the meeting now, as the last survivor of whatever massacre happened in there.

Kael raised his head slowly. His eyes were sunken. Weak and broken. The kind of broken that doesn't go away. It was obvious that what he witnessed had left him traumatized.

"You think this is about power?" he continued, voice shaking but steady enough to cut through the silence. "You think if we gather more S-rankers or bring ancient weapons, we stand a chance?"

He shook his head slowly.

"She doesn't fight with strength. She fights with the world. That place… it's not a realm. It's hers. She owns it. She writes the rules. She lets you see what she wants. Hear what she wants. Even feel what she wants."

He leaned forward slightly, both hands gripping the edge of the table. His knuckles turning white.

"She turned Rael's own fire against him. Burned him alive from the inside out. She pulled Nyra into the goddamn sky and dropped her like she was nothing. And Solas? Solas never even got to act. He was gone before we blinked."

No one interrupted.

Kael's voice lowered further. Almost a whisper.

"She's not a monster. She's a curse. And as long as she stays in that realm, there is nothing you can do. You step into her domain… and you die."

A long silence followed as everyone stared at Kael, dumbfounded.

Guildmaster Ardan remained calm, his expression still blank, but you could see the hesitation behind his eyes. He has been the leader for years, and this was the first time he has ever been confused on what decision to make.

"Then we don't go back in. Not yet." He finally broke the science.

Heads turned to his direction.

"We don't send anyone else to die blindly. We should first observe and research, also reach out to the Council of Realms if we must. There has to be something in the archives, maybe a record...or a hint. No being that powerful shows up without warning."

Lurei asked quietly, "And if there's nothing?"

"Then we find a way to drag her out of her domain," Ardan said. "Force her to play by our rules."

Kael laughed. A dry, humorless sound.

"She won't come out. She doesn't want war. She wants a duel."

The others exchanged glances.

"She told me herself. Word for word: 'Send me a warrior, not prey.'"

His eyes met the Guildmaster's.

"You send more squads, she'll keep killing. You send armies, she'll still kill. But send someone who can challenge her… someone she'll accept…"

"…and maybe," Kael added, voice almost lifeless, "just maybe, we won't all die."

"And where the hell do you think we can find someone that powerful?" Droven barked, frustration clear in his tone.

"The Capital....Void tier hunters."