I can't remember after it. No matter how much I try, no matter how desperately I claw at the edges of my mind, it's just… gone. A blurry past.
The faces, the places—they slip through my fingers like grains of sand. Even her face... Lyla.
She was everything to me—the light in my darkest moments, the one person I could never let go of.
The tears came before I could stop them, cold and endless. In my dream, they fell silently. I wiped them away with trembling hands, but they kept coming, as though my heart couldn't stop bleeding.
And then, amidst my anguish, I felt a warm touch on my head. Soft, gentle, with an unmistakable strength behind it.
"Lyla?" My voice cracked as I looked up. She stood behind me, her figure so familiar it hurt. She smiled—that gentle, comforting smile.
"Don't worry," she said, her voice as soothing as a summer breeze, yet strangely distant.
I tried to reach for her, but she spoke again, her words shrouded in mystery.
"There is someone in this world who will do anything for you," she whispered. "Find him. He'll care for you more than his own life."
Before I could speak, her form melted into the shadows.
"Wait!" I screamed, but it was useless. She was gone.
- Back to Present -
I jolted awake, my eyes burning with unshed tears. Above me, the night sky stretched infinitely, dotted with stars glowing softly like embers in the dark.
The crackle of a campfire reached my ears, along with the earthy smell of fish roasting over a flame. My stomach growled faintly.
I tried to sit up, but a sharp pain in my leg stopped me. Glancing down, I saw tight bandages wrapping my wound. Someone had dressed it.
The memory flashed back—the dark, vanishing monster with its long, clawed limbs. The suffocating fear. The hollow, glowing eyes.
It's over. It's gone. I'm still here. But someone saved me?
Beneath me was a comfortable bed with a warm sheet. Beside me lay a sword within arm's reach. I was wearing an oversized, soft white sweater—clumsily tied at the hem, the sleeves slipping off my shoulder. Someone had dressed me, awkwardly but kindly.
I reached for the sword, but as my fingers brushed the hilt, I realized it was absurdly heavy.
"How could anyone even fight with something like this?" I muttered under my breath.
Sighing, I glanced toward the campfire. And then my eyes shifted further, catching sight of the stranger.
He was leaning against a tree, his eyes closed in sleep, one hand resting near his head while his legs were crossed in a relaxed posture. A blood-stained bandage wrapped around his right arm, and a rune-covered book lay at his side.
I stared for a moment, caught off guard. Even asleep, his features were strikingly sharp. Black, tousled hair framing a face that was remarkably handsome, complemented by a lean, muscular physique that showed even through the drape of his dark overcoat.
He was undeniably, breathtakingly attractive.
I quickly shook my head, flushing as I forced those thoughts away.
What was I thinking? Now wasn't the time to be distracted by a stranger's looks.
Beneath his dark, elegant overcoat, a simple gray tunic and tailored trousers gave him an air of noble refinement. A faint flicker of magical energy hovered around his coat.
A hunter? I guessed, my chest tightening. Hunters weren't known for charity. The cruel faces of the hunters who had once raided my village flashed in my mind.
Why would anyone help me? What if he expects something in return?
I tightened my grip on the heavy sword and forced myself upright, wincing as pain shot through my bandaged leg. If he was a threat, I needed to be ready.
As I shifted, a flock of birds burst from the trees, their wings beating loudly against the cold night air.
The noise woke him. His eyes slowly fluttered open—crystal blue and piercing, like the clearest summer sky, catching the starlight.
Those eyes... They were the same eyes I saw before I passed out. The boy who caught me as I fell.
I've seen those eyes before... but where?
My sister's words echoed in my head: "Find him. He'll care for you more than his own life."
Could it be him? This stranger with eyes like the sky? No, that's absurd... right?
He rubbed his eyes, relaxing as he saw me. "Are you okay?" he asked gently.
I didn't answer, straining to lift the heavy sword.
He raised his palms in peace. "Hey, relax. I'm not here to hurt you."
"Stay back!" I yelled, my voice trembling.
He took a cautious step back, hands still up. "Okay, okay! It's not really nice to interrogate someone you've just met, you know."
"Don't play games with me. I know what you are—a hunter." I scowled.
He sighed dramatically, lacing his hands behind his head. "Man, you're cautious, huh? Alright, since you're so curious, the name's Kaiser Everhart." He grinned. "Now, drop the sword and chill, would you?"
Kaiser Everhart. The name meant nothing to me. Just a random hunter. Yet his easy demeanor threw me off.
"Stay where you are," I warned as he crouched, reaching toward the ground.
He pointed at the fire. "Relax, I'm just checking on the fish. Don't want them to burn. You don't want to eat burnt fish, do you?"
"Stop fooling around!" I snapped. "Answer my questions!"
Before I could finish, my stomach growled loudly. I flushed in embarrassment.
He laughed heartily. "So, you're hungry, huh? Come on, this smells amazing."
"What happened with the monster?" I demanded, the memory of those claws terrifying me.
Kaiser's smile faded. "That's… a cold memory. Some things are better left in the past."
"How did you take it out?" I pressed. "It was so fast... how did you survive?"
"They're called Noctis Graspers," he explained quietly. "Monsters of the night. They thrive in darkness, moving faster than the eye can follow. Twisted faces, glowing eyes, and skeletal limbs that snatch you from the shadows, draining your will to live."
A cold shiver ran down my spine.
That was exactly what happened to me. The draining coldness...
"Once they catch you, there's no escape. They feed on your fear before devouring you whole." He leaned back, his playful grin returning. "So, why were you brave enough to fight two of them at once?"
"I wasn't," I admitted quietly. "They caught me."
He clutched his chest dramatically. "Ah, tragic! But hey, at least you didn't go down without a fight."
"You make it sound easy," I muttered.
"Well, I took them out," he shrugged. "Barely broke a sweat."
"How? You made them sound unkillable."
He grinned. "Oh, Noctis Graspers? Easy. I walked up, gave 'em a little wink, and they ran away terrified."
I blinked. "Really?"
He laughed. "Nah. It was more of a 'stab, dodge, stab again, hope they don't grab you' situation. Real finesse."
I narrowed my eyes, but a reluctant laugh bubbled out of me. "Yeah, right."
"Believe me, it's all in the technique," he winked. "Those were C-class monsters. Nothing a B or A-rank adventurer couldn't handle."
"What's an adventurer rank?" I asked, confused.
He explained the six ranks: E for rookies up to S for the legendary elite. "Here in Celestine, S-ranks are practically unheard of."
"What's your rank?"
He hesitated, giving a dry laugh. "Does it really matter? Your fish is about to burn, by the way."
My stomach growled again. I reluctantly set the heavy sword down and accepted the skewered fish.
The first bite was delicious—smoky, tender, and warm.
Across from me, Kaiser dramatically bit into a burnt piece, groaning in exaggerated despair. "Ugh, so tasteless!"
A genuine laugh escaped me.
It was the first time in years I had laughed like that. Genuine relief filled my chest.
He looked up, his playful demeanor dropping into quiet seriousness. "Thanks," he said softly.
I blinked, chewing. "For what?"
"For saving me. I wouldn't be here if it weren't for you."
The words hit me like a cold gust of wind. What did he mean?
"It's a long story," he murmured. "But you're the reason I am alive."
I stared at him, my heart uneasy.
Who was he, really? And why did he say I saved him?