Ch 15: The Hunter's association - part 3

"President, the Terminator was seen in sectors 2 and 5 recently. He destroyed three abandoned shops and caused a lot of terror in the region. What should we do about it?"

Lucas felt the weight of the security officer's stare, a silent plea for guidance, and knew he was their only hope. His sense of duty was unwavering, and his commitment to their safety was unyielding.

For the past few centuries, humanity has made Lucas a cornerstone of their safety and placed him on a pedestal where he is considered unkillable and untouchable.

Lucas was all this in a way, but it was only because of the cursed power flowing through his veins.

"If the Terminator is not harming anyone physically, then we don't need to go after him. Just let him vent his frustration by leading him out of town."

Lucas ordered, but his heart felt heavy when he spoke. 

As someone who knew the Terminator's real identity and grew up with the calamity, Lucas knew that no one could lessen his sorrow. 

Helios lost his sense of self as soon as their master died, and he became a calamity that their master always warned them about.

But it was too late to control him when anyone noticed. That was how they had lost Helios.

'That darned Saint did not even bother going after Helios to catch him or bring him back. All he did was make sure we did not die! Why did Master leave us to someone like him?'

Lucas asked the question, but he already knew the answer—it was because, indifferent or not, that saint was the only reason they saw the truth behind what happened, and they could take revenge against the council and the king for what they did to their master.

It did not make their master come back, but it became easier for them to bury the hurt deep inside.

'And once we and the human race were stable enough and had these systems in place, that saint decided to bury most of his memory and powers to live a common life. But still, I never expected him to show interest in anyone who was not our master…and a female to boost.'

Master Camelia had been in a male body most of the time, but he did take human form sometimes. There had never been a difference in how the saint Zayne had treated their master, no matter what body he had been.

Lucas had been sure that the older man had been trying to take their master away from them all the time, but he did not have proof. 

As a result, the pair never got along, even after their master's death.

'You mean to tell me that someone possessive like that has another lover and a fiancé on top of that? That lady did look like a master, but there were also significant differences. The shape of the eyes and the nose was wrong, and then there was that aura…. I need to look into it.'

For the first time in forever, Lucas felt a shred of hope. 

He had lost it all after people kept coming to him and telling him that they were the reincarnations of his master. But they all turned out to be duds in the end.

Unlike Lucas and the other three, Zayne never mistook anyone like Camelia before and always remained indifferent. Even sealing his memories did not change him in this regard.

But a single human had managed to make him change and get accepted by that man.

It was suspicious, no matter how you looked at it.

"President, are you alright-"

"I need you all to look into someone. I am sure you have heard about SS-rank hunter Zayne's fiancé by now. I want you to find out what you can about her and give me a complied report tomorrow."

Lucas stood up and walked out, leaving behind a troubled section that did not know what to do. They could only look at his back with bitter expressions as they realized they would all have to work overtime to accommodate his request.

"Ugh, this sucks a lot. I had plans with my family this evening. Now I will have to reschedule the dinner I wanted with them."

One of the employees complained as he picked up his phone to call his wife. He knew he was dealing once he got home, but President Lucas was much scarier than his wife could ever hope to be.

...

Camelia's meeting with Lucas had gone a lot smoother than she expected.

She had never expected Lucas or anyone else to recognize her if Zayne's look-alike had not, but Camelia could tell that Lucas had been suspicious of her identity as soon as he saw her.

His power had circled Camelia, daring her to interact with him and press for advantage.

Camelia would not have taken it lying down had she been her usual self. Her instincts would have forced her to make the apocalypse seed submit to her.

But that urge was gone in her new body. It finally felt like she had a will and was no longer a weapon to control the apocalypse.

"Aww, stop ignoring me like this. Are you not even going to look at me anymore? Come! I saved you from that big and scary president of hours, but I don't even get a thanks in response. How cruel of you."

Zayne placed his hand on Camelia's shoulder, and she unconsciously started the guided process before realizing what she was doing.

It was tough to control her new powers since they activated without a spell, but Camelia got used to them all.

By now, she had all the control over her magic and had already thought of how to form a system to manage it more easily. She had never thought about such things before, but it did seem like a useful thing to note.

Camelia condensed her magic and began to form a system. But before it could take place, an overly excited Zayne grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the building.