Chapter 3 - Xavius

Five years later, the city underwent reconstruction and gradually transitioned beyond the tragedy. Most, if not all, residents found healing from the trauma inflicted by the creatures that had besieged their beloved home. Meanwhile, the Hunters of the Wolf Team could only grieve their losses and strive to forge ahead.

Aurelia remains a solo Hunter.

She could not bear to lose another partner, not after Nathalia.

Aurelia sighs as she glances at her watch; seeing the holographic map of the abandoned Zone 13B glow blue.

It had been almost one hour ever since she arrived at Zone 13B and she was nearing the location on her watch. She is getting restless as she enters an abandoned factory, her footsteps echoing audibly in the narrow corridor. Dark and musty, she tries not to wrinkle her nose as she makes her way deeper inside.

As the narrow corridor stretches on, it gradually unfolds into a spacious square, revealing a set of stairs ascending toward the surface. The passage of years, marked by neglect and abandonment, has left its mark on the surroundings; the once sturdy walls are now encrusted with rust, while tendrils of vines and creeping foliage weave their way through the cracks. 

Aurelia's gaze lingers on the staircase, pondering its stability after years of disuse. She can't help but wonder if it's still safe to trust the aging structure to bear her weight as she ascends toward the unknown above. Her watch is telling her that the creature's location is up, there is only one way up.

Halting as her watch senses another lifeform, she stares at the beeping, frowning when it informs her that this time it is a human being. She turns to see an unconscious male hunter propped upright against a wall behind her. Crawlers were seen enveloping him in an embrace that shielded him from being seen.

Frowning, and despite warnings blaring in her mind, she stalked forward to the unknown man.

She kneels and notices his handsome face first. Even unconscious, this man is very pretty. Silver-toned hair frames his face, he looks like he has been carved into a Greek God, jawline as sharp as pumice and cheekbones that feel sharp the longer she stares. His white uniform was torn in a few places, cuts formed and blood stained the cloth.

Is he sleeping?

She reads reports about an unknown silver-haired man disguised as a human being who goes around destroying elemental cores and absorbing them, even though no Hunter would dare to absorb such power themselves. She reads of a team that specializes in this weird quirk too.

Known as the Whiskey Team, they're a group of outcasts, driven to the brink of insanity by absorbing excessive power from the cores. Unsavory rumors trail their missions, painting them as troubled figures. Could this man have infiltrated the Hunter's Association so thoroughly that no one questions his eccentric behavior?

Against her wishes, she extends her hand toward him, intending to shake him out of his stupor. However, before she can make contact, his hand swiftly wraps around her wrist. His eyes snap open, revealing a pair of sharp, icy blue orbs that freeze her in place.

"Hello," he greets, his voice is soft and warm like biting into a cookie as he lets her wrist go.

"Are you injured?" she asks. "Can you move?"

He nods.

"I wasn't told there is another Hunter from the Whiskey Team that has started this mission," she says with a frown and tilts her head, her white blonde hair falling into her golden eyes. "If I had known, I wouldn't have intruded."

His icy blue eyes widen slightly and he maintains a calm expression. "Can you do me a favor?" he asks. "Can you keep my being here a secret?"

She stares at him in disbelief. This man is not meant to be here, she realizes. Why is this being here? What kind of core is he searching for that would require such secrecy from the Hunter's Association? Does he not realize that a Hunter will be assigned to this mission? Has he not thought out of his plan well? 

"... Sure."

"I'm Xavius."

Recalling the name written in the reports about this man, she is certain it's not Xavius1. Though she can't recall the exact name, she's sure it's not that. She nods silently, opting not to inquire further from this peculiar being, who gazes at her as though she's fashioned the moon and stars themselves.

Before they can speak more, they hear a creature baying above them and they turn to see the target jumping down to where they are. Xavius stands before she can move and he collides with the creature swiftly. She watches him fight, materializing a sword from a rune etched in his neck, and strikes down the creature within the next second.

His white light powers cut the creature into tiny pieces and it disintegrates the next second. Aurelia watches him extract the ruby core from within. As if he knows he's being watched, he turns to her, his icy blue eyes holding her golden ones as he destroys it; absorbing the elemental powers into his body.

The reports are true then, she muses.

As he bridges the gap between them, he kneels, and they share a prolonged gaze. Numerous questions linger unspoken between them, yet they both hesitate to open Pandora's box, fearing it may unleash a torrent of problems. They're aware that each holds knowledge beyond what they reveal, yet neither is willing to show their cards.

"I think you know who I am," Xavius says slowly. "And I think you know that I know who you are."

"You speak in riddles, Elf."

He grins. "I see," he says. "May I know your name, my beautiful Asteri?"

"Aurelia," she answers. "You and I will see more of each other."

"Indeed we are."

With a resigned huff, Aurelia retraces her steps toward the entrance point where her motorbike patiently waits by the roadside. Glancing back at the fences marking the boundaries of the perilous zones frequented by creatures, she contemplates the challenges that lie ahead in the coming year.

Beneath the surface lies a hidden world, teetering on the edge, known only to a select few. To encounter the legendary elf who destroys cores is a revelation she never imagined she would face.