Chapter 13: Ep.4 - Vision (2)

"What are you zoning out for? Regretting your life choices? Its too late for that." A person standing opposite to me said with a sword in his arms. He looked like the knight from my vision, just young and probably having less experience in battles.

I examined him and found many similarities between them. He even had a ring on his hand which must have poison in it.

Even though he and the knight from the vision looked similar, the one in front of me seemed to lack the will to exorcise a cultist that the knight displayed. This one was pretending to be angry.

"I am not talking to walls and air. Answer me!" He said in demanding tone. It seemed he was a bit egoistical and let his emotions guide him.

"I surrender." I said setting my sword aside and kneeling down. It would take a turn for worst if he wont listen to things I say. I didn't want to take that risk after the vision. The death of the hunter was another shock to me as it was the first time seeing someone's life drain out so horribly. I still did not understand why he decided to die so painfully but now was not the time to think about that.

The young hunter's eyes widened in shock as I knelt before him, surrendering my weapon. His grip on his sword tightened, and he took a step back, as if trying to process the unexpected turn of events.

"What kind of underhanded tactic are you playing at?" he demanded, his voice laced with suspicion. The anger in his eyes now seemed mingled with confusion and doubt.

I looked up at him, maintaining a calm demeanor despite the tension in the air. "I'm not playing any games," I said earnestly. "You asked for proof right? As you can see, I have nothing that can give a proof of my innocence. So I request you to look through any and all records and do whatever deemed necessary so that I won't be labeled as a cultist. I plan to comply with your investigation and answer everything without a single lie."

He hesitated, his eyes narrowing as he studied me. The silence stretched between us, heavy with unspoken questions. Finally, he lowered his sword slightly, still cautious but seemingly willing to consider my words. I was glad that he's not like the knight from the vision.

"Alright," he said slowly, "I'll contact my superiors. But if this is some kind of trick, you'll regret it."

I nodded, keeping my movements deliberate and non-threatening. The young hunter kept a wary eye on me as he reached for a small communication device attached to his belt. He had picked up my sword and put it on his back. He started speaking into it in hushed tones while continuously looking at me from a safe distance. I couldn't make out all of his words, but I heard enough to know he was explaining the situation and requesting a background check on me.

As he waited for a response, I could see the tension in his posture. His shoulders were stiff, and his jaw was clenched tightly. He occasionally said something to himself in exasperation and looked at me with eyes full of doubt. I remained kneeling, my hands resting on my thighs, trying to appear as non-threatening as possible.

After what felt like an eternity, the device crackled to life, and the hunter listened intently to the reply. He nodded a few times, then turned back to me, his expression more guarded than before.

"On the surface you don't seem to have any connections to demon cult." He said still maintaining his distance. I was about to responds when he interrupted me.

"That's just on the surface. A more detailed search is going to be required. You are still suspicious, one wrong move and your head will roll on the ground. so don't get your hopes up." He said. There was still a trace of annoyance in his words but at least he decided to run a background check on me.

I complied, sitting back on my heels and taking slow, steady breaths to keep myself calm. The dungeon's cold, damp air clung to my skin, and the distant echoes of rumbling and other hunters fighting filled the silence. The young hunter had unsheathed his sword yet his eyes didn't focus on anything but me.

"If you are not a cultist, how did you ended up falling for the trap set for them?" he asked. He had been opening and closing his mouth repeatedly but didn't say anything. At last he spoke.

"How was I supposed to know its a trap. I got the information and decided to find the treasures myself." I responded painstakingly. It was the truth but I had to make sure that there is no chance of being misunderstood.

"And where did you get this information?"

"The guild vice-leader told me that."

"If it was something told to you officially, weren't you supposed to search for it with the team? Why did you send them off and remained here alone."

"He told me search for it myself and it was dangerous for them to enter a double dungeon when the labyrinth itself took a toll on them."

"So you mean to say you, an A-Tier Hunter, alone was told to clear the double dungeon and fetch the reward that is supposed to help the demon to descend?" After what he had said, it made sense why I was labeled as a demon cultist.

"You misunderstand. I was just informed about the existence of a double dungeon. I had no idea about the rewards. And as for my rank, it recently increased to S-Tier, its just that I haven't officially updated it to the Bureau." I tried explaining him but his suspicion about me had already grown.

"You better pray that the results of search are in your favor." He clearly couldn't wait to cut me down but he waited for the search results.

Minutes dragged by, each one feeling like an hour. Finally, the communication device buzzed again, and the hunter listened intently before nodding and putting the device away. He turned to me, his expression a mix of surprise and reluctant acceptance.

"Looks like the odds are in your favor." he said, his tone grudgingly respectful. "But based on our conversation, it looked like a more thorough search is required. So you will be coming to the headquarters with me."

I nodded, relieved but wary of what lay ahead. "Thank you," I said quietly, rising to my feet slowly. "I appreciate you giving me a chance."

He didn't respond, merely gestured for me to follow him. It was a good thing that I was not a cultist, but if I had been, it would have been a left hand job for me. As we walked toward the tesseract, I realized that I had not fulfilled the condition to leave the dungeon, not that I had figured them out.

"Hey," I had not heard his name earlier so I decided to skip to the point. "What about the conditions to leave? I don't think I am allowed to leave." To that he simply looked back with a smirk.

"I temporarily changed the conditions for it, you can leave with me." He resumed walking towards the tesseract and I saw him slowly disappear. Is that even possible? I shiver ran down my spine as I though about it.

Unknowingly I found myself smiling as I thought about the possibilities and limit of his ability if it could tamper with the conditions for the exit. My hands felt empty as he had confiscated my sword. A fight with him would surely be something else. But now is not the right time, The stakes are very high. I convinced myself and decided to wait for the opportunity when the stakes were absent if not in my favor.

I followed him as there was no other choice for me and walked into the tesseract. The surroundings diffused with a dark aquamarine hue and reformed to a silent night street.

I looked at the sky and there was almost a full moon in the sky. When I entered, the full moon was almost a fortnight away. Did I spend 2 weeks in the labyrinth? If that was so, how did they communicate? I looked in the direction of the hunter who was waiting leaning on a car outside the barricade that surrounded the dungeon.

Did they just send voice messages so that voice wont break due to dilation?

As I walked towards him, I realized that dungeon was supposed to break a week from when we entered… Did he also change the conditions for gate break? That can be true. I could barely contain my excitement as my thoughts ran amok.

Both of us sat in the back seat and the car took off. The hunter didn't bait me an eye all of a sudden. It was indescribable but I decided not to do something that will harm me.