A Hunter Within

Alan shivered in fear at the notification on his system and by the fact that he was stalked by two entities in his own house and now he was being targetted for his life by a professional hunter, was this even possible to interfere with one's system and make it forcibly react to the request of others?

Either way, Alan decided to inspect that notification of what it meant or had any further information from which he could benefit through learning.

[Examine]

[User is being targetted by a user named: Fakenix]

[Bounty on Head: 5 Million credits]

[Enemys ability: Unknown]

[Next appearance: 2 days]

[About the opponent: The user possesses a fake name on his systems ID and was born in this land. Age is unknown]

Reading the provided information made Alan even more nervous than before because never in his life was he targeted to be murdered, and with a warning as well. This was unusual like any other threats Alan had received and he was scared to inform Barry and get him involved, potentially causing him harm. Till then Alan only had to prepare himself before the so-called appearance in 2 days.

The whole night Alan hadn't slept in terror of the event last night making his eyes swollen and his face wrapped in slumber. The other two brothers who had slept peacefully were pondering over Alan's state but didn't make much out of it.

Barry came from the mission center giving the glad news that they hadn't been appointed on a mission today, which meant they could either have fun or train with each other to increase their understanding of combat.

After Breakfast Barry left to check on Hazel's Health as now she had lost all her powers making her body fragile. The other two stayed at home as they had no plans for the day.

"You know I can see that right?", said Theo catching Alan off guard.

Alan startled by his choice of words became scared to answer his question, but decided to play dumb.

"See what?", replied Alan.

"You're being targetted by a bounty hunter, what's the deal in getting startled over that", said Theo.

"How can you see that?", asked Alan in an intrigued tone.

"Well like I told you previously I possess so many skills because I killed the people to whom I belonged, Once just like you a bounty hunter targeted me but he was a fool for choosing me as my identity made my worth low making it seem that I was a weak opponent, but the opposite happened, I ended up killing him and absorbing his skills in which I found the Assassin skill, which basically lets you sync yours and your enemy systems together making the bounty contract and all bounty hunters can see every targetted person so they may not accidentally contract or kill them", explained Theo.

Alan couldn't have even thought that Theo had any knowledge of this thing but now knowing this he started to fear him as well thinking he might be involved as well, or maybe alert the others.

''What's your hunter's name?'', asked Theo.

"Uhm it's a fake name called Fakenix", replied Alan.

"Hmm Fakenix I haven't heard that code name ever and it's not even listed in the assassins' chart are you sure that this guy is a bounty hunter?", asked Theo.

"I mean that's what my system told me maybe he is a private assassin, who knows?", said Alan.

''Wait how much is on your head?", questioned Theo.

"5 Mllion", responded Alan.

"5 MILLION!, I'm sure that this is not an ordinary hunter, this may be an elite hunter, who is only chosen to target people with worth in millions.", said Theo.

"Theo, listen to me carefully, no one can know about this, I know what they are after and it's the same reason I came to this residence and caused Barry and others many problems, it's my problem, and I'll deal with it myself but I need you to help me.", said Alan.

"Help?, how can I help you? I haven't fought any elite hunter.", stated Theo.

"No, but you possess so many skills you can help me train, for the next two days till his appearance, what do you say?", asked Alan.

"Sure I can help you but are you sure you shouldn't tell anyone, like this is an elite hunter by telling others they would help you fight him.", stated Theo.

"I've made my decision I can't hurt them anymore so just keep this a secret alright," said Alan before grabbing his headband and heading towards the open garden in the backyard where he could duel Theo. Theo followed him and just like him took his stance to begin the sparring.

Alan and Theo stood in the open field behind their house, a customary place for their friendly sparring matches. The sun hung low in the sky, casting long shadows over the grass. A gentle breeze rustled through the trees, foreshadowing the elemental clash to come.

"Ready for this?" Theo called out, a playful grin on his face.

"Always," Alan replied, his eyes glinting with anticipation.

Without further ado, Theo made the first move, his hands crackling with electricity. He launched a bolt of lightning towards Alan, who effortlessly sidestepped, the air around him swirling with energy. Alan countered by summoning a gust of wind, now darkened with his upgraded black wind power. The shadowy gust pushed Theo back a few steps, but he regained his footing quickly.

"Impressive," Theo admitted, his voice laced with genuine admiration.

Theo then switched tactics, closing the distance between them with a burst of speed, his fists igniting with fire. He threw a series of rapid punches, each one leaving a trail of flames in the air. Alan, utilizing his enhanced wind powers, created a vortex around himself that extinguished the flames and deflected Theo's blows.

"Not bad, but can you handle this?" Alan taunted, his voice carried on the wind.

With a flick of his wrist, Alan summoned a whirlwind of black wind that swirled towards Theo. The dark tornado was menacing, its inky tendrils reaching out like the fingers of a shadowy hand. Theo responded by tapping into his telepathic abilities, sensing the patterns of the wind and finding the gaps within. He leaped gracefully through the gaps, landing safely on the other side of the vortex.

Theo then activated his ocular power, his eyes glowing with a subtle light. He could now see the currents of energy around Alan, giving him a brief glimpse of his brother's next move. Anticipating an aerial attack, Theo grounded himself, drawing on his martial arts skills to remain balanced and ready.

Alan didn't disappoint, launching himself into the air and using his wind powers to glide smoothly. He descended towards Theo with a powerful kick, the force of which was amplified by a jet of black wind. Theo met the attack head-on, blocking the kick with his arm and using the momentum to flip Alan over his shoulder. Alan landed gracefully, his control over the winds allowing him to touch down softly.

"Nice move," Alan acknowledged, brushing off his clothes.

Theo responded with a combination of hand-to-hand combat techniques and basic elemental attacks. He switched between fire, lightning, and telepathy, trying to keep Alan on his toes. Alan, however, used his mastery over the black winds to deflect most of Theo's attacks, creating barriers and pushing Theo back whenever he got too close.

Finally, Theo decided to mix things up. He closed his eyes for a brief moment, focusing his telepathic powers to anticipate Alan's next move. As Alan prepared another wind-based attack, Theo created a diversion with a burst of fire to Alan's left, then darted to his right, aiming a low sweep at Alan's legs. Alan, sensing the trick, jumped just in time, avoiding the sweep but losing his balance slightly.

Taking advantage of the moment, Theo used his lightning powers to send a small but sharp jolt through the ground, startling Alan and making him stumble. With a swift movement, Theo was behind him, locking Alan in a gentle but firm hold.

"Yield?" Theo asked, panting slightly.

Alan laughed, a sound of genuine enjoyment. "Alright, alright. I yield."

Theo released him, and the brothers stepped back, both breathing hard but grinning from ear to ear.

"Good fight," Theo said, clapping Alan on the shoulder.

"You too," Alan replied, shaking Theo's hand.

"With this level of skill I will get myself killed out there.", pondered Alan while heading back inside with Theo.