Chapter 3: A Glimpse of the Chain
The morning sun filtered through thin curtains, brushing pale light across the kitchen. Kaela moved quickly, her nurse uniform wrinkled from the rush, hair tied back in a loose bun.
She grabbed her bag, slung it over her shoulder, and looked over at Ryz, who sat at the table, sipping water in silence.
"I'll be out all day," she said. "Hospital's short on staff again."
He nodded.
"You remember how to use the register?"
"Yes."
"Don't let the weird old guy from next door argue about the price of bandages again. He always does."
"I won't."
"And smile—if you know how."
Ryz didn't reply.
Kaela sighed with a small smirk. "Try not to creep people out. You're doing better lately."
"I'll behave."
With that, she turned to the door. "Don't forget to lock up during lunch."
"I won't."
Kaela opened the door but hesitated before stepping out. "Also… if anyone comes in and starts asking too many questions, especially about me don't answer. Just say I'm out."
Ryz tilted his head slightly, curious. But before he could ask, she gave a casual wave and shut the door behind her.
---
The store was quiet in the early morning. A few regulars stopped by an elderly woman buying painkillers, a man from the bakery asking for disinfectant, and a small child who tried to steal a candy bar before being caught by Ryz's sharp gaze.
It wasn't busy, but the shop felt… alive.
Ryz moved with practiced stillness, stocking shelves and keeping the counter clean. The bell above the door jingled now and then, bringing with it the scent of outside air and idle conversation.
He didn't speak much. Only when necessary. But people noticed him his tall posture, the strange calm in his movements, and the cold red-black hue of his eyes.
"He's creepy," someone whispered once.
"He's polite," said another.
But none dared speak directly.
Ryz didn't mind. He preferred silence.
---
It was around midday when everything shifted.
The bell rang again but this time, the air seemed to shift with it. The sound was sharper, more deliberate.
Footsteps followed. Slow, heavy, confident.
A man entered the store with the kind of energy that filled the room before he even spoke. Tall, broad-shouldered, wearing a black jacket with silver buckles and a badge pinned to the side the emblem of a snarling wolf skull.
Ryz looked up from the counter.
The man scanned the room, then smirked.
"So you're the guy," he said, walking straight to the counter.
"I am," Ryz replied.
"I'm looking for Kaela."
"She's out," Ryz said simply.
The man leaned forward, resting his elbows on the counter.
"Draven Voss. Her brother."
Ryz nodded slowly.
"Didn't know she was babysitting strays," Draven added with a small laugh. "What's your name?"
"Ryz."
"Just Ryz?"
"Yes."
Draven snorted. "Mysterious. You one of those quiet types or just socially broken?"
Ryz didn't respond.
"You're living in her house, aren't you?"
"Yes."
"So what's your deal? Criminal record? On the run? Just a drifter with sad eyes and a tragic past?"
"I help at the shop."
"That's not what I asked."
Ryz looked at him his gaze still, unreadable.
Draven leaned in further, lowering his voice.
"You look weird, act weird, and smell like something's off. I'm a hunter. I can tell when something doesn't belong."
Ryz's fingers lightly tapped the edge of the counter. The mist within him stirred a ripple beneath still waters.
"What guild?" he asked quietly.
Draven grinned, stepping back and straightening his coat.
"Hollow Fangs. C-rank. Top of my squad."
He tapped the wolf-skull badge on his chest.
"We clean up D and C gates. Quick jobs. Efficient kills. No questions."
Ryz's eyes lowered to the badge, then rose again.
"You enjoy it?" he asked.
Draven raised an eyebrow. "The job?"
"Yes."
"Of course. Killing's the only honest work left."
There was silence for a beat too long.
Then Draven narrowed his eyes.
"Listen. I don't care who you are or what you did before. But if you do anything to hurt Kaela or even make her cry I'll come back, and you won't leave standing."
Ryz didn't move. He didn't blink.
He simply stared.
The silence deepened. The shadows in the corners of the store seemed to stretch. The old fan in the back creaked to a stop.
The air grew heavy. Not hot. Not cold.
Just... wrong.
Draven's fingers twitched near the knife at his belt. His body told him to move, to speak, to laugh it off.
But his instincts screamed to leave.
"What are you?" he muttered, voice quieter now.
Still, Ryz didn't speak.
He simply watched.
Draven backed away slowly, eyes never leaving Ryz.
Then, with a scoff, he turned and walked to the door.
"Whatever. Just remember what I said."
Before leaving, he added over his shoulder, "People like you don't last long. Especially around gates."
The bell rang as the door shut behind him.
And the room returned to normal.
Ryz stood for a while, unmoving.
The mist inside him had stirred only lightly but it had recognized something in Draven. That strange scent of blood, steel, and hollow pride.
A hunter's smell.
But weak.
Unfocused.
Still, it had seen Ryz. Or sensed him.
That was enough to make him pause.
Later, Kaela returned, looking worn out and yawning as she dropped her bag on the counter.
"I swear, if one more guy comes in with a monster bite and says, 'It's just a scratch,' I'm quitting."
Ryz looked at her, quiet.
She glanced at him. "You're awfully still. You didn't fight with the coffee machine again, did you?"
"No."
She walked over to the fridge, pulling out a bottle of iced tea.
"How was the store?"
"Fine."
"No weirdos?"
"One."
She raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"
"Your brother."
Kaela stopped mid-drink.
"He came here?"
"Yes."
She sighed and leaned on the counter. "Let me guess he tried to scare you?"
Ryz nodded.
"Yeah, he does that." She looked out the window. "Draven means well, I guess. But he's always been full of himself. Thinks having a hunter license makes him a god."
"He's strong?"
Kaela shrugged. "C-rank. Stronger than me, sure. But he's not S-tier or anything. Just... noisy."
She looked at Ryz again, more closely.
"He didn't upset you, did he?"
"No."
"Good. Because if he did, I'll poison his coffee next time he visits."
Ryz blinked slowly. "Would that kill him?"
"Hopefully just enough to ruin his week."
They both sat quietly for a moment.
Kaela sipped her drink. "You okay?"
"I'm fine."
She smiled faintly. "You don't show much, but you're doing alright."
He didn't answer.
---
That night, Ryz stood by the window of the guest room again. The lights of the city stretched far into the distance, orange and dim under clouds.
He whispered softly.
"Hunter."
The mist inside him pulsed like a sleeping beast turning in its slumber.
The world had changed since he last lived in it.