Hunter Of The Six Realms

Chapter 9

"Is he noble?" Alira asked, stepping closer to Rael, her tone curious but soft. If he wasn't, that would explain the reason why she had never heard of him before now.

Rael leaned back against the wall, arms folded. "No. I don't think so. Never heard anyone mention something like that, not him either . And besides, he doesn't carry himself like someone important."

Alira tilted her head slightly. "What else do you know about him?"

Rael was quiet for a moment, jaw clenched like he was deciding if it was even worth saying. "Nothing much, but he does have a quality that makes him stand out from others."

She raised a brow. "And what's that?"

"His hair," Rael finally said. "Kaizen has white hair."

Alira's brows drew together in confusion..."is he old?"

"No, he's a teen...young boy. I wonder, what could that mean? Maybe white hair is a special quality that comes with being born without a core."

"Maybe." She agreed quietly

---

Elsewhere…

The temperature in the room was dropping fast.

A thick mist hovered along the floor, curling around the base of the black stone pillars like something alive. The walls, once etched with crimson runes, had faded to a dull gray under layers of ice. And in the center of it all, a man stood still, cloaked in shadow, face hidden beneath a hood, but with eyes glowing faintly like frostbitten embers.

Kira knelt in front of him, her head low, fists clenched tightly on her thighs.

"I'm sorry, Master," she whispered. "I… I failed."

There was silence. Then came his voice, deep, low, and controlled in the most terrifying way.

"You what?"

Kira's throat tightened.

"I couldn't retrieve ...the gem." She answered with a trembling voice.

"You know we can't afford to miss any single one," the Master said, each word colder than the last. "What happened? Who has it?"

Kira's voice shook, both from the cold and fear of what might happen if she didn't choose her words right. "It was the team's captain. Hawk. He took it after the raid. He's heading to Wraith now to file the report."

The silence that followed was heavier than any scream. The Master didn't move but the air shifted.

Pressure built. The ground beneath Kira began to crack. The mist around her legs turned into frost, freezing her knees to the stone floor in a single surge. She shut her eyes tight, bracing herself. She was aware of how bad things could get when the master was angry.

"And who," the Master said slowly, "figured it out? How did Hawk find out it was different?"

Kira swallowed. "A team member. I don't think it was intentional. He just… he noticed something was different and mentioned it. And he was actually on point."

The temperature dropped again. The frost spread up to her thighs. She could feel the ache in her bones, cold, destructive... almost like her bones would get crushed any moment from now.

"Who?" the Master barked.

"Kaizen," she blurted. "His name is Kaizen. He's E rank, born without a magic core. Somehow, he can sense mana. That's how he figured it out."

The Master didn't speak right away. His breath fogged the air in front of him as he slowly tilted his head.

"…No core," he repeated. "And he still noticed it?"

"Yes, Master."

The Master's eyes narrowed. His tone sharpened, controlled, but unmistakably dangerous."The one thing I hate most in the world...is someone ruining my plans. We're so close, just two more left, and then this?"

"I'll fix it master, I promise. I just need to get it back from wraith." Kira quickly cut in before he said the next obvious order which was for her to kill Kaizen. That was how he rolled, mess with him and you're dead meat. He was called The Ruthless blizzard for a reason.

"Ohh really? And how would you do that?" The master asked with a raised brow, his tone filled with obvious sarcasm.

"I....I know someone who can help me. Someone from Crimson dusk and also trusted by Wraith himself.... please master, give me a chance." Kira pleaded desperately, her lips trembling and blue from extreme cold, her forehead slightly moist from sweat even though the whole place was freezing. Fucking hell, her limbs were on the line here, he could decide at anytime to cut both of her legs as a price to pay for the core she couldn't retrieve.

"And who is that?"

"Hawk." Kira declared, looking up at the master with a determined expression. "He'll help me.... willingly infact." She added, her fearful expression turning into a slight smirk of confidence, although fear still remained visible from her shaky eyes and dilated pupils.

The master observed her for a moment, then pulled back with a silent sigh. And instantly, the ice around her started melting down and the room was now filled with a sudden warmth... like he had released some fire energy somehow.

Kira collapsed from relief, the previous fear finally weighing down on her, her heartbeat hadn't calmed down a bit even knowing she was safe now.

"Don't disappoint me this time Kira....it would be sad to lose a great asset like you." The Master threatened in a low quiet voice, and with that....he disappeared.

A cold wind brushed past kira, spreading goosebumps all through her skin. That was the technique of a high level ice user, the ability to transform into mist and move around freely. It was also very effective during combat battles, something similar to stealth.

"Goodness that was close." She breathed shakily as she mustered her remaining strength to stand up. Her legs felt numb, but at least she was glad she still had them and they weren't hanging around some corner in this room.

"Hawk, I just need to...meet Hawk. Damn you Kaizen!" She muttered under her breath, dusting off her dress, her expression changing from vulnerable to determined.