Chapter 41: No rescues for anyone.

The two men stood there, their minds already spinning with strategies, hidden routes, and battle plans to help her save her relatives. They had already concluded that she would be agreeable to saving her relatives, especially her brother.

"I am not rescuing anyone," Zyra said, cutting them off entirely. Her voice was flat, dry, and completely devoid of emotion. Her face was cold, the look of an executioner sending someone to the gallons.

The office went dead silent.

Both Hunter and Achilles froze in place, staring at her like she had just spoken in a foreign language.

"Wow. Cold," Achilles finally said, rubbing his arms as if a chilly wind had just blown through the room. "Look, rumors have been swirling about the events on Resonance day. I completely understand why you wouldn’t care about your other relatives because they were loud about wanting nothing to do with you. They are a bunch of ungrateful posers that latch on to the powerful. But what about Ian? He is your blood brother, your twin at that. Aren’t you guys supposed to have a deep bond or something?"

Zyra didn’t even blink. Her heart felt like stone when she thought about the past. "I want absolutely nothing to do with him. His life or death has nothing to do with me."

Achilles opened his mouth to argue, completely shocked by her ruthlessness, but Hunter stepped in. He looked into her eyes and didn’t ask for explanations. He didn’t demand to know the tragic backstory or judge her for being heartless. He simply saw the stubborn, unyielding look in her eyes and nodded, completely understanding her without needing a single word of proof. After all, he knew exactly what it felt like to want to erase your own family from existence.

Something bad had happened or almost happened to the little Soul maiden. Her brother had probably played a part in it somehow. This much, he could see.

"Achilles, drop it," Hunter commanded smoothly. "My wife says no... and that is the end of it."

Achilles scoffed loudly, rolling his eyes so hard. "Unbelievable. You two haven’t even been married for ten minutes, and you’re already taking her side over mine. It seems you two have a lot more in common than I thought. Heartlessness being one."

Hunter completely ignored his cousin’s complaining, treating it like background noise. He turned back to Zyra; his blue eyes fixed on her. "So, if we are not going to the capital, where are we going next?"

Zyra adjusted her scarf one last time and looked toward the door.

"To hunt," she said simply.

Her response caught everyone off guard. The men stared at her like she had just announced she was going to fight in the pits. Even Achilles, whose deep, rumbling voice had filled the room, suddenly went quiet. He blinked, looking at her small frame, then at his cousin, and back again.

"What do you mean, hunt?" Achilles finally asked, his brow furrowing so hard lines were forming on his forehead.

Zyra rolled her eyes inwardly but kept her face calm. "I mean hunt. How many meanings of the word do you know? I know the location of a dungeon. I am going to hunt because I need the energy stones, the meat, and whatever else I find useful on the beasts that I find." She covered her mouth. "I don’t know why I am telling you this, Hunter’s affairs are not your concern anymore."

"You are wrong on so many levels. The contract may be gone, but the relationship is still there." Achilles looked out the window. It was just half past nine in the morning. The sun was shining lightly, and the sky looked like a nice, peaceful blanket. But Achilles was a good hunter and could tell that it was about to change. "The weather looks fine now," He grunted, crossing his arms. "But you know how this world is. One minute it’s sunny, the next minute a storm is ripping the roof off your house. Going out now is a terrible idea, we all know what comes after a windstorm. Beasts from beyond the veil strike."

Zyra didn’t even blink. She turned her gaze to the tall man standing next to her.... her brand-new husband. "I wasn’t asking for your opinion, Achilles." She nodded toward the door. "Let’s go, husband."

Achilles scoffed, feeling a bit slighted but mostly confused. "Wait. I forbid this. How do you even know where a dungeon is? That information is not written on clouds for everyone to see. Do you even know what a dungeon looks like."

He sounded like an overly worried mother hen, and Hunter was his chick. Zyra found the relationship bizarre. "I have my ways and this is not the first that I have found." She said mysteriously. "Hunter and I will be fine."

Behind her, Hunter exchanged a quick, knowing look with his cousin. Aha, their eyes said. They were right to suspect that she had something special. Zyra definitely had her hands on whatever secret tool Zena Scorpion used to sniff out dungeons. Otherwise, how could a young woman that had never left her home before, know the location of two dungeons?

Achilles sighed, shaking his head at Hunter. "Well, brother, I’ll say a prayer for you. Try not to get eaten on your honeymoon."

Hunter snorted, gesturing to the door.

As Zyra and Hunter walked out of the office and down the noisy stone corridors, the tension in her shoulders began to melt away, replaced by a slightly awkward silence. They were married, yes, but they were basically strangers who had just signed a contract that bound them together in complicated ways.

Zyra looked up at him. "So... what should I call you? You are a man of many names."

The man rubbed the back of his neck. "Just call me Hunter or Hunt. Magnus is... well, that’s the name I use when I’m throwing beasts around in the arenas and fighting pits. It sounds too serious for everyday life."

Zyra nodded, her lips twitching into an unfriendly smile. "Alright. Hunt it is."

He briefly closed his eyes for a second, regretting the ’Hunt’ suggestion. He should have known that she would pick it over Hunter.

They walked down to the stables, a massive, smelly underground area where the agents kept their beasts. The noise was deafening. Beasts were growling, hissing, and snapping everywhere.

Hunt led her down the row until they stopped at a heavy iron cage. He pulled the lever, and the door slid open with a loud groan.

Out stepped a creature that made Zyra’s eyes widen. It was a very large tiger with deep golden eyes. It didn’t just have fur....it had six magnificent, metal wings tucked neatly against its sides. Its claws were long and broad, ridged like ancient blades, leaving gouges wherever they touched.

A screen popped up right in front of Zyra’s eyes.

[Domesticated Sky Reaper Detected

Strengths: Unmatched speed and agility in air, great endurance and stamina, hurricane generating wings, shielding wings, striking wings. Deadly paws.

Weaknesses: Likes pats on the head, absolutely craves sugary fish. High-maintenance eater, useless in tight caves or tunnels, extremely prideful and arrogant.

Would you like to bond with this beast?]