Morning sunlight filtered weakly through the tall glass walls of the guild training hall. It painted long shadows across the floor, shadows that moved and stretched as hunters sparred, trained, and exchanged cold glances.
Yet, the hall felt different today.
Like the stillness before the storm.
Shaun felt it the instant he stepped inside.
Eyes lingered on him longer than before. Conversations dimmed as he passed. Blades stopped mid-swing. Something cold, tense, and sharp hung in the air around him.
Reina felt it too. She walked beside him, jaw tight, her hand occasionally brushing the hilt of her moonblade.
Moments later, Daichi arrived, practically bursting through the door, with sweat on his brow.
"Shaun," he hissed, "have you checked the guild network?"
"No," Shaun frowned. "Why?"
Daichi swallowed hard. "You… you're trending again."
Shaun felt his stomach sink. "For what?"
Daichi didn't reply.
He just handed over his tablet.
Shaun's heart froze.
BREAKING REPORT - Hunter Shaun Accused of Killing Guild Member Ayame Ito
Subheading:
"Authority investigates foreign hunter for intentional sabotage in Yokohama mission."
Below, grainy, wobbling images played. From the underground dungeon.
A clip of Shaun kneeling beside Ayame's dying body.
Another clip of his power flaring uncontrollably.
Another of him with fists pounding the ground in grief.
Edited, twisted, out of context.
Combined, they painted a story of
Shaun killed the guild member.
His hands shook terribly.
"What… what is this…?" he whispered.
She took another step closer, fury rising in her eyes. "This is manipulation. Some person leaked edited footage."
Daichi slammed his fist into the wall hard enough to crack it. "They're framing you, bro! They want you gone!"
Hunters around them whispered:
"That's him…"
"The foreigner…
"Hiroshi warned us about him…"
"He took a spot someone else deserved.
Each word to Shaun seemed like a stone, crushing him.
The Call
Before Shaun could react, the guild comm system chimed.
A message:
"Shaun — report to Commander Hiroshi's office immediately."
Reina seized his arm. "Don't go alone."
Daichi nodded. "They're setting something up."
Shaun swallowed, the floor swaying under him.
But he forced himself to breathe.
"I won't run," he said softly. "If I run, it'll look like I'm guilty."
Reina's eyes softened. "You're not guilty."
He nodded once… and walked toward the elevator.
Hiroshi's Office
The doors slid open.
Hiroshi Tanabe sat at his desk, hands folded neatly, eyes cold. The skyline of Tokyo behind him was sharp and indifferent.
"Shaun," he greeted smoothly. "Have a seat."
Shaun remained standing. "Sir, I didn't kill Ayame."
Hiroshi tilted his head. "Evidence suggests otherwise."
Shaun clenched his fists. "You edited that evidence!"
A small smile tugged at Hiroshi's lips. "Shaun, Shaun… editing footage requires motive. Why would I frame my own hunter?"
Shaun's voice cracked. "Because you're afraid. Afraid of what I can become."
Silence.
Hiroshi's eyes sharpened, like a predator finally dropping its facade.
"You're right."
Shaun's breath caught.
"You're powerful," Hiroshi went on to say, his voice silky-smooth. "Too powerful. Unpredictable. You question orders. You sympathize with weaknesses. Ayame's death—tragic, yes—but her kind die all the time. That's the reality of our work."
Shaun shook with rage. "She wasn't weak."
"Everyone is," Hiroshi said. "Except those who are willing to sacrifice everything. Including moral chains."
He stood, walking around the desk with slow, deliberate steps.
"Shaun… you will either learn to obey… or you will be removed."
The removed word echoed coldly.
Shaun stepped backward instinctively. "You can't—"
Hiroshi raised a hand.
Shaun froze.
Not physically. But mentally-something pressed against his mind like icy needles.
Neural Command.
The sudden fear, irrational and overwhelming, crept into Shaun's bones.
His breath stuttered.
His heart raced.
He was drowning in terror-terror that wasn't his.
"Stop…" Shaun gasped, clutching his head.
Hiroshi leaned in closer, whispering,
"You see? Even your mind isn't beyond my reach."
Shaun's knees buckled.
Then—
The door flew open.
Reina stood there, her eyes ablaze, moonlight swirling around her blade.
Daichi behind her, metal armor forming across his arms.
"Enough," Reina spat.
Hiroshi's spell was broken.
Shaun gasped, pulling air into his lungs like he'd been underwater.
Hiroshi let out a sigh, almost in disappointment.
"Protecting him? That's cute. But pointless.
Daichi stepped forward. "Say that again, you bastard—"
Suddenly, the guild's alarm for emergencies sounded.
A female voice echoed:
"All S- and A-rank hunters report to the command floor.
Large-scale ghoul migration detected near Tokyo Bay.
Hiroshi smiled again.
"Saved by the bell," he said quietly.
As Shaun turned to leave, Hiroshi added one last whisper:
"You won't escape me, Shaun. Your power… belongs to Shin'en no Kishi."
Shaun didn't look back.
Training Room 07
The squad reassembled in a small training chamber, dimly lit, silent, private, after the emergency briefing.
Reina stood with her arms crossed, Daichi pacing like a caged animal.
Reina spoke first.
"Shaun… They're not just framing you. They're preparing to kill you."
Daichi nodded angrily. "He's afraid of you, bro. That's why he's messing with your rep."
Shaun swallowed. "What do I do…?"
The expression softened on Reina's face, rare, fragile.
"You survive. And to survive… you must become stronger."
She stepped closer.
"Not stronger in rank. Not stronger in raw power. Stronger in control. Stronger in resistance."
Daichi cracked his knuckles.
"And we're gonna help you."
Shaun looked between them-these two hunters who could have abandoned him, yet stayed.
Something warm flickered in his aching chest.
"Thank you," he whispered.
Daichi grinned. "We're a team. Even if the whole damn guild turns against us."
Reina laid a hand on Shaun's shoulder.
"From now on… every night, every dawn, every spare moment—we train.
We sharpen your mind.
We harden your soul.
We control your flame.
"And someday," Daichi added, "we'll bring Hiroshi down."
Shaun closed his eyes.
For the first time in days, he felt hope: not bright and not warm, but strong and burning.
A flame that refused to die.
The First Lesson
They took Shaun to the deepest chamber of the guild - Training Room 07, made of mana-resistant black stone.
Here Shaun knelt, breathing slowly.
Reina stood behind him, her hand on his back.
Daichi stood before him, his fists clenched.
"Feel your mana," Reina instructed. "Don't summon it. Don't use it. Just… listen."
Shaun closed his eyes.
At first—nothing.
Then-heat.
A pulse.
A heartbeat not entirely his own.
He breathed in sharply.
"Good," Reina whispered. "Now hold it."
The heat rose—until his veins glowed gold, his breath shaky.
"Hold it, Shaun."
His body quivered. Sweation beaded on his forehead.
Daichi slammed his fists together.
"You got this!"
The pressure mounted--slowly, painfully.
Shaun's chest tightened.
His head throbbed.
But he held on.
The flame within him howled-wild, furious, alive.
A storm caged in his heart.
"NOW RELEASE—"
Reina sliced the air—
Shaun exhaled.The golden aura burst outward—controlled, focused, stable.
The shockwave shook the room—but didn't destroy it.
Daichi's jaw dropped. "Holy—bro, you did it!"
Reina allowed herself a small smile.
Shaun collapsed to his knees, panting.
But he smiled.A tired, aching, but real smile.
"I… controlled it…" he whispered.
Reina knelt beside him.
"This is just the beginning."
Late Night
That night, Shaun lay awake in his bed.
The shadows in his room stretched strangely.The wind outside felt colder.
And faintly—he thought he heard Ayame's voice.
"Don't cry."
Shaun's eyes stung.He pressed a hand against his heart.
"I swear… I won't let your death be in vain."
His flame flickered alive one more time.
And in a dark office below…Hiroshi watched the training footage with a cold smile.
"Good," he murmured."Grow stronger, Shaun.So when I break you…you'll shatter beautifully."