Kael closed the door and moved to the next room. It was spacious, lined with bookshelves and furnished with a large sofa. At the far end stood a work desk with a monitor and a laptop.
He was about to close the door when the silver coin in his palm reacted.
It grew hot.
Something was here. A mana infused object. One that did not belong in a house occupied by unawakened individuals, except for his now deceased nephew.
Kael flipped the coin. It flew in a clean arc before landing precisely on the desk. He picked it up and let it roll across the surface.
The silver coin bumped against the computer's power button.
"Lix, what's wrong?" Kael whispered.
The coin instantly shifted form, melting into a golden blob of light. Something pulsed within its core as it vibrated. Golden rings of light formed around it, circling as it hovered.
This was Lix's true form. Short for Elixir.
The second gift Kael had received after his awakening.
Kael turned on the computer. The monitor blinked twice before it displayed one document.
"These are…" Kael narrowed his eyes.
The Gifted Hunters. The Blessings from the Gods. The Chosen Ones.
Fourteen years ago, a nun from Saint Elizabeth Church in Norway awakened. She claimed she had been appointed by a god. According to her, she had been chosen to become one of the "Chosen" and was granted the title of "Oracle." As proof, she possessed the ability to glimpse the future.
We, the Hunter Association, visited her to hear what she had to say. She told us that among the first awakened hunters, there were others like her, individuals chosen by gods.
They were granted gifts.
If she had the gift of foresight, there was another with the ability to control and read minds, what she called a "Telepath." One could travel anywhere at will. One could command the forces of nature. Another could summon monsters from another dimension. One could control the dead. And one possessed the gift of eternal life.
She claimed that the gods wanted awakened hunters to strengthen themselves by conquering dungeons. Once strong enough, they would have the right to challenge the first "Chosen" and take their gifts.
Chairman Roger Blackwood, the current leader of the Hunter Association, made all of us swear to keep this information confidential. If this ever goes out, they cannot be sure if the recently awakened hunters are still willing to fight against monsters when they can fight among themselves to obtain the gifts.
The nun's goal was clear. She wanted to secure the Association's protection so she could safeguard her gift.
Chairman Blackwood agreed and signed a contract with her. In return, she would report any visions she received, whether good or bad.
I, along with my associates, also signed the confidentiality agreement.
But somehow, news spread that among the hunters were special individuals blessed by the gods.
Newly awakened hunters grew anxious to obtain those gifts, especially the gift of eternal life.
***
"Is this what you wanted to show me, Lix?"
The golden orb drifted toward the cabinet. Its ring of light opened the top drawer and retrieved a silver ring hidden in the corner.
Lix presented it to him.
Kael examined it carefully. After a moment, he noticed a tiny dot like button that activated when a small amount of mana was infused into it.
He injected mana.
A transparent screen appeared before him.
Most of the contents were news articles, reports from fourteen to seven years ago. Hunters fighting each other without clear reason. Powerful hunters being mysteriously attacked.
And at the very top of the list—
Kael Solace.
"This guy was thorough," Kael muttered. He can't tell if it was his sister's husband or somebody else who gathered all this information.
He withdrew his mana, and the transparent screens vanished.
But Lix refused to settle. It nudged him insistently, urging him to continue reading.
Kael quickly understood.
The earlier document had merely been a past record. It had been opened before, most likely by his sister's husband, then deleted from the computer. The continuation had been stored inside this silver ring.
Kael reactivated the ring, allowing the screens to reappear. He skimmed through the information until one familiar name caught his eye.
His blood ran cold.
Zachary Blackwood. Grandson of Chairman Blackwood.
He had also visited the prophet nun. The questions he asked were… peculiar.
He inquired about the signs that identified a hunter as one of the "Gifted." He had a specific candidate in mind, I'm sure.
After hearing her answer, Zachary became completely convinced that the person he suspected was indeed Gifted.
He then asked how to take the gift if the individual was stronger than him.
The prophet answered: the Gifted must willingly surrender his gift to you if you can't kill them.
Zachary smiled and thanked her.
He promised her protection. He knew the prophet felt inadequately protected by the Hunter Association. She had recently survived an attack in which her assigned guards were killed.
Zachary understood she was seeking a stronger power to align with.
And he was willing to become that power.
The guild he had founded had already risen to prominence. With enough powerful hunters under his command, eliminating one person and claiming their gift would not be difficult.
***
Reading this caused painful memories to resurface.
Kael knew Zachary was the Chairman's grandson.
They had built a guild together and named it The Watcher's Guild.
Did it begin when Zach asked him to lead the "Special Army"?
Was that when the plan to eliminate the first awakened hunters, including him and seize their gifts, had truly begun?
Kael had asked Zach many times why he was killing their own comrades. Zach did not answer. Cold ruthless eyes demanding him to hand over his eternal gift of life was the only response Kael got.
He no longer looks like the Zach he knew.
The Zach he loved for seven years.