"Don’t call me a thief. I prefer the term ’proactive’."
Sunny offered him a bright, unapologetic smile, brushing a stray lock of red hair behind her ear.
He stepped away from her, putting a solid three feet of distance between them. He looked at her like she just grew a second head. He did not appreciate the joke. The sharp lines of his face were tight with suspicion.
Before he could formulate a response, a glowing blue screen popped up right in front of Sunny’s face.
[Target: Donovan Fallon]
[Status: Awakened]
[Rank: 5-Star]
[Class: Ice Elementalist]
[Strength: 150]
[Agility: 145]
[Stamina: 160]
[Attack: 200]
Sunny stared at the floating text. Her mouth fell open. Those numbers were absolutely insane for a brand new hunter. Most people woke up with stats in the single digits, struggling to even lift a heavy sword.
He was already a walking weapon of mass destruction.
Are you sure he is not the only one right now? Sunny asked in her mind, her eyes darting across the high stats.
Do not worry, Host.
The system replied, its robotic voice echoing softly in her head.
He is no longer a lone hero, but he is one of the elite 5-Star hunters in all of Koria. His Ice ability is top tier. He is built for survival.
Sunny let out a sharp gasp. A wave of pure, unfiltered fangirl pride washed over her. She forgot where she was. She forgot he was furious. She forgot the sky was raining monsters outside.
"That’s my man," she squealed out loud, clasping her hands together in delight.
Donovan frowned. The skin between his striking grey eyes creased deeply.
"You are weird," he stated flatly.
Sunny wanted to die inside. She wanted the polished concrete floor to open up and drag her straight to the earth’s core. Her face burned a bright, furious red. She bit the inside of her cheek to stop herself from rambling.
She gulped, dropping her hands to her sides and clearing her throat. "It is just... the outlook. The stress of the situation. I promise I am really not like this on a normal Tuesday."
Donovan did not look convinced. His sharp, analytical mind was already moving past her strange outburst. He stared at her face. He took in her clothes. The puzzle pieces clicked together in his head, forming a very clear, very infuriating picture.
"The pirate auction," Donovan said, his voice low and steady. "The Black Lotus at the Viper’s Den. The shipping container at Pier 4."
He took a step closer, his bare chest rising and falling with measured breaths.
"You took the military explosives. You cleared out the armoury in the industrial district. You drained my fuel reserves." He paused, his grey eyes narrowing into dangerous slits. "You knew this was going to happen, right? That is why you stole all those things."
Sunny did not look away. She stood her ground, meeting his icy glare. She nodded her head slowly.
"Yes. I knew."
Donovan ran a hand through his messy, dark hair. A dark, freezing aura started to leak from his body. The temperature in the medical room dropped instantly. Frost began to form on the edges of the metal surgical trays, crisping the air. His new ice powers were reacting to his rising temper, chilling the room.
"I am not going to even ask how," Donovan said, his voice laced with pure disgust. "But how selfish and criminal can you be to steal all of those things and hoard them to yourself?"
The words stung. They pierced right through her ribs, leaving an ache in her chest.
She did not hoard them. She took them to protect him. She broke the entire plot of the novel just to make sure he did not die a tragic, sacrificial death. She spent days running from his guards and fighting the system just to build a haven.
She blurted out the truth before her brain could filter the words.
"I did this for us!"
Donovan glared at her. "There is no us. Open the door."
He marched past her, leaving a trail of freezing air in his wake. He headed straight for the main garage.
Sunny followed him out into the sprawling, pristine living area of the bunker. The warm lighting of the house cast long shadows against the walls. She watched as he found the massive steel blast doors blocking the exit. He slammed his large palm against the digital biometric scanner on the wall.
BEEP.
A harsh red light flashed. The bunker’s lockdown protocols rejected his biometrics. Access denied.
"Open it," Donovan demanded, turning to look at her over his broad shoulder. "I need to go to where I belong. My people need me."
Sunny refused. She crossed her arms over her chest and planted her boots on the floor. It was a literal death sentence out there right now. The first wave of monsters was tearing the city apart. He had just woken up from an Awakening. His body needed time to adjust to the raw power surge, not a fight with a horde of shadow beasts.
"No," Sunny said simply.
Donovan turned back to the door. He punched the solid steel. The metal groaned loudly, bending slightly under his enhanced strength, but the reinforced locking mechanism held firm. He pressed his hand against the lock, a thin layer of sharp white frost spreading over the keypad, trying to shatter the electronics.
The system’s internal defense easily neutralized the freezing temperature. The red light just blinked back at him.
Sunny sighed. She left him to his tantrum.
She walked into the sleek, modern kitchen. She tapped the silver crescent moon pendant resting on her collarbone. A steaming hot bowl of spicy beef noodles materialized in her hands, alongside a pair of wooden chopsticks. They were still perfectly hot.
She hopped up onto one of the tall barstools at the marble kitchen island. The rich smell of garlic and soy sauce filled the air, battling the lingering scent of smoke and frost in the bunker.
She casually ate her noodles, watching him rage from across the room.
He paced like a trapped predator. He glared at the walls, testing the seams of the bunker, looking for any structural weakness.
My bias hates me right now, Sunny thought, slurping a long noodle. He thinks I am a villain. He thinks I am a crazy doomsday prepper who robbed him blind.
She took a deep breath, letting the spicy broth warm her chest.
It is fine. Just calm down, Sunny. He will come around once he realizes the world outside is a graveyard and this bunker is the only safe place left in Koria.
Donovan stopped punching the door. His knuckles were not even bruised. He realized brute force would not open a blast door designed to withstand a military siege.
The garage fell silent, save for the soft hum of the air filtration units.
He turned around. His stormy eyes locked onto her sitting in the warm, softly lit kitchen, eating takeout while the sky bled purple outside.
He suddenly walked to her. His bare feet were silent on the expensive rugs as he crossed the living room.
"Have you given up?" Sunny asked, offering a small, cheeky smile as she picked up a piece of beef with her chopsticks.
He didn’t answer. He stopped right across from her.
He leaned over the island, planting his hands flat on the cold marble. He invaded her space, hovering just inches away from her face. The scent of raw danger wrapped around her all over again, making her heart skip a beat.
"How did you know all of this was going to happen?"