(Arthur’s POV)
Arthur did not like uncertainty.
It was not fear, nor hesitation, but a quiet irritation that settled beneath his skin whenever something existed outside his understanding.
As someone who had spent years fighting on the front lines, he had learned to read situations quickly, to break them down into patterns and outcomes.
But Aiden—
Did not fit into any of them.
Arthur stood near the wide window of the guild building, his arms loosely crossed as he looked out over the city below.
From this height, everything seemed smaller, simpler, reduced to movement without meaning.
“…You’re thinking about him again.”
Edward’s voice came from behind, calm as always.
Arthur did not turn.
“…You say that like it’s surprising.”
Edward stepped closer, stopping just a short distance away.
“It isn’t,” he replied.
“It’s expected.”
Arthur let out a quiet breath.
“…That’s the problem.”
Because he should have been able to understand it.
Break it down.
Categorize it.
But every time he thought about what had happened—
The way Aiden had stopped that entity.
The way the space itself had reacted—
It didn’t align with anything he knew.
“…He wasn’t just strong,” Arthur said after a moment.
“That wasn’t strength.”
Edward did not interrupt.
“He didn’t overpower it,” Arthur continued, his voice quieter now.
“It was like he… controlled it.”
The word felt wrong.
Incomplete.
But it was the closest thing he had.
Edward’s gaze lowered slightly, his thoughts moving in a different direction.
“…Not controlled,” he said.
“More like… it responded to him.”
Arthur glanced back at him.
“…That’s not better.”
“No,” Edward agreed calmly.
“It isn’t.”
A brief silence settled between them.
Not uncomfortable.
But heavy.
Arthur looked back out the window.
“…We need to find him.”
The decision came naturally.
Not forced.
Edward did not hesitate.
“We will.”
Arthur frowned slightly.
“You’re too calm about this.”
Edward’s expression did not change.
“I’m thinking.”
Arthur scoffed lightly.
“Dangerous.” This chapter is updated first at g.com.
Edward ignored that.
“…If what we saw is accurate, then he isn’t just an irregular hunter.”
Arthur’s gaze sharpened slightly.
“…Go on.”
Edward met his eyes.
“He may be connected to the system itself.”
The words settled heavily in the air.
Arthur didn’t laugh.
Didn’t dismiss it.
Because after what he had seen—
“…Yeah,” he said quietly.
“That would explain it.”
But it raised more questions than answers.
And for the first time in a long while—
Arthur felt something unfamiliar.
Interest.
(Aiden’s POV)
The city felt the same.
But Aiden did not.
He walked through the streets without pause, his expression calm, his movements steady, yet his awareness remained split between the present and something deeper.
The system had changed.
Not visibly.
Not drastically.
But enough.
“Synchronization: 43%”
The number remained stable, no longer fluctuating, no longer resisting itself.
And the fragment—
Though no longer visible—
Was still there.
“…So this is what it means to restore it.”
Not complete.
But closer.
Aiden exhaled softly as he reached his building, his steps slowing slightly as something familiar replaced the tension of the dungeon.
The door opened.
“You’re back.”
The voice came immediately.
Aiden stepped inside.
“…I said I would be.”
His younger brother stood near the table again, though this time his posture was less tense, his expression softer, as if he had already expected Aiden to return.
“…You came back earlier.”
Aiden paused slightly.
“…Yes.”
Earlier than expected.
Earlier than usual.
The boy studied him for a moment before stepping closer.
“…Something changed.”
It wasn’t a question.
Aiden looked at him.
“…What do you mean?”
“You’re different,” he said quietly.
“Not outside… but here.”
He tapped lightly against Aiden’s chest.
Aiden stilled.
For a brief moment—
Because the words were accurate.
“…Maybe,” he said at last.
The boy frowned slightly.
“You always say things like that.”
“And you always notice.”
A small silence followed.
Then—
“…Is it dangerous?”
The question came softer this time.
Not fearful.
But concerned.
Aiden’s gaze softened slightly.
“…Not to you.”
That answer—
Was certain.
The boy seemed to relax at that, even if only a little.
“…Good.”
Aiden moved past him, setting his things down before sitting briefly, his thoughts drifting back to the dungeon, to the fragment, to the system’s reaction.
“…There are more.”
The realization remained clear.
This was not the end.
It was only a step.
Behind him, his brother watched quietly, his expression thoughtful in a way that did not match his age.
“…You’re going to keep going.”
Aiden didn’t turn.
“…Yes.”
“Even if it gets worse?”
Aiden paused.
Then—
“…It already has.”
But he did not stop.
Because he couldn’t.
And because—
He didn’t want to.
(Edward’s POV)
Edward stood alone now.
Arthur had already left, unwilling to remain still when there were answers to chase.
But Edward—
Preferred patience.
“…Aiden.”
The name settled quietly in his thoughts.
There was something about him that did not align with logic, something that disrupted the clean structure Edward relied on to understand the world.
And yet—
That was exactly what made it interesting.
“…You’re not just a variable.”
You were a catalyst.
Edward’s gaze shifted slightly, his thoughts narrowing into focus.
“…And if that’s true…”
Then everything that followed—
Would revolve around you.
A faint, almost imperceptible smile touched his expression.
“…Then I need to be there.”
Not as an observer.
But as part of it.