The bronze badge rested silently on the table.
Kael stared at it for several moments, his reflection faintly visible in the polished metal. It represented more than a Hunter's license.
It represented a new identity.
A chance to move through the world without revealing what he had become.
Aldric patiently waited.
"I won't force your decision."
"But I advise you to think carefully."
Kael finally looked up.
"If I accept..."
"...what happens to Kael Draven?"
Aldric's expression became solemn.
"The world will continue believing he died a brave young Hunter."
"And the people responsible?"
Kael asked quietly.
Aldric understood exactly what he meant.
"They remain celebrated."
"For now."
Kael slowly closed his hand around the badge.
"Then I'll accept."
"But not because I want revenge."
He looked directly into Aldric's eyes.
"I need freedom."
"Freedom to grow."
Aldric smiled.
"I expected that answer."
The old man reached into his robes again and produced a small crystal sphere.
He placed it on the table.
"Touch it."
Kael extended one finger.
The instant he touched the crystal, it emitted a brilliant blue glow.
Countless runes floated inside before rearranging themselves.
The glow shifted.
Blue...
Silver...
Then...
Black.
The room became silent.
Even Aldric's calm expression changed.
"...Interesting."
The crystal continued shining with an unnatural black light.
One of the runes shattered.
Then another.
Finally, the sphere cracked.
Tiny fractures spread across its surface before it burst into harmless particles of light.
Kael slowly withdrew his hand.
"I broke it."
Aldric chuckled.
"You certainly did."
"What was it?"
"A Soul Registry Crystal."
"It measures affinity."
Kael frowned.
"And?"
"The strongest affinity ever recorded in Ravenfall..."
"...was ninety-two percent."
Kael waited.
Aldric sighed.
"Yours exceeded the crystal's limits."
"So it exploded."
Silence filled the room.
The old man laughed again.
"I'll need to explain that to the Association."
A knock sounded on the door.
One of the Silver Hunters entered.
"Master."
"We've confirmed it."
Aldric nodded.
"Bring him in."
Moments later, Gareth stepped into the room.
The veteran Hunter smiled warmly when he saw Kael.
"I had a feeling you'd still be here."
Kael stood.
"Captain."
Gareth shook his head.
"Just Gareth."
He noticed the bronze badge.
"So..."
"You accepted."
"I did."
"Good."
Gareth folded his arms.
"There's already a mission waiting."
Kael raised an eyebrow.
"I haven't even registered."
"That's exactly why."
Aldric answered.
"The mission requires discretion."
He unfolded a map across the table.
A location several miles north of Ravenfall had been marked with red ink.
"Blackstone Village."
Kael studied the map.
"What happened?"
"Three days ago..."
"Everyone disappeared."
"No bodies."
"No signs of battle."
"No survivors."
Leona, who had quietly entered behind Gareth, shivered.
"I've heard the rumors."
"They say the village became cursed."
Gareth shook his head.
"Hunters don't believe in curses."
"We believe in monsters."
Aldric tapped the map.
"We sent two investigation teams."
"No one returned."
Kael's expression became serious.
"No survivors?"
"None."
A second mark appeared on the map.
Then a third.
"These disappearances are spreading."
Aldric's voice became noticeably heavier.
"And they're all occurring near entrances to the Abyss."
Kael immediately remembered the dragon.
"The prison weakens whenever I awaken."
Could these events already be connected?
He remained silent.
The less anyone knew about the dragon, the better.
Aldric rolled the map closed.
"The mission isn't mandatory."
"You've only just returned."
"You deserve time with your family."
Rowan, who had quietly returned during the discussion, surprised everyone by speaking first.
"He'll go."
Kael turned.
"Dad?"
Rowan crossed his arms.
"I don't like it."
"I probably never will."
"But..."
He smiled proudly.
"I didn't raise someone who ignores people in danger."
Kael laughed softly.
"You know me too well."
Rowan walked over and placed a rough hand on his son's shoulder.
"Just promise me one thing."
"What?"
"You'll come back."
Kael remembered making the exact same promise to Lena before the Hunter Trial.
This time...
He intended to keep it.
"I promise."
Rowan nodded once.
"Good."
Aldric stood.
"Then prepare."
"The expedition leaves at sunrise."
The meeting soon ended.
Gareth and the Silver Hunters departed first.
Aldric stopped beside the doorway.
Without turning around, he spoke quietly.
"One more thing."
Kael looked toward him.
"The name."
"You still need one."
Kael thought for several seconds.
His old name couldn't be used.
Nor did he want something grand or theatrical.
He remembered the hooded stranger's words from earlier.
"The Ghost of the Abyss..."
A faint smile appeared.
"If people believe a ghost returned..."
"Then let them."
Aldric nodded.
"Ghost."
"A fitting title."
"Officially..."
He smiled.
"...Bronze Hunter Ghost."
The old man disappeared into the evening.
Night slowly settled over Ravenfall.
Inside the Association Headquarters, however, another conversation had already begun.
Marcus sat across from a noble dressed in crimson robes.
"The investigation is complete."
Marcus smiled.
"Good."
"No one found the body?"
The noble shook his head.
"No."
Marcus relaxed.
"Then it's over."
Neither of them noticed the hooded figure standing silently outside the open window.
Hidden by the darkness.
Listening.
The stranger smiled beneath his mask.
"Not quite."
He vanished into the night.
Far beyond Ravenfall, deep beneath the earth where even light feared to tread, one of the ancient golden chains binding the First Void Sovereign cracked.
A single metallic snap echoed through the endless darkness.
The dragon slowly opened one crimson eye.
"The game..."
"...has finally begun."