The next morning, the sun rose quietly over the city walls, casting long shadows across the streets. Narukaze walked alongside his team, their footsteps steady as they made their way toward the location they had been assigned.
To anyone watching, it looked like just another mission—another normal day for a group of hunters. But beneath the calm atmosphere, something felt off… like the beginning of something that wouldn't end the same way it started.
The deeper they went, the quieter it became.
Narukaze walked behind the group, carrying the supplies as usual.
The buildings around them were broken.
Walls cracked open.
Windows shattered.
Streets empty… too empty.
No people.
No sound.
Just silence.
"Is this really where a B-rank monster is?" Narukaze asked, trying to sound confident.
Hakari didn't look back.
"Yeah. Stay alert."
They moved further in.
The air felt heavier.
Narukaze tightened his grip on the bag.
Something felt wrong.
They finally stopped in the middle of a wide, ruined street.
Collapsed buildings surrounded them.
Dust drifted slowly through the air.
"…This should be it," Riku said.
Narukaze looked around.
No monster.
No movement.
Nothing.
"…Where is it?" Narukaze asked.
Silence.
Then Sora chuckled.
Low.
Cold.
"…You still don't get it?"
"There was never a mission."
Narukaze froze.
The words echoed in his head.
"We were hired."
Everything… shattered.
"…So all of it was fake?" he whispered.
No answer.
He didn't need one.
The bag slipped from his shoulder.
Hit the ground.
Dust rose.
His chest tightened.
His breathing became uneven.
"I trusted you…"
Sora stepped forward, cracking his neck.
"And that was your biggest mistake."
Riku's voice followed, cold:
"No one's coming to save you."
Hakari didn't say anything.
But she didn't deny it either.
That was enough.
Narukaze took a step back.
Then another.
His instincts screamed.
Run.
He turned—
—and sprinted.
Footsteps slammed against broken pavement.
Breathing sharp. Uneven.
Panic flooding his veins.
Behind him—
"…He's running," Sora said, almost amused.
"Don't let him get far," Riku replied.
Then—
They moved.
Fast.
Too fast.
Narukaze's eyes widened.
They were closing the distance instantly.
"Why… why is this happening?!" he thought, heart racing.
"I didn't do anything… I just wanted to be part of something…"
His foot slipped on loose debris—
He stumbled—
Recovered—
Kept running.
But it didn't matter.
A shadow appeared beside him.
BOOM.
A kick slammed into his side.
Narukaze was sent crashing into a broken wall.
Dust exploded into the air.
"Too slow."
He coughed violently, struggling to breathe.
Pain shot through his ribs.
He tried to stand—
Another hit.
Riku's fist slammed into his stomach.
Narukaze dropped to his knees.
Air gone.
Body shaking.
"Level 1… and you thought you belonged with us?" Riku said.
Sora grabbed him by the collar—
Lifted him slightly—
Then slammed him into the ground.
"Pathetic."
Narukaze's vision blurred.
His ears rang.
"…Stop…" he whispered weakly.
Hakari stood a few steps away.
Watching.
Silent.
Narukaze looked at her.
Desperate.
"…Hakari… please…"
She didn't move.
That hurt more than the hits.
Another punch.
Blood hit the ground.
The ruined city stayed silent.
Like it had seen this before.
Narukaze tried to crawl.
Tried to move.
A foot slammed onto his back—
Pinning him down.
"You're not going anywhere," Sora said.
Narukaze's fingers dug into the dirt.
Weak.
Shaking.
Not strong enough.
Never strong enough.
The words echoed in his head.
Everything they said.
Everything they were.
Everything he wasn't.
Another hit.
Darkness started creeping into his vision.
His body wouldn't respond anymore.
And still—
They didn't stop