A white light pierced his eyelids. A steady beep pulsed like a metronome in the sterile room, mixing with the soft rustling of sheets.
Rays sat up abruptly, gasping. A burning pain stabbed through his chest like a searing blade.
— ETHAN!
His cry shattered the silence, slicing through the hospital's sterile air. The monitors beeped wildly for a moment, then settled.
From the shadows, a man slowly rose from a chair. Upright posture, weathered features, eyes clouded with fatigue.
It was Cain, president of the Hunters Association.
He placed a firm, reassuring hand on the trembling shoulder of the young man.
— Calm down, Rays. You're out of danger.
Still disoriented, Rays grabbed his arm.
— Ethan... What about Ethan?!
Cain's expression softened. He slowly sat back down, arms crossed.
— He's alive. Thanks to him, you're here. He fought for you, begged the doctors. He collapsed from exhaustion.
Rays lowered his eyes, shame rising in his throat like bile.
— I owe him everything... again.
Cain let out a slight, almost mocking smirk.
— You know how he feels about you, don't you?
— Yeah... friendship, Rays replied too quickly.
The president sighed and shook his head, a tired grin creeping at the edge of his lips.
— Kids these days... so blind. You're not on the same side as him?
Rays blinked, confused.
— What? I don't get it... What are you talking about?
Cain's smirk vanished. His face hardened—no more room for jokes.
— The other one refuses to speak. Not a word about what happened inside that portal. But you were there. Talk.
Rays tensed. Fragments of memory surged—sharp, painful.
— A dragon... massive. It talked about a Guardian... but I didn't understand. There were bodies. Ten of them, behind it. And then... everything froze. Even the floating rocks in the air... just stopped. Time itself halted.
His voice trembled. So did his hands.
— Then it cast a fireball... enormous. A heat that shouldn't exist on Earth. Just before it touched me, I heard a voice: "Forced core implantation." Then... nothing. Just void.
Cain stood frozen. Then suddenly jumped to his feet, whispering:
— Forced implantation...
He stared at Rays, his tone deadly serious.
— And yet, you're not burned. You should be dead. Even I, an S-Rank Hunter, would have turned to ash. So tell me, Rays... what the hell have you become?
He spun on his heel, heading for the door.
— The nurses will check on you. Rest.
As soon as he stepped out, he pressed his earpiece.
— Did you hear that? Dragon in a Class B portal. Confirmed S-Rank threat. One casualty: Rays. Body incinerated. Then... healed. Begin immediate analysis of "forced implantation."
---
Back in the room, Rays stared at the ceiling, heart pounding.
A soft click echoed.
Three nurses walked in, like a dream. Young. Elegant. Almost surreal.
— Hello, miracle man! Feeling better?
Rays blushed instantly, his cheeks burning.
— Uh... yeah... I guess...
One of them bent over to pick up a fallen file, revealing a dangerously low neckline.
Too late to look away. A sharp squirt of blood burst from his nose.
— Ooooh, he's shy! one of them giggled.
— Is it your first time around girls, Mr. Hunter? teased another.
— It's just that... you're very... very sexy... he muttered, like a bomb dropped in dead silence.
They all burst into laughter.
— What a flirt! With your Hunter title, you're going to cause chaos!
But their tone shifted as they looked over the charts.
— Vitals: normal. No internal damage. No burns. Not even a scar. This is... impossible. And yet, you're perfectly fine. Scheduled release: two weeks.
— Got it... he mumbled.
As they left, one gave him a playful wink:
— Rest well, Mr. Hunter!
---
As soon as the door shut, Rays scanned the room. He got up, walked to the window.
— I don't have a damn coin to pay for this hospital...
He climbed up, opened the first-floor window, jumped—and landed right in a thorn bush.
— Ow! Damn... alright then...
He bolted, running away from the hospital, when suddenly—everything stopped.
A translucent blue interface hovered before his eyes.
---
> [Welcome, future Guardian.]
— What?!
His body froze. Paralyzed. Unable to move.
---
> [System Lockdown: Guardian Role Transmission in Progress...]
— What kind of bullshit is this?!
Another screen appeared.
---
Name: Rays
Class: None
Strength: 3
Agility: 2
Endurance: 1
Intelligence: 2
Dexterity: 1
Skills: None
---
He stared at it, speechless.
— I'm a damn weakling...
Then one last bold line appeared:
---
> [Mission Assigned: Save or Betray Humanity.]
[Time Remaining Before Full Activation: 30 Days.]
---
And then—everything vanished.
Rays collapsed to his knees beneath the blue sky, heart in shambles.
— What... have I become...?