Etzel had survived an A-Rank Epic. Technically, DK had done most of the surviving. Etzel had contributed observation, shouting, and an impressive amount of stress. None of that prepared him for the front door.
Neris stood beside him. Etzel looked at the door. Then at his sister.
“We can make a deal.”
“No.”
“I haven’t offered anything yet.”
“Still no.”
“You’ve become very difficult to negotiate with.”
“I learned from you.”
Etzel frowned. “That explains too much.”
Neris reached for the door. Etzel caught her wrist. “Wait.”
She looked at him. Etzel considered his options. Lie? Impossible. Delay? Maybe. Run? Surprisingly attractive.
“Neris.”
“What?”
“If Mom asks, can we start with the part where everyone survived?”
“No.”
“That feels unnecessarily hostile.”
Neris opened the door. “Mom!”
Etzel closed his eyes. Traitor.
Ismera appeared from the kitchen. “You’re back early.” Then she saw Neris. Dirt on her clothes. A small scrape on her arm. Her expression changed immediately. “What happened?”
“Nothing happened to me.”
“Neris.”
“I’m fine.”
Veydan appeared behind Ismera. His eyes moved from Neris—to Etzel.
Etzel had tried to clean himself before coming home. Apparently not well enough. Veydan looked at the dried blood near his sleeve. “What happened?”
Etzel opened his mouth. Neris was faster.
“Etzel is a Hunter.”
Silence. Etzel slowly turned toward her. “We could have worked on the presentation.”
Ismera stared at him. “What?”
Neris continued. “He has an A-Rank summon.”
Etzel closed his eyes again. “You could have delayed the second sentence.”
Veydan said nothing. That was worse.
Ismera looked between them. “A what?”
Etzel exhaled. “All right.” He stepped inside. “We should probably sit down.”
Nobody sat down. Etzel sat. Everyone else remained standing. That somehow made it feel like a trial.
Neris leaned against the wall. Ismera stood opposite him. Veydan remained beside the table with his arms folded.
Etzel looked between them. “So.”
Nothing. He tried again. “I touched an Ancient Tree.”
Ismera’s expression tightened. “When?”
“A while ago.”
“How long is a while?”
Etzel hesitated. Neris smiled without humor. Etzel ignored her. “I awakened as a Hunter.”
Veydan finally spoke. “We know that part now.”
“Yes.”
“What Ability?”
Etzel looked at his father. “Limited Necromancer.”
Veydan frowned. Ismera did too. They knew the name. Most people did. Rare. Unimpressive. Historically unreliable.
Ismera looked toward Neris. “You said A-Rank.”
“I did.”
Etzel rubbed his forehead. “The Ability turned out to be slightly less useless than advertised.”
“Slightly?” Neris asked.
Etzel looked at her. “You’re enjoying this.”
“A little.”
He sighed. Then told them. Not everything. Enough. He had awakened at Level Zero. He had gone into the forest. He had killed creatures. He had reached Level One. And he had received DK.
Ismera interrupted. “You went hunting alone?”
Etzel stopped. “That part sounds worse when separated from the surrounding context.”
“What surrounding context makes that better?”
Etzel thought. “None immediately come to mind.”
“Etzel.”
“I survived.”
“That is not an answer.”
“It is statistically relevant.”
“Etzel.”
He stopped joking. “Yes.”
The room changed. Etzel looked at his mother. “I should have told you.”
Ismera said nothing.
“I knew you would try to stop me.”
“Of course I would.”
“I know.”
“You were thirteen when the Rupture happened.”
“I know.”
“We spent years trying to keep you and Neris alive.”
“I know.”
“And then you become a Hunter and decide the sensible thing is to disappear into forests and fight monsters without telling us?”
Etzel had no joke for that. “No.”
Ismera blinked. “No?”
“It wasn’t sensible.”
Silence.
“I just thought I needed to do it.”
Veydan finally pulled out a chair. He sat. “How long?”
Etzel looked at him. “Since the Tree?”
Veydan nodded. Etzel answered. His father listened. Then leaned back. “I knew something was wrong.”
Etzel froze. Neris looked at Veydan. Ismera turned. “You knew?”
“I knew he was lying.”
Etzel frowned. “That distinction feels important.”
Veydan ignored him. “The running.” Etzel said nothing. “The injuries.” Still nothing. “The hours disappearing.” Veydan looked directly at him. “And every time I asked, you gave me an answer just plausible enough to avoid another question.”
Etzel lowered his eyes.
“I didn’t know what you were doing.” Veydan continued. “But I knew it wasn’t running.”
Etzel remembered their earlier conversation. His father had known. Maybe not the truth. But enough. “Why didn’t you stop me?”
Veydan’s expression barely changed. “I was waiting for you to decide when you trusted us enough to tell us.”
That landed harder than Etzel expected. He looked away. Neris stopped smiling. Ismera sat down at last.
Etzel breathed slowly. “I’m sorry.”
No joke. No deflection. Just that.
Ismera stared at him for several seconds. Then: “What Level?”
Etzel looked at her. “Twelve.”
Veydan’s eyebrows moved. Neris looked surprised. “Wait. Twelve?”
Etzel frowned. “You knew about the A-Rank summon and that’s the surprising part?”
“I didn’t know the number.”
“Level Twelve.”
Ismera looked even less happy. “How many things have you fought?”
Etzel considered the question. “That answer will not improve the atmosphere.”
“Etzel.”
“A few.”
Neris laughed. Ismera looked at her. She stopped.
“There’s something else,” Etzel said.
Neris stared. “Something else?”
“Why does everyone say that like I’m personally attacking them?”
“Because every new sentence gets worse.”
Etzel ignored her. He opened Soul Space. Soft green light appeared. Saeva emerged. She hovered above Etzel’s shoulder.
The entire family went silent.
Saeva looked around. At Veydan. At Neris. Then at Ismera. She flew directly toward her. Etzel watched in disbelief. Saeva landed carefully near Ismera’s shoulder.
Ismera froze. The little Wispkin made a soft sound.
Etzel pointed. “Betrayal.”
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Neris laughed. “She likes Mom.”
“Everyone uses me to reach more popular family members.”
Ismera slowly lifted one hand. Saeva touched her finger. Some of the anger in Ismera’s face cracked. Only some.
“What is she?”
“Saeva.”
“That’s her name.”
“Yes.”
“What is she?”
Etzel sighed. “F-Rank support summon. Healing, shielding, some other support functions.” He did not mention everything. Not the loot influence. Not every System detail. Not every mechanic. His family needed truth. They did not need his entire tactical interface.
Neris looked at Saeva. “She’s adorable.”
Etzel stared. “She has watched me get hit by things without expressing nearly enough concern.”
Saeva made an offended sound.
Neris smiled. “I like her.”
“Of course you do.”
Then Veydan asked: “And the other one?”
The room became quiet again. Etzel looked at him. “DK?”
“The one Neris described.”
Etzel glanced around the room. “This may be visually excessive indoors.”
Neris immediately said: “Do it.”
“You are not helping.”
“Do it.”
Etzel sighed. “DK.”
Darkness gathered. A figure formed beside him. Black boots touched the floor. Then greaves. Armor. Cape. Helmet. The Infernal Sovereign Set absorbed the room’s light. Thin crimson seams ran beneath the matte black plates.
DK stood fully manifested. The helmet’s eyes ignited red.
Ismera stopped breathing for a moment. Veydan stared.
Neris smiled. “Oh, that is much worse indoors.”
Etzel pointed at her. “I told you.”
Veydan looked up at DK. Then farther up. “This lives in the house?”
“Technically, he lives in Soul Space.”
DK turned his head. “My preference would be otherwise.”
Etzel looked at him. “Not now.”
Veydan stared at DK. “You understand us?”
“Yes.”
“You speak?”
“Yes.”
Veydan looked at Etzel. “You left that part out.”
“There are many parts.”
DK added: “He does that.”
Etzel slowly turned. “You are supposed to support me.”
“I have repeatedly done so.”
Neris laughed. Even Ismera almost did. Almost.
Etzel’s communicator vibrated. The room quieted. He already knew. The message was official.
HUNTER AUTHORITY
MANDATORY INCIDENT FOLLOW-UP
Target
Etzel Deymar
Status
No Active Hunter Registration Found
Action
Identity Verification Required.
Action
Hunter Registration Evaluation Required.
Directive
Report to Regional Hunter Registration Center.