https://discord.gg/CPPS8PYd

Marked for death

The next morning came too fast.

Kairo stood in the cramped apartment kitchen, shirtless, rinsing blood from his hoodie in the sink. The fabric was nearly falling apart—another one for the trash pile. A fresh bruise stretched across his ribs like an ink stain, and the bags under his eyes were deeper than usual.

But his mind wasn't on the pain.

It was on the message.

[You are marked for death by void stalker.]
He hadn't told Mina. He wouldn't. Not until he understood what it meant. Not until he was sure she'd be safe.

The sink water ran red for another minute before turning clear.

Aegis Guild Hall – East Wing

Later that day, Kairo stood by the mission board, hood up, fingers ghosting across the digital panels. Around him, other hunters whispered.

"I heard Sector 12's rift mutated again."
"An entire cleanup squad vanished."
"No confirmation, but something's stalking teleport users."
"Someone said they saw an unregistered flare—blue and gold."

Kairo didn't flinch, but his jaw tensed.

He wasn't sure what the Void Stalker was—but he could feel it. Something watching. Waiting. Like its claws were already brushing the edges of his timeline.

He selected a solo recon mission in Sector 7—low-risk, high scouting pay. Enough to keep moving, low enough not to raise alarms.

Just before he could confirm, a voice called out behind him.

"You're bleeding through your cloak, you know."

Rena.

She leaned against the wall, arms crossed, crimson braid swinging as she moved. The other three stood behind her—Bran sipping from a can, Lumi tapping away at her holopad, and Volt silently watching Kairo like she could sense every lie before it left his lips.

"You ditching us already?" Bran asked, amused.

"No," Kairo said, choosing his words carefully. "Just... side job." " nothing serious . "

"Funny," Rena said. "'Cause side jobs don't usually trigger tier-four evacuation warnings."

Kairo paused. "What?"

Lumi answered. "The system flagged your signature in Sector 12 yesterday. Brief but strong. Way above D-rank thresholds."

Kairo blinked. "Must've been a glitch."

"No," Volt said quietly. "It wasn't."

He looked at her, and for the first time, she looked back—eyes sparking faintly with static.

"You saw it, didn't you?" she asked. "Whatever came out of that tower."

Everyone went silent.

He could lie.

He should lie.

But the words didn't come.

"...It knew me," Kairo said finally. "It called me. And now it wants me dead."

Bran let out a low whistle. "That's... not ideal."

"What did it look like?" Lumi asked.

Kairo's hand twitched slightly. "Like it had worn people before. But now it wants something else."

"Your mark," Volt said, already certain.

Kairo nodded once. "

The group exchanged looks.

Rena pushed off the wall. "You're either gonna get us all killed, or drag us up a tier."

"Maybe both," Bran offered.

Kairo smirked faintly.

Lumi folded her arms. "If you're marked, then you're in danger. Which means we're in danger. So let's be honest: are you planning to run solo again?"

Kairo thought of Mina.

Of the tower.

Of the whisper in the void that laughed through a mask.

"...No," he said. "Not this time." i know you guys are marked hunters as well

That night – Somewhere beyond the veil

A dimension twisted by spatial echoes. Silence reigned here—until it moved.

A creature slithered through the dark, formed of stretched limbs, folded time, and memories it did not own.

Eyes opened in its chest—seven of them. All locked on one name written in fractured runes:

KA-I-R-O

The Void Stalker hissed as the mark burned brighter in its mind.

"Soon."

It wasn't just hunting him.

It was hunting whatever was awakening inside him.