Katherina watched from the side as Alhen sat with his legs crossed on the ground, and she thought about what happened to the dead man on the ground in front of him.

  ‘Why he is dead is a mystery, but a sure way to remind us that nothing will ever be as expected when fighting higher ranked wihts,’ she thought.

  Alhen hadn’t seen what happened, so he didn’t care. His blind eye was focused on the energy he felt in the air.

  ‘Technically speaking, I did kill Bernard, even though the wiht did the most damage. If what Alaran said is true, then I should be able to absorb his energy and integrate it into my Luna Signum,’ Alhen thought.

  He focused on the energy and drew it towards his sign. Before it could reach him, he took a deep breath and prepared for the burning sensation he would experience.

  He felt the amount of energy that Bernard’s dead body oozed into the air seemed thicker, denser, and heavier.

  When it made contact with his sign, his whole body trembled and shivered. It felt as if he was not supposed to be doing this.

  The difference between Bernard’s level and his was like night and day. If his was a small pond, Bernard’s was like a flowing river.

  It didn’t take long for the intense feeling of his body being burned alive to manifest itself.

  Alhen gritted his teeth and tensed his muscles before remembering that he was supposed to relax and focus on driving the energy throughout his whole body.

  He started doing the same thing as last time after his first hunt, but this time, it wasn’t as easy. He found it hard to move.

  It was resisting his will, and after a few seconds, Alhen lost control completely.

  The burning sensation started spreading and increasing without control. He struggled to keep his eyes closed, and his face twisted in a pained expression.

  Katherina, who watched from the side, grew concerned as she noticed the sweat that started to form at his temple and dripped to the ground.

  Alhen’s rise in temperature was such that she started to feel as if she was inside a fire. She hissed and took a few steps back until the feeling became mild.

  The vegetation around him started to wither and burn away, leaving only dust and a scorched floor. Despite this, however, his clothes were still in pristine condition, seemingly unaffected by what was happening.

  ‘Crap! I have to gain back control. It hurts!’ Alhen exclaimed in his mind.

  He was sure that he wouldn’t be able to hold on for much longer, and he decided to increase his efforts. Alhen stopped trying to control the energy peacefully, using more force than normal in trying to move it to all parts of his body.

  The process was slow, excruciatingly so, but it started bearing fruit after a few seconds. The energy, which seemed wild and uncontrollable, began to move at his order.

  The temperature around him started decreasing, and the princess could feel it, but she didn’t dare step closer lest something unexpected were to happen.

  Her caution proved to be the correct choice as the temperature started rising again. The energy, feeling Alhen fighting back, didn’t hold back any punches and started resisting with full force.

  ‘How can this be!? I’m already using all of my strength, and it’s still resisting. If I don’t want to die, I have to go beyond my limit!’ Alhen exclaimed in his mind.

  Fear started to grip his heart, but he didn’t let this feeling overpower him. No matter what he did, however, nothing seemed to be working, and his mind started clouding.

  ‘If this continues… No, I still have many things to accomplish in this life, and I will not die before then. I don’t care if I have to give everything away, but I’m surviving this,’ Alhen thought.

  Thankfully, he had caught himself at that moment, because if he hadn’t, the heat inside of him would have already burned him alive.

  Alhen projected all his fears, doubts, worries, hopes, and dreams into his effort. He gritted his teeth with strength and felt for a second his heart stopping and his mind blanking.

  Once he regained awareness after that brief moment, he pushed with everything he had, and this time, the energy didn’t fight him back. It allowed him to move it around his body and nourish it with strength.

  The heat died down, and now he felt a comfortable and warm feeling hugging his body. He breathed a sigh of relief and focused on internalizing the energy and filling his sign with it.

  Once he opened his eyes, he realized that he could see, but that wasn’t all. Alhen quickly snatched the bandage covering his missing eye and realized that it had grown back.

  He then turned his gaze towards his right arm and realized that it was missing. He sighed out of frustration but ultimately accepted his destiny and didn’t dwell on it.

  “I was starting to wonder when you would finally move,” Alhen heard a voice beside him.

  He turned to look and saw the princess sitting with her hands hugging her legs and staring straight at him.

  “I was worried that you would not get out of that trance-like state, and I was worried that it would have taken your life. I have heard the stories about what happens when a hunter does not manage to control the energy he is absorbing, but this was my first time seeing it in person,” she said.

  “Did I make you wait long?” He asked, scoffing internally.

  ‘She is only saying that because she needs me alive to up her chances of getting out of the forest and returning alive to the castle,’ he thought.

  “You were out for many hours. The specific amount of time, I know not, but I am glad to see that you have gained back your vision and your missing eye.

  “Thanks. Did anything happen while I was out?” He asked.

  The princess shook her head and said, “thankfully, I have yet to see that wiht roaming around these parts. Nothing happened while you were out, but I was scared as I was defenseless without you,” she said.

  Alhen ignored the part where she mentioned him and stood, noticing that his body seemed to be filled with more energy.

  “Do you feel any different?” The princess asked.

  “Yes, I feel more power,” he said before unbuttoning his jacket and taking a look at his sign.

  It glowed a bright yellow, and he widened his eyes.

  ‘Wasn’t my sign supposed to only get somewhat brighter and not change colors entirely? If this happened, then it means that the amount of energy I absorbed was not small, but I still felt as if I didn’t absorb all of it.’

  ‘I felt some of the energy seeping off my body, as if it were not enough to handle all that power. Still, I have improved, and am now a step closer to killing Father Vincent,’ Alhen thought.

  A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  Thinking about this, a joyous smile manifested on his face, but it was soon erased as he remembered he was in the presence of the princess.

  “Wait, you have only now become a hunter rank!” Katherina yelled, but soon realized her mistake and covered her mouth.

  “What do you mean? I am a hunter,” Alhen said.

  “That is not what I am talking about. Do you seriously not know the hunter ranks?” The princess asked, and Alhen shook his head.

  Pretending that he knew would only worsen the situation, as he truly had no idea.

  “You are the son of the Kovesh, but you have recently turned into a hunter rank, and here I thought that you were stronger than that,” she commented out loud.

  Alhen frowned and rolled his eyes.

  “I am only nine years of age, and you expect me to already be at a high level? There is a certain step to all these things; it doesn’t matter if I’m the son of the Kovesh or not. Have you ever met a nine-year-old with a yellow sign?” Alhen asked with clear irritation.

  “I guess you are right. If you truly do not know the ranks, then I will explain them to you. There are seven ranks in total; the one you were before was the Initiated rank, and the one you are on now is the Hunter rank,” she began.

  Alhen nodded.

  “The ranks are divided by colors, just like the ranks of the wihts. Do you know about the wiht ranks?” She asked, and Alhen nodded in response.

  “Very well, after the Hunter rank is the Red Hunter, then the Blood Hunter, Demon Hunter, Chaos Hunter, and finally, the Sol rank.”

  Alhen didn’t have time to speak as Katherina continued.

  “Your father, The Kovesh, is Sol rank, and the only one in the Kingdom of Yhia. That is why he is respected. You have to realize that a Sol rank is no joke; they can level kingdoms and erase the landscape if they wish."

  "They are not in the realms of humans and have become something else entirely,” the princess said in a low voice.

  She sounded excited talking about it, and Alhen didn’t comment, only giving her a small nod.

  “Very well, thanks for the information, let’s head out. We have to find water; food is not a problem for now,” Alhen said.

  Katherina smiled and responded, “I found water while you were assimilating the energy in your body. I dared not walk far, but fortunately, I found a small stream flowing with water near here.”

  “Good job, this is indeed convenient. Let’s get hydrated and keep walking towards the kingdom.”

  Katherina agreed with him and guided Alhen towards the stream.

  As they walked, Alhen was prepared for anything to show up, considering that when he was blind, they ran into big danger; this time, he wanted to see it coming.

  After walking briskly for about a minute, they came across the small stream. They quietly collected the running water from the nearby source and drank.

  As the cold water flowed through his throat and landed on his stomach, he felt more refreshed.

  His body, which flowed with energy, now seemed to hold more strength; it felt firm, and whenever he clutched his hands, he felt great.

  ‘I believe I have exhausted all my luck with that situation. I can’t imagine something like this happening again. Right now, I feel powerful, but I will have to wait until I deal with a wiht or a human to truly know whether I can hold my ground or not.'

  'Power is not everything, and I shouldn’t get distracted or feel overconfident,’ he reminded himself.

  After drinking water, they resumed their journey to the Kingdom of Yhia, and this time, it wasn’t as eventful.

  With his eyesight, he was able to spot the danger before it found them, and after leaving the Shrill Forest, they only found low-level wihts roaming the area, which didn’t prove to be a threat to them.

  They couldn’t keep themselves completely out of trouble, however, as after a cycle of continuous travelling they found themselves surrounded by wihts.

  ‘Crap! I wasn’t able to spot them earlier. It seems that they can camouflage in the dark and blend in with their surroundings. Thankfully, I noticed their presence; if they had snuck up on us, we might have died without realizing what had happened,’ he thought.

  The wihts didn’t look strong. Their limbs were twisted in all sorts of ways, and they seemed to walk in a constant backbend.

  Their thin, long arms stretched behind them, contrasting with the amount of mass on their bellies, making them look strange.

  Fresh blood dripped down their hands and face, making him think that they had eaten not long ago, and they stopped trying to hide once they realized that their position was revealed.

  Katherina closed the distance between her and Alhen, shaking wildly at the sheer number of wihts that surrounded them.

  “Alhen, you will protect me, right?” She asked, but he didn’t answer.

  A bright, blue light shone where his right arm should be, and it appeared thanks to his artifact.

  ‘This is going to be my first time using my artifact for actual combat. If I see that I’m struggling to take them down, then I will make sure we escape as fast as possible,’ he thought.

  Without wasting a second, he took out his revolver and activated his blessing, revealing the weakspot of the creatures and their future actions.

  Alhen noted the wiht that was going to strike first and aimed at that one, shooting before it could make a move.

  His aim was perfect; his eyesight had improved, and his muscles were steadier than before. The bullet penetrated the wiht’s heart, exploding on impact, and it crumbled to the ground like a wet rag.

  Its partners didn’t wait long to start charging at him from all directions. From what he had calculated, there were about six of them after killing the one in front of him.

  They moved erratically, using their arms and legs to weirdly crawl forward with a speed that surprised him.

  To Alhen, he could see all their movements clearly, and this time, he didn’t freeze from the stress of the situation.

  With rapid movements, Alhen fired five bullets, all of them landing on their intended targets except one, which missed and landed on the wiht’s left shoulder.

  The other four wihts landed on the ground from having their hearts pierced, and now, only two remained. The death of their fellow wihts didn’t stop them, only running towards him with more ferocity.

  Alhen holstered his revolver and took out the axe from his back, eager to showcase it.

  ‘Ever since I got the axe, it was only useful in one situation, and I have never used it since then. Now that I have two arms and I have grown stronger, I can wield it properly,’ Alhen thought, a mad grin manifesting on his face.

  He held the axe with both arms and concentrated on the wihts in front of him. They had closed the distance and were now standing a few feet away from him.

  With his blessing, he had more than enough time to calculate their movements and strike at the correct moment.

  He swung his axe with strength and cleaved the wiht in two, sending its split body rolling on the ground without stopping.

  The second wiht, the one with the injured shoulder, arrived shortly after and received the same treatment, except this time it was the head.

  Its body crumpled to the ground like the others and lay motionless before it could ever reach him. It didn’t have time to process what had happened before it lost its life.

  Katherina stood mouth agape and with wide eyes. She barely believed what she saw.

  “Alhen! You are strong! I have always been protected, but no attempts to harm me have been made throughout my life. This is the first time that I am watching a power like this!” She sounded excited, maybe due to her obsession with hunters.

  Alhen swallowed hard; he could hardly believe that the bloodbath in front of him had been caused by him.

  ‘I have been weak for so long, is this the time where it all turns around?’ He thought.

  Even though the wihts didn’t seem to be as threatening because they were discovered, he would still have struggled if it were his old self that was fighting them.

  Alhen looked at his left hand as he deactivated his blessing and artifact, returning to having only one arm. He clenched it with strength and felt the firmness one more time with a smile on his face.

  He didn’t know what to say to the princess, so he stayed quiet, but she wasn’t done talking yet.

  “Alhen, become my personal bodyguard. I would trust you more than anyone now that I know the castle is compromised. It is not safe for me, and you would be everything that I could ask for,” Katherina said.

  Alhen didn’t take her words lightly.

  “Princess, I have to remind you that you can’t order me. Protecting you was a one-time thing and will not happen again. Don’t try to convince me with anything, as I will not accept,” Alhen replied, his tone sounding somewhat harsh.

  Realizing the situation, Katherina pleaded.

  “Please! No matter what you want, I will get it for you. Think about it, you could have all the riches you want, prestige, you could live in a castle with everything being offered to you, and all you have to do is make sure I am safe, does it not sound good to you?” She asked.

  “Princess, you have to realize that I cannot accept your proposal. I am in no position to do so. The Kovesh won’t let me, and I am focused on other things for now,” Alhen explained, hoping she would drop the topic.

  The princess pouted and looked away.

  “Fine, I will stop talking about it for now, but this conversation is not over; it is only on hold. I will keep trying until you eventually accept,” she said.

  Alhen sighed and accepted his fate. Deciding not to entertain her any longer, they rested close to the river.

  Alhen felt full of energy, probably because he had absorbed all that energy, but Katherina was the contrary; she could barely keep her eyes open, and after finding somewhat of a safe place, she lay on the ground and fell asleep almost immediately.

  When she woke up, they drank some more water before heading out to the Kingdom of Yhia.

  After a full cycle of traveling, they came out of the forest, and the princess had to be more careful not to look at the moon.

  She walked with her head down at all times, and Alhen had placed the torn piece of dress over her eyes, covering them and making sure that they fit tight so she couldn’t see anything.

  They walked for a few more hours until finally, they saw the walls, but Alhen didn’t dare to relax.

  “Princess, we have finally arrived in the Kingdom of Yhia. We have to be careful in case assassins are waiting for our arrival. Keep your ears open,” Alhen warned.

  “Even if there are assassins, you will protect me, will you not?” She asked, and Alhen hummed in agreement.

  “Then I have nothing to worry about. I am more worried about collapsing from exhaustion; all that walking has taken a toll on my body,” she said while sighing.

  “Very well, let’s head inside and take you back to the castle. I wonder what the king will think about all of this.”

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