Chapter Text
The sun hadn’t set yet when Illuga finished his third rotation around Starsand Shoul. A bit excessive, maybe — but with how many Wild Hunt hordes had been appearing lately, he wasn’t about to take chances. The area had become far too dangerous for anyone unlucky enough to pass through.
Nikita had told him more than once to bring someone along during patrols. But his squad members were already running on fumes, barely getting any sleep between shifts. Illuga didn’t have the heart to pile more work on them. So he simply handled it himself.
“Is everything clear at your end, Aedon?”
The golden bird chirped twice in reply. Illuga nodded, a small smile forming. “Good. Let’s head back. Morning drills are waiting.”
As he started walking, a yawn slipped out before he could stop it. Aedon immediately fluttered closer, chirping in worry.
“I’m fine,” Illuga said, waving him off with a tired smile.
Though honestly… he couldn’t blame the bird. Anyone could tell he hadn’t slept properly. And he hadn’t eaten yet either.
Right on cue, his stomach let out a low, embarrassing growl.
Illuga paused. “…Alright, maybe we grab a quick bite first before—”
HWAAAACK.
The screech cut him off.
Illuga’s head snapped up instantly, eyes locking onto the familiar purple haze descending toward the ground.
Another Wild Hunt horde.
But something else caught his attention.
Right at the center of Starsand Shoul, directly beneath the falling haze stood a stranger.
A boy around his height, stance straight, holding a polearm like he was about to play catch with it.
Illuga didn’t hesitate.
Lantern in hand, he was already sprinting forward, Aedon darting ahead to clear the path. His strikes came quick and precise, cutting through the monsters one by one until he finally spotted the boy through the thinning fog.
The stranger leapt forward, ready to drive his spear into a monster’s skull when Illuga grabbed his arm and yanked him back just in time.
Aedon swooped down afterwards finished the last creature, the fog dispersing soon after.
“You—” Illuga panted, catching his breath before quickly shifting to concern. “Are you alright? It’s not safe here. Let me escort you—”
“Tsk.”
Illuga froze. For a split second, he genuinely wondered if hunger had started messing with his hearing.
But no. The boy had very clearly just tsked at him and was already pulling his arm free.
Now that the fog was gone, Illuga could see him properly.
Dark green hair. Black eyes with sharp red irises. A Knights of Favonius uniform. A small mole beneath one eye—almost mirroring Illuga’s, just on the opposite side.
And the unmistakable sneer currently aimed straight at him.
“Way to ruin the day,” the boy said flatly. “Judging by that lamp, you must be one of those Ratniki… figures.”
Illuga felt his eye twitch. He wasn’t sure if it was from sleep deprivation or pure annoyance.
The boy’s tone alone was enough to grate on his nerves — not to mention the way he was openly sizing Illuga up like he was something mildly unpleasant. It reminded him of one of Flins’ stories about arrogant nobles.
Still, judging by his age, he was probably just a knight in training. And Illuga? Illuga forced himself to stay calm and be the bigger person.
“Yes, I am a Ratnik,” he replied evenly. “My name is Illuga, Squad Leader of the Nightmare Orioles. Sorry to interrupt you, but if you’re looking for a place to train, I suggest doing it somewhere else. Starsand Shoul experiences frequent Wild Hunt attacks, which makes it extremely danger—”
“That’s the point.”
The bored interruption made Illuga pause. “…Excuse me?”
The boy simply crossed his arms, looking at him like he’d just asked the most obvious question in the world.
“Let me spell it out for you, Squad Leader,” he said slowly.
“I’m not here to train.” His gaze lifted, locking directly onto Illuga’s.
“I’m here to shed blood.”
The words were spoken casually, calmly, like he was talking about the weather. And yet a chill crept down Illuga’s spine, because when he looked into the boy’s eyes…there was no light in them at all.
Illuga stared at him for a moment longer than he probably should have, because that chill crawling down his spine? It wasn’t coming from the Wild Hunt’s lingering corruption. It was coming from the boy standing right in front of him.
“…That’s a very strange thing to say so casually,” Illuga finally replied, voice calm but firm. “Especially for someone wearing a Knights of Favonius uniform.”
The boy didn’t react, didn’t even blink. Instead, he tilted his head slightly, as if mildly curious. “You talk a lot for someone who just ruined my hunt.”
Illuga’s eye twitched again.
Hunt?
That word didn’t sit right.
“Those weren’t prey,” Illuga said flatly. “They were Wild Hunt monsters. You could’ve been killed.”
“And?” the boy replied immediately. The single word landed like a dull blade shredding Illuga’s patience every second.
“And,” he continued, forcing himself to stay composed, “your life isn’t something you get to throw away just because you’re bored.”
That finally got a reaction as the boy’s lips curled into a sharper sneer. “Who said anything about throwing it away?”
His grip tightened around his polearm.
“I came here because this is where things actually fight back.”
Aedon gave a low, uneasy chirp, circling once above them. Illuga noticed, the bird was rarely this tense which meant…
This wasn’t just attitude. Something about the boy genuinely felt off.
“Listen,” Illuga tried again, softer this time but no less firm, “if you want to prove yourself, there are proper training grounds. Controlled missions. Squad supervision. That’s how knights operate.”
Silence.
Then—
The boy laughed. Not loudly nor mockingly. Just a quiet, short breath of amusement, like he’d heard something mildly ridiculous.
“Squads. Supervision. Rules,” he repeated slowly. “You really believe in all that, don’t you?”
Illuga frowned. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
The boy lifted his gaze again.
Those dark eyes met Illuga’s directly and for the first time, there was something in them. Not anger, not arrogance but something colder.
“…It means,” he said quietly, “you still think this world is kind enough to care whether you survive.”
The words hit harder than they should have. Illuga didn’t respond immediately. Because for a split second he understood that tone, that emptiness. It wasn’t just cruelty, it was someone who had stopped expecting anything good a long time ago.
Just then Aedon suddenly chirped sharply. Loud and urgent.
Illuga’s head snapped up. More purple haze were descending fast. Not one, not two, but three separate clusters.
“…Of course,” Illuga muttered under his breath. “Couldn’t even let me eat first.”
The ground trembled slightly as distorted screeches began echoing through the air. Illuga immediately raised his lantern, light flaring bright.
He glanced at the boy.
“Listen carefully,” he said, voice now all business. “If you want to survive, stay behind me. These aren’t something you—”
He stopped mid-sentence, the boy infuriating as ever was already walking forward. Straight toward the incoming haze with his polearm resting casually on his shoulder like he was heading toward a mild inconvenience.
“…You really don’t listen, do you?” Illuga muttered.
The boy didn’t look back.
But his voice carried clearly.
“Try not to slow me down, Squad Leader.”
Illuga stared at his back for half a second, then sighed.
“…Nikita is going to yell at me for this,” he murmured.
Aedon chirped in agreement. Lantern blazing, Illuga stepped forward.
“Fine,” he said under his breath. “Let’s see what you can actually do.”
Ahead of them, the purple haze split open and the next wave of monsters emerged.