13 - First Shade

A day later, the doors to the Dragon Bone Guild swung open as Stiles, SteelArm, and Dante stepped inside.

Without hesitation, they made their way through the building, heading straight for Halstein's office. The moment they entered, Halstein looked up from his desk, his sharp eyes scanning them before giving a small nod.

"You're here," he acknowledged. Then, after a brief pause, his expression grew serious. "Where's Kiera?"

The room fell into silence for a moment before Stiles stepped forward, his voice calm but heavy.

"She passed away... a dungeon boss got her."

Halstein's eyes widened. "What do you mean by a dungeon?"

Dante let out a bitter chuckle, shaking his head before stepping up. "You basically sent all of us to our deaths, that's what we mean."

Halstein's expression hardened, but Dante continued before he could respond.

"We barely made it out alive. And the only reason we're standing here right now is because, for some damn reason, a portal opened. If that hadn't happened…" Dante exhaled sharply, his fists clenching. "We'd all be dead."

Halstein sighed, rubbing his temples before leaning back in his chair. "I see... I won't make excuses. I truly didn't anticipate the situation unfolding like that." He exhaled heavily before looking at the three of them. "I'm sorry for what you went through... and for Kiera."

Without another word, he turned to his computer, typing swiftly before a notification rang out on their devices.

"$1.2 million. Each."

Dante raised an eyebrow. "That's a hell of an apology."

Halstein met his gaze. "It's the least I can do. Whether it's enough or not, I'll leave that to you to decide."

The three exchanged glances before Halstein reached for his phone, dialing a number.

"Aria, come to my office."

After spending the past day in her room, Aria finally stepped out, stretching as she let out a quiet yawn. Rubbing her eyes, she made her way through the hallways toward Halstein's office, still feeling the weight of exhaustion from everything that had happened.

As she pushed the door open, she kept her head down slightly, only glancing up after a few steps inside and she immediately froze.

All four of them were staring right at her.

The moment Stiles' eyes locked onto Aria, something inside him stirred violently.

Without warning, his red mana—gifted to him by Riven—erupted outward in a massive wave, the sheer pressure shaking the office as it rushed toward Aria. SteelArm, Dante, and Halstein tensed instinctively, feeling the sudden force of mana surging through the room.

Aria's eyes widened as the crimson energy streaked toward her. But the moment it touched her hand, it vanished.

A strange silence followed. But before anyone could react, a crimson hue flared around Stiles, his entire presence feeling heavier, more intense than any of them has ever felt from him before. SteelArm clenched his fists, feeling the weight of the aura pressing down on him. Dante took a cautious step back, his instincts screaming that something unnatural had just occurred.

Halstein narrowed his eyes. "What... was that?"

Then, as suddenly as it had appeared—the energy sealed itself back inside Stiles, as if it had never been unleashed to begin with.

Aria slowly looked down at her hand, turning it over in confusion. "What... just happened?"

Dante let out a low whistle. "Tch. Hell if I know, but that shit wasn't normal even for me."

SteelArm crossed his arms, watching Stiles carefully. "You good?"

Stiles exhaled sharply, gripping his chest as if trying to steady himself. "I... I don't know. It felt like my mana core reacted the moment I saw her." His gaze flickered to Aria. "Like it was trying to reach her for some reason."

A long silence followed. Then, Halstein sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Great. Another damn mystery."

SteelArm grunted. "So what now?"

Halstein tapped his desk thoughtfully, his sharp gaze flicking between them. "Let's focus on why I called you all here. Recently, Aria Noctis has manifested a mana core—one of dark purple." He let that sink in for a moment before his eyes shifted toward Stiles.

"But before we continue… Stiles, that mana just now—it was red, wasn't it?"

Stiles stiffened slightly but nodded. "Yeah."

Halstein leaned forward, his expression darkening. "Your mana has been blue from the first day I met you. Just what the hell happened?"

A tense silence filled the room. SteelArm, arms crossed, suddenly frowned as if something had just clicked in his mind. "Wait… he's right. Your mana's always been blue. Why is it red now?"

Dante narrowed his eyes but said nothing, simply watching Stiles' reaction.

Stiles, not wanting to explain what happened after Dante and SteelArm had left the dungeon, kept his expression neutral. With a casual shrug, he met Halstein's gaze. "I don't know what you guys are talking about… my mana has always been red." His voice was calm, too calm.

SteelArm studied him for a second before exhaling and shaking his head. "Hm... maybe I'm colorblind or something then."

Halstein wasn't convinced. His eyes lingered on Stiles a little longer before he finally leaned back, filing the information away for later. "Alright. Let's move on."

"Back to the real issue—Aria. Her mana core manifested, and it's unlike anything we've ever seen before. A dark purple… a color not recorded anywhere in the databases." He glanced at Aria, who remained quiet, listening intently. "That alone is concerning, but what makes this even more complicated is what happened inside the gate she was in."

He folded his hands on the desk and continued. "From what I was told, three figures—guardians, knights, or something similar—appeared from a vortex and killed the gate boss before vanishing. No explanation, no trace left behind. Just... gone." His voice was laced with frustration. "That kind of thing doesn't just happen. Not in E-rank gates. Not in any gate, for that matter."

The room was silent for a moment before Halstein sighed and leaned back. "I don't know what to do about this. There's too much unknown, and I can't afford to make a bad call here." He turned his attention to Stiles and SteelArm. "You two were there in Stern when we found her. What do you think we should do?"

Stiles and SteelArm exchanged glances, their expressions unreadable.

Halstein then turned to Dante. "And Dante, you're the only SSS-rank hunter in right now. The rest are either raiding gates or enjoying time off in Hawaii drinking. What's your take on this?"

Stiles and SteelArm exchanged glances before nodding in agreement. "We'll take her into our party for now at least." Stiles said. "If something weird happens, at least we'll be there to handle it."

Dante leaned back in his chair, arms crossed. "Ay I've got nothing better to do, so I'm in."

Halstein exhaled, relieved that a decision had been made. "That's probably for the best. If anything strange happens, you'll all be together to witness it firsthand—and maybe even figure out what the hell is going on." He rubbed his temples. "Honestly, I just don't want to deal with this headache any longer."

After a brief pause, Halstein looked up. "Alright, then. Who's leading this party?"

Dante immediately shrugged. "Stiles should do it. He was the first to suggest it."

SteelArm nodded in agreement before glancing at Aria. "What do you think?"

Aria, unsure of what to say, simply nodded.

"That settles it," Halstein said, pulling up the guild registration system. "Stiles, you're the leader. Give me a party name, and I'll get you all officially registered."

"The party will be called… Black Sigil," Stiles said after a moment of thought, his voice steady and certain.

Aria shifted slightly before speaking up. "So, uhm... what exactly should I do now?"

Dante grinned and jumped up from his seat. "Don't worry about that. I'll take you through a training program I forced myself into when I was trying to break into S-rank a few years back. It's brutal, but if you're serious about getting stronger, it'll be worth it. That is, if you're up for it—and if everyone else is fine with it."

Aria hesitated for a moment, thinking. "Being trained by someone strong, someone who actually knows what they're doing, is way better than me just guessing and hoping I don't die in a real gate," she reasoned to herself. Finally, she nodded. "Sure, I'd love that if it's possible."

Stiles and SteelArm exchanged looks before nodding as well. "How about we all train together for a while?" Stiles suggested. "That way, we can figure out how we work as a team. It'll also give us time to see what Aria's capable of—since right now, we don't know much about her skills aside from the fact that she called herself a priestess."

SteelArm crossed his arms, closing his eyes in thought before nodding along. "Yeah, that makes sense. Though, we're kind of going in blind since we don't even know the extent of her abilities."

Then, Aria hesitated before speaking again. "Uhm… actually, priestess isn't my class."

Silence filled the room as all eyes landed on her.

"I don't actually know what my class is," she admitted. "At the time, I just thought it would be easier to lie about it instead of dealing with extra pressure or unwanted attention."

Halstein let out a long, exhausted sigh, rubbing his temples. "You know what? Y'all deal with this. I don't have the youth—or the patience—to handle this kind of shit anymore."