Dark & Light – Chapter 15: The Hunter’s Gift

A Hunter's Return

The afternoon sun hung high in the sky as Vael approached the meeting point, dragging his cart of spoils behind him.

The wooden cart groaned under the sheer weight of twenty freshly killed beasts, their fur and scales still gleaming under the sunlight.

Yet, the most eye-catching sight wasn't the overfilled cart—it was the massive Ancient Beast tied around Vael's waist, its corpse dragging behind him like it weighed nothing.

Toban was already waiting at the meeting point, leaning against a tree, arms crossed. He had a confident smirk on his face, clearly thinking he'd bring in the bigger haul.

Then he saw Vael.

His jaw dropped.

His smirk vanished.

His eyes widened to the size of dinner plates.

"…What in the—?!

Toban bolted forward, eyes darting between the beasts stacked in the cart and the gigantic corpse Vael casually dragged behind him.

"Vael… how… HOW DID YOU DO THIS?!"

Vael raised an eyebrow. "Hunting?"

Toban threw his hands up. "No, no, don't give me that! This—this isn't hunting! This is a massacre! HOW—?!"

His eyes locked onto the Ancient Beast's hulking body, the sheer size of it making every other kill look insignificant.

"IS THAT—?! No, there's no way—"

He ran up to the beast, his hands running over its jagged obsidian-like scales, his face pale.

"It's an Ancient Bear…"

He turned back to Vael, his expression shifting from disbelief to outright shock.

"Ancient Beasts are supposed to be damn near impossible to kill! They take entire groups of elite hunters! HOW DID YOU DO THIS ALONE?!"

Vael shrugged. "It was really tough."

(In reality, he had taken care of it in minutes and spent the rest of the time casually waiting for Toban to finish his own hunt.)

Toban ran his fingers through his hair, still staring at the absurd sight in front of him.

"You… You're insane."

Vael smirked but didn't comment.

A Debt Repaid

Toban let out a deep breath, composing himself.

"Okay… look, I don't even know where to start. I can't afford that thing." He gestured toward the Ancient Beast. "But I know a trader in the capital who might buy it off you for a fortune."

Vael shook his head. "I'm not selling it."

Toban blinked. "Huh?"

Vael unhooked the rope from his waist, letting the beast's massive form collapse onto the ground with a heavy thud.

"Everything is yours. I'll just take the horse. Consider the rest a gift."

Toban froze.

He stared at Vael. Silent.

Completely stunned.

The moment stretched for several seconds before he suddenly let out a shaky breath, his expression faltering.

"Vael… I… I don't know what to say."

His voice wavered, a rare crack in the normally confident trader's demeanor.

"I was barely scraping by these past few months. I didn't want to admit it, but I wasn't sure how much longer I could afford to keep everything running. This…" He placed a hand on the Ancient Beast, his fingers trembling slightly.

"This is more than just a gift. You might've just saved my family's livelihood."

His eyes glistened slightly, but he quickly wiped at his face, chuckling to hide the emotion.

"Damn it, Vael, you always do things like this without warning."

Vael gave a small smirk. "It's just some meat."

Toban scoffed. "Yeah, 'just some meat.'" He shook his head before grinning. "Well, now I feel bad just giving you one horse."

Vael raised an eyebrow. "One is enough."

Toban grinned wider. "Nope. I'll give you two. Rai's been with Mira all day—she probably taught him how to ride by now."

Vael sighed, but there was a small look of amusement in his expression. "Fine."

Returning to the Farm

The moment Vael and Toban arrived back at the farm, Mira and Elena were outside, brushing the horses.

Mira turned, her expression shifting from relaxed to outright shock.

"WHOA—what the hell?!"

Elena's eyes widened in horror at the sight of the massive Ancient Beast strapped to the cart.

"Is that what I think it is…?"

Toban burst out laughing. "It absolutely is."

Mira ran up to the cart, eyes darting between the countless beasts. "HOW DID YOU EVEN—?!"

Toban clapped a hand on Vael's back, grinning. "My old friend here is a goddamn monster when it comes to hunting."

Mira turned to Vael with something close to admiration. "Okay… That's actually insane. You took all this down in one day?"

Vael simply nodded. "It was a productive hunt."

Mira whistled. "You're scary."

Toban smirked. "Took you this long to figure that out?"

Elena shook her head in disbelief but smiled warmly. "This is incredible. Thank you, Vael."

Vael simply nodded.

"Let's eat. It's been a long day."

A Final Dinner & A Goodbye

Dinner was livelier than before.

Toban told exaggerated stories about Vael's hunt, Mira and Elena listened in awe, and even Rai joined in, eager to hear about what Vael had done that day.

Vael kept his version short and vague, but Toban, of course, made it sound like Vael had taken on an entire army of beasts single-handedly.

At one point, Mira leaned over to Rai.

"Yeah, so, you might have some catching up to do if you wanna be as strong as him."

Rai rolled his eyes. "No kidding."

As dinner wrapped up, Vael stood.

"We're leaving in the morning."

Toban nodded, his expression understanding but tinged with a hint of sadness.

"I figured. You never stay in one place long."

Vael met his gaze. "You know why."

Toban sighed but nodded. "Yeah… I do." He forced a smile. "Still, you're always welcome here. Both of you."

Vael gave him a small nod. "Thanks."

After dinner, Vael went outside to prepare the horses while Rai stayed inside, talking with Mira for a bit longer.

A Quiet Night

Later that night, Vael and Rai sat in their shared room, packing their things for the journey ahead.

Rai turned to him. "So… how was your day?"

Vael thought for a moment before giving a casual shrug. "Uneventful."

(He had, in reality, killed an **Ancient Beast, taken down twenty other creatures, and made Toban question reality. But Rai didn't need to know that.)

Rai smirked. "You're lying."

Vael glanced at him. "You gonna call me out on it?"

Rai laughed. "Nah, I'll let it slide."

Vael smirked. "And you? How was your day?"

Rai brightened, telling him everything—how Mira showed him around, how he learned to ride, and how fun it had all been.

Vael listened, feeling something he rarely did.

Pride.

"Good," he said. "This won't be the only friend you make on this journey."

Rai smiled.

And with that, they went to sleep—ready for whatever came next.