Chapter 2: The Name That Shouldn’t Exist

## **The Silence That Followed**

Jae-Hoon froze, his face paling.

The training hall, where there had been laughter and condescension, was now deathly quiet. His team, the ones who had been so quick to taunt me a moment before, were now squirming uncomfortably. The snickers and sneers had disappeared, replaced by strained looks and hushed confusion.

The older Hunter's grip on Jae-Hoon's collar tightened, his knuckles whitening. His eyes flicked between me and the shocked group, sweat beading on his forehead.

"You little brats," he breathed. "Do you even know what you just did?"

Jae-Hoon swallowed, his bravado shattering. "W-What are you talking about? Who cares about some old name?"

The old man shook. He faced me, his eyes full of surprise and something else—something I'd seen once before in the marketplace when Kael Arashi's name was mentioned.

**Fear.**

"Kid," he spoke slowly. "Your surname. Is it… really *Arashi*?"

I looked at him and nodded. "Yeah."

A loud gasp.

One of the Hunters in the crowd actually took a step backward.

Jae-Hoon still didn't understand. He laughed, attempting to reassert his bluster. "So what? It's just a name. He's probably some nobody adopting it to be cool—"

"Shut up."

The words were bitter, absolute. The older Hunter pushed Jae-Hoon away with a shove, sending him off balance.

"This isn't funny, kid," he growled. "That name—*that* name shouldn't be. Shouldn't exist."

Jae-Hoon blinked. "What the hell does that mean?"

"It means," the man breathed shakily, "Kael Arashi never had a son. *He was never meant to have one.*"

A murmur ran through the Hunters around them.

The puzzle was fitting together for them.

Not for me.

Because standing there, listening to this, I understood something—I didn't know anything about my father except the rumors and myths. My mother had never said a word about him. I never wondered why.

Until now.

## **A Name That Ought To Be Forgotten**

Older Hunter Baek Woo-Jin, S-Rank and veteran. I had previously witnessed him on TV, at the front of high-level Gates into which raiding parties marched forth. He wasn't an individual who frighten easily.

Yet, he cowered with a look of absolute terror on his face.

"You guys need to know something," Woo-Jin told them, sweeping a hand through his hair. "Kael Arashi wasn't merely powerful. He wasn't merely an S-Rank. He was outside of us. Outside of anything that's supposed to exist."

Another Hunter, one of Woo-Jin's underlings, nodded solemnly. "The last time he showed up in public, he destroyed a National-Level Gate *alone* and vanished. The Hunter Association deleted most of his records after that."

Jae-Hoon remained dubious but was not speaking anymore.

The understanding was settling in.

They did not think Kael Arashi was dead.

They thought that he had transformed into something different.

And now, I was standing before them, taking his name.

"This… this doesn't make sense," another Hunter whispered. "There were no reports of him having a family. If the higher-ups were aware he had a child—"

Woo-Jin's eyes met mine. "Who are you, really?"

I breathed in deeply. "Manjil Arashi. That's my name. And I promise, I didn't even know my father was *that* Kael Arashi until recently. My mother never mentioned it."

Woo-Jin looked at me intently, as if trying to find something.

"Your mother… what's her name?"

I hesitated, then replied, "Lena Arashi."

Silence.

Then Woo-Jin's eyes widened. "Lena… I remember that name." His voice fell to a whisper. "She was the only one Kael ever shielded. If she's your mother…"

His sentence ended, hanging there, but the meaning was clear.

The tension became even thicker. The Hunters who had been doubtful now stared at me in a different light. Not as a nobody. Not as some wannabe who was trying to sound cool.

But as something much, much worse.

## **The Fear That Spreads**

Jae-Hoon, who had been so eager to mock me, took a shaky step back.

His arrogance had shattered. The others who had laughed with him now whispered among themselves, looking anywhere but at me.

"It can't be," one muttered. "If that name is real…"

"The higher-ups need to know about this."

"If he *is* Kael Arashi's son, what does that mean for us?"

I tightened my fists. The epiphany hit me hard.

It wasn't a question of whether I was strong.

It wasn't a question of whether I had proven myself.

The instant they heard my name, I was already something to fear for them.

Not a competitor.

Not a fellow Hunter.

A *threat*.

"Kid," Woo-Jin said, his tone still indecisive. "Have you awakened yet?"

I paused.

Then, I made my decision.

"No."

It was true. My ability was still latent. The dagger my mother had given me hadn't unlocked its full potential yet.

But I saw the relief on Woo-Jin's face, and that told me everything.

Even the thought of me waking up was frightening to them.

## **The Decision That Changes Everything**

"Listen," Woo-Jin interrupted, rubbing his temples. "We have to keep this under wraps. If the Hunter Association gets word of you, they'll either try to control you or get rid of you before you become an issue."

Jae-Hoon's mouth dropped in shock. "Get rid of? They wouldn't just—"

"Yes, they would," Woo-Jin cut in. "The Association has eliminated potential threats in the past. And your father wasn't merely a Hunter—he was a force of nature. If the powers that be believe you might inherit even a fraction of his strength… they won't take any chances."

I shivered.

This was worse than I had imagined.

It wasn't just about establishing myself as a Hunter anymore.

It was about survival.

I needed to get stronger. Fast.

"Alright," I said. "I get it. I won't tell anyone." I looked around at the Hunters still staring at me, their faces tense. "But something tells me the rumors are already starting."

Woo-Jin cursed under his breath. "Damn it. You're right. We need to control this before it gets out of hand."

I had no idea how much time I had before the world knew who I was.

But I did know one thing for certain.

When the moment came, I would not simply be Kael Arashi's son.

I would be something else entirely.

And the world would have to adapt.

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**End of Chapter 2.**