Grey's hunt

Grey had spent the last four days searching.

After the boy's sudden disappearance in the forest, Grey had almost convinced himself Chike was dead. The jungles around this region were known to have ties with the Unspoken Realm, one of the few places still shrouded in spiritual uncertainty. Many who entered never returned. To him, it made sense—the boy had been swallowed by the unknown.

Still, he couldn't take chances.

This was his final mission before promotion. If successful, he'd become a commander. And ironically, his original mission had been to hunt Edward—his original commander, now a fugitive, had last been spotted in this very region.

Due to the area's proximity to the Forgotten Realm, aerial surveillance was impossible. The energy flux around here blocked all Faith Militia monitoring systems. A place only the reckless or desperate would venture.

His former commander would've known that well.

When Grey filed his report, he told his superiors the boy had likely perished in the forest. But he inflated the kill count regardless, blaming every death from that two-day window on Chike, he'd even caused some to make the figures soar. It was believable enough. Yet something felt off.

Then the reports from HQ came in.

When they searched for the boy's soul essence—standard protocol for all citizens—they found nothing. No link to the spiritual database. No trace. No baptismal signature.

That could only mean one thing:

The boy had never been baptized.

Normally, a discovery like that would bring everything to a halt. Activities in the town would be suspended. All shrines would close. A full lockdown until the boy and the fugitives were captured.

But not this time.

The stakes were too high.

This year alone, fifty-two youths from that small town were scheduled for their second baptism—a historical high. The Faith couldn't afford to delay the ceremony without raising suspicion. If those youths began questioning, if they sensed deceit, and if even half of them developed Gifts outside of baptism, it could trigger a disaster.

The system wasn't built to manage mass awakenings. The most it had taken was 5 from another town before. Leaving them with an experience not easily forgotten.

And so, they made a decision.

One born of fear, not logic:

Proceed with the baptism.

Delaying it by a week already seemed suspicious.

So he was sent back, with 3 times more Militia than he had the first time. With a range of gifts his superiors had deemed useful, if all goes well these would all be under his command, he dazzled in the delight at finally being a commander.

Yet after 3 days of searching his enthusiasm was greatly reduced. The seeker he was given was still inexperienced with his gift, he'd given him several belongings of the boy. Yet he was unable to pin the boy to a single location before reaching his limit.

An hour was what Grey needed, his gift - capture, was able to pin a target to a defined location, but he needed to know fully details of the location and surrounding. Now he had to patiently train the seeker and constantly feed him pills - drugs created from alchemy that boost and replenishes the use of one's Chi. If only he'd taken those the first time, he probably would have been done with this mission.

The seekers training had progressed efficiently under his watchful eyes, Grey was not a man of patience, he'd constantly harassed and insulted the young man until he had no choice but to progress. Soon he was able to pin the boy to a location for more than 30 minutes before reaching his limit. Yet it still wasn't satisfactory enough.

Grey had casually omitted the fact the boy had taken something from the room of fire, only the local priest confirmed to the fact a piece of one pillar illuminating system was taken, he conducted a personal research, and couldn't find what it was - he'd failed to get the information out of the boy before loosing him.

He then connived with the local priest to make one, both men fearing for their heads, and another cause of panic if the news had gotten to their superiors.

Grey had another obligation that derailed his mental state. He was to go on the 24 hour faith channel to broadcast a goodwill message that all is well, this too was instigated by his superiors, to he quieten the doubt of citizens, especially the soon to be baptized - to remind them of the consequences - 'they've been possessed by demons for doubting and be killed by the Almighty's wrath', these were his favourite line.

They had nothing to worry about, the boy had been alienated long ago by the town's people, scorned even by his classmates. And after hearing he killed his aunt he had no sympathizers left, so Grey presumed this part of this mission wasn't as important but had to play by the book, his last commander had missed a simple line of action- looked where it got him. He wasn't about to make the same mistake.

On the 3rd day, he had a hunch, he added pieces of his ex commanders belonging, to the boy's own and told the seeker to sought both together. His hunch had stemmed from the fact that if the boy was alone, he wouldn't have survived this long. The success rate increased.

He got up to 40 minutes having both In the same location, but his ex commander signal quickly left the boys own, and header out deeper into the forest, the seeker was now at his limit. But Grey was in good spirit, he allowed him rest. Tomorrow would be a good day. He could feel it.

It was morning on the 4th day, he woke up the seeker, gave him a dose of the pills and kept him up. They were in luck, both men signal stayed in the same place. But the location changed every 50 minutes.

Grey then theorized that it was this the ability of a third person, as he was certain neither the boy nor his ex commander had that type of gift - he hear rumors of a doorway mysteriously opening and breaking his former commander out of prison and now this confirms it.

Now Grey was cunning, his theory also stretched that his ex commander was aware of his ability need an hour to lock in on a target before pinning hence his option for changing location at the 50th minute. Smart, the man's gift was knowledge, he expected him to use it.

But Grey's gift wasn't capture for nothing. The man's reputation preceded him, no creature had ever escape his hunt.

So he rested his seeker, only resuming seeking at the after 50 minutes, after their location changes he'll mark the new location then at the 50th minute mark, the change of location. The man had an unusual patience today, his time would come.

But then after 6 tries, 6 steady hours of monitoring. Grey's thin patience and perceived goodwill was starting to wear off. There was only so long he can keep his gift active.

Then-

At the 7th hour, it was the 50th minute, but their location was yet to change. Then 55, then 60. he smile, his goodwill. With their location locked in his head. He put his hand to the ground. Giant chains came out from the earth and bounded his target, which to his surprise was one. But the seeker confirm whatever it was all three target were still inside.

"Got you," Grey smirked, eyes glowing faintly.