LXXVII

After dinner, the house felt quieter than usual. Leon had finally run out of energy, courtesy of his ever-enthusiastic mother, and fell asleep in the living room, snuggled under a blanket with his stuffed bear. I carried him to bed, his little snores already filling the room as I tucked him in.

Back in the kitchen, Leora and I worked on the dishes together. She handed me a plate to dry, her hair slightly messy from chasing Leon all evening. There was a lightness in the air, the kind of peace that only came after a long, fulfilling day.

“Where did you send Selena?” Leora asked casually, her voice carrying a teasing undertone.

I caught the glint in her eyes, the playful, mischievous spark that hinted at more than just idle curiosity. Feeling naughty, eh? I smirked but didn’t act on it—at least, not yet. We were adults. We had self-control. Mostly.

“She’s on recon,” I replied, placing the plate on the rack. “Checking out a cult base. If it pans out, she’ll hire some bounty hunters or mercenaries to raid the place.”

Leora chuckled softly, shaking her head. “Knowing Selena, she’ll probably spread misinformation and throw them into chaos first.”

“Wouldn’t be the first time,” I agreed, grinning.

Just then, the front door opened with its usual creak. Speak of the devil. Selena strolled in, looking like she owned the place, her coat slung over her shoulder and her boots leaving faint traces of dirt on the floor. She had the kind of confidence that was both admirable and exasperating.

“Good timing,” I said, leaning against the counter. “Did you eat yet?”

Selena flashed a grin as she hung up her coat. “Oh, I’m fine. I’ve already feasted on the blood of our enemies and devoured their flesh.”

Leora rolled her eyes, unimpressed, as she slid a plate across the counter. “Not funny. Sit down. Eat.”

Selena groaned but obeyed, plopping down at the table. “You’re gonna make me fat,” she muttered, eyeing the thick stew and rice on her plate.

“Good. Maybe you’ll stop being so hyperactive,” I quipped.

Selena shot me a look but dug in anyway, her complaints forgotten the moment she took a bite. For all her dramatics, she couldn’t resist Leora’s cooking.

The three of us settled into a comfortable silence, the sounds of clinking silverware and the faint hum of the heater filling the room. For a moment, everything felt… normal. As normal as life could be for us, anyway.

Selena leaned back in her chair, lazily stirring her stew with a spoon before finally taking a bite. She chewed, swallowed, then spoke as if she hadn’t just stuffed her mouth full of food.

“Oh yeah, I also picked up that thing Atropos wanted delivered.”

She reached into her pocket, pulled out her smartphone, and tapped on the screen a few times. The faint glow of the device reflected in her eyes as she slid it across the table toward me and Leora.

“This,” Selena began, gesturing toward the screen, “is the DIVINE.”

Leora raised an eyebrow. “And what exactly is the DIVINE? Frankly, I don’t trust the stuff the Hunter’s Association recently.”

The name sounded familiar, and it didn’t take me long to recall why.

Selena smirked. “It’s inspired by the research paper you submitted to the Association, actually.”

That got my attention. “Huh.”

It almost slipped my mind, since I like have three novels that needed finishing.

Selena continued, “DIVINE stands for Dynamic Interface for Verification and Identification of Natural Energies. Basically, it’s a software-based artifact powered by aura that can ‘divine’ a person’s thematic abilities—aka their Gift.”

I frowned, rubbing my chin. “An artifact that exists as software…? That’s a big deal. It’s like Atropos said. They are definitely working hard.”

Selena grinned. “Yep. First of its kind. It’s got a 95% to 97% accuracy rate, too.”

Leora leaned forward, clearly intrigued. “So how does it work?”

Selena flicked the screen a couple more times, then slid the phone closer to us. A gauge appeared on the display—a bar that wavered slightly, shifting in color between deep green and pale gold.

“You just fill the gauge with your aura until it’s full,” Selena explained. “Then the divination will occur.”

Leora tilted her head, then shrugged. “Alright, why not?”

She pressed her index finger onto the touchscreen. A soft glow emanated from her fingertip as she imbued the device with her aura. The green, wavy bar on the screen pulsed and began to fill.

Slowly but surely, the gauge reached completion. A small animation played—something like a golden starburst flashing across the screen. Then, bold text appeared, revealing the result of the divination.

Gift: Radiant Star

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Leora let out a thoughtful hum. “Sounds about right.”

She swiped left on the screen, revealing another section of the analysis. This one displayed her Aura State Affinity. As expected, her strongest affinity was with Seeker Aura—the aura type most aligned with agility, perception, and speed.

Leora chuckled. “Guess I have to name my moves after Radiant and Star now, huh?”

I smirked. “Better than something like ‘Shiny Boom Boom’ or ‘Laser Kicks.’”

Selena snorted, nearly choking on her stew. “I’d pay good money to hear you actually call out ‘Shiny Boom Boom’ in battle.”

Leora rolled her eyes but smiled. “I’ll stick with Radiant Star, thanks.”

The discovery wasn’t exactly groundbreaking—Leora had always known her abilities leaned toward speed, precision, and destructive light-based techniques. But seeing it confirmed in a tangible, measurable way… It was interesting.

I leaned back, folding my arms. “So, Atropos wanted this delivered… meaning the Association plans to mass-produce these?”

Selena shrugged. “Probably. If this thing becomes widely available, even mundanes could get a better grasp on their aura affinities. The Hunter’s Association definitely had gone crazy. I honestly couldn’t believe something silly as this would help mundanes learn aura quicker. It took me years… and the same ges for Leora.”

I shrugged. It took me months to manifest a Special Ability. Of course, no need to tell them that. However, Selena, caught onto my body language.

Selena tapped her fingers on the table, her expression skeptical. “So, you really think this little device will help mundanes learn aura easier?”

I nodded. “The sample size is pretty big this time. The Hunter’s Association is still in the testing phase, but I feel positive about it. Stuff like imagery, personality, and awareness are all important when it comes to manifesting a Special Ability.”

Selena snorted. “I wanted to believe it, just because of how awesome it sounded… But it sure is insulting to the years of hard work I had to went through. So, you’re saying knowing you’re the theme of your aura does help you get stronger? Is that it?”

“Not directly,” I said, leaning back. “But it gives direction. When people have a clearer understanding of what their aura is naturally inclined toward, they can refine their techniques faster. It’s the same reason why Hunters name their moves—it reinforces their image and makes them more effective.”

Selena hummed, mulling over my words. Then, without another thought, she pressed her index finger against the screen.

“I haven’t tested myself yet,” she muttered.

A deep, red-tinged aura pulsed from her fingertip and seeped into the device. The gauge on the screen flickered before steadily filling up. Unlike Leora’s smooth and controlled input, Selena’s aura felt wild—like a barely contained explosion being forced into a narrow stream.

The moment the gauge hit full, an animation played, followed by bold text appearing on the screen:

Gift: Divine Transmutation

Selena’s breath hitched. Her eyes widened, and for a split second, something invisible snapped.

Her aura flared.

A sharp, golden-red pulse of energy radiated from her body, flickering across the room like an unstable flame. It wasn’t hostile, but it was raw, unrestrained. Leora instinctively shifted, bracing herself.

Then, just as suddenly, Selena exhaled, and the fluctuation settled.

Leora blinked. “I don’t get it. That name sounds vague. Divine Transmutation?”

Selena didn’t respond immediately. She kept staring at the screen, as if the words Divine Transmutation held some deep, hidden meaning.

“I get it now,” Finally, she chuckled. “Not necessarily vague.”

Leora frowned. “Explain.”

Selena leaned back in her chair, twirling her phone between her fingers. “This machine is designed to define a person’s aura in the most concise way possible using extremely accurate sensors, right?”

“Yeah,” I confirmed.

She smirked. “Then sometimes, what seems vague can actually be enlightening.”

Leora raised an eyebrow. “That’s a fancy way of saying nothing.”

Selena rolled her eyes. “Fine. Let me put it this way. Seeing the name of my Gift… it makes me feel like I get it now. Like I suddenly know the direction I need to take to improve my aura practice. Holy shit… I’ve been doing it wrong the entire time…”

I studied her. Selena wasn’t the type to get sentimental over things like this. Yet, her reaction was telling. Whatever Divine Transmutation meant, it had struck a chord within her.

And that?

That was interesting.

“My turn next.”

I pressed my index finger against the screen, exhaling slowly as I channeled my aura into the device.

The gauge barely moved.

…Oh.

This was going to take a while.

I clenched my jaw and focused, willing my aura to seep into the DIVINE. It wasn’t like I had much to begin with—my aura reserves were pitiful. And lots of them were in Leon. My concentration was finite too, so this was quite tough for me. It was a side effect of how I’d developed my abilities. Unlike Leora, who had a natural, powerful flow of energy, or Selena, who was a walking battery of destruction, my aura was more like a slow trickle from a rusty faucet.

Leora and Selena watched for a few minutes, offering occasional remarks about my miserable aura output, before eventually giving up and heading to bed.

Meanwhile, I stayed.

I wasn’t about to be beaten by a damn machine.

So I sat there, stubbornly pushing my aura into the device, watching the gauge crawl upward at a mind-numbing pace. Minutes stretched into an hour. An hour into two. My back ached, my hand was cramping, and I was on the verge of cursing this whole endeavor when—

Ding!

The gauge finally filled.

I sagged in relief, only to immediately tense up again as an animation played on the screen.

Then, in bold letters, my Gift was revealed:

Butterfly Effect

I stared at it.

…That was it?

After two hours of suffering, that was the grand reveal?

I leaned back, rubbing my face. I felt… underwhelmed.

But at the same time, something clicked.

I reread the words, rolling them around in my mind. Butterfly Effect.

No wonder I could perceive fate to an extent.

No wonder I felt that vague, indescribable dread whenever I tried to push too hard against the narrative of this world.

I’d always assumed my ability to anticipate disaster came from my instincts as a strategist, or maybe from my experience dealing

I’d always assumed my ability to anticipate disaster came from my instincts as a strategist, or maybe from my experience dealing with people, schemes, and the chaos of the Hunter world. But now, it made more sense.

It wasn’t just intuition. It was my Gift.

I recalled the time I put a massive bounty on the Prophet’s head, revealing his real name for the world to see. That should have crippled him. It should have ensured his downfall. And yet, what followed was one of the closest brushes with death I had ever experienced.

It was as if fate itself had intervened.

Leora and I had nearly been killed by Ranas and Eliz-Beth. That attack wasn’t random. It wasn’t just the Prophet retaliating.

It was correction.

The world had an established order, a set of inevitable outcomes—destiny, if you will. Leon’s parents’ deaths were a canon event, something meant to happen. My interference had nearly gotten me erased instead.

That explained why I could feel danger looming when I pushed too far.

Why, even with all my knowledge, I was constantly walking a tightrope between changing things and keeping myself from getting crushed by fate.

I stared at the screen.

Butterfly Effect.

It wasn’t a flashy name. It wasn’t something awe-inspiring like Radiant Star or Divine Transmutation. But it fit.

And if my Gift was named after the concept of small changes leading to massive consequences, then that meant…

"I’m really screwed.”

Fuck canon.

~077