It was early morning. The sky hung low, heavy with gray clouds, as a cold rain fell steadily over the cemetery. The air smelled of damp earth and sorrow.

The procession had just ended. Before us, a casket descended into the ground, swallowed by the waiting earth. The priest’s voice carried over the rain, singing his prayers for the departed. Around the grave, the mourners stood silent, heads bowed, umbrellas shielding them from the weather.

Reina held one such umbrella, shielding herself and my five-year-old son, Leon. He didn’t understand what was happening—his young mind unable to grasp the gravity of death—but he had the decency to wear a solemn expression, even if his eyes wandered curiously.

Stefan stood beside me, his face pale and aged, his grief palpable in the way he clutched his coat against the cold.

There was quiet. There was mourning.

When the casket was finally buried, and the priest offered his last words of comfort, the crowd began to disperse. Soon, only three of us remained: Stefan, Leon, and me.

Stefan broke the silence. “What are you going to do from now on?”

I didn’t answer immediately, staring at the fresh mound of dirt that now separated me from a close friend. The words I finally spoke felt hollow. “Bring Leon to the Company, work with what resources I have… and look for Leora.”

Stefan nodded slowly, his shoulders sagging as though carrying a weight too heavy for one man to bear. “I’ll do what I can on my end. I guess this isn’t goodbye then.”

“Until then, Stefan. Thank you for caring.”

The old man nodded again, his lips quivering as he turned to leave. I watched him wipe tears from his face, trying to maintain composure.

Leon ran after him. Their voices carried faintly through the rain, muffled but tense. I could hear Stefan trying to calm Leon, and Leon arguing back, his frustration bleeding through his small voice. Eventually, Stefan left. Leon stayed.

I didn’t turn to look at him directly, but from the corner of my eye, I saw his tiny fists clenching in anger. The rain poured harder, drenching him. Reina walked over, her umbrella extended to cover him, but Leon pushed her away.

His fiery eyes locked onto me, accusing, demanding answers.

“Who is she?” he asked, his voice trembling, not with sadness but with something far sharper.

“That’s Reina,” I said, trying to keep my tone steady. “Your bodyguard from now on.”

Leon shook his head violently. “I don’t want a bodyguard, and I’m not talking about her. I’m talking about her!” He pointed to the grave, the fresh dirt marking where Selena now rested.

“That’s Selena Fair,” I said, each word weighing heavily. “Hunter. Your aunt. A close friend. She was like a sister to your mother—not by blood, but by bond. Fate brought them together.”

Leon’s lip quivered, his fists trembling harder. “Who are you?”

I hesitated, my breath catching in my throat. “I am your father. Your blood. Your family.”

His eyes narrowed, his voice cutting through me like a blade. “I don’t want you. Where is Mom?”

The question hung in the air, heavy and suffocating. I didn’t know how to answer it.

“She’s… missing,” I said finally. “Your grandpa Stefan and I are looking for her.”

Leon’s expression twisted with fury, tears mixing with the rain on his face. “It should have been you… Not Selena. Not my mom.”

His hands flickered with flames, a gift he hadn’t yet learned to completely master. However, the power was real and dangerous. For a moment, I saw not a five-year-old boy, but a grief-stricken child carrying the weight of emotions far beyond his years.

Without another word, Leon turned and ran, the flames in his hands leaving faint trails of steam as the rain hit them.

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I didn’t follow. I couldn’t.

Reina stepped closer, her voice calm but firm. “Father, should I restrain him?”

“No,” I said, shaking my head. “Just… follow him. Make your presence known. He might try to fight back, but coax him back here if you can. I don’t know… just… go.”

She bowed slightly. “Yes, Father.”

Reina disappeared into the rain, following after Leon.

And I stood there, alone, staring at the grave of a friend. My hands trembled as I clenched them into fists, my body heavy with exhaustion and grief.

Selena was gone. Leora was missing. And my son… he hated me.

The rain continued to pour, masking the tears I refused to let fall.

Was this fate? A corrective plot of sorts?

I couldn’t shake the thought as I stood there in the rain, the cemetery fading into the background of my mind. What now? Would I need to die, so that my wife would be forced back into the narrative? Was that the price to be paid for her return?

I didn’t know.

All I knew was that I felt like shit.

Reynard, look where fighting fate has brought us.

The sound of a car door slamming jolted me back to reality. Reina had returned, and with her was Leon. He struggled in her grip, his small form writhing against her restraint. Reina, ever composed, looked pissed—a rare sight even for someone as stoic as her.

She didn’t say anything as she opened the car’s rear door, stuffing Leon inside with more force than necessary. The boy huffed and crossed his arms, refusing to look at me as I followed and slid into the backseat beside him.

Reina closed the door with a deliberate click and turned to me, her voice cold and clipped. “Let’s go, Father.”

I nodded, not trusting myself to speak. Reina climbed into the driver’s seat, adjusted the mirrors, and started the engine.

The sedan hummed to life, and we drove off.

Leon sat stiffly beside me, his arms still crossed, his face turned away as he stared out the rain-streaked window. He refused to meet my gaze, his defiance palpable.

The silence was heavy, broken only by the sound of the tires slicing through wet asphalt and the steady rhythm of the rain on the roof.

Reina drove with mechanical precision, her hands steady on the wheel. I could feel her irritation, even though she didn’t speak a word.

Leon let out a frustrated huff, his aura flaring slightly as he dried his soaked clothes with impressive control for someone his age.

Leora had taught him well.

I watched him for a moment, the way his small hands moved unconsciously, the faint flicker of flames that danced along his skin.

Without a word, I reached out, brushing the back of his neck lightly with my fingers.

Through the brief contact, I borrowed his Fire attribute with a subtle application of Soul Link. The warmth of his aura surged through me, and I used it to dry myself as well.

Leon turned to me for the first time since we’d entered the car, his brows furrowed in confusion.

His voice was hesitant. “What are you doing?”

I met his gaze evenly. “Drying myself.”

He blinked, clearly puzzled. “How?”

I allowed a small smile to tug at the corner of my lips. “Borrowed your flames.”

Leon’s expression shifted to one of curiosity, his anger momentarily forgotten. “You can do that?”

I nodded. “Among other things.”

He stared at me for a moment longer, as if trying to decide whether to be impressed or irritated. Finally, he turned back to the window, muttering under his breath.

The silence returned, but it felt less suffocating now.

I leaned back in my seat, staring out at the gray world beyond the window. The rain continued to fall, relentless and unyielding.

Was this fate? Perhaps.

For now, all I could do was move forward.

“Leon.”

He didn’t even turn to look at me. “Don’t bother me, you shitty old man.”

I bit back a sigh. “I know the future.”

That got his attention, if only a flicker. He shot me a glare from the corner of his eye but didn’t respond.

“At least, I know one version of it,” I continued. “In that version, you have neither me nor your mom. You’re alone. You’ll fight battles far beyond your years, Leon. And you’ll keep losing people you care about.”

Leon’s face tightened, but he didn’t speak.

“You’ll attend the Hunter Academy eventually,” I said, pressing on. “And then rinse and repeat—fighting, surviving, losing. Tragedy after tragedy.”

“What are you saying?” His voice was sharper now, edged with both curiosity and anger.

I looked at him steadily. “I’m saying you need to get stronger if you don’t want that version of the future to come true.”

Leon’s fiery eyes narrowed. “At some point, I might die,” I added, my tone calm, matter-of-fact.

“I don’t care.”

His words were a dagger to the chest, but I’d expected them. “You’ll inherit my assets, the Company, and my connections,” I said, undeterred. “With me gone, someone needs to take the wheel and lead the search for Leora—your mom.”

Leon’s expression faltered for a brief moment, his anger flickering like a candle in the wind. “Where is she?”

I shook my head. “I don’t know.”

He clenched his fists. “You’re useless.”

“I am.”

The bluntness of my admission seemed to throw him off, but he recovered quickly. “What’s that about a Hunter Academy?”

“It’s a learning facility for Hunters,” I explained. “The Association President will push for its construction three years from now. It’ll train young Hunters—students around the age of seventeen. Naturally, you’ll attend when you’re old enough.”

Leon scowled. “I don’t want to.”

“It’s fate, Leon,” I said quietly. “I don’t think you have a say in the matter.”

“Fuck fate.”

I couldn’t help the small smile tugging at the corner of my lips. He had Leora’s fire, no doubt about it.

Leon crossed his arms, his scowl deepening. “Fate can suck my cunt.”

I let out a long, exasperated sigh. “Leon, you don’t have a cunt. And you need to choose your words very carefully.”

He stared at me, defiant and unyielding.

“No way a young man like you should behave like that,” I added, pinching the bridge of my nose.

Leon huffed, muttering something under his breath.