Eli found himself sitting on a swing.
Next to him—on the neighboring swing—sat Caelen.
A B-Class freelancer with a cursed system and a glow-worm serpent hidden under his sleeve.
And an S-Class hunter, heir to one of the wealthiest men in Korenea—and the son of the founder of the Hunter Association himself.
Both of them.
In a random park.
In a quiet, ordinary neighborhood.
Perched on old swings like it was the most natural thing in the world instead of the strangest scenario Eli could imagine.
He tilted his head back and stared at the sky. Stars dotted the deep blue in sharp clusters, clear and distant. The air was cold; even wrapped in his sweater, he felt the chill settle into his bones.
Or—
Maybe that cold was all nerves.
The silence between them sat heavy and awkward.
'I'm just glad he brought me to a public place. He said he wasn't going to kill me… but I can't exactly take that on faith.'
Eli risked another glance toward Caelen.
Caelen was already looking at him.
