The hunters arrived six hours after dawn.
Ash sat on the steps of the estate's main entrance, watching armored vehicles roll through the shattered gates. His grey hair was matted with dried blood, not his own. The summoning mark on his palm throbbed with each heartbeat, hidden beneath a hastily wrapped bandage.
Around him, survivors huddled together. Eleven people. That's all that remained of the thirty-two staff members who'd called the Sinclair estate home.
Mrs. Chen sat beside him, staring at nothing. Her husband, David held her hand, both of them silent. Sarah from housekeeping wouldn't stop crying. The others just looked... empty.
His sister stood apart from the group, white hair with black tips catching the morning light. Angela hadn't said a word to him since emerging from the east wing. She'd taken one look at the bodies scattered across the grounds at the way they lay perfectly still, not torn apart like the monsters' victims but simply... stopped, and something had shifted in her green eyes.
She knew something was wrong. She just didn't know what yet.
"Clear the perimeter!" A woman's voice cut through the morning air. "Medical team, start with the survivors. Investigation unit, I want every inch of this estate documented."
Ash watched as dozens of hunters fanned out across the grounds. They moved with practiced efficiency, some wearing what looked like tactical gear enhanced with glowing runes, others in casual clothes that somehow seemed more dangerous. These were the people the news had been talking about. The awakened. The ones who'd gained power when the rifts opened.
The woman who'd shouted orders approached them. Late thirties, sharp features, wearing a dark suit that looked too clean for a post-apocalyptic world. A badge hung from her belt: Hunter Association, Special Investigation Unit.
"I'm Director Sarah Kim," she said, her voice gentler now. "I know you've been through hell. We're going to get you somewhere safe, get you medical attention, and then we'll need to ask some questions about what happened here."
"What happened here," Angela (Ash Sister) said, her voice flat, "is that monsters broke through our walls and killed twenty-one people."
Director Kim's eyes sharpened. "Twenty-one? Can you confirm that number?"
"Thirteen killed by the creatures during the initial attack," Angela continued. "Eight more after." She turned to look directly at Ash. "I found them in the gardens. No wounds. No blood. Just... dead."
The director's expression shifted. "After the creatures were eliminated?"
"The creatures were already dead when I reached the grounds," Angela said. "All of them. Decaying at an accelerated rate. And eight of our people were lying in the gardens like they'd simply stopped breathing."
Director Kim pulled out a tablet, fingers flying across the screen. "That's... unusual. We need to understand what killed those creatures. And your people." She looked at the group. "Did anyone see what happened?"
Silence.
Ash kept his face carefully neutral, the way his father had taught him during business negotiations. Never let them see uncertainty. Never reveal your hand until you understand theirs.
"I want everyone transported to Safe Zone Seven," Director Kim said into her radio. "Full medical evaluation. And get me a mana residue team here now. Something powerful happened at this location."
Safe Zone Seven turned out to be a massive complex built in what used to be a shopping mall. Concrete barriers ringed the perimeter, with guard towers manned by hunters scanning the horizon. Inside, thousands of people lived in a strange parody of normal life makeshift apartments, communal kitchens, children playing in spaces that used to sell luxury goods.
Ash and the other survivors were separated immediately.
"Standard procedure," a young hunter explained, guiding Ash down a sterile corridor. "Medical evaluation first, then awakening assessment, then debriefing."
"Awakening assessment?"
"You survived a monster attack," the hunter said. "Sometimes that triggers an awakening. We test everyone who's been exposed to rift energy."
Ash's hand clenched, the mark burning beneath the bandage.
The medical evaluation was quick a few scratches, bruising, nothing serious physically. The doctor who examined him kept giving him concerned looks, muttering about "trauma response" and "shock," but Ash barely heard it.
Then they took him to a different room.
This one was empty except for a large crystal sphere mounted on a pedestal. Director Kim waited inside, along with a tired-looking man in a lab coat.
"Mr. Sinclair," Kim said. "This is Dr. Park. He's going to test whether you've awakened any abilities."
"And if I have?"
"Then you'll be registered with the Hunter Association," Dr. Park said, adjusting his glasses. "Given a rank based on your power level, offered training and resources.
Awakened individuals receive significant benefits housing priority, food rations, protection." He gestured to the crystal.
"Please place your hand on the sphere."
Ash stared at it. If they tested him now, what would they find? Would it show the summoning? Would it reveal Moros?
His charisma kicked in instinctively, that natural ability to read people and situations that every Sinclair possessed. Kim was watching him carefully, looking for hesitation. Dr. Park was exhausted, probably tested hundreds of people today. They expected him to be eager, relieved at the possibility of power.
So he gave them what they expected.
"What do I do?" he asked, stepping forward.
"Just touch it," Dr. Park said. "The crystal reads your mana signature and power classification."
Ash placed his hand on the sphere, the one without the mark.
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then the crystal flickered. Faintly. A dull grey glow.
Dr. Park frowned. "Interesting. You do have mana, but it's... weak. Low F-rank." He made notes on his tablet. "Probably not combat-viable, but you might be able to use basic enhancement items."
Kim looked disappointed. "No awakened ability?"
"None detected. He's got slightly more mana than a normal human, but not enough to manifest any real power." Dr. Park shrugged. "It happens. Exposure doesn't guarantee awakening."
Ash kept his expression neutral, relief flooding through him. The mark on his other palm pulsed, almost like it was laughing. Whatever power Moros had given him, it was either hidden or didn't register on their testing equipment.
"Alright," Kim said. "You'll still receive housing in the safe zone, Mr. Sinclair. Your family's resources should help with the transition."
"What about my sister?"
"Angela Sinclair?" Kim's expression shifted to something like respect. "She's in the S-rank testing chamber. Her abilities couldn't be measured through normal testing gear."
They let him wait in an observation room.
Through reinforced glass, he could see Angela standing in what looked like an arena. Scorch marks covered the walls. Several hunters watched from behind barriers.
A massive crystal sphere far larger than the one Ash had touched floated in the center of the space.
"Angela Sinclair," a voice echoed through the speakers. "Please demonstrate your awakened ability."
His sister stepped forward. For a moment, nothing happened.
Then she moved.
No, she didn't move. The world moved around her.
One second, she was standing by the sphere. Next, she was across the arena. Not running. Not teleporting. She'd simply... skipped the space between.
"Time manipulation," someone breathed behind Ash.
Angela raised her hand, and the air around her shimmered. A training dummy that had been placed in the arena suddenly aged decades in seconds, metal rusting, fabric rotting, until it collapsed.
Then she reversed it. The dummy reconstructed itself, time flowing backward until it was pristine again.
The watching hunters erupted in excited chatter.
"Confirmed S-rank," the voice announced.
"Time manipulation with demonstrated offensive and defensive applications. Proficiency level will require further assessment, but initial classification stands."
Ash felt pride and fear war in his chest. His sister was powerful. Powerful enough to protect herself. But S-rank meant attention. Meant expectations. Meant the Hunter Association would never let her go.
The door opened behind him. Angela entered, looking exhausted but steady.
"Hey," she said quietly.
"S-rank," Ash said. "That's... that's incredible."
"They tested you?"
"F-rank. Barely any mana." The lie came easily, another Sinclair trait. Master negotiators needed to control information.
Angela studied his face, and Ash could see her mind working. She'd always been the decisive one, the one who could read a situation and act immediately. And right now, she was reading him.
"Ash," she said carefully. "Those eight people in the garden. The way they died—"
"I don't know what happened to them," Ash interrupted. Which was technically true. He'd asked Moros to end the threat. He hadn't known the demon would kill indiscriminately.
Angela stepped closer, lowering her voice.
"The monsters were already dead when I got outside. Decaying like they'd been dead for years. And our people... they looked like their lives were just... taken." Her green eyes locked with his. "Something powerful happened on that balcony. Something the Association's investigation team is going to find."
"What do you want me to say?"
"I want you to tell me the truth." Her voice was kind but firm. "Are you in danger?"
The mark on his palm burned. Far away, in a realm beyond comprehension, Ash could almost feel Moros watching. Waiting. Amused by this sibling drama.
"I'm fine," Ash said, meeting her gaze. "We survived. That's what matters."
Angela didn't look convinced, but before she could press further, Director Kim entered.
"Miss Sinclair, congratulations on your S-rank classification. We'd like to discuss your contract with the Association." She glanced at Ash. "Mr. Sinclair, you're cleared to join general housing. Your sister's S-rank status provides additional family benefits private apartment, and increased rations."
"Actually," Angela said smoothly, her master negotiator instincts kicking in, "I'd like to discuss those benefits. My brother may have tested F-rank, but he's brilliant at strategy and resource management. I want him assigned as my coordinator."
Kim blinked. "That's... unusual."
"S-ranks get special privileges, correct?" Angela's charisma flowed like her brother's, that innate Sinclair ability to command a room. "I want my family protected. My brother coordinates my assignments and logistics. Non-negotiable."
Ash stared at his sister. She was doing it. She was using her new status to shield him, to keep him close where she could watch him.
Because she knew something was wrong. And she wasn't going to let him face it alone.
Kim sighed. "I'll need to clear it with administration, but... given your rank, I don't see why not."
As they left, Angela leaned close to Ash. "Whatever happened on that balcony, whatever you're hiding, we deal with it together. That's what family does."
Ash's throat tightened. The mark pulsed against his palm, a reminder of the demon lord's words. We are bound.
He had power now. Terrible, dangerous power. And his sister, with all her S-rank strength, was trying to protect him from it.
But how do you protect someone from the power they carry inside them?
That night, alone in the private apartment Angela's rank had secured, Ash finally looked at his palm.
The bandage came away easily. The summoning circle was still there, burned into his flesh in intricate patterns that seemed to shift when he wasn't looking directly at them.
Then something appeared in his vision. Not physically in his mind, like words overlaid on reality itself.
[STATUS WINDOW INITIALIZED]
NAME: Ash Sinclair
RANK: ??? (Unregistered)
CLASS: Summoner (Unique)
ABILITIES ACQUIRED:
ACTIVE SKILLS:
Soul Extraction: Absorb the vitality of defeated monsters and individuals of lower power. Converts essence into mana. Warning: Absorption of human souls may have psychological effects.Dominion of the Grave: Command death itself in an area. Instant termination of life. Cost: Extremely high mana. Cooldown: 72 hours. Caution: Indiscriminate targeting.
PASSIVE ABILITIES:
Eyes of the Dead: Perceive the memories of deceased individuals. See and communicate with spirits. Note: Cannot be deactivated.Death's Authority: The deceased cannot bring you harm. Unknown protection active.
Source: ????????????????????????????M??K: ?????????? [INFORMATION REDACTED]Demonic Mana: Mana signature altered. Standard detection methods ineffective.
MANA: 2,847/3,000
MANA REGENERATION: 15/hour
SUMMONED CONTRACTS:
Moros, the Death Bringer (Active Bond)
Ash stared at the floating text, his heart pounding. This was insane. This was some kind of game interface, except it was real. He could feel the truth of it in his bones.
Soul Extraction. He could drain life from monsters. From people weaker than him.
Dominion of the Grave. The power that had killed eight innocent people.
And that redacted information... what was it hiding?
He looked at his hands, at the mark that bound him to Moros. At the power that made him something other than human.
In the bed across the room, Angela slept fitfully. His S-rank sister, one of humanity's strongest weapons, was thinking she was protecting him.
If she only knew.
Ash closed his eyes, and somewhere in the darkness, he could feel an ominous presence watching.