Dresca stiffened, her eyes widening in shock.
Noctyre exhaled and a strange, frog-like entity slithered from him, writhing in the rain-soaked shadows. With a swift motion, he pulled Yarau back into his own body, the creature vanishing as if it had never existed.
Dresca's voice trembled. "What… what's the meaning of this?"
Noctyre's eyes glinted coldly. "I don't need him for someone like you."
The frog-like entity shot its tongue forward, wrapping around Dresca and binding her tightly. She struggled, thrashing against the restraint, but the appendage held firm, unyielding.
"Who sent you?" Noctyre asked, his tone sharp as the storm outside.
Dresca swallowed hard. "Ugh… Fine. The Draven Clan. I'm working for them."
"Oh," Noctyre said, tilting his head. "Now what should I do with someone who tried to kill me?"
She dropped to her knees, voice shaking. "I'm so sorry… I won't ever do that again. Please… forgive me."
Noctyre's lips curved faintly, almost a smirk. "Why should I?"
"Because I was forced into it… by the Ruie Clan," she confessed, tears mingling with the rain on her face.
Noctyre exhaled, the storm wind whipping around him. "Try killing me again, and I'll wipe you off the floor."
There was a tense silence, broken only by the hiss of the frog-like entity withdrawing. Noctyre untied Dresca, the rain dripping from his cloak. "You'll become a hunter. With me."
Dresca's eyes widened, and then she nodded. "Got it."
He tossed her a walkie-talkie. "Keep this. For communications with higher-ups."
She caught it, gripping it tightly.
Noctyre turned his back, stepping into the rain-soaked streets. His walkie-talkie buzzed to life.
"Noctyre, it's Toya. Meet us at Hunter High. It's urgent."
He clicked the button, voice calm but firm. "Got it."
The urgency in Toya's voice left Noctyre with a sinking feeling. Disaster might be looming on the horizon… or maybe not.