Just to make it clear to you who are reading this and are probably going to ask about the beginning of this chapter. Yes, there is no yaoi or love in general, throughout the entire series, unless mentioned directly.

Please do not personally ask if there is any. If you still want to speculate further on that, you're free to discuss it with any other readers, just not with me.

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I jumped backwards in shock and embarrassment, after realizing I probably looked really dumb, I managed to compose myself and stood upright after a bit. I can’t even imagine how suspicious I looked just then. He gave me a curious glance and I blushed and looked away right away.

“Are you alright?” he asked me after looking at me for awhile.

I tried to compose myself again, because there was absolutely no reason for me to be getting fired up over bumping into another guy. I looked up at him and gave him a very calm nod.

“I’m fine. You just startled me is all.” I observed him for a bit, he seemed to be pretty calm as always, that nonchalant air around him is still the same as usual, I wonder why he didn’t show any sign of hostility or even discomfort, the way he just reacts to everything so... calmly. It’s almost like he’s hiding something, I can tell because I used to be just like that, voiding myself of any negative emotions, I did it because I didn’t want to trigger myself to hurt others.

Something about the way he acts reminds me too much about me in the past. It worried me not only because that means he could be really dangerous, but because whatever he does to control himself, how he hurts himself to prevent him from hurting others. It bothers me knowing that he inflicts suffering upon himself to protect those around him.

He walked around to the back of the counter of the mini bar and took out a glass. He looked over at me as he was preparing something.

“Would you like a drink?”

I thought about that for a second, and I knew he was probably going to give it to me for free again, and I can’t accept it because my pride won’t let me take free things if they’re offered to me. He took out a bottle of Whiskey again and I could tell by the amazing scent of the drink that it was the same thing I drank awhile back. I didn’t want to have it for free so I asked him about it.

“Will you give it to me for free again?” I looked at him with a very concerned look. I didn’t want to become a bother or a burden to anyone. I rubbed my arm a bit and felt the bandages wrapped around it, it hurt a little bit.

I walked over to the counter and took a seat again. I just realized that my wounds didn’t hurt as much as it did before, that probably means that I started healing again, or healing faster I mean. That’s a good thing I guess, sometime it takes awhile for my accelerated healing to kick in, and sometimes I regenerate so fast that the wounds already heal before it even starts bleeding.

Ryan took a look at me and held his chin with his hand. It looked like he was thinking about something for a moment, then he gave the same smile as usual and waved it off.

“Maybe, well here you go.” He said as he handed the drink over to me. He smiled and just didn’t seem to be bothered by the fact that I’m a complete stranger inside of the place that he lives, probably with all the knowledge that I’m a spawn of hell or something. And yet, I feel comfortable here, I feel safe.

I looked down at the drink, it was bright and clear, almost like melted gold. I saw my reflection in the glass, and I looked at how far I managed to make it thanks to the people that I met on the way.

I took up the glass and raised it in the air.

“Cheers, I guess.” I downed the shot right after. I heard Ryan give a happy ‘umpf’, as I drank it I got lost in the flavour of it all, the way the smell reminded me of a cool breeze and the taste would dance around on my tongue as it would go down my throat, just smelling it was already something that was a delight, even more so drinking it.

I gave out a delighted sigh. “That was great! This... this is really good.” I smiled a bit, I think he might have put something else in this because the alcohol was hitting me harder than usual, this was still the same drink, but maybe he spiked it?

“This, this is really good... you- you shu’ try this... heheh.” I started giggling like an idiot. I swear when I sober up again I’m going to knock this guy down for doing something like this. He laughed and looked at me. He had a different smile this time.

“Maybe I should try it. Maybe I can taste it?” he still gave that same smile but the mood changed all of a sudden. Something was different and whatever it was I could feel it. His face got a little closer to mine, and also came closer to him.

I was a few inches from his face now and I could tell that this was going a different route all together. Right as this happened I someone yell out from the corner of the room. I didn’t feel anyone come in.

“Daniel! I got your stuff!” a loud voice rang out from the door that Shiro went through awhile ago. I pulled myself away from Ryan when I remembered what I was doing here. He still seemed to be in the same relaxed state as he was before.

Wow this guy is really hard to break. I looked over at Shiro and I could feel my heart drop as a reaction to what she was holding up with both of her hands. It was a small black article of clothing.

“Your undies are huge, Daniel!” She giggled as she played with my underwear, waving it around in a silly manner. This is ridiculous. I got up and started chasing her around. This time I think I’m very visibly red because of the situation.

“Give it back! Stop playing with that.” I ran around chasing her as she laugh and kept waving my garments around. Of all the things that I had to put up with this is probably the worst thing that has happened since I got attacked.

Right as I was about to catch her, one of my bandages came loose and I ended up tripping on it like a clumsy person. I hit my face on the floor again. Why does it always have to be the face, and as I lay there on the floor feeling the pain start rushing through all of my still healing bones again, I said to myself.

“This can’t get any worse.” And I never in my life had thought that I would say something as cliché as that. But right then I felt someone walk in this time, that same feeling I got from when I walked out of the pub. I looked up to see a man with red eyes holding a stack of folded clothes. He didn’t seem to notice me when he walked into the room.

“Hey Shiro, what do you think you’re doing leaving me to hold all this junk! Who’s is this anyway-” He looked down and saw me lying on the floor. After about five seconds of confused eye contact, I jumped back in a backhand spring and held stance. I forgot I was injured at the time and ended up hurting myself, again.

He also dropped my stuff on the floor and got into position to fight. I didn’t really have the strength at the moment to use any physical blows because of the recoil damage it could cause me. I took a very careful look at my opponent and I could see that he was probably as injured as I was, maybe even more. I bet he didn’t have any regenerative abilities of any sort, so I should be fine. He doesn’t seem to have any of his weapons either.

He was just wearing some cargo shorts and was wrapped in bandages as well. I still have my powers and I could probably summon my scythe if I have any energy left, this fight will end quicker than he expects it.

He made the first move and ran straight for me again, but this time I was prepared. I started to absorb energy from the surroundings and focused it around me body as a protective shell of sort. He launched a fist straight for me, and I blocked it anyways using my arms.

I countered by sweeping him off with my leg, but he managed to catch it, he raised and arm up to strike my leg, but I saw what he was about to do and I raised my remaining leg and kicked him in the chest. He let go and fell backwards, as I flipped back and managed to land. Injured or not this guy is still really dangerous, I guess I’m going to cut my chances and blast him with another spell.

I raised both my hands up and faced my palms towards him. Then a glowing magic circle appeared around my hands. I focused myself on hitting him, and this time, I know what he won’t be able to dodge it. I could feel the pressure change in the air as I prepared to blast him but before I could something dashed across my eyes and I felt myself be hit in many different areas of my body, and each time a hit landed on me, I lost control of that area and felt weak.

It was really fast and didn’t notice it at all. It also managed to disable the hunter all in the small window of opportunity that it got. As I fell onto my knees the energy that I took in was dispersed and I couldn’t do anything but kneel there completely helplessly. The hunter also fell into the same position. What was that?

Right as I processed what had just happened in the past second or so, someone stood between us, it was Shiro. She stood there hands on her hips and she made a grumpy pouty face. She looked a little bit mad.

“There will be no fighting inside the Den!” she huffed in a very childish manner, but I could tell that she was mad. “I’m going to make sure that you two stop fighting!” then she held up her hands, each one facing either of us and then her eyes started glowing a bright white light, and so did her hands.

“Nectom, Archanum, Amicia.”

She’s a mage? What’s going on? How did she manage to disable us, and why was she so fast in doing so? Then as she was doing this I felt something tether around my right arm. I looked at my arm and saw a bright white light appear and start to form into a shackle and a chain. I looked at the chain form and it led to the hunter, it was bound to his right arm too.

After the chain fully materialized and I saw that the shackles were not removable, I tried to use magic to remove it, but I saw that my shackle has runes on the outside. It was binding my magic.

“There, that should do it! If you two can’t get along, I’ll make you! I won’t remove your shackles until I see that both of you learn to be friends!” She crossed her arms and she nodded her head with her eyes close.

This is hell. I know it. It has to be.

We both looked at each other with angry looks and turned away from him. I gave an angry grunt of sort. I did not like this one bit. I really didn’t want to be stuck with the guy trying to capture me this whole time.

Then that’s when I heard it, it sounded a lot like a massive explosion coming from outside, the walls and the floors shook. Something was happening outside. I ran to the closest window outside in the hall. I looked out in the snow and saw about ten or more people wearing white and red armour. One of them was wearing a white cloak. I also dragged the hunter chained to me, into the hall, followed by Shiro and Ryan.

“Hey what do you think you’re doing?!” The hunter yelled at me. Then he saw what I was looking at outside. We all gathered by the large window and looked down. We saw the cloaked figure look up at us and gave a very sinister smile.

Beside the figure stood a person shorter than they were, they wore bright gold and ivory armour which matched the snow outside, they had a massive sword that was on their waist, floating magnetically.

They had some really strong gear, and they wore a helmet which shone as brilliantly as the rest of the armour. And he looked at me, I could feel it.

The figure in the cloak raised a hand that was held in a position, and I could see their mouth moving. As they did so, a massive, like literally massive, magic circle glowing red and black started to form behind them in the air, it was big enough to cover the building.

And around that circle, smaller circles started forming around it in a pattern, and red lightning started to flash between them into the middle of the circle, forming a massive ball of energy in a strange shape.

The cloaked figure smiled wide.

What do I do? What can I do?

I stood there watching frozen from the window as the sphere came right for us. I prepared myself for what was to happen next, bracing myself completely.

Then I closed my eyes.

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Okay, so this is going to be the end of the first chapter, please go ahead and leave any comments on the story so far.

All feedback is accepted and I will personally answer you if you have any questions. just don't ask about any of the character's romantic relationships, ever, please. Especially not if, you're going to be butthurt about it.