White. He saw between the twinkles of his eyes. White everywhere, shades of milk, papers, plaster. The whole body was in a pain and at the same time unable to feel. The indescribable feeling keeps consciousness in a state between being and not being. The heavy eyelids lifted carefully, and the rays of the morning sun blinded the weary eyes. It took them a while to get used to it, but they eventually opened. Still white, white everywhere. Ceiling, bed, window, door – room. The smell of disinfectant and horrible food stung his nose uncomfortably, no doubt, this was a hospital bed. But how? How did he get here? Was it just a dream? Thoughts flashed through his mind as one disappeared, and another appeared. His contemplation was endless when a faint draft suddenly rose, and a nurse entered through the open door. Her young years were over, and her tight-fitting ashen braid spilt over her shoulder onto her chest. Akally tried to move but hissed in pain. The nurse hurried over to him and looked at him. “You’re awake,” she said in surprise, “do you know where you are? Do you know your name?”

“Akally,” he said hoarsely, “what happened?” he asked.

“Something went wrong in the alter. It seems they have measured it poorly and was much harder than these people from upper management thought. Fortunately, you all got away.”

“We all?” his hopes shone when he heard the plural. “We survived,” he sighed in relief.

“Yes, you managed to subdue it. Although I think it was crazy from the beginning to go there only two of you.”

“Two?” Akally was drenched in a cold sweat. “That must be a mistake, there were five of us.”

“But the report said-” the nurse paused for a second, then announced in a neutral tone that she is going to call a doctor and left. Akally’s throat tightened. Two? He put his life on the line to save them, but only he and someone else got out. He didn’t remember anything that happened after he lost consciousness. Anxiety filled his mind like muddy water, the worst dirt settling at the very bottom and pushing everything good out. Who? It echoed in his head. Who else? Before he could find an answer, the nurse’s presence in the room was replaced by a pair of men in black suits, white shirts, and ties.

“Watch outside, I don’t want anyone to hear us,” a shorter long blond-haired man waved at his tall, stout colleague with a short military haircut. The man who remained in the room pulled a chair to Akally’s bed, facing back of it lad, and sat down on it. Resting his hand on the back of the chair, he sighed for a long time and said, “I am not going to lie, MITEM has made a mistake. The portal, which we assigned a yellow difficulty, was to be classified as red. We’re still investigating the matter, but it’s either a human factor or a faulty device. Therefore, as representatives…” Akally slowly lost sight of his words. Human factor? Defective equipment? Is that why he saw his friends dead? That’s why less than half the team survived? Because of the mistake? He couldn’t bring himself to stop the man’s talking. Forgiveness for something like this is hard to find, especially for Akally, who, after a long time, reminded himself again that death is the end. He could have delayed it with his power, but not stopped it.

“…after full recovery, we expect-” the MITEM agent continued in the rehearsed monologue.

“What’s next?” Akally asked abruptly.

“Like I said, after a full recovery-”

“I wonder what will happen now,” he said angrily, “who will tell their families that they will never see them again? Will you remove them from a list as if they were defective goods?!”

The man ruffled his hair in embarrassment and put down his jacket, “I’ll be honest with you, young man. This job is not for everyone. I’ve seen your file, I know you’re not used to seeing death, or at least leaving it as nature intended. I’ve never been on the other side. I don’t know what atrocities there may be. I can’t imagine losing people, to whom I entrust my life every day, tomorrow. It’s hard to go back and start trusting people again, without always thinking about what happened. I can say phrases about your motivation, mission, and courage, but I’ve seen enough of Last survivors to know it’s bullshit. I saw those blank looks that said they would rather die with others than remain as hollow memory. They start saying they don’t deserve to be alive. And that usually leads them astray. Or on the edge of a tall building… It may be too late for me at this age, but if I ever got a chance to be a hunter, I would give up. No wealth in the world or adventure is worth it.”

A small tear slowly ran down Akally’s face. He took a breath to answer, but another deep male voice was coming from the hallway, demanding entry. Despite a protest from the guarding colleague, a stocky guy with a thick grey beard entered the room. He wiped the sweat from his forehead with a grey cloth handkerchief and put it in a pocket of his white cloak. “Thank God Bellinda came to get me. As you leave patients unattended, anybody barges into their room. Come on, don’t disturb my patients. In particular this one need to rest.” scolded them, pushing each of them with one hand. Although he was far from strong, the two men could not argue with the doctor’s words. In the end, Akally was only in the presence of the doctor: “I’m so sorry, young man. Fortunately, I arrived on time. So, let’s see,” he pulled a small flashlight from his pocket, spread with fingers Akally’s eyelids with his other hand, “everything seems to be fine,” he smiles as he checks the other eye,” what about the head? Does it hurt? Are you dizzy? Do you have trouble seeing?” Akally shakes his head. “Roll up your shirt, I’ll listen to you.” The doctor pulled out a stethoscope and placed it on the redhead’s chest. He listened to him for a moment, then said: “Very well. We’ll keep you here for now, but once you have got enough rest, you are free to go. I’d say you were lucky, but given circumstances, I’m afraid luck is not on your side.” Akally nodded sadly and the doctor left.

He continued to lie on the bed, watching the plain plaster ceiling. His thoughts went to the last moments he could remember. A pale monster covered in rotting flesh, yellow eyes rolling out of their sockets, and four bony arms with claws standing on two massive legs. Whatever it was, it was not a reasonable challenge for a bunch of adventurers. He would never see their smiles or hear their voices again. Their bodies disappeared along with the completed alter. What is he going to do now? What should he do with his remaining life?

A black rectangle with gold lettering appeared before his eyes [Last survivor congratulates you on completing the challenge.] The mocking bastard is back, the redhead thought. As usual, he took part in Akally’s thought processes.

[Last survivor doesn’t like your tone.]

“I didn’t say anything,” the young man objected.

[Last survivor disagrees.]

“Okay, you have guessed what I was thinking, but now leave me alone.”

[Last survivor disagrees.]

The real asshole, which I’m not really in the mood, for now, cursed the redhead in his mind.

[Last survivor disagrees.]

“Leave me be alone.”

[Last survivor disagrees.]

“They died because of you. If only you did help me if only you gave me a chance to save them… Why are you even here? The last time you spoke, you said goodbye to me. I should have died there, and at least you’d shut up.”

[Last survivor-]

“I know you don’t agree.”

[Last survivor nods in agreement.]

“We’ll finally agree on something, now leave me.”

[Last survivor disagrees.]

Akally sighs deeply: “Okay, we’ll play your game. What do you disagree with?”

[Last survivor congratulates you again on completing the challenge.]

“But I didn’t finish anything. They, the ones you let die, completed the alter to save us.”

[Last survivor disagrees and suggests an explanation.]

“Are you serious? Explanation? You never bothered to clarify anything, and now you want to explain to me the deaths of my friends that you caused because you didn’t give me the strength to save them?”

[Last survivor congratulates you on completing the Patron’s challenge “Deadly Treatment” - Revive 99 people.]

Akally looked at the screen in front of him in confusion. Did he complete the Patron’s challenge? There are about a hundred hunters around the world who have completed their Patron’s challenge. There are two main reasons why there are so few of them. The first is a difficulty. The challenges are hard to fulfil, for someone it is even impossible to succeed, and they are often tedious. The second obstacle is the content of the challenge, which hunters do not know. Patrons do not communicate the content of their challenge, nor does it show its progress. So, no one has a chance to find out how to fulfil it and what to fulfil. But for the few lucky ones that completed it, the challenge brought a reward that others can only dream of, whether in the form of a unique weapon or a change of title and abilities.

One of them is Alexander “Dragonslayer” Vatrovich, who was one of the first to complete the challenge of his Patron [Wings of calamity]. Although he was one of the above-average hunters even before he fulfilled it, and his title [Knight of the Flame] commanded respect, he still belonged to the B-hunters. The turning point came when he took part in the Siberian Raid, which was attended by another 199 hunters of rank B and higher. More than half of them were overpowered by the red flames of the scaly winged beast. It was historically the second major foray into the alter in human history, so no one could know for sure what to expect on the other side. Vatrovich was one of the few to survive. In his case, mainly due to his ability to resist fire and to some extent control it. However, this did not only save him but a few dozen other hunters. The dragon’s head fell to the ground with Alexander’s blade inflicting a final wound after many previous attempts. Eventually, he brought the beast’s mouth off the alter as a trophy and a memorial to the fallen comrades. His act was an inspiration to the whole world, it was a demonstration of the strength and tenacity of hunters.

That was the beginning for Vatrovich. In the following years, he travelled around the world to take part in raids. When lady fortune was on his side, he faced the brethren of his scaly nemesis from Siberia. Although his star of fame did not shine as brightly among the many survivors, the desire for revenge drove him to continue joining the raid once again. It was not until one day after he killed the tenth dragon that a message from the Patron appeared to him: [Wings of calamity congratulates you for completing challenge “Dragonslayer” - Defeat 10 Dragons.] Alexander then was given a unique choice. He will either keep his current title or become a new man, with a new title and new power. Alexander did not hesitate. If he gained this power by defeating the dragons, then there is only one answer – to accept it. The third of S-rank hunters, the destroyer of salamanders, the killer of wyverns, the cutthroat of flame-breathing heads, Alexander “Dragonslayer” Vatrovich, was born.

Now another message appeared in front of Akally, who had never thought he could complete the challenge: [Last survivor offers you strength.] A small shiny tear slid slowly down his pale face. The power Patron could offer for the completed challenge was far more than Akally could have gained in his lifetime. “Bastard,” he hissed softly, “what’s the point of my strength now? What’s the point of not being able to protect anyone before? They are dead! It’s too late,” he shouted in a weeping voice against the wall on an opposite side of the room. For others, it is an unmissable offer, but for Akally it means nothing. He doesn’t know what to do with his life, let alone consider revenge. His intrusive Patron remained silent this time. Even celestial beings, for whom our quest to survive is probably a mere game, can understand when the man is broken. Not surrounded by monsters, not alone and wounded, not suffering, not dying. But when he saw his friends dying, but when he held their bodies in his hands, which did not even manage to cool down, but when even his strength could do nothing, and he had to watch their deaths helplessly. Akally wiped away his tears, laid down on the hard, uncomfortable pillow, and began to dream. He dreamed of a life he would have led if he and his group had not entered the alter that day. He dreamed of laughter, of Jerro’s inappropriate jokes, Dea’s slaps in the back of his head, the mysterious thoughtful look of Pluvia, and Corvus’ advice for the novice hunter. They took him in, they were his family and friends. He entrusted their lives and promised not to disappoint them. He dreamed of a blue sky instead of a white ceiling. He dreamed of a good rest after a job well done. He dreamed.