Chapter 2

Ella's POV

I was caught.

In a way that was bizarre to the point of terrifying.

The leader—the one with expensive silver threads woven into his suit collar—didn't even do anything, just gripped that long rod, and my body lost control like a puppet with its strings cut, crashing to the floor.

The door clicked shut behind one of the men, and my phone, which had fallen to the ground, was picked up by another.

They closed in on me.

I screamed out of control, "I already called 911! The police will be here any second! I'm warning you—"

The man who'd picked up my phone glanced at me, held it up, and tapped the speaker button.

The operator's urgent voice suddenly amplified.

The call was still connected!

"Ma'am? Ma'am? What's your situation? Are you injured? Are you in danger? Officers are already on their way—"

Her words were cut off before she could finish.

"Nothing requiring police intervention will happen here."

The leader said this.

He had a magnetic voice, but in this context, it was nothing short of horrifying.

I could clearly sense the operator's voice turning panicked. "Please don't—"

The leader didn't let her finish. "Your supervisor is John Axe. Go ask him. He'll give you an explanation."

With that, the leader hung up the phone.

I stared wide-eyed at everything that had just happened.

He glanced at me, pulled over one of my dining chairs, and walked toward me.

My heart pounded wildly as he approached. I struggled to move, but my body remained unresponsive. My breathing grew more and more rapid, sweat rolled down in large drops, and my vision blurred.

I'm ashamed to admit it, but it's the truth—

I was about to pass out from fear.

"...Hey! Breathe..."

"Breathe!"

A low shout exploded in my ear!

I tensed my neck like I was suffocating, finally gasping for that breath, my blurred vision gradually clearing.

"I..."

I realized I was now sitting in the dining chair, hands intact, feet still there, and someone was even patting my back.

It was the man who had closed the door.

"Don't touch me!"

I yelled.

He raised his hands and stepped back, frowning as he complained to their leader, "Boss, I told you we'd scare her."

"Hurry up and put the mithril rod away!"

Mithril rod?

What the hell was that?

The leader sighed, his lips and eyebrows lifting in an apologetic arc. "Sorry."

Was he talking to me?

I stared at him. "Huh?"

"From entering, to seeing us, to calling the police and then attempting to flee..."

"Truly commendable reaction speed, Miss Brennan."

The man said to me, putting away that bizarre mithril rod.

This time, sitting in the close-up viewing seat, I finally saw his movements clearly.

Flick, twist, disassembling the long rod into several short segments, tossing them up and catching them swiftly, then with speed almost impossible for the eye to track, stowing them in the weapon pouch at his lower back.

Wow.

Special effects worthy of magic, movements dazzlingly beautiful—I almost got mesmerized watching.

If I'd run into him anywhere else, I might have rushed up to ask for an autograph.

My limbs seemed able to move now.

Come to think of it, had he just... complimented me?

...This was too bizarre.

Every muscle in my body was strung tight. "Who the hell are you people? What are you doing here?"

And...

I hesitated, then spoke earnestly, "Whatever it is you want, you've got the wrong person."

The leader looked at me like he was looking at a child who made him feel gratified and satisfied.

"No, we haven't."

"I'm not some Brennan! Don't you people check mailboxes before you break into houses?"

"This is the Morrow house." I pointed toward the door, then at myself. "My name is Ella Morrow, not whatever Brennan!"

The leader smiled. "We know. Of course we checked the mailbox. Honestly, that painting on the mailbox is really beautiful. Did you paint it?"

I answered reflexively, "I painted it with my family."

Wait, no!

I nearly jumped up in frustration. "That's not the point! The point is I'm not Brennan!"

The leader looked at me seriously. "You will be, Miss Ella."

"Everything you've demonstrated just now proves you're the descendant of a very talented hunter."

"You will be an excellent heir."

...

Could this man not understand human speech?

I felt like I was about to lose my mind. The man in front of me looked about thirty—how could he be harder to communicate with than my neighbor Helen, who had Alzheimer's?

And honestly, I was confused.

"What... hunter?"

"Hunting is banned in Haven. Don't you know that?"

He was amused by me.

The other two men couldn't help laughing either.

"We're not talking about that kind of hunter."

The man drew out that rod again, and my body instinctively tensed for a moment. But this time, he only pulled out a section, and my body relaxed slightly.

I watched him warily. He gestured for me to place my hand on it.

I hesitated, then raised my hand.

The next second, my eyes went wide—

Silver-blue light coiled upward.

The man's voice rang out, "We're talking about the kind of hunter who deals with monsters."