Way of a father

The young hunter’s face paled as I showed him Kai’s phone, the text glaring: Kill the noob tonight. He turned to his teammates, voice trembling. “You said you’d carry me, help me level up!” Their eyes darted, guilt betraying them. I stepped forward, my shadow lengthening across the cavern’s glowing pools. “It’s okay, kid,” I said, meeting his gaze. “You’re under the protection of Sleeping Coffin’s guild master.”

The traitors froze, their faces draining of color. “The guild master?” one stammered, his sword clattering to the stone. Whispers of my name—Stinger, the S-rank assassin who’d toppled warlords and shattered guilds—had spread far. I snapped my fingers, and the air rippled. Two ironback hell hounds emerged from my shadow, their black fur glinting with lava-like cracks, red eyes blazing. Loyal to those I trust, their molten stripes burn only enemies. I glanced at them, then at the traitors. “Finish them.”

The hounds lunged, teeth and claws tearing through the betrayers in seconds. Screams echoed, then faded. I collected their wallets and IDs—proof for the guild—and led the young hunter out of the Cavern of Eternal Lakes. His legs wobbled, but he kept pace, silent. At the guild outpost, I turned in the bounty, the clerk’s nod curt as he slid a stack of credits my way. I didn’t linger.

I returned to the cavern alone, drawn to a hidden island deep within its labyrinth of glowing lakes. This was where my mother died, betrayed by her party, her blood soaking the earth. I was ten, too weak to save her, but I escaped, swearing I’d bury her myself. No gravedigger would touch her. Childish, maybe, but it was all I had. I found the island’s secluded grove, her gravestone nestled among twisted roots. But someone was there—a young man, kneeling, placing flowers on the cracked stone.

I drew my revolver, voice low. “Who are you? What are you doing here?” He flinched, hands raised. “I’m sorry!” he stammered. “I was fighting a wyrm here last year. It slammed me into the grave, broke it. I felt awful, so I hauled a new stone all the way here. Every year, I come back, leave flowers, apologize.” His voice shook, earnest.

My grip on the gun softened. I holstered it, studying him—scarred hands, dirt-streaked clothes, no trace of deceit. “Give me your bank info,” I said. He hesitated, fear flickering, but complied. I transferred three million credits, his phone pinging with the notification. His jaw dropped. “Why? Shouldn’t you be furious?”

I looked at the gravestone, my mother’s name etched in clean lines. “You made a mistake, kid, but you fixed it. Most wouldn’t. You honored her, and that’s worth more than you know. She’d have forgiven you. So do I.” His eyes glistened, tears spilling. “Your mother… she must’ve been kind,” he said, then turned and left, footsteps fading into the cavern’s hum.

I walked deeper into the island’s woods, where a crumbling shack stood, half-claimed by vines. A faint smile tugged at my lips. “Still here,” I murmured. After her death, I’d lived here, a feral child hunting monsters, eating their flesh to survive. When her betrayers returned, I was ready. I killed them all, my first taste of vengeance. Years later, I learned revenge only weighs you down—except for scum like Kai’s party, who’d sell out their own. For them, there’s no forgiveness.

I knelt by the grave, brushing dirt from the stone. “I’ve got a kid now, Mom,” I whispered, thinking of Chloe. “Hope I’m doing this right.”

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