Chapter Text
The air is cool and crisp, raising goosebumps on my arms. Xavier and I tread carefully, keeping as quiet as possible. It’s dark in the tunnel, but soft orbs of light float around, illuminating the area around us. I run through Jenna’s instructions in my head.
“There are metaflux fluctuations being detected in the South Linkon Caves. We already have four missing persons reports from the area. Investigate quietly and eliminate any wanderers you find there. Be careful.”
We stop at the end of the tunnel. There’s a small opening in the rocks, just big enough to crawl through. My watch buzzes: Metaflux fluctuations increasing.
“I’ll go first. We don’t know what’s in there.” Xavier whispers.
I nod to him. He crouches down and slowly shimmies through the opening. Dewdrops from the top of the tunnel make quiet dripping noises as I wait for his response. Glancing around the rest of the tunnel, I notice nothing out of place. Suddenly a low grumble echoes from the other side of the opening.
“Xavier? I’m coming through!” I quickly crawl through the tunnel, my white clothes smearing with dirt.
I know Xavier’s perfectly capable of handling threats on his own. But his silence worries me. As I emerge into the other side of the opening, I realize we’re in a large cave. The cave is dark, except for a small amount of light streaming through a small opening at the top. A wanderer grumbles, disturbed from its rest. Xavier takes a fighting stance, light blade materializing in his hands.
“Sorry, I was trying not to wake it up.” Xavier tells me.
“Don’t worry, it’s okay. But I don’t recognize this type of wanderer.” I raise an eyebrow, shifting into a fighting position.
The wanderer looks like a gross imitation of a fox– as if someone glued a bunch of rocks together in the shape of the animal. Its rough, sedimentary exterior allows it to blend perfectly into the cave walls. I squint, struggling to make out its shape.
“Xavier, we’re going to need more light in here.”
“On it.” He raises his hand, creating a large ball of light.
Stupidly, we’re both distracted. In the split second that it takes for Xavier to form the light, the wanderer sends a ray towards Xavier.
“Xavier!” I call out, but it’s too late.
The green ray hits Xavier square in the chest, but only pushes him slightly. He blinks, unaffected.
“Are you okay?” I call out, concerned.
“I’m fine. Let’s take care of this first.” Xavier’s brows furrow, the corners of his mouth turning downward.
I pull out my guns, shooting at the wanderer. The bullets bounce off its rocky exterior, falling to the ground. The wanderer roars, completely unharmed by my gun.
“Xavier!” I yell.
We make eye contact, and he understands. We haven’t been partners for long, and I don’t know much about the secretive man. But when it comes to fighting, it's like we’ve been fighting together for lifetimes. A single glance is all it takes for him to know what I need.
He runs over to me, and I reach out to him, resonating. The resonance breaks through the hard shell of the wanderer.
“It’s weak!” He smiles.
A quick slice from Xavier is all it takes for it to disintegrate into dust. My watch buzzes, signaling that the metaflux fluctuations have disappeared.
“Want to celebrate?” Xavier teases.
“Are you okay?!” I ask, brows furrowing.
“I’m fine. I’m surprised, it just felt like a little push.” He smiles.
“Could a wanderer that weak really be responsible for four people going missing?” I ponder out loud.
I look up to see Xavier staring at my shirt. The white sleeves are covered in dirt. He wasn’t safe either– his usual pristine, bright hunter’s jacket has mud all over its surface.
“We’ll figure that out later. For now, let’s quickly report back and get cleaned up.” He sighs.
Our walk home from the Hunter’s Association is short. Xavier’s quiet, and I suspect he’s fighting sleep as we walk. A big sign glows at us: HOT POT GRAND OPENING! VALENTINE’S DAY COUPLE’S DEAL! The smell wafting from the restaurant makes my stomach grumble.
“Do you want to check it out?” I ask.
“Sure. Valentine’s Day is in five days, we can get the deal then.”
Xavier says it so casually that I almost feel ashamed for blushing at his words. How can he invite me out to eat on Valentine’s Day so easily?
Of course, I’m overthinking this. He just wants the deal. Since he’s asking me so casually, doesn’t that mean he doesn’t care about the implications at all?!
I walk in silence, so lost in thought that I walk straight past the gate to our apartment building.
“Aren’t you going to go inside?” Xavier asks.
“Oh, right!” I quickly turn back, wanting to kick myself.
We walk to the elevator, and I get off at the floor before him.
“So, I’ll see you. Let me know if you start feeling any different from the wanderer attack.” I wave at him.
“I’ve definitely felt worse, don’t worry about it.” He answers politely.
As the elevator doors close, I feel struck with sorrow as I think about him.
Xavier, the man who is my coworker and neighbor, the man who I know almost nothing about. The man I’m starting to have feelings for– and the man who definitely does not feel the same.