Hunt Race

Darius remained silent after Kael's question.

"If I keep using the Mark... can I eventually control exactly what it takes from someone?"

Kael watched him carefully.

Darius didn't answer immediately.

Instead, he looked at Kael's palm.

"Maybe."

Kael frowned.

"Maybe?"

"The Mark is yours, but that doesn't mean you understand it."

Kael looked down at the black crescent.

"So how do I find out?"

"By paying attention."

Kael raised an eyebrow.

"That's it?"

Darius shook his head.

"No. You need to understand what happens before, during, and after you use it."

Kael listened.

"When you draw blood from someone, don't immediately think about what you want to take."

"Why?"

"Because you don't know whether the Mark responds to your intention or to something else."

Kael considered that.

Darius continued.

"Until now, you've only discovered its effects after using it. You felt the connection with your opponent, then discovered you could interfere with them. Later, Blood Reinforcement appeared."

Kael nodded.

"So I should watch for the pattern."

"Exactly."

Kael rubbed his thumb over the Mark.

"Then let's say I mark someone and I want to take their speed."

Darius looked at him.

"Can you?"

"I don't know."

"That's the problem."

Kael sighed.

Darius continued.

"If you truly want to understand it, stop thinking of the Mark as something that simply gives you power."

"What should I think of it as?"

"A system."

Kael's expression became curious.

Darius leaned back.

"It has conditions. It has a response. It has limits. You just haven't figured them out."

Kael nodded slowly.

"Draw blood."

Darius raised one finger.

"First condition."

"Then the connection."

"Second."

"And after that, I can take something."

"Possibly."

Kael frowned.

"You keep saying possibly."

"Because you haven't proven that you can choose freely."

Kael thought back to his fight with the Peak Bronze hunter.

He remembered the moment the Phantom Edge had drawn blood.

The strange connection.

The sensation of something belonging to the other hunter becoming accessible.

Then he had chosen speed and stamina.

It had worked.

At least, he thought it had.

"What if I try it again?"

Darius looked at him.

"On a real opponent?"

Kael nodded.

"Yes."

"Then don't."

Kael blinked.

"Why?"

"Because you don't know whether you can control the amount you take."

Kael's expression became thoughtful.

Darius continued.

"You may take too much. You may take too little. You may discover another effect you weren't expecting."

Kael nodded.

"So I need a controlled test."

"Eventually."

"With someone who agrees."

"Preferably."

Kael smiled.

"That sounds difficult."

"It is."

Kael leaned back.

Then another thought occurred to him.

"What happens if I mark someone stronger than me?"

Darius's expression changed slightly.

"That's something you should be very careful about."

"Why?"

"Because you don't know whether the connection depends on the difference in strength between you and your opponent."

Kael's eyes narrowed.

"So it might not work."

"Or it might work differently."

Kael became silent.

Darius watched him for a moment before continuing.

"Abilities usually have rules. The problem with yours is that we don't know what those rules are."

Kael looked at his palm again.

The black crescent seemed almost ordinary.

Yet it had already healed his wounds, interfered with his enemies, reinforced his body, and strengthened his blade.

And he still didn't understand where any of it came from.

"What about Blood Reinforcement?"

Darius looked at him.

"That one seems different."

"How?"

"It doesn't appear to take something from your opponent in the same way."

Kael waited.

"You used the blood on your blade, correct?"

Kael nodded.

"Then the Mark changed how that blood interacted with your body and weapon."

Kael's expression became thoughtful.

"So the blood itself became useful."

"That's what it looks like."

Darius paused.

"But again, don't assume you've discovered the full ability."

Kael sighed.

"You're really good at making everything sound complicated."

Darius gave him a faint smile.

"Because it is complicated."

Kael looked at him for a moment.

Then he remembered something else.

"When I used Blood Reinforcement, the Mark seemed to choose what I needed."

Darius's expression sharpened.

"Explain."

Kael thought back to the battle.

"I didn't consciously decide everything."

He looked down at his hand.

"It was almost instinctive. I needed something, and the Mark responded."

Darius remained quiet.

"Strength. Speed. Durability. Reaction speed."

Kael counted them silently.

"I don't think I chose randomly."

Darius nodded slowly.

"That may be important."

"So the Mark understands what my body needs?"

"Don't jump to that conclusion."

Kael gave him a look.

"Right."

Darius continued.

"It could be reacting to your intent. It could be reacting to your physical condition. Or there could be another mechanism entirely."

Kael nodded.

"Which means I need more information."

"Yes."

Kael looked at the Mark.

For the first time, he wasn't simply wondering what else it could do.

He wanted to understand it.

Not because he wanted another shortcut to strength.

But because if the Mark was going to remain a part of his path, he needed to know exactly what he was carrying.

Kael looked back at Darius.

"Then how do I start?"

Darius stood.

"Start by learning to feel the Mark before you use it."

Kael frowned.

"Feel it?"

"Yes."

Darius held out his hand.

"Close your eyes."

Kael hesitated.

Then he did.

"Now don't use your mana."

Kael stayed still.

"Don't activate anything."

He listened.

"Just find the Mark."

Kael focused on his palm.

At first, there was nothing.

Then, slowly...

A faint sensation appeared beneath his skin.

Not pain.

Not warmth.

Something deeper.

Something that felt almost like a second pulse.

Kael's breathing slowed.

Darius watched him carefully.

"Don't force it."

Kael remained still.

The sensation became clearer.

For the first time, Kael wasn't simply aware that the Mark existed.

He could actually feel it.

And then...

Something inside the black crescent moved.

Kael's eyes opened.

"Darius."

Darius immediately noticed the change in his expression.

"What?"

Kael stared at his palm.

"I felt something."

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