The wind picked up in an empty clearing, and suddenly a boy appeared.

  The Hunter’s perception snapped outward instantly searching until he felt the pull.

  His body acted on pure instinct as he followed the connection to its origin. The closer he got, the stronger the pull became. Each step became easier like walking down a hill, yet as he got closer, the forest felt heavier, pressing inward as he approached.

  Calling out his bow, the hunter prepared eight arrows as they appeared in his quiver. The arrows glowed deep forest green and carried an almost ethereal aspect, as parts seemed to flicker in and out of existence, yet the glow never faded.

  He felt them long before he saw them, Wolves… eight of them. Just before they made their approach, the hunter kicked off the ground and called on the wind to carry him backwards.

  Before they realised their ambush failed, the hunter let off three shots in quick succession, the green ethereal arrows barreled forth completely unimpeded by the headwind.

  Without a sound, without resistance and without any pain, the arrows pierced right through the wolves as if there was never anything there at all.

  They didn’t howl, move or bleed; they just faded away, returning to nature.

  As soon as they faded, light shot out of the hunter and split into three as the echoes of what once was walked again.

  Three spectral wolves lunged out of the hunter and rushed towards the remaining wolf pack, intercepting and delaying their charge. Using this chance, the hunter picked off the remaining wolves one by one.

  With the threat taken care of, the hunter continued on following the connection. By moving silently, he avoided any other encounters before he reached the origin of the connection.

  When he arrived, the hunter finally felt the pull settle, finally giving his mind some time to catch up with his body.

  ?

  —

  Phineus felt loopy. He could barely form a coherent thought, but he retained a vague understanding of what he—or rather, his body—had been doing.

  Phineus was tired and found it took an incredible amount of control for him to remain lucid, easing up more on his forest sense.

  Phineus let out a sigh. This wasn’t the first time he’s ‘woken up’ from his daze, and he took a moment to straighten out his head.

  Calling back all his remnants that were currently out, the wolves that were wandering around nearby collapsed into light and returned to Phineus.

  However, he was quite surprised and concerned when he felt another remnant collapse and return to him, coming from pretty far away. It only took a second for the light to reach Phineus from above. When it rejoined him, Phineus was flooded with memories of a crow that answered some questions but raised more.

  Understanding that the crow flew much too far from him to share its senses helped, yet the fact that Phineus did not remember hunting a crow is what concerned him.

  Also, the crows' memories lasted weeks, which meant weeks passed where Phineus wasn’t in control. Much longer than all the times before.

  His mind felt drowsy, burdened and oh so very tired. Maybe he could just rest for a…

  Catching himself, Phineus redoubled his concentration to stay awake.

  To stay in control.

  Distracting himself, Phineus focused on the land around him. It was different, altered; there were multiple parts of the forest that had this feel. A certain pressure to it, like it carried the weight of something beyond…

  It was divinity.

  He wasn’t sure how he hadn’t recognised it before, as now it felt so obvious, but all these ‘Pockets’ actually held a faint layer of divinity in them.

  Not quite the same as Artemis' and now his, it felt more ‘general’, not directed towards any domain; it just is.

  Phineus was getting tired.

  The sun was now setting, the sky was getting dark, and the moon started to rise.

  His mind started to fuzz, and his perception began to spread.

  ‘Okay…’ he thought in resignation, just for a moment, and his control began to loosen, his mind slowly going blank.

  Five kilometres away, he felt space distort. Not as a sensation, but rather as an absence in his perception.

  The absence twisted, taking and releasing space as it started to form itself.

  First, just a mess, condensed into a blob, legs began to form, then Phineus felt it.

  A panther, he could make out its location and felt it coming closer, but it felt different from every other animal he’s run into so far. Mainly in that he couldn't feel it, at least not clearly, like he’s only reaching the surface level.

  Using the distraction, Phineus kept his mind steady, refusing to let himself succumb again. Focusing on the panther, Phineus tracked its movement before lightly kicking off the ground. Yet that was all one needed to jump almost 70 feet up onto a branch.

  Drawing his bow, Phineus readied a ‘Nature’s Mercy’ arrow, making sure to hide his presence, Phineus knocked the arrow and pulled back the string.

  The ‘Nature’s Mercy’ arrow was something he was quite thankful he discovered, by using his quiver that can make an arrow with any effect. Phineus asked for ‘an arrow that doesn’t cause pain’ so he could avoid the backlash when hunting.

  It took a little while to work out, however, as he needed to have a clear picture in mind of what he was asking for. But it started to click into place and even improved when his body was in ‘auto-pilot’.

  His bow THUMPED in his hand, drawing the string back further, the pulse quickened, the strain getting heavier.

  Once the panther was in sight, Phineus was ready to shoot, but he paused. Despite his forest sense telling him exactly where it is, Phineus couldn’t see the panther.

  Deciding to trust his perception over his eyes, Phineus fired the ‘Nature’s Mercy’ arrow and watched as it shot forward, closing the distance in a blink.

  Relying on his ‘Forest Sense’ to see the impact, Phineus watched as the arrow shot directly through the panther without stopping before carrying on towards the distance.

  “Huh”, Phineus said out loud. He was honestly shocked. While the ‘Nature’s Mercy’ does strike without resistance, this literally passed right through.

  In fact, if it wasn’t for his ‘Forest Sense’, it would have looked as if he shot an arrow at nothing at all.

  Unnerved, Phineus quickly changed positions and sensed how the panther started to run towards the tree from which he fired. Limiting his range even further to fully concentrate on it, Phineus finally picked up something new.

  Shadow.

  This was a divine beast, more than just an animal; divine beasts are creatures of divinity. Animals, monsters, spirits and nymphs are creatures born of faith, possessing certain abilities and concepts that transcend them a step beyond mortality.

  Staying hidden, Phineus analysed his opponent; while he could sense it perfectly, he still couldn't see a thing.

  ‘Is it hiding in the shadows?’ he asked himself, but crossed the idea out since he could feel the panther’s body moving around the forest, not just its shadow.

  He was pulled out of his thoughts as the panther suddenly appeared standing directly where Phineus felt it.

  It was black, impossibly black, as if it were made of shadow itself, despite it standing under the moonlight, Phineus could only make out the silhouette.

  He prepared to attack, but the panther acted first.

  Raising one of its front paws, it retracted its claws, and with a furious slash, the shadow arched out of the panther's claws, slicing down all the trees in its path.

  Phineus felt the tree he was in start to fall and quickly conjured an arrow based on ‘speed’ and instantly released, then jumped off the falling tree, calling on the wind to take him to another.

  The arrow travelled almost as fast as his fully charged ones. Yet the beast suspected a counter and was already gone.

  Hiding his presence, he moved trees again, careful not to be seen. The panther reappeared, slashing at the cluster of trees he was at before.

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  But this time, he was ready, shooting another ‘Speed Arrow’ far behind the panther as he was attacking.

  The panther spun, avoiding a fatal hit, while never stopping its swipe, creating a whirlwind of shadow, slashing out in all directions. Trees began to fall, creating loud THUDS that echoed through the sleeping forest.

  Yet despite this, Phineus only had one thought.

  ‘I didn’t feel any pain!’ Since he wasn’t using a ‘Nature’s Mercy’ arrow, Phineus braced himself for the inevitable mirrored pain, yet it didn’t come. Just a light tingle that confirmed his attack landed.

  ‘I suppose it makes sense, I can’t really sense it either. That means Divine Beasts and monsters AREN’T part of my domain.’

  This was honestly a big relief to Phineus, while he was never sure what his story would be, deep down, he always imagined himself as a fighter. Hearing stories from everyone in the village, about their various exploits and adventures, it was impossible not to. Knowing that he wasn’t going to be hindered while fighting against real opponents was the best news Phineus had all day.

  Focusing back on the fight, Phineus also noticed something else that's interesting, ‘why didn’t it just disappear?’

  Once it was clear that the tree Phineus was on was falling, only then did the panther disappear once again.

  ‘Maybe it can’t attack when it’s gone?’

  Deciding to put the theory to the test, Phineus reached into himself and pushed; in an instant, eight spectral wolves leapt out of his body.

  Without needing a command, they ran down the trunk of the tree as it fell, their glow dimmed until it gave off no light, then they spread out, hiding amongst the dark forest.

  With the panther having cleared most of the trees in the area, Phineus decided to change tactics; instead of hiding, he was going to make himself known.

  Flaring his presence, he felt moved closer towards him and prepared a bunch of arrows, sending them up into the air.

  Each arrow glowed brightly, only getting brighter as he made more. Phineus decided to make ‘Light Arrows’ as that was the opposite of shadow. With each arrow made, Phineus refined his mental image of what a light arrow is and can do.

  Staggering them a little, Phineus willed the arrows forward, each on a path to the panther at a different angle. The panther did nothing, letting the arrows pass through the empty space it somehow took up. The barrage continued on to no effect until one of his last arrows shot out, and the panther dodged.

  Dismissing all other arrows, Phineus called that one back; it glowed brightly, an arrow made of pure light. The arrow moved right in position, and he drew back the string, focusing on how he made this specific arrow.

  His bow pulsed strongly in his hand before he released. The arrow raced out, illuminating the night sky. Instead of dodging, the panther revealed itself with a ferocious growl, shooting out a wave of shadow to intercept the arrow.

  However, as soon as it revealed itself, it was suddenly beset by a pack of wolves; the remnants charged forth, ready to maul the panther.

  Phineus watched through the wolves as the first one chomped down on one of the panther's hind legs.

  He smiled to himself as again he felt no pain. Another remnant went for the neck; however, just as the bite broke flesh, his arrow dispersed, and the panther vanished from sight once more. The wave of shadow dispersed, and remnants fell to the ground.

  ‘This confirms it, it can’t attack when it's vanished’

  Phineus repeated this exchange a few times with the beast, slowly building up more injuries. After the last exchange and losing one of its limbs, the panther vanished once again.

  With his forest sense, he felt the panther start to flee, every movement a struggle as it tried to get away.

  However, for some reason, this made Phineus mad.

  “You come after me, then run away when I prove too much,” he said aloud without meaning to.

  The idea of his prey getting away made him angry in a way he couldn’t stand.

  The demigod started to glow brighter as the wind picked up in the damaged forest. He created another ‘Light Arrow’, further refining his image.

  His mind felt clear; he was a hunter, and his prey was about to get away.

  As if he would let that happen.

  Once the arrow appeared, he let it grow until it was as large as the panther itself.

  Releasing his bow, he willed it into the air, and the bow grew as well until it was large enough to fire. Not wasting any more time, the air moved into the bow, the string was pulled back, and for a moment, everything was silent.

  The massive bow towered in the sky, veins of luminous green light traced along its wood.

  Without even a breath, the hunter willed the release, the massive arrow shot towards the limping beast at a speed many would call impossible for its size.

  He didn’t see the impact, just felt that one second it was there and now it is not.

  The hunter basked in his victory as he felt his divinity rise once again; it settled into his very being, both heavy yet warm.

  Looking into himself, he found a new part of his soul that was definitely his, yet was never there before. With a push, a pure silver panther gracefully stepped out before turning around to look at the hunter.

  While the other remnants had quite a bit of detail despite flickering in and out of existence, the panther stood as a smooth silver silhouette only slightly different from when it was alive.

  The panther was larger, almost taller than him, and his connection to it felt greater, stronger than his other remnants. Probing the connection further, the hunter focused entirely on the flickering silver panther.

  The remnant disappeared from his sight, but it was still there.

  He felt it.

  A grin spread across his face. Everything clicked. His world now made sense.

  I Hunt.

  I take.

  I grow.

  That was his path, and he both understood and accepted it.

  His divinity surged, his being twitched in anticipation, primed for the next hunt.

  Yet deep inside, a lingering doubt. A whisper of reluctance crept into his mind, murmured: maybe we shouldn’t.

  Why?

  He asked it, the voice faltered, weak, exhausted, and it struggled to explain.

  Are we hunters, yes?

  It agreed, though faintly.

  Hunters hunt, yes?

  Again, it agreed, the dissent was losing, fading away,

  Yet it still held its ground: We already hunted. It mustered the strength to say, hoping to end this and regain control.

  But we are hungry.

  He said as their stomach and spirit rumbled, and to that the voice had no answer and drifted off to sleep.

  Without a word spoken, the panther reappeared, and the hunter jumped on its back as the remnant started to pick up speed. Expanding his perception, the hunter felt all the nearby animals, yet was disappointed.

  Everywhere he moved, life scattered, while their movements were silent, the forest betrayed him.

  While he could hide his body, the very weight of his presence settled into the environment around him, letting the animals know a predator was on the hunt.

  The hunter paused and called back the silver panther. He drew a deep breath, letting the moonlight wash over him steading his pulse.

  Looking around the forest, he exhaled, letting the natural energy envelop him.

  Slowly, his wild energy dulled, and his divinity took on a green hue. It's all about balance, he thought as his perception expanded outward once again. focusing on every detail that he could feel.

  The Child of the Forest just stood, watching, spreading, and taking everything in, until he felt something interesting.

  A gentle tug on his spirit pulled him forward, and his hunter’s instincts flared.

  Another ‘Pocket of Divinity’, wasting no time, the hunter let the wind guide him forward, being careful to maintain the balance.

  The pull got stronger as he approached until it settled into the world around him as he crossed into the bubble.

  The forest seemed to sing in his presence, every tree, plant, twig seemed more. Moving through the pocket, he noticed the world around him began to loop.

  He recognised trees that he already passed, only with their branches slightly different inside the pocket; his perception couldn’t extend far.

  Seeing as he had no way to get around, he reached out to the forest and asked for assistance to guide him to his next prey.

  Trees spread out, and a path began to form. He felt the tracks indented into the ground and carefully hid his presence before following.

  It was long before he saw it, a lone boar drinking by the river, the hunter moved silently and unseen, and this time the forest and even the moon helped hide his presence.

  Calling out his bow, the hunter conjured a ‘Nature’s Bounty’ Arrow and fired instantly.

  The arrow glowing and pulsing with life dashed through the air, piercing the boar's side of its head. It pushed through without resistance, yet faded once it reached the other side.

  With a dull thump, the boar collapsed seemingly without injury, and the hunters' divinity surged once again.

  The ‘Nature’s Bounty’ arrow is the same as ‘Nature' s Mercy’, with the only difference being the scope. As it only targets vitals instead of the whole body, and leaves remains behind, making the meat easier to prepare.

  Feeling the remnant of the boar come to him, he revelled in the feeling of another part of his soul returning. Grabbing his bow in both hands, the hunter clenched his grip and snapped his bow in half.

  However, as it split, there was no crack that rang out; each half glowed slightly before shifting. The string split and began to fade like the wick of a candle, and the wood shifted perfectly in the grip of his hands as two metal blades formed out of the wooden handles.

  His stomach rumbled as he prepared his dinner, and it wasn’t long until he was fully fed. His Divinity flared as he enjoyed the natural bounty of the forest.

  The forest itself basked in his presence, and it started to guide him once more, and he followed.

  Paths were made, predators were hunted, and days started to pass. Each hunt added to his divinity, added to his soul, and the forest started to flourish in his wake.

  He barely had to think; his body acted on instinct alone. The hunter's thoughts began to fade.

  At first, there was a thrill, unbroken momentum, a never-ending series of hunts, yet something subtle began to gnaw at him.

  It was all too perfect; there was no trial, no guesswork, just the inevitability. His body shuddered.

  Where was the fun in that?

  The words seemed to cut through the silence and brought with them a strange sense of clarity and freedom.

  His divinity was at an all-time high, his thoughts felt muddied and altered, but Phineus cut through the haze with one sentence.

  “I need to get out of here,” he mumbled.

  However, just as quickly as it came, his consciousness began to slip once again, merging with the quiet of the forest.

  Unheard, yet felt. His body reacted and took ran, the pocket looped endlessly in his wake, yet he didn’t stop. Realising every remnant he had, they all went off in different directions stretching the loop to its limit.

  Sensing the end was in sight, Phineus’s body raced forth and crossed the threshold.

  Stretching his perception outwards farther than ever before his body leapt into the air right as the wind currents turned ferocious.

  Weaving between trees, the wind picked up even more, and the distance started to blur. The trees began to stagger, the dense forest thinned out.

  The horizon appeared.

  Crossing out of the forest the boy landed lightly on the ground and simply waited.

  Waited for his divinity to fade.