Hunter Academy: Revenge of the Weakest

Chapter 798 Chapter 184.4 - Understanding

Chapter 798  Chapter 184.4 - Understanding

"Something captured Senior Maya at that time, didn't it? And you went to save her." 
Astron's gaze didn't waver, but his silence spoke volumes. It was an answer in itself, one that confirmed her suspicions. 
Sylvie leaned forward slightly, her voice growing firmer as she pressed on. "But why didn't you inform the authorities? Surely… surely the city wouldn't just let a genius senior like Maya disappear without doing something. They would've searched for her. They would've—" 
Astron raised a hand, a quiet yet commanding gesture that silenced her mid-sentence. His gaze softened slightly, but his voice carried a weight that silenced any further protests. "Do you think they would've believed me?" he asked, his tone calm but edged with something deeper—something almost bitter. "A first-year student claiming that a senior had been taken by something. Without evidence?" 
Sylvie leaned back, her fingers curling around the edge of her teacup as her thoughts churned. To be honest, I'm not that well-versed in how authorities and formalities work. It wasn't something she had ever needed to understand deeply. But even so, Astron's explanation sounded plausible. The way things worked in the academy—and even the city—made it easy to imagine his concerns being dismissed outright. 
Still, the weight of his words lingered, a quiet unease settling in her chest. She looked at him again, her voice hesitant but firm. "But then… what captured her?" 
Astron's gaze flickered, a faint but unmistakable shadow crossing his sharp purple eyes. "That," he said quietly, "is one of the main reasons why I didn't inform the authorities." 
Sylvie frowned, her curiosity piqued but tempered by a growing sense of dread. "Why?" she asked, leaning forward slightly. "What was it?" 
Astron hesitated for a moment, his expression unreadable. When he finally spoke, his voice was calm but laced with a subtle intensity. "Because it was… outrageous," he said. "Something they wouldn't have believed, no matter how much evidence I provided." 
Sylvie's breath hitched, her pulse quickening as she watched him carefully. His words carried a weight she couldn't ignore, and her unease deepened with every passing second. "What did you find?" she asked, her voice quieter now, almost a whisper. 
Astron's sharp gaze bore into hers as he continued. "While I was investigating her disappearance, I traced her movements—followed the traces of mana and the remnants of what was left behind. And… long story short, I came to a conclusion." 
Sylvie's chest tightened, her mind racing as she waited for him to elaborate. 
"It wasn't demonic contractors who captured her," Astron said finally, his tone steady but edged with something colder. "It was an ancient vampire. One that had been in slumber for centuries… and had been awakened." 
Sylvie's eyes widened, her breath catching in her throat. "An ancient vampire?" she echoed, her voice tinged with both disbelief and fear. 
"Yes," Astron said simply, his gaze unwavering. "One of the old ones—far stronger, far more dangerous than anything you'd encounter in the modern world. They're relics of another age, creatures that shouldn't even exist anymore. And yet, one of them was there. Awake. And Maya was taken by it." 
Sylvie's mind reeled at his words, the weight of his revelation pressing down on her like a stone. An ancient vampire… The very idea felt unreal, like something out of a nightmare. But the seriousness in Astron's tone, the sharp edge in his gaze, left no room for doubt. 
"How did you… how did you even find her?" she asked, her voice trembling slightly despite her efforts to steady it. 
Astron's expression didn't waver. "It wasn't easy," he admitted. "The traces were faint, almost nonexistent. But I followed them. Every step, every clue, until I found her." 
Sylvie stared at him, a mix of awe and unease swirling in her chest. He really does always go too far, she thought, her hands trembling slightly as she gripped the table. "And you fought it?" she asked, the words escaping before she could stop them. "The vampire?" 
Astron nodded, his sharp gaze unwavering. "Yes," he said, his tone measured but edged with something darker. "I fought it. But it wasn't the kind of fight you're imagining." 
Sylvie leaned forward slightly, her heart pounding as she listened intently. 
"I found the vampire in the middle of a ritual," Astron explained, his voice calm but deliberate. "It had just woken up from its slumber and was in a severely weakened state. That was the only reason I had a chance." 
He paused, his fingers brushing lightly against the table, as though tracing the memory in his mind. "I ambushed it. It wasn't easy—nothing about fighting something that old and powerful ever is—but I managed to kill it before it could regain its full strength." 
Sylvie's breath hitched, her mind racing as she tried to process his words. "You… you killed it?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. The idea of Astron going up against something as ancient and dangerous as a vampire felt surreal, yet the weight in his tone made it impossible to doubt him. 
"I did," Astron said simply, his gaze steady. But then his expression darkened, and his tone grew heavier. "But that wasn't the end of it. The situation became… complicated." 
Sylvie's chest tightened, her hands trembling slightly as she braced herself for what he was about to say. 
"The vampire was in the middle of a ritual," Astron continued. "It was turning Maya—changing her into one of its kind. When I killed it, the transformation was interrupted… halfway." 
Sylvie's eyes widened, her breath catching in her throat. "Halfway?" she echoed, the word hanging in the air like a shadow. 
Astron nodded, his expression grim. "Yes. Somehow, Maya ended up… different. Not fully human anymore, but not a complete vampire either. A strange, in-between state. That's the energy you've been sensing from her. It's what's left of the vampire's curse." 
Sylvie felt her thoughts spiral, a storm of disbelief and confusion swirling in her mind. A vampire. Astron fighting it. Maya being turned into… something. It all felt like a nightmare, something too bizarre and unreal to be true. And yet, as she looked at Astron, the calm certainty in his gaze left no room for doubt. 
She shook her head slightly, her voice trembling as she tried to find the words. "I… I don't even know what to say. A vampire? Maya being turned into… that? It's just…" She trailed off, her chest tightening painfully. 
"Unbelievable?" 
"Yes." 
"Well, not much I can say about that." 
Unbelievable. 
At least she would have thought if it was coming from another person. 
But knowing him, he wouldn't lie over something like this. 
Hence she swallowed hard, her hands clenching against the table as she forced herself to steady her breathing. He wouldn't lie. Not about this. If he says it's true, then it's true. 
Sylvie looked into Astron's eyes, searching for any flicker of uncertainty, but his gaze remained steady, unwavering. She swallowed hard, forcing herself to ask the question that had been gnawing at her. "Then… the state she was in, in front of the infirmary that time…" 
Astron nodded, his voice calm but carrying the weight of what he was about to say. "Yes, she was fighting it." 
Sylvie's chest tightened as the memory of that moment resurfaced—the strain in Maya's expression, the flicker of something inhuman in her aura. "But…" she hesitated, her voice trembling slightly, "why didn't I do anything?" 
"Why did I do nothing?" Astron asked, his tone calm yet pointed, echoing her thoughts. 
"Yes," Sylvie replied, her confusion clear. "That was really dangerous." 
"You're right," Astron said, his gaze sharpening. "And that is precisely why I didn't do nothing." 
Sylvie blinked, her breath catching as she stared at him. "What?" she whispered, unable to understand his reasoning. 
Astron sighed softly, the faintest hint of a smile tugging at his lips—not one of amusement, but of understanding. "Emotions," he said, his voice quieter now, almost reflective. "They're hard to understand. But at the same time… sometimes they're really simple." 
As he spoke, he raised his hand, conjuring a small chain of mana that shimmered faintly in the air. The links pulsed with a gentle glow, their movement fluid yet deliberate. Sylvie watched, mesmerized, as he pulled on the chain lightly, making it tighten and flex with a quiet hum of power. 
"Senior Maya has her own life," Astron said, his tone steady. "And I may not always be there. If she wants to live her life by herself, she needs to learn how to control this on her own." 
He paused, his sharp gaze meeting Sylvie's as he continued. "To a hungry person, delivering a fish is a form of goodwill. But—" 
Sylvie's voice cut in, completing his thought, her tone thoughtful and almost reverent. "But teaching them how to fish is giving them a way to sustain themselves." 
Astron nodded, the faintest glimmer of approval in his eyes. "Exactly. If I stepped in every time she struggled, she'd never learn to handle it. She'd always rely on someone else to pull her out of the fire. And that's not the kind of life she wants—or deserves." 
Sylvie's hands relaxed slightly, her fingers brushing the edge of the table as she absorbed his words. He's right… but it's still so hard to accept. Watching someone fight something so terrible and not stepping in—it feels impossible. 
"But what if she…" Sylvie trailed off, her voice trembling. "What if she loses control? What if something happens to her because you didn't step in?" 
"Then that's a risk she has to face," he said quietly. "And it's a risk I'll face with her, if it comes to that. But she has to take the first step. She has to want to fight this—not for me, or for anyone else, but for herself." 
Sylvie felt her breath hitch, her chest tightening as his words settled over her. They carried a weight she couldn't ignore, a truth that resonated deeply even though it scared her. He really believes in her. 
And that something somehow irritated her more than anything else. 
'Would he believe in me in the same manner?'  
That question….. 
Once again it happened.