CHAPTER 37: [KIDNAPPED]

"I know you have hesitations about staying..."

A man’s voice. Low, steady—almost gentle.

It sounded... very familiar.

’Who was that?’

"But I want you to stay here. With me. I..."

The voice wavered, as though holding back something.

’Why is it dark?’

Pitch-black. Not a shadow, not a dim room—just nothing.

"From the moment I saw you, and the time we’ve spent together, I realized my feelings for you go beyond just partners..."

Something brushed against his skin.

Fingers—warm, deliberate—curling around his hands.

The grip was careful, like the other person was afraid he might pull away.

He couldn’t see them. He couldn’t move.

And worse—he couldn’t speak.

’What was happening?’

"I love you."

The voice broke on the last word, and the sound seemed to echo in the endless dark.

’Who—?’

"Wake up!"

Eli’s eyes shot open at the jarring voice, his entire body jerking as he sucked in a deep breath—like he’d been underwater for hours and had only just broken the surface.

"W–Wha... who... wh—" His voice was hoarse, the words tumbling out half-formed. His vision swam, the outlines of three figures looming over him.

He blinked rapidly, again and again, but the haze clung stubbornly to his sight.

Disorientation clawed at him—not just from waking, but from the dream.

’I remember now...’

Before the hospital... before Elione’s parents’ voices... there had been a man. A man who said he loved him. Who said he was sorry.

Could that man be the same one Elione’s mother spoke of?

The one who "left"?

But Eli barely had time to process the thought. As his vision cleared, the realization of his surroundings slammed into him.

He was no longer in Elione’s penthouse.

This wasn’t a cozy bedroom. It was a small, plain room—walls bare except for faint scuffs, a single narrow window high above letting in thin strips of light.

The air felt stale.

The neatness of it only made it worse—it had the sterile, oppressive feel of a cell.

And then—memories hit him.

The kidnapping. The system. That damn door.

Annoyance rose in his chest—sharp, bitter—only for it to shatter instantly when his gaze focused on the people in front of him.

"Good morning, Sunshine." The voice was deep, rough-edged, and laced with mockery. It came from a massive, broad-shouldered man with short blond hair, the kind of guy who looked like he could crush bricks with his bare hands.

He smirked down at Eli like this was all a game.

No. Not just

any massive, blond-haired man.

’Oh my...’

"I feel like maybe we were too rough on him? He’s been out for almost an hour," a woman chimed in from beside him. Blonde as well, but softer-featured, with a faintly apologetic smile. "He’s just staring at us."

"Don’t act sorry now—it was your idea to knock him out!" a third voice cut in sharply. Tall. Black curly hair. Piercing pink eyes.

The scolding was sharp enough to bite.

But again—these weren’t just any people.

’...fucking God.’

"Y–You’re..." Eli’s eyes went wide, his voice cracking as he stared at them.

"Oh, he’s about to scream," the blond man drawled lazily.

"And cue the ’Who are you?’ ’What do you want with me?’ and—"

"You’re Arman Dae! And you... you’re Jabby O’ner! And Punzo Grace!" Eli blurted out before they could finish, his voice pitching high with shock.

All three froze, eyebrows raised.

’Holy shit. The members of Lion’s Fang guild kidnapped me?!’

"You’re familiar with us? That saves us the trouble then," Arman said, hand sliding to his hip with casual arrogance.

"Are you kidding? You’re one of the—"

He stopped himself. Abruptly.

Right. No fanboying. Not now.

Not while he was their prisoner.

Still... he couldn’t help the rush in his chest.

He’d just met Kairo and his team. Now here he was—face-to-face with Caelen’s team.

"Hm? Why did you stop?" Arman’s smirk widened slightly.

Eli shook his head quickly, trying to collect himself. "I—I-It’s nothing. I was just... surprised? You’re all very famous... so, uh..."

"Of course, we are," Arman replied immediately, flipping his bangs with a dramatic flick of his fingers and a smug grin. "Best team in the Lion’s Fang guild. It shouldn’t even be surprising that you know us."

Eli blinked. Arman seemed very proud of that statement.

Punzo, standing next to him, shot Arman a flat look from the corner of his eye. "We do hope we didn’t hurt you too much," he said, more sincerely. "We did try to be as gentle as we could."

"What’s with the ’we’?" Jabby chimed in with a small smile, leaning forward slightly. "I didn’t hurt anyone. My hands are clean." Her voice was calm, light even—like this whole situation wasn’t absurd. "I just did most of the talking."

’So they were the delivery people earlier.’

Eli stared at them, realization dawning. The voice, the stance, the casual tone—it all lined up.

’Was that why the system told me to open the door?’

It made some sense now.

"Oh, please," Punzo rolled his eyes. "You were more on board with kidnapping someone than I was."

"Look, we had to do it. So might as well be enthusiastic about it," Jabby shrugged, brushing a strand of hair off her face with a lazy flick. "It is a bit more exhilarating than going on dungeon raids."

"You need to be put on a watchlist," Arman said, his tone light, teasing—but clearly amused. His lips curled into a grin as he side-eyed her.

"Coming from you?" Jabby shot back, her eyes narrowing with mock offense.

"Hey, I wasn’t the one who kidnapped someone," Arman retorted, raising both hands in mock innocence.

"Well—"

"Uhm. Excuse me?"

Eli finally cut in, voice hesitant. As much as he was... mildly entertained by their banter—because seeing it live was weirdly surreal after watching so many interviews and raid clips of them online—there was still a rather large, nagging detail they were all glossing over.

All three turned to him, as if just remembering he was in the room.

"It’s really nice to meet you all," Eli began, forcing an awkward smile. "Really. You’re all very... famous hunters." He paused, polite but pointed. "But may I know why you kidnapped me exactly?"

That sobered them. The room fell into an awkward, almost comical silence as the trio glanced at one another.

No one seemed to have a clear answer.

Jabby opened her mouth, then closed it. Arman looked to Punzo, who just shrugged helplessly.

It was clear—they didn’t know what to say.

But then, the door behind them creaked open.

And standing there, framed by the light of the hallway beyond, was one person.

The one person Eli both expected and didn’t expect to see.

"I asked them to kidnap you."

Caelen.