Archive of Our Own ^beta

The forest was eerily quiet, the kind of silence that felt unnatural in the Demon Realm. Luz, Amity, Willow, Gus, and Hunter had been exploring the wilds near the Hand, a new  protrusion that had appeared after Belos had almost managed to raise the Titan’s skeleton. 

With peace returning to the Isles, it had become their little tradition to set out on small expeditions, discovering new places, and testing their skills. Luz had Stringbean with her, and Hunter, though still grieving, had grown more attuned to the magic Flapjack had left behind in him.

He was in no way ready to meet a new Palisman for himself. He didn't know if he'd ever be ready, but he missed always carrying his staff with him, so they figured out a way to make him a wooden based staff imbued with wild magic. It was similar to the artificial magic staff he used to wield, but felt more natural. It could grow from pocket size to full when he called on it to. Hunter carried it almost everywhere.

In the woods, what started as a casual exploration had quickly turned into something more dangerous.

“Luz, behind you!” Amity shouted as a blast of dark energy shot past, narrowly missing Luz’s shoulder.

They’d been ambushed by a figure cloaked in shadow, emerging from the forest like a nightmare. A dark witch, or perhaps something worse, had laid a trap, one that had caught them off entirely off guard.

The air around them thickened, magical chains forming from the ground and wrapping around Amity’s legs. She struggled against them, her staff sparking as she attempted to cast a counterspell, but the chains only tightened.

Something wasn’t right in the air earlier. And now it was clear what that was.

Willow tried to summon her plants to break free, but dark almost midnight black vines from the forest twisted around her wrists, holding her magic at bay. Gus had already conjured an illusion to mask their positions, but the enemy’s attacks cut through them as if they weren’t even there. It was as if the enemy could see through Gus’s illusions.

Luz dashed forward, Stringbean shifting into a weapon in her hand, but even her movements were sluggish, weighed down by the oppressive magic that seemed to seep into the air itself.

“Who the Hell is this guy?” she grunted, her brow furrowing as she barely avoided another attack.

Hunter, meanwhile, had been eyeing from behind. He watched the battle unfold, taking in the enemy’s movements and tactics. 

The training kicked in almost automatically, a mental checklist he’d developed from years of being on the front lines.

The others were powerful, no doubt. They’d come into their own since the Day of Unity. But this enemy had caught them off guard, used fear and suppression magic to hinder their strengths. This fight wasn’t about overwhelming strength, it was about precision and timing. Luckily, Hunter knew a thing or two.

Hunter’s grip on his staff tightened, the familiar weight anchoring him. He exhaled sharply, feeling the pulse of magic within him. The instincts, the cold focus, the calm before the storm, they all came rushing back in a wave he couldn’t stop, even if he wanted to.

And for once, he didn't want to.

Then, with a sudden snap, the calm vanished, and something else took over.

Hunter moved.

In a flash, he was in front of the cloaked figure, staff raised, eyes sharp as daggers.

“Alright,” he said, his voice deceptively casual, “Fun’s over, time for you to leave.”

The enemy turned toward him, throwing another dark blast of energy his way. But Hunter, now fully locked into his training, was a blur. He sidestepped the attack with ease, swinging his staff upward to deflect a second strike aimed at his head.

For as much as he’d fucked up, he wasn’t given the Golden Guard title for nothing.

“Honestly? That’s your move? I’m actually embarrassed for you.” His voice was cold, almost bored, a stark contrast to the fiery battle around them.

The others, still struggling to break free from the chains and bindings, could only watch in a twisted sense of awe. This wasn’t the Hunter they’d seen in the past months, the awkward, earnest boy who was trying to find his place and relearn how to be himself. This was something different. He was sharp, precise, calculated. It was like watching a completely different person.

Hunter ducked under a swing from the enemy’s staff, then twisted around, sweeping his own weapon toward the villain’s legs. The enemy barely managed to block it, but Hunter was already moving, flipping backward and sending a wave of magic straight into the figure’s chest.

The dark figure staggered back, clearly not expecting this level of resistance. “Who are you?” the enemy hissed, their voice low and filled with anger.

Hunter smirked, rolling his shoulders like he was barely even started. Though inside, he still wished he had his mask on for this. “Oh, me? Just some old ex-soldier. But don’t worry, I’m still pretty good at kicking ass.”

He darted forward again, faster than the enemy could react. His staff clashed against the enemy’s defenses with a sharp crack, sparks flying. 

For every move the villain made, Hunter had an answer, his reflexes sharper than ever.

The sass came naturally, almost as if the persona he had once donned as the Golden Guard had never left him. He still had his moments with his friends of course, when he said something so boldly that they all burst out laughing at his jabs. But it was in full swing at this moment. 

“You know, for someone who’s ambushing a bunch of teenagers, you might want to reconsider your career choices if this is what you’re going for…”

The others watched in stunned silence. Willow had managed to free herself but stopped short of intervening, they were moving too quickly, and she didn’t want to accidentally injure Hunter, after all she was too caught up in the sight of Hunter moving with the grace and lethality of a heavily trained soldier. She’d known he had training, but this was something else.

“He’s... incredible,” Gus whispered, wide-eyed as Hunter launched a precise strike that sent the enemy sprawling.

The figure tried to regain their footing, but Hunter wasn’t giving them a chance. “Too slow,” he taunted, landing a solid hit that knocked the staff from the enemy’s hands. 

With one final sweep of his staff, Hunter sent the enemy crashing into a tree, the force knocking them unconscious. The dark magic binding the others dissipated instantly, leaving the group standing in shocked silence.

Hunter exhaled deeply, his eyes scanning the area for any remaining threats, quickly scanning over the others behind him for injury, then gave himself a once over, seemingly as an afterthought. 

Once he was sure the danger had passed, his shoulders relaxed, and the tension in his body seemed to melt away. He turned back to the others, his expression blank, his voice calm. “Everyone okay?”

Luz blinked, still gripping Stringbean tightly. “Hunter, that was... that was insane. How did you-”

Hunter held up a hand, cutting her off gently. “Later. Let’s just get out of here first.”

They didn’t argue. Hunter was stubborn at the best of times, and nobody wanted to push. The group moved quickly through the forest, making their way back to safer ground. Once they were clear of the danger, Hunter quietly stepped away from the group and sat down on a rock, his staff resting beside him. He stared at the ground, breathing heavily, his body still thrumming with adrenaline.

For a long moment, he just sat there, quiet. It wasn’t exhaustion, exactly, but more of a release, a moment to breathe after the intensity. 

In the Emperor’s Coven, he’d always done this. After every mission, every fight, he’d retreat to the quiet of his room and just... sit. Processing. Not like he had anyone to really bother him at the time. It was the only way he knew to come down from the high of combat.

The others gave him his space, sensing he needed the time. Gus eventually broke the silence, his voice soft but filled with admiration. “Dude, ... you need to teach me how to do that.”

Hunter chuckled softly, the tension easing from his body as he looked up at them. “Maybe.”

Hunter really didn’t know how to train people very well… Definitely wasn’t training anyone the way he’d been trained. Though maybe it would be fun to teach Gus some tricks he liked using.

It wasn’t that the fight had brought back old wounds, it surprisingly hadn’t for the most part. If anything, something about it had been… oddly healing. He’d tapped back into a part of himself that had always been there, but now, for the first time, he was able to walk away from it on his own terms. Give it a rest.

Hunter stood up, brushing the dust off his cloak. “Alright, we should keep moving or head back,” he said, voice steady, as if nothing had really happened. He’d been adapted to short rest times. He glanced at them with a small smile. “And next time, maybe don’t get caught so easily?”

Willow rolled her eyes, but there was a fondness in her smile. “Yeah, yeah, Mr. Hero.”

As they walked on, the tension from the ambush fading behind them, one thing was certain: Hunter might still be figuring out who he was without the Golden Guard and having someone to follow, but in that moment, it was clear that part of him would always be there. And the others were okay with that.