Oh Hunter My Hunter

The lord of flames released his grip, allowing Amais to fall. Amais gasped for air. His body trembled as he looked down at himself, horror creeping into his chest. His skin, seared raw, radiated pain. It felt as though his torso was on fire. Amais clenched his teeth, struggling to stifle the agony that surged with every breath, but the pain was relentless.

Oh god, this really hurts, Amais, thought as he groaned in pain.

He glanced up at the lord of flames, but the creature had shifted its attention elsewhere. Its fiery gaze was now locked onto someone else. It was the newcomer who stood nearby, a figure who appeared strikingly ordinary at first glance. No exaggerated features, no heroic aura, and nothing about him really stood out, save for the way he stared down the fireman with a dark determination.

The stranger wasn't afraid to such an extent it was scary.

Amais barely registered the surrounding forest, lost in the strange spectacle before him. The trees, scarred by battle, stood tall in the distance. Elentera must have saved him here, but the path he had been running on led to a cliff that had dropped to a lake. If he hadn't tripped earlier, he would have ended up in the water.

Amais sighed, relieved, grateful to still be up here at least. Then his eyes returned to the showdown. The lord of flame and the newcomer were locked in an intense standoff, and Amais watched in awe as it all unfolded.

Lucky me, Amais thought, still stunned by the absurdity of the situation.

The lord of flame, who was a giant at least eight feet tall, with molten rock-like skin and glowing white eyes, looked like a creature from the deepest pits of hell. It growled, its lips twisting into a grotesque, devilish smile. Amais couldn't fathom why anyone would willingly choose to fight such a thing. This man must know he's outmatched.

Amais could only wonder, unsure of what would come next. The demon surged forward, a torrent of flames bursting from its body. Its grin was twisted and grotesque, a mocking, devilish grin, but the newcomer didn't back down; instead, he had simply walked towards it, unflinching, as if he knew exactly what he was doing. Amais held his breath, imagining how this would end until the newcomer pulled something up from the ground.

A bottle?

He threw it at the fire demon.

The liquid splashed across the creature's molten form, and for a moment, it was silent. Then the fire demon erupted; it was furious, its flames intensifying to blinding brightness, which had made both men wince at the heat, but the newcomer didn't look like he planned on backing down.

"Did you just try to douse me with a bottle of water?" the demon hissed, its voice low, dripping with rage as it charged at the man.

Amais watched, his heart pounding in his chest. For a moment, he had forgotten about his own wounds. The sheer absurdity of what he was witnessing overshadowed everything else; it was a human vs a god but more importantly,.

That thing was just playing with me… Am I that weak?

His teeth ground together in frustration, the anger slowly bubbling up. How dare this stupid demon think it better than him?

"I'm going to…" Amais started, but was quickly interrupted by the sight of the newcomer, who was now fully engulfed in flames, charging into the fire demon, throwing himself into the creature, pushing with all his strength and leading both to tumble down the cliff and fall in the lake below.

Meanwhile, Amais stood frozen. He couldn't tear his eyes away as the figures toppled over the cliff, plunging into the lake below with a deafening splash. Steam erupted from the water.

Is that man mad? Amais wondered. He must be surely right?

WHo who even thinks of doing that? Amais thought, his mind spinning in disbelief. But... he did save me so he must be good, right?

His gaze shifted back to the lake, torn between diving in to help his saviour and the fear of facing that creature again in the water. He trembled as panic surged, but after a long, tense moment, he knew what he should do, and so he gritted his teeth, dove in, and swam as fast as he could.

The water was hot, like really hot, but he pressed on, searching through the hazy steam. After what felt like an eternity, he finally saw the stranger unconscious, his body badly burned but somehow still alive, which Amais was thankful for both because he had saved him and since he had swum down here. Amais fought against his own exhaustion, pulling the man towards the surface.

Every stroke felt like a struggle, but desperation lent him the strength to pull the stranger onto the shore and the fact that the demon might still be down here. He collapsed beside him, gasping for air. His body ached from the burns, his muscles sore from the exertion, but, he was alive.

I really am amazing, Amais thought proudly as he lay there, laughing because he had survived but in a few moments he would wish he hadn't. A sharp, gnawing pain soon shattered his laughter. His burns felt as though they were reigniting, and he screamed in agony, clutching his skin. The adrenaline had run out, allowing the full extent of the damage to be evident on his skin.

Ice. I wish I had some ice... he thought, his mind cloudy as he curled in a ball then slipped in and out of consciousness, the pain pulling him under.

Everything faded to black.

Amais drifted and saw Elentera, her white hair and scarlet eyes. her skin glistening in the moonlight. She appeared before him in a flash, her lips hovering over his, and just as he felt her breath on his skin.

His eyes snapped open.

There the lord of flames was standing in front of him.

Ah, I see. Amais thought and closed his eyes again, prepared for his demise but then it spoke.

"I'm not the demon. I'm the man you saved from before," the man said honestly and simply.

Amais blinked, confusion washing over him. Relief came, but it was tempered with an odd sense of unease. Slowly, he sat up, wincing from the sharp pain that lanced through him.

"Hi," he managed but his voice strained. "I'm Amais Walker. And... thanks. For saving me from that thing."

The stranger gave a slight nod.

Amais, however, was still processing everything and looked at the man with growing curiosity. "So, you're not a fire demon. But you've got its powers now, don't you? Wh-What's happening?

The stranger, paused for a moment before speaking. "My name's Tobi. I'm a hunter and am a regresser Whether you believe that or not is up to you."

Amais stared at him, processing the words. A regressor? This man must surely be insane, right?.

Amais let out a strained laugh. "Well, I met a vampire who called herself a hunter too, and she said she'd date me if I survived."

Tobi gave a small nod. "Oh, really? Well, good for you."

Amais raised an eyebrow, at the man's sincerity at his crazy story and laughed.

"I can't tell if you're lying or not. Prove it, would you please? Amais asked, his curiosity piqued.