Oh Hunter My Hunter

"Prove it to you."

Tobi muttered to himself, uncertain of how to convince the young man before him.

"Well, I beat a god. Isn't that good enough proof?"

He said honestly, raising his hand as flames erupted from his palm. Amias watched in awe. Tobi looked like an ordinary man: black hair, dark brown eyes, pale skin. Nothing about him stood out. He wasn't particularly handsome, nor did he seem wealthy. But the fact that this seemingly average guy had tackled a god into a lake while engulfed in flames and now stood completely unharmed made him anything but ordinary.

"So, by beating that fire guy, you got his powers? But, um, you're a regressor too? From the future? So you're like a protagonist in a book."

Amias asked slowly, piecing together what he had just witnessed. The flames, the talk of regression, the sheer impossibility of it all.

"Yes, exactly like that. Though, to be honest, it's like I'm piecing myself together, solving a puzzle. Two versions of me are colliding. It's an extremely confusing situation, and to say I'm the protagonist might be an overstatement."

Tobi extinguished the flames with a flick of his wrist. Amias was still amazed, but his focus shifted to something more pressing. He had a goal. He wanted to find a certain girl, and if this insane, fire-wielding regressor could help, he was willing to follow him, even if the logical part of his mind screamed otherwise.

"So, um… could I follow you then?"

Amias asked, uncertainty laced in his voice. Was it really a good idea to trust someone like this? Tobi, on the other hand, seemed surprised by the request.

"Why do you want to follow me?"

After all, they had just met. They knew nothing about each other. But given the state of the world, where hellish creatures roamed the earth, trusting another human, no matter how strange, didn't seem absurd so Tobi shrugged.

"If you want."

And just like that, they became a party of two: Amias Walker and Tobi, the mad hunter, walking aimlessly across this twisted, hellish world.

'A new party member added. Hooray.'

Amias thought to himself, glancing at the enigmatic hunter beside him.

"So, um, you said you were a hunter. What exactly is that? Because the vampire said the same thing."

Amias asked, curiosity getting the better of him.

"Oh, well, she's probably a hunter for food if she's a vampire. Meanwhile, I'm a bit more complicated. But you'll see what I mean in the future."

Tobi answered vaguely, which only made Amias more curious.

"Oh, also, how old are you, regressor?"

Amias asked, looking at Tobi being curious about the so-called regresser's age. Tobi pondered the question for several moments before responding.

"Right now, I'm 17. In a few months, I'll be 18. But mentally, I'm far, far older than that. Though I can't say for sure how old."

He admitted, withholding his real age, whatever that was. But now, Tobi had a question of his own.

"So, why exactly do you like this vampire woman?"

Tobi asked curiously. To him, Amias was just a boy and mentally he was but ironically, in reality, Amias was actually older than him.

"Oh, well, um… you know, it's just. she saved me, and, well, um, y-you know, um, yeah. She was really pretty and nice, and yeah."

Amias stammered, his face heating up. The more he thought about it, the weirder he felt. Wasn't it a little odd to be so infatuated with someone he had just met? But it wasn't his fault, right?

Oh god.

He groaned internally as realization reached his face and looking down, he felt embarrassed. Was he a creep? Tobi noticed his shift in mood and decided to steer the conversation elsewhere.

"Well, do you have any other questions?"

Tobi asked casually.

"Oh, yeah. Actually, what happened to the fire god guy?"

Amias asked, trying to sound nonchalant despite his lingering embarrassment.

"Oh, he's inside of me. I took him into my soul."

Tobi replied as if it were the most normal thing in the world. Amias blinked, taken aback.

Huh.

He thought for a moment, trying to process it.

"He's inside of your soul?"

Amias asked again, just to make sure he had heard correctly.

"Yes. He's inside my soul."

Tobi repeated, as matter-of-fact as ever.

What the hell does that mean? Am I going to die,? Amias wondered, unsure.

"So, um… is he going to try and kill us if he escapes or something?"

Amias asked, his casual tone hiding the fact that he was inwardly panicking.

That thing was a god, right? That had to mean something, right?

"Don't worry about it. He can't escape from me. He's far too weak right now. Though I can feel his retaliation. he's making my whole body feel as though I'm burning alive. But as you can see, the opposite is happening. My physical abilities have improved thanks to the Lord of Flame. He is a god, no doubt, but he made the mistake of challenging Fate. Now, he's just a shell of his former self. And since we have similar goals, I doubt he'll hate me for too long. Eventually, this burning sensation will fade."

Tobi explained, both vague and honest at the same time. Amias remained confused but didn't press further. He still wasn't sure if Tobi was insane or not, but for now, he decided to go along with it.

"So, how much weaker has he become?"

Amias asked, intrigued.

"Well, if the Lord of Flame were in his prime, he could rival the sun."

Tobi answered seriously, then smiled brightly.

"But luckily for us, he wasn't, was he?"

Amias shuddered at the thought. He imagined the earth burning, the screams of people rising into the air, merging with the crackling of flames in a terrible symphony of pain and suffering. The mere idea sent chills down his spine.

"So, you knew the god of fire then? Since you know how strong he is. Just how strong are you?"

Amias asked, narrowing his eyes at Tobi.

"I don't recall. I'm still trying to remember who I am, so I don't know my own strength. But I do know the Lord of Flame. He was my first ally when this nightmare began."

Tobi admitted.

"So he's a friend and won't do anything bad to Earth, right?"

Amias asked cautiously.

"Oh, of course not. As I said before, even if he escaped, he's far too weak right now. Besides, we'll get stronger too. After all, you have a girl to impress, right?"

Tobi teased, making Amias cough in embarrassment before nodding. He had plenty more questions, but they would have to wait.

The ground trembled beneath them. Something stirred.

The nightmare was far from over.