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Chapter 20|The Reckoning Begins

Chapter 20: 20|The Reckoning Begins

The re-evaluation chamber felt smaller this time, or maybe Allen had simply grown used to occupying more space in the world than he used to. The same evaluator from weeks ago greeted him with visible surprise the moment she pulled up his file, gaze flicking between the tablet and Allen with poorly concealed disbelief.

"Mr. Veton," she said slowly. "It’s been three weeks since your last evaluation."

"I’m aware," Allen said, allowing himself a small, tired smile. "Let’s see what changed."

He placed his hand against the crystal pedestal, and this time, the reaction was immediate and unmistakable — the entire chamber flooding with brilliant light as the crystal’s hum rose to a pitch Allen hadn’t heard during his first evaluation, energy readings spiking across the evaluator’s tablet fast enough that she actually took a half-step back.

"That’s—" She stared at the screen, then at him, then back at the screen. "Mr. Veton, this reading is registering B-rank baseline, with a secondary energy signature that’s grown considerably more pronounced since your last visit. I need to call in a senior evaluator to confirm this properly."

"Take your time," Allen said, though the quiet satisfaction in his chest was hard to fully suppress.

The senior evaluator, once summoned, spent nearly twenty minutes running additional scans, muttering under her breath about anomalous growth curves and impossible bloodline resonance patterns, before finally setting her tablet down with an expression somewhere between professional composure and genuine astonishment.

"Official classification," she said, "B-rank, ability: Rare, Precision Throw, with confirmed Rare-tier Fire Drake bloodline and dormant Verdant Affinity bloodline actively present." She glanced up at him. "Mr. Veton, in twenty-two years as a certified evaluator, I have never personally witnessed a jump from F-rank to B-rank within a three-week window. The Association’s research division may want to speak with you regarding this anomaly."

"I’ll consider it," Allen said, already anticipating exactly how that conversation would need to be carefully managed.

---

Halden received the news with the same quiet, satisfied gleam Allen had come to recognize from their previous meetings, leaning back in his office chair with genuine, unguarded interest.

"B-rank," he repeated, testing the words. "From F-rank, in three weeks, alongside a full active party of former S-rank and A-rank Hunters now cleared for unrestricted rift access." He shook his head slowly, something like admiration flickering behind his composed exterior. "You understand, Hunter Veton, that this puts you and your party in a rather unique position within this city’s Hunter hierarchy."

"I’m starting to get that impression," Allen admitted.

"The top five guilds," Halden continued, "have spent decades treating each other as the only real competition worth acknowledging. A sixth party, independently formed, growing at a rate that defies every established precedent, led by a man the Veton family publicly disowned as worthless—" He allowed himself a faint, knowing smile. "That’s the kind of story that reshapes an entire industry’s assumptions, given enough time."

"Is that a warning or an endorsement?" Allen asked carefully.

"Both," Halden said honestly. "Growth this rapid attracts attention, Hunter Veton. Not all of it will be friendly. The top guilds didn’t reach their positions by welcoming disruption gracefully." His expression sharpened slightly. "But you’ll also find, I suspect, that you now have considerably more allies willing to stand publicly beside you than you did three weeks ago. Myself included, for whatever that’s worth."

"It’s worth quite a lot, actually," Allen said, and meant it.

---

Across the city, in a considerably more opulent office within Veton Guild headquarters, Edward stood rigid before his father’s desk, jaw clenched tight enough to ache, while Reginald hovered nearby with none of his usual smug composure.

"B-rank," Edward’s father repeated, voice dangerously quiet, eyes fixed on the evaluation report now sitting between them. "The boy we discarded as an embarrassment jumped from F-rank to B-rank in three weeks, and your response was to orchestrate a livestream sabotage that instead broadcast his party’s competence to millions of viewers."

"Father, I—"

"Silence." The elder Veton’s voice cracked like a whip, and Edward fell quiet immediately, golden confidence entirely absent in his father’s presence. "The Association president has publicly aligned himself with Fallen Crown. Three other guild leaders have already inquired about potential alliance opportunities with your brother’s party, presumably hoping to capitalize on whatever anomaly is fueling this growth before the top five guilds fully register the threat." He leaned forward, expression cold and calculating. "You were supposed to ensure Allen remained irrelevant, Edward. Instead, you’ve inadvertently made him the single most interesting story in this city’s Hunter circles."

Reginald cleared his throat carefully. "If I may, sir. Perhaps a more... direct approach is warranted, going forward. Subtlety has clearly proven insufficient."

The elder Veton’s gaze shifted toward the window, toward the distant, glittering skyline beyond which Hegeville sat quietly, unremarkably, hosting a growing threat none of them had properly anticipated.

"Find out what’s fueling his growth," he said finally, voice cold with quiet, deliberate calculation. "Whatever anomaly the evaluators detected, whatever advantage he’s stumbled into, I want it identified and neutralized. Quietly, this time. No more livestreamed embarrassments." His gaze flicked briefly, dismissively, toward his eldest son. "And Edward — should you fail to correct this situation soon, I may need to reconsider which of my sons actually deserves the Veton name going forward."

Edward’s jaw tightened further, humiliation and fury warring visibly behind his golden eyes, but he said nothing, merely bowing stiffly before retreating from the office, Reginald trailing silently behind him.

---

Back in Hegeville, unaware of the storm quietly gathering against him within his own former family’s walls, Allen sat surrounded by his wives in the warm, flickering light of the hearth, Ashfall Talons resting on the table beside a fresh stack of B-rank rift assignments Myria had already begun sorting through with practiced efficiency.

"Bigger dungeons," she said, tablet glowing softly in her lap. "Higher risk, higher reward. If we’re serious about this growth continuing, we need to start thinking beyond E and D-rank rifts entirely."

"Bring it on," Irene said, grinning fiercely, flames flickering eagerly at her fingertips. "I’ve been waiting weeks for something that actually makes me sweat a little."

Everlyn nodded in quiet agreement, notepad already tucked away for once, simply content to lean against Allen’s side in the warm firelight. Vivian sat close on his other side, head tilted thoughtfully, already parsing through strategic possibilities with quiet, focused intensity.

Allen glanced around at all four of them, at the life they’d slowly, carefully built together out of a marriage that had begun as nothing more than convenient disposal, and felt something steady and certain settle into place.

’They called us outcasts,’ he thought, echoing words that felt more true now than ever. ’Let’s see how long that lasts.’