Chapter 124: [THROBBING HEAD]

’I feel like my head’s splitting.’

Every pulse of Eli’s heart slammed against his skull like a hammer.

His arms burned where thin streams of blood still leaked from the shallow cuts, warm trails slipping down to his fingertips.

His throat was raw, scraped and bruised from Mio’s chokehold, but the searing fire had dulled to a deep, throbbing ache.

Breathing was easier now—but not easy.

Each inhale rattled through his chest like broken glass.

The reprieve lasted seconds.

With a sharp snap, Mio’s threads surged again, slicing forward in a storm of silver.

They hissed through the cavern air, every strand angled mercilessly at Eli.

His pulse spiked, panic clawing up his chest. But he didn’t need to shout. He didn’t even need to move.

Kairo was already in motion.

“Oh, come on,” Eli heard him mutter under his breath—low, unimpressed, like Mio’s persistence was less terrifying and more annoying.

Crimson light flared.

Kairo pivoted sharply, boots splashing over slick stone, sword cutting in a smooth, merciless arc.

Threads that should have skewered Eli dissolved into fragments, their severed ends sparking scarlet before fading into nothing.

Carrying Eli in one arm, Kairo didn’t falter. Not once. His blade sang through the cavern in sweeping arcs of light, every stroke precise, every cut intentional.

Each thread that dared come close was shredded into harmless ribbons.

Then, with a flex of his legs, he vaulted them upward.

The cavern shuddered as Kairo landed on a jagged ledge jutting out from the wall. Stone cracked under the weight, wet gravel scattering into the water below.

But his balance never broke, his stance steady as if the uneven terrain had bent to him instead of the other way around.

Eli clung to him, chest still rattling with shallow breaths.

Kairo’s black eyes scanned the darkness, sharp, unblinking—searching not just for threads, but for the hand pulling them.

“Is that the best you can do, Mio?” His voice was calm, almost bored, scarlet aura flickering along his blade. “You’re smarter than this.”

Eli blinked hard, forcing his blurry gaze to follow, but the cavern betrayed him. The shadows were too thick, swallowing everything whole.

Without his flashlight, he saw only faint ripples on the black water and the dull shimmer of scarlet bleeding from Kairo’s weapon.

His fists clenched weakly. Frustration welled, heavy and sharp.

’I can’t even see. I can’t help. And my fucking head—’

Pain stabbed through his skull like a knife. Eli flinched, groaning as his danger sense roared, flooding his nerves with agony.

His body acted before his mind did—fingers digging into Kairo’s sleeve, knuckles pale as his whole frame trembled.

’It’s too much. Way too much.’

The warning was jagged, unstable. Not steady like usual. Not a clear arrow pointing at a trap, a monster, or a distant threat.

It all radiated from Mio.

Blinding. Suffocating. A torrent of intent so heavy Eli thought his body might collapse under it.

He pressed his palm to his temple, teeth gritted as his vision swam. ’This… this doesn’t make sense. Mio’s dangerous, yes, but not like this. Not this much. Not to this degree. This isn’t him. This can’t just be him.’

And in that choking haze of fear, something clicked.

Kairo was right.

’He really must be being controlled by something… but what the fuck is it? And how is it making Mio radiate so much killing intent?’

Eli’s lips trembled, words catching in his raw throat. “…Kairo… my head…”

Below them, threads cracked against stone, lashing wildly.

Each strike sparked bright against the cavern walls, the flashes lighting Mio’s face in fragments—his features twisted, almost monstrous, his fury unnatural.

Kairo didn’t answer immediately.

He shifted his stance, boots grinding against wet stone as he carried Eli a step further along the ledge, putting more distance between them and the storm below.

Only then did he turn his head, black eyes cutting through the gloom to meet Eli’s.

“What’s wrong?”

“My head hurts… the danger level is… too much.” Eli’s voice cracked, breaking under the strain as both hands clamped around his head.

His nails dug into his scalp, desperate to claw the pain out.

Even with his eyes screwed shut, the faint shimmer of Kairo’s blade was torture.

Every glint of scarlet burned like firebrands against his eyelids, stabbing through his skull.

Each ripple of sound in the cavern—water dripping, stone groaning—landed like hammers inside his brain.

’Make it stop—just make it stop.’

“It’s that bad?” Kairo’s voice was calm, steady, but not empty. There was something else in it this time, faint but real—concern.

Eli wanted to laugh, but his throat could only release a choked groan.

’Very, super, fucking bad,’ he thought, grinding his teeth as he gave the smallest nod. His head tipped forward, burying deeper into his trembling hands. ’Worst pain of my fucking life.’

But the throbbing didn’t relent. It only grew heavier, louder, each beat of his heart pounding against his skull like a war drum.

His danger sense wasn’t guiding him anymore—no clear arcs of warning, no steady map of intent.

It was gone.

All that was left was raw agony.

Just pain.

Just danger.

“It seems little Elione Noa Ahn’s having a really hard time, Captain.”

The voice cut through like a serrated edge.

Mocking.

Sharp.

Mio’s laughter echoed through the cavern, bouncing off stone in warped tones.

He stood below them, silver threads writhing around his silhouette like a nest of serpents, each one twitching and sparking with restless hunger.

His grin twisted, too wide, eyes lit with unnatural fury.

“It doesn’t matter if I don’t even touch him,” he drawled, lifting one hand lazily.

Threads snapped outward with the motion, slashing harmlessly at stone just to punctuate his words. “We both know what happens when a hunter’s ability gets pushed too far.”

Eli froze.

The words hit like ice water down his spine.

’Overuse… limit—’

His stomach twisted violently.

He’d been so consumed by the overload that the thought hadn’t even crossed his mind.

Kairo’s body went rigid beneath him, the faint shift of tension rolling through his frame.

Even he hadn’t considered it—hadn’t connected what Eli’s condition meant.

Mio’s grin widened, his threads curling tighter around his hands like coiled serpents. His voice came soft, venom dripping from every syllable.

“I can feel the tension. You both forgot, didn’t you?”

He tilted his head, eyes glowing with unhinged delight.

“A hunter’s limit.”

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