Gacha Harem System

The carriage rattled as it moved through the streets of Havenhart, and Skye watched the city pass by through the window without really seeing it.

Lukas Valentine’s words had found somewhere to land inside her that she hadn’t expected them to.

She had walked into that office prepared for deflection, nervousness, and maybe a few small tells that she knew guilty people produced when confronted.

She knew them by heart, having grown among negotiations over large amounts of money.

That slight delay an honest businessman had before answering when he felt guilty about whatever price he quoted.

There was the overly careful word choice some used when trying to pull you into a scam deal.

And of course, the eyes that moved around and avoided eye contact when they were afraid of being caught.

She had not been prepared for someone to sit across from her and say, plainly and without flinching, that they were glad Kylo was dead.

The audacity of it had almost made her act. But the words themselves had done something else entirely.

Of course, she hadn’t known.

When Kylo had failed to return from his hunting trip, with three hired C-rank Awakeners and not a single one of them accounted for, she’d handled the investigation herself.

The official conclusion had been probable murder. After all, the odds of a team that capable simply disappearing from an accident were low. Not impossible, but low enough that foul play was the working assumption.

What the investigation had also produced, quietly and without her looking for it, was a portrait of her younger brother that she had not recognized at first.

The list of people who had grievances with Kylo had been longer than she expected. Much longer.

Academy classmates, and even younger students. People whose names meant nothing to her who had apparently meant something to Kylo as targets.

The pattern that emerged from the accounts was consistent and difficult to dismiss.

She’d spent the days since then sitting with that information.

He was her brother. She’d grown up with him, defended him, and assumed that the arrogance was a phase that would smooth out as he matured and took on real responsibility.

She had believed that because it was easier than the alternative.

But there was a tiny and hidden part of her that was glad Kylo was dead.

That part of her acknowledged that Kylo’s death had closed a door that might otherwise have opened onto something worse.

Bad behavior at academy age had a tendency to scale. And when he committed even worse crimes, the family name would have been tarnished as a result.

And it would affect their business.

The carriage stopped.

She stepped out and walked into their family mansion, walking through the entrance hall without stopping to admire the paintings hanging on the wall.

Just as she’d expected, her father was waiting in the main room.

He sat in his chair with his back straight and his expression composed, but she knew his face well enough to see what he was hiding beneath the composure.

The grief was there, stuffed somewhere deep down in his chest, and controlled through the same discipline that controlled everything else about him.

The death had struck him in a place he hadn’t fully acknowledged yet.

He looked up at her. "The lead?"

Skye was quiet for a moment.

Then she shook her head. "It was a dead end. The young man had a grudge. That much is clear from his academy records and the accounts of people who knew them both."

"But there’s nothing connecting him to anyone else or to Kylo’s disappearance. He did hunt outside the city on that same day, but so did a lot of suspects." She paused. "I don’t believe he’s involved."

Her father sat there, turning her answer over in silence.

Skye hesitated. "There is another possibility we haven’t fully considered."

She chose her words with care. "Kylo may have pushed for a more dangerous zone than his team was equipped for. An encounter they weren’t prepared for."

Her father’s expression darkened, then he came out of the chair.

"Impossible." The word came out in a low growl. "Kylo would never overestimate himself like that. Never."

His eyes hardened. "Investigate further. Leave nothing unexamined."

She held his gaze for a moment, then inclined her head. "Yes, Father."

She turned and left the room.

Behind her, the silence of a grieving man filled the room once more.

Kylo was gone, but the shadow he cast over the family had not left with him.

***

The white light faded, and Lukas found himself standing in a cave.

The dungeon’s entrance hall was wide and with a low ceiling. The walls were rough and dark, the air carrying the cool dampness of somewhere deep underground.

Four openings led away from the hall in different directions, each one disappearing into darkness after a few meters.

Lukas picked one at random and ran.

The timer was already ticking downwards at the corner of his vision, reminding him of his quest.

He’d been running for ten seconds when the Zipper Bear appeared around the bend ahead.

He tried to go around it, hugging the left wall and using his speed to create the angle he needed.

But the bear was faster than he’d accounted for, its body shifting to cut him off, and he clipped its shoulder on the way past.

The bear stumbled sideways from the contact, while Lukas hit the cave wall.

The impact broke a few rocks loose, clattering to the ground around him. His side stung, but he was already on his feet before the last stone fell.

The bear came at him, and he went forward to meet it.

He ducked under the bear’s attack, his sword opening both forearms as the claws passed over his head.

The bear roared and lunged with its remaining momentum, and he stepped inside its reach, driving his sword through the base of its skull.

The beast dropped dead, but he paid it no mind, continuing his run.

Zipper Bears were fast. Faster than they looked and faster than felt fair for something their size. He would need to stay sharp or the speed differential would cost him time he didn’t have.

He continued running deeper into the cave network, following the widest passages, assuming the boss room would be somewhere with a lot of space.

He rounded a corner and stopped.

There was a small hall up ahead, and waiting there were four Zipper Bears, blocking the only route forward completely.

He looked at them, then at the timer.

It was better for him to fight them here than with the boss.

So he went in.