The Fallen King And The Hunters

The mountain Hermit

The forest air was cold enough to sting Rylan’s lungs as he climbed the narrow path leading deeper into the mountains. He didn’t slow down. He couldn’t. Every second felt heavier than the last.

Someone out there was hunting Leah.

Someone out there remembered him.

And someone had sent that message—The name the world forgot.

Rylan didn’t know who to trust, but there was one person left on earth who might have answers. Someone who had vanished even deeper than he had.

The Mountain Hermit.

He reached the top of the ridge and stopped. A small wooden cabin sat alone on the edge of a cliff, smoke drifting lazily from its chimney. It looked peaceful, but Rylan knew better. Nothing about this man was peaceful.

Rylan stepped closer and knocked once.

No answer.

He knocked again, harder.

“Open the door,” Rylan called. “It’s me.”

A soft click echoed behind him. Not from the door—behind his back.

The unmistakable sound of a shotgun being c****d.

Rylan didn’t turn. “Still hiding behind my back, I see.”

A tired voice replied, “Still walking into traps, I see.”

Rylan let out a slow breath. “Put the gun down, Elijah. I’m not here for a fight.”

Elijah Cole—former strategist, former mentor, former ghost—circled around him with cautious steps. His hair was long and grey now, his eyes sharp but tired, his hands steady on the weapon.

“You shouldn’t have come here,” Elijah said.

“I didn’t have a choice,” Rylan answered.

Elijah studied him for a moment, then lowered the shotgun. “Inside. Before someone sees you.”

They entered the cabin. It was small, cluttered with maps, old newspapers, and radio equipment. Elijah locked the door and turned to face him directly.

“What do you want, Rylan?”

“I want the truth,” Rylan said. “Someone’s hunting me. Someone’s hunting a woman who doesn’t deserve any of this. And a voice called me last night telling me my life was erased on purpose.”

Elijah’s jaw tightened slightly, but he kept his expression calm. “Sit.”

“I’d rather stand.”

“You’re still stubborn,” Elijah muttered. “Fine. Talk.”

Rylan moved closer to the wall where a faded map of the country hung, lines crossing it like scars. “You knew something like this would happen. You warned me years ago. You told me they weren’t finished.”

“I also told you to stay hidden,” Elijah shot back.

“That didn’t work out,” Rylan said. “Someone found me.”

“That’s exactly the problem.” Elijah rubbed his temples. “Once they know you’re awake, everything changes.”

Rylan stepped closer. “Then tell me who ‘they’ are. Tell me why the world forgot my name. Tell me why Leah’s name is in a forbidden file she shouldn’t have access to.”

Elijah’s eyes went sharp. “Leah?”

Rylan didn’t flinch. “She’s the journalist who tried to uncover what happened that night. She’s the one who walked into my life uninvited. And now she’s on their list.”

Elijah leaned against the table, the weight of the situation settling in his shoulders. “They don’t target people without reason.”

“That’s why I’m here,” Rylan said firmly. “I need to know what I’m up against.”

Elijah was silent for a long moment. Then he spoke.

“Do you remember the Arena Project?”

Rylan’s heartbeat slowed. “Barely.”

“You were one of the strongest fighters they ever produced,” Elijah said. “You were the crown of that project. The Fallen King, they called you. The last champion before everything collapsed.”

Rylan swallowed. “And the Hunters?”

“They were the ones tracking the failures,” Elijah said. “The ones who didn’t obey. The ones like you.”

Rylan stared at him. “I left them.”

“You rebelled,” Elijah corrected. “You broke the rules they built you with. You walked out and they couldn’t control you anymore. That makes you dangerous.”

Rylan’s fists tightened. “So they erased me?”

“They made the world forget you existed,” Elijah sighed. “Every record. Every file. Every headline. The Fallen King vanished.”

“And now?” Rylan asked.

“They want you back under control. And if they can’t control you…” Elijah didn’t finish.

Rylan already knew the answer.

They would kill him.

Rylan let out a slow breath. “Then I’m not the only target.”

“No,” Elijah said. “Anyone close to you becomes a threat. Anyone who tries to uncover your story becomes disposable.”

Rylan stepped back. “Leah’s in danger because of me.”

“Leah’s in danger because she got too close,” Elijah corrected. “You just happened to be the trigger.”

Rylan shook his head. “This isn’t fair to her.”

“Nothing about you is fair,” Elijah said.

Silence filled the cabin, thick and cold.

Rylan finally spoke. “You said the Hunters. Who are they now? Who’s leading them?”

Elijah hesitated, then walked to a drawer. He removed a small metal tag—old, worn, scratched. A white emblem of a wolf carved into it.

“The Hunters haven’t changed,” Elijah said. “But their leader has.”

Rylan recognized the emblem instantly. His stomach turned.

“No,” Rylan whispered. “He’s dead.”

Elijah looked him in the eye. “You always believed that. You shouldn’t have.”

Rylan’s breath hitched. “You’re telling me—”

“Yes,” Elijah said softly. “The man hunting you… the man who erased you… the man who wants Leah dead…”

Elijah placed the emblem into Rylan’s hand.

“…is your former commander.”

Rylan stared at it. The weight of the metal was nothing compared to the weight in his chest.

His former commander. The man he trusted. The man who betrayed him. The man he once called—

“Don’t say his name,” Rylan warned, voice low.

“You need to face it,” Elijah said. “He’s alive. And he’s coming for you.”

Rylan’s jaw tightened. “Why tell me this now?”

“Because I can’t protect you anymore,” Elijah said. “And you can’t keep running. If you don’t confront him, he will destroy everything you touch.”

Rylan exhaled slowly. “Then tell me where he is.”

Elijah shook his head. “It doesn’t work like that. He’s not hiding. He’s moving. And when he moves—”

A loud beep broke the silence.

Elijah froze.

Rylan turned toward the radio on the table.

The signal light flashed red.

“What is that?” Rylan asked.

Elijah’s voice dropped. “Motion sensor.”

“Inside the cabin?” Rylan asked.

“Outside.” Elijah grabbed his shotgun. “Someone followed you.”

Rylan stepped to the window. The forest was quiet. Too quiet.

A faint glint flashed between the trees.

Rylan’s voice sharpened. “Sniper scope.”

Elijah cursed. “We need to move.”

But it was too late.

A bullet cut through the window—shattering the glass and burying itself in the wall inches from Rylan’s head.

Elijah shouted, “DOWN!”

Rylan dropped behind the table as another shot blasted through the cabin. Wood splintered. Papers flew everywhere.

“They’re already here,” Rylan shouted.

Elijah crawled toward the door. “There’s a tunnel under the floorboard. Move!”

More shots rained in, closer, faster. They were surrounding the cabin.

Rylan lifted the broken table and flipped it over to use as a shield. “Where does the tunnel lead?”

“To the cliff side,” Elijah said. “It’s hidden.”

“Good,” Rylan replied. “They won’t expect us to jump.”

Elijah froze. “Hold on—jump?”

Rylan smirked. “You’re the one who taught me the fall won’t kill me if the water’s deep enough.”

Elijah groaned. “I regret that lesson every day.”

The door suddenly shook violently—someone was trying to break in.

Rylan moved fast. He ripped open the floorboard Elijah had pointed at. A narrow tunnel appeared, dark and cold.

Elijah shouted, “Go!”

“You first,” Rylan ordered.

“I’m not leaving you—”

Another bullet tore through the wall, barely missing Elijah.

Rylan grabbed his shoulder and pushed him into the tunnel. “Move!”

They slid down the narrow passage, the sound of gunfire echoing above them.

The tunnel dropped sharply, and light appeared at the end. They burst through a thin wooden panel and stumbled onto the cliff side.

The wind roared around them.

Elijah looked over the edge. “This is insane.”

Rylan replied calmly, “We don’t have time to argue.”

Footsteps pounded in the tunnel behind them.

Rylan grabbed Elijah’s arm. “Jump on three.”

Elijah swallowed. “This wasn’t the plan.”

“It is now.”

The footsteps grew louder.

Rylan whispered, “One… two…”

The panel behind them exploded open.

“…THREE!”

They leapt.

Cold air tore past him. The drop was fast. The river below rushed up to meet them.

Elijah yelled something Rylan didn’t hear.

The water slammed into him like a wall, dragging him under. He kicked hard, rising to the surface.

Elijah surfaced beside him, coughing. “I hate you.”

“You’re welcome,” Rylan said.

Voices shouted on the cliff above.

“They’ll track us,” Elijah warned.

“They already did,” Rylan replied. “But now they’ll have to do it on my terms.”

Elijah turned to him. “Rylan… what are you planning?”

Rylan’s eyes hardened.

“They want the Fallen King back?”

He swam toward the riverbank, determination burning through him like fire.

“Then I guess it’s time I return.”

But before he reached the shore, something cold touched his spine.

A laser dot.

Red. Bright.

On his back.

Elijah froze. “Rylan… don’t move…”

Rylan slowly lifted his head toward the cliffside.

A figure stood at the edge—dark coat, steady posture, rifle aimed directly at him. The wind pushed his coat back, revealing the symbol on his chest.

The wolf.

The Hunters.

The figure tilted his head slightly, acknowledging Rylan with the chilling calm of a predator.

And then he spoke, his voice drifting down the mountain like a ghost from Rylan’s past.

“Hello, King.”

Rylan’s blood ran cold.

The commander had found him.