The Celestial Hunt

CH6 Celestial Game Hunt

Chapter 6: The Eyes of the Celestial

Yuuto stood frozen on the rooftop, the cold night air prickling his skin. Below, the city lights flickered like stars, but all he could focus on was the glowing mark that had appeared on his wrist. It shimmered faintly, the same symbol that adorned the Celestial Hunt app’s interface.

"The Eyes of the Celestial have marked you," Lyra said quietly behind him. Her voice was soft, distant, almost afraid. "It means you're now being watched."

"By who? The system? The gods?"

"By those who govern this world from behind the veil," she replied. "The Celestials."

Yuuto turned to face her, his heart pounding. Lyra looked different tonight—the usual cool confidence in her eyes had dimmed. She was tense, hands clenched at her sides, as if expecting something terrible to happen.

"Why now?" he asked. "Why me?"

"Because you unlocked Status View," she said. "That skill may seem minor now, but it's the first step to seeing through illusions. It makes you a threat."

Yuuto looked down at his phone, where the app showed his newly acquired skill: Status View Lv.1. It allowed him to analyze others, detect lies, and even glimpse hidden aspects of a person’s soul. It had activated earlier that day when he confronted his university advisor—a man who had lied to him repeatedly. The truth had flashed red on the screen, undeniable.

He shivered. It felt like too much power for someone like him.

"I didn’t ask for any of this," he muttered.

Lyra stepped closer. "None of us did. But now you have to make a choice. You can run from this, or you can embrace what you’ve become."

He studied her face. There was more she wasn’t saying, a weight behind her words.

"Have you been marked too?"

She hesitated. Then nodded. "A long time ago. That’s why I was chosen as a guide. But now that you've been marked, it changes everything."

Suddenly, the rooftop trembled. A low hum echoed through the air, as if the city itself had taken a breath. Yuuto instinctively drew the dagger he’d been awarded from his last quest—a Celestial relic.

Out of the darkness, a figure emerged—a man cloaked in shadows, his eyes a piercing gold. A Celestial Hunter.

"Yuuto Kamizaki," the hunter said, his voice like wind over broken glass. "You've gained more attention than you deserve. The Order of Balance cannot allow this."

"Back off," Lyra growled, stepping between them. Her own aura flared, wings of light briefly flashing behind her.

The hunter raised a hand. "Do not interfere, Lyra. This is between him and the Balance."

Yuuto felt the weight of that moment press against his chest. The fear, the adrenaline, the scream of his instincts telling him to run. But he didn’t. Not this time.

"I’m not afraid of you," he said, voice steady. "I’ve seen your kind. You act like you protect balance, but all you do is silence threats."

The hunter smiled faintly. "So you do understand. Good. Then prepare yourself."

The rooftop exploded into motion. The hunter surged forward, a blade of energy in hand. Yuuto barely blocked with his dagger, sparks erupting on contact. Lyra attacked from the side, wings blazing, but the hunter spun, deflecting both with supernatural grace.

Yuuto activated Status View mid-fight. The hunter’s stats were overwhelming, but there—a weak point. A fracture in his energy flow, near the left rib.

He lunged, feinted, then struck—and his blade connected.

The hunter staggered back, stunned. "You..."

Lyra capitalized on the moment, unleashing a beam of starlight that sent the hunter crashing into the far wall. But he vanished before impact, fading like mist.

Silence returned.

Yuuto collapsed to one knee, breathing hard.

Lyra crouched beside him. "That wasn’t a victory. It was a warning."

"Then I’ll send one back," Yuuto said. He looked at his wrist, the glowing mark pulsing stronger now. "They want to hunt me? Let them. I’m not the same person I was yesterday."

He rose slowly, back straight.

"I’m going to break their balance."

And the stars above trembled.