Summary: A secret mission into the N109 Zone goes as unplanned when the hunter crosses paths with Onychinus’s elusive leader, Sylus.
It starts with a tense meeting, igniting an undeniable pull, an ancient, dangerous connection she doesn't understand, but is deeply drawn to.
Drawn together by prophecy and their own magnetic pull, they navigate attraction, deadly threats, and the constant clash between the life of Linkon’s light and the Zone’s shadow.
As feelings deepen and secrets unravel, she must decide how far she’s willing to go for the man who would risk everything to keep her close.
FAST BURN Sylus/MC romance with canon-compliant characterization of Sylus: teasing, morally gray, and deeply devoted, bantery and fluffy with MC, along with some head canon ideas since they are left to interpretation (I tried my best).
Resonance bond dynamics, action, angst, romance and intimacy.
CW: Will have fluff and tons of angst as well. Will include eventual pregnancy. It is Mature rated as it includes sexual themes and situations that sometimes will skirt the line to explicit depending on who you might ask.
Note: I took canon events and myths and spinned then my own way, took some liberties with his evol mostly, but it is all how I imagine his evol would work.
Also, yes, I made him teleport, and he will be a only MC kind of lover in this lifetime, no romance or anything prior, but a lot of research for it.
English is not my first language so I apologize for any mistake you find.
(Not BETA read, just me winging it and growing a tiny idea I had as I go) Constructive criticism allowed :)
Chapter 1&2 below, enjoy if reading and feel free to give me your thoughts.
The moment I crossed into the N109 Zone, the air changed. Linkon City’s clean lines and bright lights felt like another world entirely, this place was all jagged edges, flickering neon, and the constant hum of danger. I’d slipped away from Hunter HQ without telling anyone, ignoring every rule in the book.
There had been so many mentions of Onychinus trafficking modified Protocores that could shift the balance against the Wanderers, but there was something else in those whispers: a name tied to the Zone’s most dangerous man, a known killer, a mercenary.
I needed answers, and I wasn’t leaving without them. I needed to know why he killed them. I wanted closure, maybe even revenge. I asked anyone that could give me information, coming up empty.
After that, I moved through the alleys in full tactical gear, hood up, keeping to the shadows. The streets crawled with dealers peddling black-market resonators and desperate souls chasing the next high. My core stirred restlessly in my chest, the same unstable pulse that had lingered since the Chronorift catastrophe years ago, but I forced it down, because calling attention to yourself here was a death sentence and I had done plenty of that already.
A low, guttural growl cut through the fog ahead. I froze, it was a wanderer, not one of the smaller ones either, an Alpha variant, massive and armored, its carapace pulsing with corrupted energy. It burst from a derelict warehouse, mandibles dripping venom, eyes glowing like fractured rubies. I rolled to the side as it charged, drawing my pistol and firing a burst of rounds. The shots cracked its hide, but the damage knit itself back together almost instantly.
I cursed under my breath and ducked behind a stack of crates, reloading as fast as I could. I pulled out my blade, instead and lunged, slashing a deep gash across its flank. Black blood sprayed, but the beast was faster than I expected. Its claw caught me mid-turn, slamming me hard against the warehouse wall. Pain exploded through my ribs, and my vision blurred. The Wanderer reared back, ready to finish me.
Then, everything stopped.
A ripple passed through the air, like reality itself had hiccupped, the wanderer froze, its body disintegrating into swirling crimson motes that rose and vanished. Energy manipulation, it was clean, precise, and terrifyingly powerful.
I pushed myself up, gasping, pistol raised toward the shadows where the attack had come from. Slow, deliberate footsteps echoed closer until a man stepped into the dim light.
He was tall, broad-shouldered and effortlessly commanding. Silver-white hair fell messily over piercing crimson eyes, and a long black coat hung from his shoulders like a cape. His shirt was unbuttoned just enough to reveal toned muscle and faint scars. A red crow brooch glinted at his collar. He looked amused, lips curved into a faint, knowing smirk.
“Careless, kitten,” he said, his voice a low, velvety drawl that sent an unexpected shiver down my spine. “Wandering into my territory alone.”
My grip tightened on the pistol.
I recognized his voice from that recording that came out when we were investigating the murder of that Ever researcher, so I knew he was bad news.
He tilted his head, the right eye flickering with a subtle red glow.
“Sylus, and you’re the Hunter who’s been asking too many questions. Brave. Reckless. Intriguing.”
Onychinus. Sylus was the boss himself. Every file I’d read flashed through my mind: The only person to ever escape Tartarus, the space-time prison, unkillable, ruler of the N109 Zone.
I took a cautious step back, fully aware of how dangerous he was.
“I didn’t need your help.”
His soft laugh was dark and warm.
“That bruise on your ribs suggests otherwise.”
Before I could react, he closed the distance in a blur, his fingers gently tilting my chin to inspect the damage. His touch was light, almost careful, but something electric passed between us, my core reacting to his proximity in a way it never had before.
My instincts took over after that.
I snapped my wrist up, breaking his hold, and drove my elbow toward his throat. He leaned back just enough to avoid it, but I was already moving, spinning low, drawing my combat blade in a silver arc aimed straight for his ribs. The edge caught the edge of his coat, slicing clean through fabric and grazing the skin beneath. A thin line of crimson bloomed across his side.
He hissed. more surprised than hurt and caught my wrist mid-follow-through, twisting just enough to pin my arm. In the same motion, he shoved backwards, slamming my back against the warehouse wall with controlled force. My shoulders hit brick hard enough to knock the breath from my lungs.
He laughed, deep, controlled, mocking "Is this how you greet a new friend?...I guess you don't remember anything" he said.
But I didn’t respond, or flinch. My free hand snapped up, blade still in my grip, pressing the point just under his jaw.
For a heartbeat, we were frozen like that, my blade kissing his throat, his hand locked around my wrist, our faces inches apart. His crimson eyes burned into mine, pupils blown wide with something that looked dangerously close to hunger.
“Not bad, kitten,” he murmured, voice rougher now, lips almost brushing mine. “You actually drew blood again”
I pressed the blade a fraction harder. A single bead of red welled up and slid down the edge.
“Next time I won’t graze,” I said, voice steady despite the adrenaline screaming through my veins.
His smirk returned,slow, wicked, and entirely too pleased before he chuckled.
He released my wrist but didn’t step back. Instead, he leaned in until our foreheads nearly touched, the heat of him searing against my skin. My core pulsed again, wild, hungry, wrong and I hated how much I wanted to close the distance.
“Come with me" he said, almost a dare as he stepped back"Unless you’d prefer to wait for the next wanderer.”
I should have refused, should have fought.Should have driven the blade home. Instead, I lowered the knife. Those crimson eyes held something ancient, something that tugged at memories I didn’t fully understand, so, against every instinct, I followed him.
He led me to a dimly lit bar buried deeper in the Zone, the kind of place where the patrons parted for him without a word. We settled into a private corner booth bathed in red light. A glass of whiskey appeared in front of me without either of us ordering.
I sat across from him, trying to ignore the ache in my side. “What do you want from me?”
Sylus leaned back, one arm draped along the back of the booth, completely at ease.
“Impatience looks good on you, kitten.” He took a slow sip of his drink, eyes never leaving mine. “Let’s call it a trade. Information for… safe prisoner passage.”
“I will give you nothing...and I am not your prisoner.”
“Not yet,” he said, smirk deepening. “But the Zone devours the unprepared. Drink. You fought well out there...almost beautifully.”
I glared but took the glass anyway, the whiskey burned going down, warming me from the inside out.
“Stop acting like you’re doing me a favor. I came here for Onychinus. Josephine, you ever hear that name?”
He was the one responsible for their death after all.
For a split second, something unreadable flickered across his face. Recognition? Regret? It was gone before I could be sure.
“Old names surface here all the time. Drink more. Relax.”
The alcohol was hitting harder than expected, even with my reluctance to be near him, I found it loosened the tension in my shoulders.
One moment we were sitting across from each other, and the next, He was sitting close, too close, his scent of leather and dark cherries wrapping around me. When his fingers brushed my wrist, I looked at his now glowing eye and that strange jolt coming from my core flared again, stronger this time. Heat pooled low in my belly, and flashes danced at the edges of my vision: endless darkness, wings of fire, a blade against crimson.
A voice in my head manifested itself right then.
Devour him. Gain the power you have always dreamed of. Kill him. Take what's yours.
A sharp caw broke the spell, right as I was going for my gun. A sleek mechanical crow landed on the back of the booth, red eyes glowing. At the same time, he got a call.
“Boss, Trouble at the docks.” was all I managed to hear.
Sylus sighed dramatically, but his eyes gleamed with anticipation.
“Duty calls.” He stood, coat swirling like wings, but paused to lean in close. His breath ghosted over my ear, voice dropping to a husky whisper. “Stay near me tonight or don’t. Either way, I’ll find you.”
I ended up following him into the night without thinking twice.
The docks were chaos, gunfire, shouts, the stench of rust and saltwater. Some other crew ambushed an Onychinus shipment, and they weren’t holding back. I took cover behind crates, and somehow ended up getting roped into participating, returning fire while Sylus moved like a storm of crimson energy, dismantling men with terrifying efficiency.
One of the attackers broke through, knife raised toward me. Before I could react, Sylus was there, appearing in a blur, standing in front of me and crushing the man’s jaw with a single blow.
“Mine” he growled, the word possessive and raw.
When the last one fell, silence, surrounded us. We were both breathing hard, adrenaline coursing through our veins. Our eyes locked, his eye glowing again and the jolt from my core hit like a tidal wave, pleasure and pain intertwined, buckling my knees. Sylus caught me instantly, pulling me flush against his chest, one hand splayed across my lower back.
“Feel that?” he murmured, lips brushing my ear.
My hands fisted in his shirt, heart pounding against his.
“What are you doing to me?”
His glowing eye burned brighter.
“Nothing you aren’t doing to me.”
His free hand cupped my jaw, thumb tracing my lower lip with deliberate slowness. The air between us crackled, thick with unspoken want. He leaned in, forehead resting against mine, breath mingling.
That voice in my head returned.
I tilted my chin up, and my mouth almost claimed his, as heat surged through me, my core's incessant jolt amplifying every touch until I was trembling.
He pulled back just enough, voice rough and strained.
“Not here. Not like this.” His grip tightened briefly, possessive. “When it happens, it’ll be because you beg for it.”
The words sent a fresh wave of something I didn't understand through me, but alarms suddenly blared in the distance, urgent voices cutting through the haze.
“Boss, incoming. More trouble at base.”
Sylus cursed softly, releasing me but still keeping a hand at my waist.
"This isn’t over. We will cross paths again." he said, eyes dark with restraint "Allow me to jog your memory. I see from your past to your future... To even all the crimes you'll inevitably commit. After all, you and I...we're the same. True kindred spirits"
And then, just as quickly, he vanished in a cloud of crimson mist.
Whatever this was between us, I didn't understand it, but it had only just ignited.
The days after that night in the N109 Zone blurred into a haze of routine and restraint. Back in Linkon City, I threw myself into Hunter work like it could drown out the echo of crimson eyes and a voice that still whispered 'devour him in my dreams. Patrols, wanderer hunts, debriefs, anything to keep my mind off the core humming under my skin like a live wire whenever I thought about it all.
Xavier noticed first. My partner was too perceptive for his own good, those starry eyes narrowing whenever I zoned out mid-mission.
“You’ve been distracted,” he said one afternoon as we tracked a cluster of low-level Wanderers through the abandoned outskirts. His sword glowed faintly as he dispatched one with a clean slash. “Want to talk about it?”
I fired my pistol at another, forcing a casual shrug.
“Just Zone fatigue, nothing new.”
He didn’t buy it, I could tell, but he let it drop. That was Xavier: patient, steady, the perfect counter to my chaos.
I also didn't tell him about the constant surveillance, every time we moved through the city, every stakeout or rooftop sweep, I felt eyes on me. Not hostile. Curious. Possessive. Then I saw it: a flash of black wings against the skyline, red eyes glinting before vanishing. Sylus’s mechanical crow, perched on lampposts, rooftops, even the edge of Hunter HQ’s training grounds once. It never approached, never attacked, just watched.
It was like he was keeping tabs on me and part of me, some dark, hungry part, liked it, even when I pretended I was annoyed by it.
At night, the dreams grew worse. Visions of ancient caverns, a colossal dragon bound in chains, me standing over him with a blade dripping crimson.
'Devour him' that voice kept urging in my head, cold and ancient. 'Take his power. End the cycle. Kill him before he kills you.'
I’d wake gasping, sheets tangled, body flushed with heat that had nothing to do with fear.
I lasted a month before I broke.
There were words of a hidden auction happening, rare Protocores, modified Evol tech, whispers of Philos artifacts and Onychinus was rumored to be there. If I could infiltrate, get proof, maybe shut down a pipeline… or maybe I just needed to see him again. Needed to understand why my core sang when he was near, why my mind screamed 'devour' even as my body ached for his touch somehow.
I slipped out after curfew, no backup, no trace. The border crossing was easier this time, I knew the patrols now. The N109 Zone swallowed me whole: neon bleeding into shadows, air thick with danger and promise. I stuck to the rooftops, cloaked in darkness, heading for the area where the auction was rumored to be held. My heart pounded with every leap, every shadow shift.
I saw his bird around, again.I stopped at the very edge of a rooftop, the wind whipping my hair across my face. I looked up. There it was perched on a rusted weather vane, its red eye glowing like a tiny, mechanical ember.
I didn't trust him, but I needed his help, anyway, so, this time, I didn't hide. I didn't look annoyed. Instead, I leaned back against a cooling vent, tilted my head, and gave the bird a slow, playful wave. My lips curved into a teasing, private smile , the kind that said, I see you watching, and I know exactly who's behind those eyes. I lingered there for a heartbeat, making sure he got a clear view of the challenge in my gaze, before I vanished into the zone.
He’ll know I’m here now, I thought.
I’d barely landed on a warehouse roof overlooking the entrance when a familiar ripple distorted the air behind me. Crimson energy brushed my skin like a caress, warm, teasing, dangerous.
“Back so soon?” His voice was velvet darkness, lips suddenly at my ear though I hadn’t heard him approach.
I spun, pistol half-raised, but he was already there, too close, silver hair catching the neon glow, crimson eyes gleaming with smug satisfaction. His coat hung open, shirt clinging to muscle I remembered pressing against far too vividly from who knows where.
“I’m working,” I hissed, lowering the weapon but not holstering it. “This isn’t about you.”
His laugh was low, sending heat curling through my stomach.
Sylus didn't move away. Instead, he leaned down, his eyes scanning my face with a look that made my pulse jump.
“Is that so?” he murmured, a low, smug chuckle vibrating in his chest. “Because the way you waved at my crow earlier suggested you were quite eager for an audience, kitten. That little smile of yours... it was almost an invitation. If you wanted me to come and get you, you only had to ask.”
His gaze darkened, dropping to my lips for a heavy, silent second.
"And Everything you do in my Zone is about me.” He stepped closer, crowding my space without touching, that leather-cherry scent wrapping around me like smoke. “Especially when you sneak in wearing this.” His gaze dragged down my fitted tactical suit, black, sleek, hugging every curve. “Trying to tempt me?”
My breath hitched. His eye started glowing again as I looked into it. The voice in my head surged.
I clenched my jaw, fighting the urge to take my dagger out and plunging it on him before I looked away
“I’m here for the auction. Protocores, Intel.”
“And I’m here for you.” His fingers ghosted along my arm, not quite touching, just close enough to raise goosebumps. Something sparked between us, electric and hungry. My core calling to him.
I swallowed hard, ignoring it, my pulse racing.
“I waved because I need… your help...To sneak in. No one can know I’m a Hunter.”
His smirk deepened, eyes darkening with interest.
“Asking for favors already? Bold.” He circled me slowly, like a predator assessing prey, then stopped in front, hand finally making contact, thumb tracing my collarbone through the fabric. “I'll help, but only if you agree to play the part to the end...and you can’t go in like this. Too obvious. Too… practical.”
Before I could protest, crimson tendrils of energy enveloped me, gentle but insistent. My tactical gear dissolved into motes, leaving me exposed in my underwear, to the cool night air for a heartbeat until they covered me fully. Heat flushed my skin as his gaze raked over me, unapologetic and intense.
“Sylus...” I protested,but I made absolutely no move to cover myself up.
“Patience, kitten.” With a flick of his wrist, new fabric materialized on me, a sleek, sexy red dress that hugged my body like a second skin, accentuating curves, slit up the thigh for movement. It screamed elegance and danger, the color matching his eyes.
“I got the size right" He said as He adjusted the straps with deliberate touches, fingers lingering on my shoulders, my waist.
"Size? How did you...?" I started asking before I decided it didn't matter "enough "adjusting", don't you think?" I snarked.
He chuckled, then, he took off his own crow brooch and place it neatly where he wanted, his fingers brushing my skin, steadily holding until he pulled away softly.
“There, now you look the part. My part.”
I shivered under his hands, the dress feeling like silk fire against my skin.
“It’s perfect.” His voice dropped, husky as his eye glowed again. “And it suits you. Red… like the blood we’ve shared across lifetimes.”
Kill him now. End it, but my body leaned into his touch, betraying me as He offered his arm, smirking.
The auction hall was a den of sin, masked bidders, cages of modified Wanderer parts, Protocores pulsing on pedestals like forbidden hearts. Guards eyed us as we entered, but with Sylus at my side, they bowed and parted.
Whispers rippled through the crowd:
"Him… with a woman? He brought a companion?..Has he finally been caught?"
I listened to all of it as Sylus guided me to a VIP booth overlooking the chaos, his hand possessive at the small of my back. As the auctioneer began, he leaned in close, breath hot against my neck.
“Play along, kitten or they’ll sniff you out.”
Bids rose for the first Protocore, a glowing orb humming with raw energy. I tensed, scanning for intel, but Sylus suddenly pulled me onto his lap, arm banding my waist.
“Shh.” His lips brushed my ear, voice loud enough for nearby ears. “Darling, relax. Let me handle the bids.”
Gasps echoed around us, bidders stared, masks failing to hide shock. The leader of Onychinus, ruthless, untouchable, eternal bachelor, publicly claiming a lover? It was unprecedented. Whispers turned to murmurs:
"Who is she?. Is she his lover?. How did she tame him?"
I froze, heat flooding my cheeks as his fingers now traced idle patterns on my thigh through the slit.
“What the hell are you doing?” I hissed under my breath.
“Did you not agree to play the part to the end?...And I'm Protecting you,” he murmured, nipping my earlobe lightly enough to send sparks down my spine. “And enjoying it. You fit so well here… with me.”
"Fine" I scoffed. "just know" I reached up, fingers threading into his silver hair, and gave it a firm, deliberate tug, yanking his head back just enough to force his glowing eye to meet mine. The surprise that flashed across his face, eyes widening for a split second, lips parting, was worth it. “Two can play this game,” I finished, voice low and challenging, still gripping his hair
Sylus’s smirk returned instantly. He tightened his grip on my waist, fingers digging in possessively, pulling me even closer so our bodies pressed flush together. His other hand stayed on my lower back, stroking slow, deliberate circles over the fabric of my dress, never stopping his touch even as he held me trapped against him.
The tension coiled tighter, my core humming between us. His touch was fire, and I hated how much I craved more.
Devour him the voice urged. Now.
I fought it, the auction fading in front of me as I tried. After the final bid, where Sylus secured a rare Philos artifact with a casual wave, and I got the core information I needed, we slipped into a private room. Alone
“That was reckless, I'm here to find the aether core, not be your trophy” I snapped, shoving away from him as soon as the door shut, but the voice surged, as his eye started to glow again, fueling my desire for revenge, my desire to take it all, it was violent and overwhelming.
Kill him. Take his power.
My hand shot to my hidden pistol, tucked under the dress and I pressed it to his chest before I could stop myself.
He didn’t flinch. Instead, his hand covered mine on the grip, crimson eye glowing. "Want some help? Yes, no? Maybe so?"
“Do it, kitten, follow that pretty little voice in your head.”
I trembled, finger on the trigger.
His smirk was taunting, dark.
“Then let’s make it fun.” He squeezed my hand, forcing the shot, straight into his chest.
Blood bloomed on his shirt, but he didn’t fall, regeneration kicked in, wound closing as he groaned low, almost pleasurably.
“See? Can’t easily kill what’s bound to your soul. And you owe me a curtain call greater than death itself”
The gun clattered from my grip. Horror and desire warred inside me.
"What are you?" I asked, horrified as He pulled me close using his crimson mist around my waist, blood-smeared hand cupping my face as he tugged me even closer.
“Now… resonate with me. Fully.”
"No..." I protested as he intertwined his hand with mine by force.
"Relax, you can handle it"
Energy surged, crimson and light intertwining. It was too much, too intense. Pain lanced through me, the voice screaming as darkness closed in. I collapsed, world fading.
I woke groggy, head pounding, in a dark room. Silk sheets tangled around me, the air heavy with that familiar leather-cherry scent. Not alone. A warm body pressed against my back.
I shifted, trying to slip away, but pressure tugged at my wrist, invisible, unyielding. I pulled harder, panic rising. He was holding me down, but his arm wasn’t there; it was something else.
He stirred, voice sleepy and amused.
“Going somewhere, kitten?”
His chuckle rumbled in the dark room as he propped up on an elbow, crimson eyes gleaming in the dim light.
“It's not me holding you. It’s the linkage...our resonance sealed it. Invisible bond on our wrists. Can’t move too far without the other.”
I tugged again, feeling the pull like an elastic chain.
“Three days. You needed the rest.” His fingers traced my arm lightly, sending shivers. “And I… enjoyed the company.”
Heat flared, the voice quieter now but still whispering to devour him as I met his gaze, tension thick.
“This...changes nothing.”
“Oh, it changes everything.” He got closer, lips brushing mine in a teasing almost kiss. “We’re linked now. In every way that matters.”
