Mara stared at the shattered plate, then back at Fin's unnervingly calm face. "Hana tried to kill you? Fin, this... this is insane."
"Is it?" His voice remained flat. "Or is it just Tuesday in the life of a Hunter?"
She took another shaky step back. "Okay. Okay, let's say... let's say I believe you. The team is dead. Hana betrayed you. You somehow survived. Now what? You can't just walk into the Guild like this."
"Exactly," he confirmed. "They'd lock me up. Dissect me. Or worse."
"So what do you want?" she asked, dread pooling in her stomach.
"A cover story," he said simply. "One that fits. One they'll accept."
His plan unfolded with chilling precision. He wouldn't report back immediately. Instead, he needed to be found. Near the dungeon site. Critically injured. Barely alive. Suffering from trauma-induced amnesia. The sole, miraculous survivor of a mission gone horribly wrong.
"Amnesia?" she whispered, horrified. "Injured? Fin, you're talking about—"
