There was a common misconception among the hunters, a foolish belief that Nate had been acting out of generosity when he separated from them and ventured into the wilderness alone, risking his life to take down dangerous creatures so they could return with them.
But the truth was far from that.
His departure had nothing to do with charity or kindness. In fact, the real reason he had gone alone was because he needed to recover his full strength, and that meant absorbing the beast crystals in secret. If he had stayed with the hunters, they would have eventually noticed his strange behavior—the way his body would strengthen at an impossible rate, the way the energy from the crystals would disappear when he touched them. He could already imagine the suspicion that would have grown among them, the quiet murmurs behind his back, the cautious glances filled with doubt. He knew they would start asking questions, and if the wrong people heard, it could ruin everything.
