Chapter 3

True to his word, the Sapphire Star brought her along with him on a few more dates. Though he had restricted them to the forested areas of the Reach, Clara still enjoyed the nature walks alongside the occasional fleeing from a predator. At some point, she had even witnessed a turf war between two monsters! It was safe to say that Clara had the time of her life for the past few days. She was able to go on dates with the Sapphire Star, the man the entire Commission hailed as a hero. Yet for some odd reason, she still didn't know his name…She planned to ask him that on their next date.

However, as several days passed, he wasn't showing up at the Lunar Terrace. She visibly frowned in annoyance before that annoyance quickly turned to fear. Fear that he may not have made it back from a mission. Her anxiety persisted until the end of her shift, and she walked back home with her head held low. Sighing, she decided that a nice hot meal at the canteen might help ease her worries.

Walking into the canteen was always a pleasant experience. The smell of the Grammeowster's cooking wafted out of the canteen, enough to make mouths water. Even at night, her kitchen was active, always ready to serve customers. Her meals always did a good job at making people feel better, whether it was a failed hunt, anxiety, heartbreak, or stress, her cooking never failed to put a smile on people's faces.

The Grammeowster spotted her and greeted her. "Ah Clara my dear, have you come to order a meal? The usual I suppose?"

The pink-haired woman smiled at that. "I'd like that." She took her seat at one of the tables and waited as the chefs got to work. Not long after she sat down, a Felyne waiter approached her.

"Anything you like to drink?"

"Just water please."

Her food came minutes later. To her surprise, it was brought to her table by none other than the Grammeowster chef herself.

"I can't help but notice how sad you look, my dear. Hopefully, this here will bring that pretty smile back."

"Thank you," Clara said, taking a sip of water before eating.

"So, what's troubling you, dear? Work? Stress?"

She swallowed a piece of roasted meat. "Nothing like that grandma."

"Hmm…is it matters concerning the heart?"

Clara stiffened at that and the Grammeowster let out a soft chuckle. "You've always been perceptive…"

"It's a gift, my dear. Now, if you don't mind telling me, who is the lucky man? If he's a customer of mine, it will definitely help."

Clara didn't know if she should tell her but seeing that the canteen was empty save for the chefs and waiters, she felt comfortable enough to let it out. "Alright it's complicated and probably not what you're expecting and also, please don't laugh!"

"Promise."

She took a deep breath, setting her fork and spoon down. "…It's the Sapphire Star."

For several moments, the elderly Felyne was silent…until a quiet chuckle escaped her mouth. Clara pouted. "Hey, you said you won't laugh! Grandma!" she whined, growing redder by the second.

"Apologies my dear. I…I'm not laughing at who you like, I'm laughing at how coincidental this whole situation is."

Clara cocked her head to the side in confusion. "Coincidental?"

"Allow me to explain. You see, the Sapphire Star came to my canteen the other day. At first, I thought he came for his daily pre-hunt meal but that all changed when I saw the way he sat and idly twirled his drink around. At that point, I knew something was wrong."

"What's the matter, dearie?"

"Nothing…"

I frowned. Even under that helmet, I could tell that something was amiss. Luckily for me, his Palico – the adorable little thing – decided to enlighten me.

"Master thinks the girl he's interested in hates him."

The man turned and glared at his Palico but the cute thing just sent a cheeky grin his way. "No more post-hunt treats you conniving little traitor."

"May I ask who this girl is? If she's a customer of mine, I can offer to tell her for you."

"It's the pink-haired Guild Receptionist," his Palico stated bluntly, to which the man smacked the back of the Palico's head.

"Oh, you mean Clara?"

"Yes…" the man muttered. Don't think I missed the sigh that came after that!

"You like her?"

Once again, his Palico – the precious thing - decided to answer for him, "He definitely does! He's just incredibly dense to realize all the hints she's been throwing at him for these past few weeks!"

"Oh my, now that's not right."

"And now, she is doing the whole 'hard to get' attitude and Master thinks she hates him or is mad at him for some reason."

Oh, I see what's going on here. "On the contrary, she does not," I told the man. "She's one of the nicest and friendliest girls you've ever seen and believe me, she could never hate someone like you."

"…You really think so?" the man asked with that glimmer I hope I was looking for. I smiled at that.

"Yes, I do. And I guarantee that she's now thinking of a way to apologize to you as we speak. So go ask her out on a date. I think she'll appreciate you taking initiative."

Clara could only flush red. "I remember that…I had no idea what I was thinking when I acted that way to him." Clara's blush disappeared and was replaced with a sad look. "Still, that doesn't explain why he didn't show up for several days now?"

The Grammeowster chef shook her head. "I'm afraid it's because of urgent matters related to supposedly a new threat discovered. The poor man came to my canteen early in the morning looking panicked and distressed. That was several days ago, and it was the last time I saw him before he, his Palico, and some others left on their secret mission."

"And he didn't tell me?"

"It wouldn't be a secret mission if lots of people knew it won't it?"

"Fair point."

She felt a gentle pat on the back. "Just wait for his return and then you can talk."

"Thanks, grandma."

…

To her relief, she heard the news that he returned the next day. She made sure to shower, wear makeup, brush her hair and fix her uniform to make herself look as presentable as possible. She couldn't contain her excitement, knowing the man liked her back. She couldn't wait to talk to him.

Much to her surprise, she stumbled upon him on her way to the Lunar Terrace. He was currently sitting in the canteen quietly digging into his meal along with his Palico. Feeling bold, she decided to greet him there.

"Hey!" She tapped him on the back of his shoulder, expecting him to turn around with surprise. But oddly, he continued to eat, acting as if he hadn't heard her. That's weird. She jumped back slightly when he abruptly stood up and brushed past her without a word. She tried again.

"Hey youuu!" she said, stepping in front of him with a flirtatious smile. To her shock, he shoved her away, knocking her down in the process. "You're in my way." His words were spoken with such coldness that it caused a shiver up her spine. His Palico sent her an apologetic glance before hurriedly catching up to their master.

Clara stood there, frozen in place as she watched him call for a Wingdrake and vanish into the sky. He didn't even acknowledge her presence and when he did, he had shoved her aside without effort. She called in sick for the day and rushed back home without another word, heartbroken and her spirit shattered.

That night, Clara cried herself to sleep.

…

For the next few days, Clara hadn't been the same. Her colleagues noticed and tried their best to cheer her up, but they knew a broken heart wasn't something that could easily be fixed. Concerned for her, they sent a message to Clara's friends back at Astera.

"How could he?" Lyra exclaimed, shocked that their hero would act that way.

Mira shook her head, feeling her anger for the hunter form. "For all the time I knew him, the Sapphire Star never treated anyone this way. He's one of the most heroic people out there!"

"Then why did he act that way towards her?" Hatsu wondered.

"I…I don't know…" Lyra said, disappointed at herself for not being there to support her and even more disappointed and confused at the Sapphire Star for his actions. Nearby, Anya quietly began to write a letter of her own. Though she rarely admitted it out loud, she cared for Clara's wellbeing and wanted to make her feel better. Out of all Clara's friends, she was the angriest at the Sapphire Star. It hadn't been long after she had changed her opinion of the man, whom she disliked at first. He had since proven to her that he was more than just a hunter looking for glory. But now? To treat a woman this way… it was unforgivable. She hoped that Clara was strong enough not to break from this.

…

Anya's letter alongside encouraging words from her friends was enough to bring back the spirit within Clara. From that day, she declared to herself that enough was enough and she focused solely on her work. She was going to be an independent young woman who didn't need a man in her life. Love was a waste of time and it only served to impede her work. Yet as many times as she told herself this, her heart thought otherwise. Deep inside, she still longed for him, but it would vanish every time she recalled how coldly he treated her that day. No use thinking about this stuff anymore. She had work to do.

Some days later, it was he who approached her this time, intercepting her on her way towards the hall.

"Hey, I…"

"Sorry, I have work to do." She brushed past him, leaving the man staring at her back.

He approached her again a few hours later, this time during work. He stood before her desk, fidgeting on his spot. "I…I want to…."

"If you're here for a quest then by all means choose one. If not, then can I ask you to step aside? There are others waiting." Her tone of speech shocked him. He had no idea she was capable of being this utterly cold. He felt hurt, knowing that it was his fault she acted this way.

"Please I-"

"Next!"

He wordlessly stepped aside and walked away, dejected as all the hunters in the hall went quiet and looked back and forth between the two. Hushed whispers and murmurs erupted throughout the hall as everyone wondered what was going on between the Sapphire Star and this pretty guild receptionist.

Watching the man leave the hall, Clara clutched her chest. It had been the single hardest thing she had ever done.

…

The following days were some of the hardest in Clara's life. All her attempts at suppressing her feelings for the Sapphire Star were threatened every time he approached her. He was persistent, intercepting her at every moment he could, begging to be able to talk to her. He began to give her gifts, ranging from flowers, ornaments, and all sorts of things that would have cost tons of money. His persistence had begun to worry her, as he made it his goal to find her every time he could.

At some point, he had even bought her a novel she had been saving money to buy for the longest time! How he knew that she couldn't guess. With a heavy heart, she constantly rejected his offers and gifts, though he was courteous enough to leave the novel at her house, and for that, she appreciated. As much as she wanted to, she forced herself to not acknowledge him, still hurt by what he did.

…

At every rejection, the Sapphire Star grew more and more desperate, unable to figure out how to get her to forgive him. His efforts were met with shaking heads by his companions, who worried the poor man would drive himself insane.

At some point, his Palico couldn't take it anymore.

"You're a fool! Stop this at once Master!" he pleaded as the Sapphire Star vigorously searched his library of books for ways to appease a woman.

"I-I can't! I have to-"

"You've neglected too much of your duties as a hunter chasing a woman who doesn't love you back!"

The book he held fell to the ground and the Palico found themselves being lifted up by the scruff of their neck. "Listen here little brat, I don't care how long it takes for me to win her heart back, but I'll tell you this. I won't give up, no matter what. I'll do whatever it takes!"

As he spoke, his Palico stared at him with widened eyes. His eyes are glowing! What's happening to Master? Then the Palico finally realized. The armor! It's corrupting Master! Ever since they defeated the Alatreon and Master wore its armor, he had changed. He was no longer the awkward and shy Sapphire Star his companions knew. They knew crafting armor from that thing was a terrible idea! "Master your armor! Take it off!"

"Huh? Why?"

"It's corrupting you! Take it off now!"

He huffed. "No. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a woman to obtain." He went back to perusing his books as his armor began to glow a faint sinister color. "I wonder if she'll like a necklace made of bones…" He began to mumble incomprehensible things, a dark aura beginning to form around his body. Seeing this, the Palico had no choice. They had to free their master!

With their Master distracted, the Palico grabbed their Shieldspire and sneaked up behind him. The moment they did, the Palico jumped up and slammed the shield onto their master's head. It was a direct hit, causing the hunter to drop the book and collapse onto his knees. But it wasn't enough to knock him down!

"Insolent creature!" The corrupted hunter reached out to grab the Palico, but the Felyne's quick reflexes helped it move out of the way. Nearby, the housekeeper watched in horror as their Master attempted to hurt his Palico.

"Get help!" the Palico ordered the housekeeper as they leaped out of the way of another grab.

"Come back here runt!"

The housekeeper obliged without hesitation and rushed out of the house.

…

Strange, Clara thought as she walked home after her shift. Normally, the Sapphire Star would have appeared out of nowhere to harass her again. Not that she wanted him to harass her but a part of her had a bad feeling that something is wrong. She shook her head. No, she shouldn't be thinking of him. Right now, all she wanted to do now was go home and immediately dive onto her bed for some well-needed sleep.

As she neared her house, a commotion caught her attention. She turned to her side and saw people running here and there, looking frantic. Initially, she didn't care too much about it and was about to continue on her way home when her ears caught the sound of a familiar name.

"Sapphire Star…"

She quickly ran towards where people seemed to be gathering. Soon, she found herself standing before a crowd of people. They appeared to be gathered around the front of a large house. It was too noisy to discern what they were saying but Clara could clearly see some hunters doing their best to block people from entering. She squeezed herself through the crowd and spoke to a hunter standing guard.

"What's happening?"

The hunter looked like he had seen a ghost. "Bloody hell! The Sapphire Star, he's gone mad! Mad I tell ya!"

Her eyes widened to the size of saucers. She knew his behavior was not normal! She quickly dropped her books and attempted to rush into the house. Unfortunately, the hunters standing guard caught her before she could.

"Easy miss. It's dangerous to go in there."

"I have to! I can help!"

"Ya touched in the head or something? I told ya, it's dangerous!"

"No! I know why he's acting like this! I can help!"

"Miss-"

"Let her in." The deep authoritative voice belonged to none other than the Commander. He stood there in his usual crossed arms posture, gesturing to the hunters to let her go.

"But sir-"

"That's an order hunter. Now let the lady in."

The hunters sighed and let her go, allowing Clara to follow the Commander. "Thank you."

"No need to thank me. In fact, we were waiting for you. Come." The Commander led her inside the house as two hunters standing guard nodded in acknowledgment. As soon as she entered the house, sounds of shouting invaded her ears.

"What the-"

"Be quiet. We can't let him know you're here yet."

She obeyed and quietly followed the older man deeper into the house. He quickly gestured for two hunters to escort her. "Just as a precautionary measure. He's highly unstable and I fear for your safety."

Hearing his words, a chill ran up Clara's spine. What sort of person had the Sapphire Star become and what had caused it? A part of her hoped to never find out. Continuing deeper into the house and past the foyer, they soon arrived at a top of the staircase. The Commander ushered her to crouch and she did so. "Once you hear me call you, stand up and reveal yourself." He clicked his fingers and the two hunters followed him downstairs. Clara gulped and cautiously crawled over to the edge near the railings to see what was happening down there.

She barely stifled a gasp at the sight.

Huddled in the corner of the room like a cornered animal, was the Sapphire Star. But there was something different about him. He was clad in a dark, spiky armor that appeared to glow. His posture was animalistic, his body twitching and he held a knife in one hand. He appeared to be growling at them. Cornering him were several hunters alongside members of the Commission, including the Admiral, Huntsman, Field Team Leader, and the Seeker. The Sapphire Star's Palico also stood there, nervously chewing on their claws.

"I have returned. How is he?"

"Stubborn as a Bullfango," the Admiral answered. "Got a lucky hit on my face too," he said, pointing to his bloody lip.

"I see." The Commander turned to the Seeker. "Any luck yet?"

The Wyverian man shook his head. "I'm afraid not. Our attempts to restrain him and remove the armor have been met with little success. At this rate, it would consume him before we could do anything."

"Hmm." The Commander took a step forward closer to the Sapphire Star. The Field Team leader gasped and tried to pull him back.

"Grandfather, step back its too-"

"It is alright."

The deranged hunter hissed and thrust his knife forward in a threatening manner. "Stay back!"

The Commander took a step back but remained calm. "Please calm yourself. We mean no harm."

"I want her. Where's that woman? I have a gift for her!"

"I want you to listen-"

"No, I won't listen! Not until she forgives me! Clara? Clara! Where are you? I have something for you!" He attempted to lunge forward, but the hunters shoved him back with their shields. "Gah! Bastards set me free!"

"Not until you listen to me. First I want you to calm down and let me explain."

"NO! I want Clara!" The Commander sighed and snapped his fingers. Immediately, several hunters and the Admiral grabbed the Sapphire Star and pinned him to the ground. The corrupted hunter thrashed and hissed, shouting incomprehensible words and phrases while twitching, vibrating, and doing everything in his power to break free.

"What the hell is he saying?!" the Admiral demanded, somehow struggling to hold the hunter down despite his superior strength.

The Seeker looked visibly unnerved. "Its…ancient Wyverian! How does he…!"

Suddenly, the hunter's eyes rolled back, and he let out an unholy and distorted sounding demonic screech. Everyone in the house immediately covered their ears as the screech lasted for approximately four seconds.

The Field Team Leader trembled on his spot, terrified of what just happened. "Shit, what in the world was that…"

"The corruption. It's getting worse by the second," said the Seeker as he too was nearly out of ideas. "We have to find a way to get that armor off him!"

The Commander, who had remained frighteningly calm during this whole ordeal sighed. "I guess it's time then. Admiral, Huntsman, hunters, strengthen your hold on him. Things are about to escalate." He turned and looked in Clara's direction. "You may stand now."

…

Clara took a long deep breath and mentally steeled herself. What she had just witnessed and heard…it had been the most horrifying things she had ever seen. The fact that armor could corrupt its wearer to a frightening degree…she shuddered at the thought of it. She took a quick glance at the Sapphire Star…no, he was no longer the same man. Down there, was a monster – a demon. Whatever had corrupted the heroic Sapphire Star and turned him into…that, she hoped she would never have the luxury of running into one.

Here we go, Clara… The moment she stood up; all hell broke loose.

…

It took the combined strength of four hunters, plus the Admiral to hold down the corrupted Sapphire Star upon him seeing Clara.

"Clara! You're here! I-"

"Hold still dammit!" The Admiral shifted so that they were standing now. He pressed his back against the wall and wrapped his arm around the Sapphire Star's neck from behind as the other hunters held the limbs securely.

"Clara? Clara! Clara! Come here! Clara!"

"Shit, hurry up lady!"

Clara carefully made her way down the stairs, praying silently as the people around her gulped and watched anxiously. The two hunters told to escort her slowly trailed behind her, hands reaching for their weapons should things escalate. She slowly walked towards the Sapphire Star, brushing past the Commander who muttered out a whispered 'good luck'.

Now she stood face to face with the man who had both stolen and broken her heart. "Hey youuu!" she exclaimed in a forced intonation of her usual greeting.

"Clara. You're finally here. I've been waiting for you."

Clara bit her lip, her words betraying the utter fear she felt looking into those…eyes of his. "I heard you have another gift for me?"

"I do. I think you might like this one. It's a surprise I made just for you."

His distorted voice would haunt her for years to come. "That's great…What is it?"

He chuckled; a sound Clara could never forget. "It wouldn't be a surprise if I just revealed it to you now would it?"

His head twitched every time he spoke. "No, it wouldn't…" She took a deep breath. "But even if you are to give me whatever I want, I will still reject it."

"You won't this time. I promise you, this one will blow your mind!"

"No, I still won't accept it." At her words, the Sapphire Star visibly began to thrash and writhe harder, growling like an animal.

"Lady are you really helping here?!" the Admiral said, tightening his hold on the hunter.

"What can I ever do to get you to forgive me? I know! I'll-"

"Stop it! I won't ever accept anything from you!"

"Huh? But-"

The Admiral's jaw dropped. Does this lady have a death wish?

"All the money in the world can't buy forgiveness. You broke my heart that day and you seriously expect me to forgive you just like that?" She shook her head. "I'll be naïve no longer…If you want to earn my forgiveness then take off that armor. I can't forgive the unhinged and obsessive man you've become, but I can forgive the man you used to be. The heroic Sapphire Star whom I admired."

The man began to tremble. "You-" He flinched when she cupped his helmet.

"Please, come back to us. To me." And with that, she raised the helmet over his head, finally revealing his real face to her for the first time.

"There," Clara said, dropping the helmet onto the floor.

All the others in the house collectively gasped. "Oh, my word, what happened to his face?" the Seeker muttered, alarmed at what he was seeing. Those marks…no doubt about it. It's the corruption at work. He noted how the Sapphire Star's glowing eyes had faded away, reverting back to normal.

"Wha- What happened?" His voice had returned to normal and the Admiral felt the hunter weaken in his hold. "C-Clara?"

She nearly wanted to jump with joy upon hearing his real voice again. "Yeah, it's me."

"Y-You're here? But I thought you never wanted to talk to me again?"

"It's not like that. I was just angry and frustrated, both at you and at myself."

"I see…" He took a look around, confused why they all seemed to stare at him as if he grew two heads. He was even more confused when he realized that he was currently being restrained by five people, including the Admiral and the Huntsman.

"You alright kid?" the Admiral asked him.

"I-I…" Suddenly, the glow in his eyes returned and he began to struggle once again. "Fools! Do you think you can hold me for longer?! Once I break free, I'll-"

SNAP!

Clara's eyes widened in horror as the limp form of the Sapphire Star collapsed onto the ground. She looked up at the Admiral, disbelief etched on her face. The Admiral, however, merely waved her off.

"Don't worry. I didn't kill him, just paralyzed him for a bit. Besides he's a hunter, they'll recover."

After getting over the initial shock, the Commander cleared his throat to get everyone's attention. "Right ahem…This should make things a lot easier."

The still stunned Clara was promptly escorted out of the house as the hunters began to remove the armor from the unconscious man's body.

She had difficulty sleeping that night.

…

It was a week later when the Sapphire Star regained consciousness. He abruptly sat up, sweating and panting, clutching his chest.

"Ughh…" he groaned. The room was dark, with a single candle placed on the nightstand as the only source of light. He tried to look around, but the pain in his neck caused him to wince and he went back to lying down. Dragging his palm across his face, he attempted to recall what had happened.

I remember being in my house, looking through my books, but for what? Everything is blank after that… Then a single name popped into his memory. I remember everything!

"Clara? Clara!" He sat up again, kicking off the covers and getting off the bed. He stumbled, holding onto the table for support as he found himself unable to balance his body properly. He felt like hurling during that moment. Not willing to give up, however, he resorted to crawling and dragging his body across the floor towards the doorway. He could hear voices from outside and it gave him the determination to keep moving.

Just before he reached the doorway, he was met by a pair of shoes standing before him. He tried to look up but found himself unable to turn his neck and body.

"You shouldn't be getting up!"

That voice… Before he knew it, he found himself being supported off his feet as this person helped him back towards the bed. The darkness made it difficult to discern the person's identity but the moment the light from the candle shone on the person, he immediately recognized the distinct pink hair.

"Clara…"

The person in question smiled at him, "Hey you."

He sat up again, frantically apologizing to her. "I-I'm terribly sorry for what happened! I didn't mean to-"

She pushed him back down onto the bed. "Hush, you need to rest." She sat down on the edge of the bed. "How are you feeling?"

"Like shit. I can't turn my head and I can't seem to move my body properly."

"You have to thank the Admiral for that. I was horrified when he snapped your neck like that and even more horrified when he told me you'll recover."

"So that's why I can't move my body…" He chuckled, silently thanking the Admiral for literally snapping his senses back into him. "Clara…I want to apologize."

She shook her head. "No need to apologize for that. It was the armor, not you."

"I'm not only referring to that. I'm referring to how I treated you that day and…broke your heart."

"Oh…" She hoped to never bring that memory up again.

"Clara, no number of apologies can ever make up for the horrible way I treated you. I was agitated and frustrated. Do you recall how I didn't return for a few days? That's because I was busy attempting to slay the Elder Dragon that gave me that armor. I failed and failed and each time, I grew more and more frustrated at not being able to kill it." He reached up and gently held her cheek with one hand. "I should have never taken out my frustration on you. It was utterly unbecoming of a man to treat a lady this way."

She felt herself tear up.

"I'm not going to ask for forgiveness anymore, because I don't deserve one. I can understand if you never want to see me again and that is fine. From now on, I'll stay away from you and-"

"No, I don't want that," she declared. The Sapphire Star became confused. "This past week, it gave me a chance to think. I was naïve and foolish back then. Since then, I've learned not to rush matters concerning…love. I realized that my feelings for you back then were nothing more than an attraction to the kind of person you've become, rather than the person you truly are."

Immediately, his expression fell. "Oh…" I knew there was no way she'd like me back the way I like her. You've truly messed up! Idiot, idiot, idiot- He then heard her giggle.

"Why are you laughing?"

"Sorry about that. It's just, you can be absolutely adorable sometimes." Seeing the blush form on his face, she giggled even more.

"A-Adorable?" he stuttered, flustered at her teasing.

"Yes. It's adorable how you think this means I don't return your feelings anymore. On the contrary, I still like you."

"That's great-"

She held a finger up. "But I want to take it slow this time. I want to make sure that these feelings I have are genuine and not some fleeting crush. That is why I…want to start off as friends."

"Friends?"

She nodded. "I don't know much about you other than the things you've done. Heck, I don't even know your real name. On the other hand, you don't know much about me either. To put it simply, I want us to get to know each other better." He was about to speak again but she interrupted him. "So, until then, I can't accept your feelings, not until you prove to me that you truly care for me, and in return, I'll care for you back when I'm ready."

At this, he smiled and squeezed her hand. "Malcolm."

"Hmm?"

"Malcolm. That's my name."

She returned the smile and squeezed his hand back.