The night air was sharp—too quiet, like even the rats had decided to call in sick.
Abhay adjusted the hood over his head as he stepped out of his rented apartment. His duffel bag was light—no gear, just decoys. Will padded beside him, tail low, nose twitching like a popcorn addict near a movie theater.
Fifteen minutes to his uncle's house. That was the routine.
Except tonight, the road decided to cosplay as hell.
A low ripple split the sky, sounding like God had just dragged a fork across a blackboard. Abhay winced.
"System," he muttered, "please tell me that was a car backfiring."
[System Message: No. That was a spatial rift evolving into a Class-B Gate. Congratulations, it's a boy. Also: Run.]**
Dead center in the street floated a jagged Gate, pulsing red like it had anger issues. Reality had cracked, and monsters were already marching through like they owned the place.
And oh great—they were Minotaurs.
Towering, bull-headed, gym-bro rejects with tree-trunk legs and fists like anvils. One picked up a car and yeeted it into a wall like it owed him money.
"Nice neighborhood," Abhay said. "Great school zone, plenty of... oh, look, demonic cows."
Will growled beside him. Abhay held a hand up. "Not yet, buddy."
Strangely, there were no alarms, no cops, no crack security team with cool guns. Probably because this neighborhood had more stray cats than people.
A Minotaur turned and started toward him.
"Okay, nope. Time to bail."
He eyed a nearby building ledge.
"Gare Shift."
[Skill Activated – Gare Shift]
[Strength Boost: 3%... 7%... 12%...]
Power surged. His muscles buzzed. His hoodie got tighter.
[Warning: You are not wearing appropriate sportswear. Overheating likely.]**
"Oh shut up."
He grabbed Will and launched—clearing two stories in one smooth arc and landing on the rooftop with a controlled thud.
Will barked like this was the best amusement park ride ever.
"Glad you're having fun," Abhay muttered, flexing his steaming shoulders. "Meanwhile I'm about to turn into a grilled chicken wing."
Then the roof groaned.
"Uh oh."
A Minotaur had climbed up through the stairwell like a boss from a horror game. It roared, saliva flying.
Will whined.
"No biting the demon cow," Abhay said, gently nudging him aside. "Let the slightly suicidal guy handle it."
10 seconds.
The beast charged, swinging an axe the size of a refrigerator door.
Abhay ducked, elbowed it in the knee—CRACK. The Minotaur roared, swung wildly. He backflipped onto its back like he was born in a circus.
[Strength Boost: +35%]
11 seconds.
"System!" he shouted, grappling its horns. "Any last words of wisdom?"
[System: Try not to get squished.]
"Real helpful, thanks."
He yanked its head sideways—CRUNCH—right into the rooftop ledge. The Minotaur slumped, dead.
12 seconds.
Abhay stumbled back, skin sizzling.
"System—cancel skill!"
[Gare Shift Terminated. Cooldown Initiated.]
He dropped to a knee, breathing hard. Steam curled off him like a fresh momo basket.
Will padded over and licked his cheek.
"Don't look at me like that. You got carried, admit it."
Then—he felt it.
Someone was watching.
A figure stood across the street, on another rooftop. Black coat. Red-glowing mask. The number 15 gleamed on its forehead.
Abhay squinted. "Let me guess. Cultist? Demon accountant?"
The figure didn't laugh. They did speak.
"You've been busy."
Abhay stood, brushing dust off his hoodie. "And you've been creeping. Want a medal?"
"Normal civilians don't rooftop-parkour with dogs and punch Minotaurs to death."
"I'm built different."
"Clearly."
The masked figure tossed a coin-sized disc his way. It landed by his foot, humming with ominous energy.
"That's a signal key," the figure said. "Plug it into any cracked device. It'll connect you to us."
"Let me guess… secret club?"
"Something like that. We're called Order 15. We watch people like you. Off-grid Awakened. Unregistered powerhouses pretending to be normies."
"I'm not pretending. I just don't want to fill out forms."
"We respect that. Join us. You'll stay hidden. You'll get access to dungeons, Credits, gear. Real work. No paperwork."
Will barked once, tail thumping.
The figure nodded at him. "Loyal?"
"More than you. He doesn't sneak up on me at night."
The figure chuckled—maybe. Hard to tell with the voice filter.
"You'll fit in."
They stepped backward into the shadows—and vanished like a magician with a high-end budget.
Abhay stared at the disc. Then at Will.
"Well, crap. We've been scouted by the cool kids."
Will tilted his head.
Abhay sighed. "Don't look at me like that. We are absolutely going to poke it. But first… dinner."
Somewhere in the distance, another Gate opened with a faint ding, like a microwave finishing.