Fifty years ago, after the coronation of a new king, and when the world slowly healed from the pending prophecy of its annihilation,
It appeared— Shadow Gates.
A bridge between the mortal realm and shattered dimensions, remnants of the catastrophic devouring by Chaos hundreds of years ago.
And when the threat levels reached panic mode, they arrived as well—the gods' chosen.
Individuals blessed by the gods, with exceptional powers, ranked from the least, F-rank, up to the mighty S.
Gifted with the ability to harness 'Ni' wielding its remarkable effects, far beyond imagination.
Yet, with great power comes high responsibilities.
The Shadow Gates, upon opening, carried risk rankings. The higher the risk, the tougher the Shadow creatures within... and the greater the possibility of facing a Shadow Boss.
And now, a Moderate-Risk Gate had opened in the Northern Kingdom Capital.
---
The air expelled from the entrance of the Gate, sending Valtor's hair swirling.
A trail of sweat rolled down. He didn't know why his heart skipped a thousand beats just staring at the portal. He wasn't just afraid—he was terrified.
Before him had opened a murky Gate, swirling with a vortex of misty dark aura. It wasn't enormous, only having the length of a grown man's arm span.
Yet again, something felt... Odd.
Valtor stepped closer, sensing nothing but 'Gi'. Dark energy emitting from the Gate's entrance.
Blobby had actually mentioned—Shadow Gates harbor pure darkness, without a single trace of life, which might have counter affected the darkness.
"PLEASE STEP ASIDE! Civilian Safety Protocol! CSP!"
An armored man, the commander in charge, rushed forward, followed by few others in the same grayish uniform.
Valtor stepped back, giving them space while watching the area secured by odd-glowing orbs.
"What's that?" He asked the man who had just called out CSP.
"Techno-Magic!" He quickly replied, before giving hand signs to the others. "Don't get too close to the Gate! Prevent anyone from that as well!"
Valtor glanced at the floating orbs, which hovered just above the ground, connected by lines of blue energy. 'Techno-Magic?... Strange... How does it work?' he mumbled with thoughts.
"SIR!" One of the uniformed men rushed toward the commander.
"Yes?"
"It's a Moderate-Risk Gate, Sir!"
"Hmm! That's new. I bet the Academy sends someone. Probably Rank A or Maybe B? Surely with a Moderate-Risk Gate, those Ranks would definitely find the orb and destroy it without any issue," The commander muttered before his sharp gaze landed on Valtor, who had reached out to touch one orb.
"HEY! KID! CSP! LEAVE THERE!"
From his tone, Valtor instantly knew he wasn't joking.
He stood, gripping the groceries, then walked toward a stall opposite the Gate, while the Commander watched carefully as he did.
He frowned curiously, 'Anyone who gets so close to the Gate always becomes nauseous from the dark energy expelling... Or am I overthinking he isn't—'
"COMMANDER!" A shout took his entire focus towards another issue.
Meanwhile, the stall opposite, where Valtor stood had the qualities of a good theater seat. Fortunately, no one crowded this spot, making the view better without a strain. "You're really a brave boy, aren't you?" The trader of the stall said, watching the unfolding scene.
"I am?" Valtor set the groceries on the display shelf.
"Yes! No one wants to go near the Gate. Everyone fears it," the trader said, arranging items for sale.
"It's only a portal—"
"To destruction? Yes!"
Valtor eyed the trader, sensing the man was hiding his panic. Probably to be viewed as the calm one in this situation.
Still, he thought to himself, 'It's just a Shadow Gate...?'
*****
Exactly fifteen minutes had passed since the Shadow Gate's opening, and the Safety Protocol already took their jobs more seriously.
Keeping the civilians out of the danger zone, mobilizing a small gathering.. A small gathering.
Valtor became curious to know what the gathering was all about. One thing for sure, they weren't part of the CSP, and neither the Raid Team.
"Um..." He turned to the Trader, who raised a brow to respond,
"Yes?"
"I'll be right back!"
"Sure thing Kiddo," The Trader helped Valtor keep the groceries in a safe spot, wondering as he left, 'I hope he isn't going to do anything stupid.'
Walking from the stall, and keeping his eyes on the Commander of the CSP, Valtor silently strolled by, without any Suspicious movement.
Anytime an armed uniform member of the CSP would turn to make sure the surrounding had no curious defaulter, Valtor would stop to stand, keeping a safe distance, or preferably behind some onlookers which served as a shield from those who had seen him.
He did this until finally reaching the gathering.
Crossing the main barrier, he stood at the back of one of the lines, hearing what the armed fellow at the front spoke about.
"... You all are going into the Shadow Gate mine the shattered crystals and leave! I hope none of you would venture past the Safety zone!."
Valtor now understood, 'These are Miners who have the privilege of entering into the Gate! How rare! I wonder what the crystals are used for?'
His thoughts was disrupted by someone opposite who tapped on his shoulder.
He turned to see the boy take off his helmet, "Late Coming, am I right?"
"Y-yes... I hope I am not in trouble," Valtor said, trying to blend with the miners.
"Nope! But if you don't suit up, I'm sure you would," The boy pointed to a truck behind, "There are spare armors there! You better hurry up, we would be entering soon."
"Y-Yes! Thank you," Valtor quickly moved.
Definitely, he would have gotten into the worst luck trying to walk into the Shadow Gate without any armor on.
Just as the boy said, the truck boot had lot of spare armors.
He picked one up from its case, inspecting the material. It was a simple black tight-fitting, one-piece garment, which when he wore it, elasticated to his size.
"I wonder if this what's called a Techno-magic suit?" He mumbled, while inspecting the blue-lined areas. "Or maybe not?"
Slipping in the gloves, then boots, before wearing the helmet and throwing over his shoulders an Ax, a smirk formed on his face, "Time to Explore."
Even with the smirk, Valtor knew deep down, that feeling he had gotten when facing the Shadow Gate hadn't subsided.
The fear of something big lurking within. Something unplanned for.