22 years ago the world experienced a sudden change. Gates, towers, monsters, and other worlds are all seemingly instantly connected to ours. To defend against the onslaught of humanity people were gifted with abilities, strengths to combat the monsters that spewed out the gates. After the initial attack from the gates, humanity combined its efforts and could defend itself with today's heroes, hunters. Hunters had seemingly fit in society and had new challenges to face, the towers. 7 towers around the world surfaced when the gates had initially come. many hunters came flocking to earn the riches that they had. It took 4 years after the gates first came for the first tower in Incheon Korea to be completed with 99 floors. The 2nd tower had opened its door instantly after, it only took the hunters 8 years. The 3rd tower in Shanghai China is when everything went wrong. 10 years after the completion of the 2nd tower the 3rd towers doors had stayed open. The 3rd tower had a forgotten world crushed by a being more powerful than human comprehension inside. And it rained hell into the earth once again. Demons that can only be described as hellspawn flooded Shanghai taking over it and the surrounding province. It only took 2 years for it to spread across the world and drag humanity to extinction.  

 Awaken by the sound of drums I pick my head up off the cold ruins of what used to be Los Vegas. The hub of hunters in the west.

"Hunter Cho Baekhyun are you alive?"

a meek voice above me tried to shove me awake

"yes"

It was the only person I could rely on after the 3rd towers broke

"Please rest for a minute before fighting again, your stitches are all open, and fighting in your current state will lead you to Gaspenwon River"

 This meek voice was the only person I could rely on. Renna Waesmyar, an elf from Vardui the other world. She was a Forest elf who came with the light goddess Noion church 20 years ago to help hunters with the trials of the 1st tower.

"What are those drums?"

Baekhyun pushed himself to sit against a broken support beam. A quick look at his surroundings he could tell it was a decrepit parking garage

"the demons of the 3rd tower are nearby hunter Cho Baekhyun. Your wounds are too severe to fight please escape with me so we can regroup"

"regroup with who? All the major guilds have been disbanded or destroyed, and all the other world hunters besides me are dead after the surprise attack. The US president hasn't been seen in a week and all the families have been hidin-"

"please stop we mustn't have such thoughts about our comrades"

Renna's voice was empty now. Her face was dried with tears and dirt, her eyes were cold, and looked deeply into Baekhyun .

"Hunter Cho Baekhyun forgive me but we must leave before the demons of the 3rd tower find us, may Noion guide our path"

She stands up facing away from the injured Baekhyun

"Please forget about fighting and come with me."

"Renna.. I can't go with you, it's all already too late"

"..."

"Please go back to Vardui and try to defend the gate from our world to yours, I will stop the demon's army approach here"

Baekhyun is now fully standing up and grips his deep crimson dagger hanging from his side

"It must only be scouts of the demon's party, I will defeat them and go back to the gate to Vardui"

"Hunter Ch-"

"We've known each other long enough... you can use my first name, Renna"

"Baekhyun.."

still facing away from him

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"Please come back alive, a warrior like you is to celebrate his victories with comrades... don't make me eat alone"

it was the forest elf tradition to hunt and eat with strong warriors to celebrate their successes. Baekhyun had hunted many times with Renna before.

"Yes, let us hunt a werelk in honor of today's battle"

Renna dashes away leaving behind nothing but a piece of bread wrapped in cloth

Baekhyun now fully attentive assesses his injury

"only 2 broken ribs-"

Before he could finish his thoughts an arrow flew by piercing the bread Renna left.

Wordless, Baekhyun throws his dagger in the direction of the arrow and a demonized goblin falls from the treelines onto the ground as the drums grow louder and louder.

His dagger flies back to him because of the return enchantments Renna had placed after their first hunt

It was the demon's main force finishing the hunter stronghold of the 2nd tower

"GAZORHAORD HAS FAILED TO DEFEND HIS TOWER FROM WEAKLINGS HUMANS? JAJAJA ONE MUST REFLECT ON SUCH IMPUDENTS!"

loud couldn't describe this voice, it was deafening. It was one of the commanders of the demon's army. Onnas the feared. If not for the surprise attack Baekhyun would have been confident enough to beat him with his small army but now that he's extremely weakened...

Onnas was a 4 legged demon with a thick neck. His legs were spider-like but furry enough that you couldn't see them.

His 4 arms hold 2 great blades that compare to cars in size, and 2 arms cross his body almost like they are stuck in place

"Human please let the search for you end quicker. I GROW TIRED OF SUCH ACTIVITY"

I was the only survivor of the world hunters who gathered to defend this stronghold.

"Human, must you have mercy on your psyche?"

Onnas was strangely articulate in English and had taken a strong interest in human culture

Baekhyun heeds Onnas advice and faces in front of Onnas

"Human not only have you survived Onnas attack but killed my minio-"

Baekhyun wasnt listening, still thinking about the bread Renna left behind he launched himself toward Onnas leaving a path of destruction behind him

Onnas uses his great blade to strike down Baekhyun but he uses his skill

"Flash" is a simple skill that lets the user move anywhere in a 6-foot radius

Baekhyun flashes to the demon side and tries to strike Onnas back leg

An arrow whizzes by his head as he skillfully dodges it

"shit"

Baekhyun was hit by another arrow in his thigh

A flash of light comes from seemingly nowhere 

"Hunter Baekhyun!"

Renna's skill Aura of Noion blinds everything in sight

In a swift movements, Renna grabs Baekhyun and as she is about to jump away. Onnas reacts with a skill of his own

"Stone"

As the word let Onnas mouth a giant stone wall easily the size of a large house contorts from the surroundings in front of Renna and Baekhyun

*Thud* as Renna uses her body to reduce the impact on Baekhyun

Without second thought Onnas throws his greatsword at Baekhyun and crashes them through the massive stone wall

Renna dazed from the sudden impact looks at Baekhyun

"HUNTER BAEKHYUN"

He wasn't cut in half but you could say he was

blood gushed from the open wound and his large intestine slipped out of him

"lea..ve.."

Renna couldn't think, her cold stare was gone and it was filled with tears that where once dried up before

Shocked she didn't move an inch

Onnas started looking over his shoulder

"Must all humans be so weak?"

His voice was lower now as he lost all interest in battle and continued marching forward with his goblins hidden in the far

Renna retches but never loses contact with Baekhyun

Baekhyun was dead his torso now in two and Renna's back was gravely injured she couldn't feel anything lower than her stomach

It turns to night, and after seemingly hours of shock Renna grabs baekhyun's blade with a weakness similar to a child picking up a stone

She places the blade of deep crimson on her neck, and before she can join Baekhyun a light glows from the sky

The sky that was once a dry, scarlet red was filled with a pure light that enveloped the whole area

Even the flies that were scavenging baekhyun's lower haft were gone

Renna couldn't look up but she felt the presence of a being more than human, elf, or demon.

A god must revel in such suffering as they never help humans

A being of pure light is now in front of Renna

"Renna, you mustn't die here. Vardui needs your help"

Renna couldn't respond. She was too shellshocked still, in a frozen state that nothing could affect

"I see my child, the darkness has taken your mind and clouded your reason... This human must have meant a lot to you"

Renna does not move or say anything

"If I help this human will you save Vardui?"

in an instant life returned to Renna's eyes and she faced up to her goddess of light

"yes please anything, I will do anything to save Baekhyu-"

The light put Renna into a daze, different from when Onnas threw his massive sword at them

A daze of slumber almost, a trance

"Humans are easy to fix, this one has left this realm recently"

An angelic light fixes itself around Baekhyun covering his lower haft but it disperses before anything can happen

"hmm, his soul has moved farther than light can reach. I apologize child but I cannot do more"

Renna's hands were cold, shaking from the tears she produced

"Why? Why?" she sobbed, the question echoing in the open street

Darkness slowly creeps towards Renna

No such darkness could exist while this close to Noion

"It seems like a brother wants to take him, I cannot say who although" Noion said with a question in her tone

The darkness that is compared to the void enveloped Baekhyun

Renna held Baekhyun as tight as she could, knowing now this was the last time she would ever see him

She wanted to cry more but her eyes were tired, her mind was on the verge of breaking again, and her body was crushed

"Baekhyun, thank yo-"

His body vanishes.