The sound of the Gate roaring to life was so loud, a violent crescendo that echoed in Hana’s ears as the swirling vortex consumed Seo Jun Xin.
Her eyes darted to the figure that had stepped between them earlier, still present but now motionless, its form illuminated by the unnatural light of the Gate. The sheer menace it exuded made her skin crawl, but something about its stillness was off—almost as if it, too, was observing the Gate with a mix of caution and intent.
The ground trembled beneath her feet, and a sudden surge of energy from the Gate sent a shockwave outward, forcing her to stagger back. The figure turned its head sharply toward her, its predatory focus now solely on Hana.
“No time,” she muttered under her breath, panic threatening to overwhelm her.
The figure took a deliberate step forward, its shadow stretching ominously in the dim light. Hana clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms as she weighed her options. Fighting it here, so close to the Gate, was a gamble she wasn’t sure she’d win. But running would leave her vulnerable.
Then, without warning, the figure’s gaze snapped back to the Gate as if responding to some unseen command. It hesitated, its form rigid for a heartbeat before turning away and vanishing into the shadows.
Hana didn’t waste time trying to understand why it left. Her pulse thundered in her ears as she stepped closer to the Gate, her breath catching in her throat.
“Jun Xin…” she whispered, her voice trembling. The swirling vortex pulsed ominously, the energy radiating from it stronger than anything she’d ever felt.
She reached out instinctively, but a sharp crackle of mana forced her to pull back. The Gate was unstable, and its chaotic energy warned of its danger.
“I have to find help,” she whispered.
Her heart ached, the thought of leaving Jun Xin behind unbearable. But staying here, exposed and without a plan, would only ensure her own death. Gritting her teeth, she forced herself to step away, her mind already racing with ideas on how to track him down.
“I’ll get you out of there,” she promised, her voice resolute, even as her hands trembled.
Turning on her heel, Hana disappeared into the night, her thoughts torn between the figure’s strange retreat and the fate of the one person she couldn’t bear to lose.
Jun Xin landed hard on the cold, uneven ground, his body rolling to a stop against jagged rocks. He gasped for air, the force of the impact knocking the wind out of him. The world around him was silent but not as comforting as silence usually felt. It was oppressive as if the very air was holding its breath.
Groaning, he pushed himself up onto his elbows, his muscles protesting with sharp stabs of pain. His surroundings came into focus, and the sight before him was nothing short of terrifying.
He was in some kind of cavern, the walls rough and glowing faintly with veins of crimson light. The ground was uneven, littered with shards of stone and what looked like broken weapons. The air felt heavy, saturated with mana so thick it was almost tangible.
“Where…?” His voice cracked, the single word barely audible in the oppressive atmosphere.
Jun Xin struggled to his feet, his body aching from the fall. He glanced around, searching for any sign of an exit, but the cavern seemed to stretch endlessly in every direction.
The Gate loomed like a tear in reality, its swirling energy radiating an unnatural heat.
He stepped away from it instinctively, his hands clenching into fists. His mind raced to make sense of the situation. This wasn’t like the Gates he’d studied. It was different, chaotic, alive.
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A distant growl echoed through the cavern, low and deep. It sent a chill down his spine, and he turned toward the sound, his eyes narrowing. The glow from the walls cast ghostly shadows, making it hard to tell where the noise was coming from.
Jun Xin grabbed a piece of metal from the ground, its edges sharp enough to serve as a makeshift weapon. His breathing steadied as he focused, the initial panic giving way to determination. He wasn’t going to die here.
Another growl, closer this time. The ground trembled slightly beneath his feet, and Jun Xin tightened his grip on the metal shard. He moved cautiously, and each step was calculated as he tried to determine the source of the sound.
The cavern opened into a larger chamber, the faint light from the walls revealing a monstrous creature crouched in the center. It was massive, its body covered in dark, chitinous armor that shimmered in the dim light. Its eyes glowed a sickly yellow, and its razor-sharp claws scraped against the stone floor, sending sparks flying.
Jun Xin froze, his heart pounding in his chest. The creature’s head turned toward him slowly, its eyes locking onto him with a predatory intensity.
“Great,” he muttered under his breath. “Just what I needed.”
The creature let out a loud roar, reverberating through the cavern and shaking the ground. It lunged at him with terrifying speed, its claws slicing through the air.
Jun Xin dove to the side, narrowly avoiding the attack. The creature’s momentum carried it past him, but it recovered quickly, its movements unnaturally fluid for something of its size.
He scrambled to his feet, his mind racing as he tried to come up with a strategy. The creature charged again, and this time, he managed to dodge and slash at its side with his makeshift weapon. The shard left a shallow gash in its armor, but it wasn’t enough to slow it down.
“Think, Jun Xin,” he muttered, backing away as the creature circled him. “Weak points. Everything has a weak point.”
The glow from the walls reflected off the creature’s body, and Jun Xin’s eyes caught a faint seam in its armor near its neck. It was small, almost imperceptible, but it was something.
The creature lunged again, and this time, Jun Xin stood his ground. He sidestepped at the last moment, driving the shard into the seam with all his strength. The creature let out a pained shriek, its movements becoming erratic as it thrashed wildly.
Jun Xin didn’t hesitate. He yanked the shard free and struck again, this time piercing deeper into the weak point. The creature’s shrieks grew louder before it finally collapsed, its body convulsing before going still.
Breathing heavily, Jun Xin stepped back, his hands trembling. He dropped the shard, the metal clattering against the stone floor.
“First monster down,” he said, his voice shaky but tinged with relief. “Let’s hope there aren’t too many more.”
The cavern fell silent again, but the oppressive atmosphere remained. Jun Xin knew this was only the beginning. Whatever this Gate was, it wasn’t going to let him leave easily.
Taking a moment to steady himself, he began moving deeper into the cavern, his eyes scanning for any sign of an exit—or another threat.
----------------------------------------
Back in the city, Hana sat in a dimly lit room, her hands trembling as she stared at the map spread out before her. Red markers indicated known Gates, their locations meticulously plotted by the mana-detection systems. But there was no marker for the Gate that had taken Jun Xin.
She traced a finger over the map, her mind racing. There had to be something she’d missed, some clue that could lead her to him.
A knock at the door startled her, and she quickly folded the map, shoving it into her bag.
“Who is it?” she called, her voice steady despite the turmoil inside her.
The door creaked open, and a familiar face appeared. It was one of her contacts, a man who specialized in gathering information about abnormal Gate activity.
“I heard about the Gate,” he said, his voice low. “Word’s spreading fast. People are scared.”
“They should be,” Hana replied, her tone sharp. “This wasn’t a random Gate. Someone orchestrated this.”
The man’s expression darkened, and he stepped closer. “If that’s true, then you’re dealing with something far bigger than either of us. Be careful, Hana.”
“I don’t have time to be careful,” she said, her voice firm. “I have to find him.”
The man hesitated before nodding. “I’ll see what I can dig up. But be prepared for the worst.”
As the door closed behind him, Hana leaned back in her chair, her resolve hardening. She wasn’t going to let Jun Xin be another victim of this chaos.
“I’ll get you out of there,” she whispered, her voice filled with determination.
Jun Xin pressed on through the cavern, his body aching but his mind focused. Each step brought him closer to the unknown, the faint glow of the walls guiding his way.
He didn’t know what awaited him in this Gate, but one thing was clear—he wasn’t going down without a fight.