Knock, knock.
A loud sound echoed through the house. Inside lived a family of six, a father and mother, their son and daughter, and the grandparents.
The father looked up from the living room, brow furrowed in confusion. After a long day at work, the last thing he wanted was an unexpected visitor. Still, with a tired sigh, he pushed himself out of the chair and walked to the door.
When he opened it, a hunched young man stood on the porch, wearing an overly polite smile.
"Hello... I'm looking for Elly. Could you tell me if she's here?" the young man asked, scratching his neck. His eyes were hidden behind dark glasses.
"And who might you be?" the father asked warily.
"I'm her son. She wasn't home, and since she works here as a nanny, I thought she might be here..." the young man said quickly, fidgeting like he couldn't stay still.
"I see... Well, welcome. She's not here right now, but she'll be back soon." the father said, nodding slightly before stepping aside.
"Thank you so much." The young man nodded gratefully and entered.
"We're just getting ready for dinner. Join us," the father offered as he turned toward the bathroom to wash his hands.
As he disappeared down the hall, the daughter peeked in from the kitchen with a bright smile. "Hey, aren't you the one who texted me before?"
"Yeah, that's me." The young man laughed awkwardly. "Mom likes you all a lot."
"I like Elly too!" the girl giggled. "So, do you want something to drink?"
"Yea, thanks."
"Water or beer?" she called from the refrigerator.
"Let's go with beer." he replied, grinning faintly.
Meanwhile, the grandmother watched him from the couch, her expression sharp and suspicious. Something about the way he kept fidgeting, his pale skin, and those hidden eyes didn't sit right with her.
A few minutes later, the father returned, wiping his hands. He opened the refrigerator, frowned when he saw only bottles of water, then silently grabbed one and sat down at the table.
"So... did something happen?" he asked carefully, assuming Elly might have run into some trouble.
The young man sighed. "No, nothing like that. It's just... me and my friends are in a tough spot right now. We need some money. I came to ask Mom, but I doubt she has any."
He looked up, gauging the older man's expression. "Could you... maybe lend me some?"
Grandma hissed at that, her eyes widening in outrage. "Do you know my son has to feed a family of six? And he has to-"
"Mom, that's enough," the older man said coldly.
Before he could say anything else, another knock echoed through the house. He sighed again, pushing himself up and walking to the door.
This time, two young men stood outside, both jittery and restless, just like the hunched boy sitting in the living room.
One of them laughed, stepping forward and back as if he couldn't stay still. "Hey, our friend must be here."
The hunched boy came out of the living room, waving his hand dismissively. "Go back. I'll return soon."
The second newcomer frowned, his expression twisting into anger. "Are you messing with us, you little fucker!?"
"I said go back! Don't make me repeat myself!" the hunched boy snapped, shoving them out the door.
The older man stared at him, his tone sharp.
"What's going on here?"
"Just my friends," the boy said awkwardly.
The man slammed the door shut, frowning.
"Wait a second, boy. Tell me what the hell is going on?"
The voices rose, tense and angry. The children clung to their mother, peeking out from behind her skirt.
"It's just my friends! I already told you!" the boy said, his voice growing harsher, his patience running thin.
"Watch your tone," the older man warned.
"Can you just give me the money?" the boy muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose. "You can take it out of Mom's salary."
"Does your mother even know about this?" the man asked, rubbing his temples in exhaustion.
The boy leaned in closer, lowering his voice.
"Listen, we're both men here, yeah? No need to drag moms into it. If she had the money, she would've given it already."
"Sorry, but I don't earn enough to lend you anything," the man said quietly.
Before the boy could reply, a woman's voice cut through the room. "What's this mess?"
The man looked up, relief and tension mixing in his chest. It was Elly.
"Where the hell have you been all this time?!" the boy shouted, his voice cracking with frustration.
"You... Harus? What are you doing here?" Elly asked, her voice trembling slightly.
"I need to take care of something, that's why!" Harus muttered, throwing his hands in the air.
"You shouldn't have come here," Elly said softly, her expression tight with shame and fatigue. She already knew this was about to turn ugly.
"Just come on. Stop wasting my damned time." Harus said, grabbing her arm roughly and pulling her toward the door.
Elly turned to the older man, giving him an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, James. I'll handle this."
James grunted, glaring at the boy. "Just so you know, his friends are still waiting outside."
"So what!? I only asked for a few hundred points!" Harus snapped, waving his hand dismissively.
"Have you lost all shame, my boy?" Elly said quietly, her voice full of sorrow.
"Forget that! Just come already!"
"Talk to your mother with respect, brat!" James barked.
"Or what!?" Harus shot back.
The air felt thick with anger and helplessness until Elly finally stepped between them, raising her hands. "That's enough! Please, just stop."
After a long, tense moment, she managed to calm them both. Without another word, she followed Harus out of the house.
"Let's go, guys. We've wasted enough time."
Harus turned sharply and walked toward his friends.
"Harus! How dare you come here!?" Elly shouted after him.
"Oh, leave me alone, will you?" he muttered without looking back.
"HOW DARE YOU STEP INTO THIS HOUSE!?" Elly's voice broke as she pointed a trembling finger at him.
"Ugh, what!? Are you ashamed that I'm your son!?" Harus shouted bitterly.
"Calm yourself," Elly said coldly.
At the same time, Harus's friends exchanged glances and smiled at her politely, trying to defuse the tension.
"Hello, Aunt Elly. How have you-"
"Don't you dare say hello to me," she cut in, her tone sharp as ice. "You all ruined each other."
"What the fuck are you talking about!?" Harus yelled, taking a step toward her, but his friends quickly grabbed him, dragging him back.
"The fuck are you doing?"
"Yeah, that's your mom, idiot."
Inside the house, Grandma's voice rose again.
"Did you see that boy? His eyes, his face? He's a drug addict! We can't have someone like that around our home!"
One of the children whispered, "But Grandma, Elly's nice… she always takes care of us. Why should we make her leave just because her son's like that?"
"My sweet girl," Grandma said firmly, "a child is a mirror of the parent! Look how she raised her son! What if it happens again? That boy wanted money for drugs, he might steal something next time! You saw him, didn't you? He almost hit his mother!"
The shouting grew louder and harsher inside the house, but Elly didn't go back. She stood outside, frozen, her shoulders trembling as tears welled in her eyes. The shame and pain in her chest felt unbearable, because deep down, she knew they weren't entirely wrong.
Taking a shaky breath, Elly wiped her tears and turned away, walking down the empty street, the sounds of argument fading behind her.
A few hours later, Elly lay on the couch inside her small house, staring blankly at the ceiling when her communicator started to beep. She glanced at it, already knowing who it was, and she didn't want to answer.
But after a moment of hesitation, she picked it up, her lips trembling. "Hello…"
"Hello, Elly. It's James," came the familiar voice. "I'm sorry to tell you this, but I think-"
Elly interrupted softly, her tone tired and resigned. "I understand. You're scared something might happen to your children… Don't worry about it."
Before he could say anything more, she hung up. Setting the communicator down, she walked to the kitchen and poured herself a glass of water. Her hands were shaking. She hadn't even lifted it to her lips when she heard the sound of the front door opening.
Her body tensed. But her expression stayed empty, her face pale and her eyes red from crying.
She turned toward the door just as Harus entered. When he saw her, he quickly slid on his dark glasses, as if trying to hide his bloodshot eyes. His skin was pale, and deep shadows clung beneath them.
Elly's gaze dropped to his arm, one sleeve hastily rolled down. Even like that, the faint mark of a needle still showed on the other.
Without a word, she reached for the door and began to close it slowly.
"Go wherever you want," she said quietly, her voice trembling, her eyes bleak and hollow. "You're not my son anymore."
Harus froze, disbelief spreading across his face.
"Huh? Wait… what the hell!? Mom, wait! I said wait!"
...
Harus opened his eyes, a deep sigh slipping from his lips as he looked at the school from a distance. He wore black pants and a long dark coat, its hood pulled low over his face. Sunglasses hid his pale eyes as he stood quietly in the shade, half-swallowed by the shadows.
Dozens of meters away stood an older woman with a pale-skin, her dark hair streaked with silver from age and stress. Her eyes, the same pale blue as Harus's, watched the school gates with a patient, gentle expression.
Moments later, a young girl waved cheerfully at the older woman. But seeing so many children blocking her path, she didn't bother waiting in line, she simply jumped over the gate with ease. She was fourteen, nearly fifteen.
There was something bright and unspoiled about her: her laughter was free, her face open and full of life. She threw her arms around the woman, smiling happily.
"I missed you, Elly!" the girl said, her voice clear and warm.
"I missed you too, sweetie. But please don't do that again. Your teachers will scold you again." Elly smiled softly, taking the girl's hand. The girl pouted, pretending to protest being treated like a child.
From the shadows, Harus watched.
His pale, inhuman eyes softened, a faint smile flickering across his face.
That girl… she was the same one who'd offered him a beer that day, back when he'd been a pathetic little shit. Maybe now he was worse… a murderer wasn't any better than a drug addict, right?
Watching them from the shadows, Harus felt an inexplicable emotion swell in his chest. He wanted to go out there, greet his mother, thank her for everything, and tell her how sorry he was… Maybe he should. Nothing would change if he kept hiding in the shadows, following her from a distance. He had to take a step forward and…
No… Harus thought, turning away with a bitter look, his expression twisted with anger and shame as he disappeared into the dark alley.
What would be the point? He would only break his mother's heart again. Maybe that was why he'd asked Amon to erase any trace of him, his whereabouts, his affiliations, everything. Better to vanish than to hurt her one more time.
"Elly… Elly!" the girl called, snapping her out of her thoughts.
Elly blinked, startled, then offered the girl an apologetic smile. But her eyes drifted back to the hunched figure walking away from the school. Her brow furrowed, head tilting slightly.
He seemed so familiar... And sad.
Elly and the girl lingered for a while in the school's garden. Though it was called a garden, there wasn't a single living plant there, only synthetic grass and silvered trees made of polished alloy.
The school itself wasn't exceptional. It wasn't one of those prestigious institutions reserved for the elite, but neither was it among the worst. It was a decent place, meant for middle-class families.
After ten minutes or so, Elly decided it was time to head home.
"Haaaaa... I'm so tired," the girl groaned, puffing out her cheeks. "And I'm just studying. I don't even work yet. I wonder how Dad's holding up... The government's been pushing him like crazy lately."
Elly smiled softly, closing her eyes for a moment. "It's alright. James has always been hardworking, he's used to it. Besides, he's planning to take some time off soon."
"I hope so." The girl sighed, then hesitated, her expression turning uncertain. She looked up at Elly with a flicker of concern before finally speaking. "Elly… I can ask Dad to look into Harus's case, if you want. I'm sure he could help…"
Elly chuckled quietly and shook her head. "It's fine, dear. He just needs time. I've heard the Forgotten Shore was... a harrowing place."
"Aren't you… bothered? From what the news says, Harus was… uh…" She trailed off, struggling to find the right words.
Elly gave her a gentle smile, filled with understanding, and just a hint of sorrow.
At this point, she didn't care whether Harus was a murderer or a drug addict.
Her boy was alive. He had come back. That was all that mattered.
No matter what a child does, no matter how terrible or horrifying, a mother could never truly hate her son.
A mother's love is unconditional.
EMERGENCY ALERT
EMERGENCY ALERT
GATE ACTIVITY DETECTED IN YOUR PROXIMITY
ETA: 194 SECONDS
EVACUATE IMMEDIATELY!
Elly froze. The color drained from her face as the mechanical voice echoed across the area, followed by the rising wail of sirens. Her eyes trembled as she turned, and saw it.
A dark tear in the air, like someone had slashed open reality itself. A Gate was forming.
"It's alright, dear. I'm here," Elly whispered, trying to sound calm. Her legs, however, were trembling slightly.
A violent tremor rolled through the ground.
The shadows writhed in a chaotic dance as the sunlight dimmed to a ghostly pallor.
Wind screamed down the empty streets, as if the air itself was being devoured by the widening rift.
And then, an invisible shockwave burst outward, shattering every window in the surrounding buildings.
...
At the same time, Harus was already a few hundred meters away from the school, frozen in place as he stared at his communicator.
ATTENTION ALL AWAKENED
REQUEST IMMEDIATE ACTION
ATTENTION ALL AWAKENED
REQUEST IMMEDIATE ACTION
Beneath the flashing text, new lines shimmered into view:
Gate Category: 2 (89% probability), 3 (10% probability), HIGHER (undefined)
Strike Force ETA: 16 min, 14 sec
Shit… he thought, cursing under his breath as his grip tightened around the device. Then, without wasting another second, he turned back and sprinted toward the school with everything he had.
Please… let me make it in time. Spells, Gods, Daemons, whatever you are up there...
His jaw clenched as he lowered his head, every muscle in his body coiling like a spring. He kicked off the ground, leaving faint cracks in the road as he vaulted upward, landing on a nearby rooftop before continuing his run.
The Trojan Horse of Destiny,
The Worm of Time, The Loopholes in Rules, The Manifestation of All Errors...
The streets below were chaos. People were fleeing in panic, shoving past each other, running in the opposite direction. A few PTVs swerved recklessly through the crowd, nearly mowing down the desperate.
Aren't you the God of Time? So please… let me be on time. Just this once. I need to be in the right place, at the right time…
Within three minutes, Harus reached the area. He exhaled sharply, staring down with a blank, grim expression.
The Gate had already opened, its black wound tearing reality apart. From within, waves of Abominations spilled out like a flood of nightmares.
But… he wasn't late... No one had died yet.
The beasts resembled monstrous hounds, their skin mottled and black, blood-red bone spikes jutting from their backs. When they landed on the road, their maws split open in guttural, hoarse roars that shook the air.
So this is the first wave… Harus thought, coldly assessing his prey. But that cold focus shattered the moment he saw the people still trapped near the school, among them were a young girl… and Elly.
Damn it…
His expression twisted in anger as he leapt from the roof, slamming onto the asphalt below with a heavy thud.
Meanwhile, Elly clutched the girl tightly, her eyes shut in terror as she realized there was nowhere left to run. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she wrapped her arms protectively around the child, her whole body trembling.
Her eyes went wide as the hound rushed toward her, its hideous fangs glistening with dripping saliva. It was only a few meters away. Three seconds, and she would die… now two… then one… and now!
The hound leaped, claws outstretched and ready to tear Elly and the girl apart. Elly's body froze, paralyzed with terror, but then a heavy chain cracked through the air, slamming into the beast. It wrapped around the creature's neck and yanked it backward toward a short, frail-looking man.
In the next heartbeat, the man's fist drove into the hound's abdomen, fingers piercing through flesh. He gripped its lung and tore it free in one brutal motion. The beast collapsed, and he dropped it to the ground, stepping on its head and crushing its skull with an expressionless face.
Before Elly, or anyone could even process what had happened, everything went dark.
A cold, suffocating darkness swallowed the world, broken only by the tortured, bone-chilling screams of dying beasts.
When light was finally allowed to return, and the sinister black veil began to fade, Elly saw nothing but carnage.
Dozens of corpses littered the ground: mangled, torn apart, crushed, and splattered across the asphalt. A crimson pool spread outward, glistening beneath the faint sunlight.
And in the middle of it all stood a young man.
He held a writhing, beastly creature by its skull. Then without hesitation, he crushed it as if it were made of glass.
The hunched figure stayed motionless for a moment. His clothes were drenched, heavy with blood; even his face was barely recognizable beneath the thick, scarlet stains that clung to his skin and hair.
The sight was horrifying. The stranger swung the corpse in his hand like a weapon, smashing another hound aside with its lifeless kin. He glanced down at the fallen creature, his gaze cold and merciless, before hurling the body toward the Gate, slamming it into another abomination and blasting both back into the rift.
"Disgusting worms…" he muttered, barely inclining his head as an arrow hissed past his ear.
Several ancient archers stood before him, weapons drawn. More figures emerged from the shadows, warriors of old, their forms twisted by corruption. Some held crude bows, others brandished jagged flint spears or chipped axes.
These were Awakened Monsters, each one equal in rank and power to the Carapace Centurions Harus had once faced, long ago, on the Forgotten Shore.
But their weapons meant nothing.
Because in the next moment… their sight was stolen from them.
Darkness returned. Thick, smothering, and absolute. One of the archers flinched, stumbling back, but it was useless.
A gauntleted hand burst through its stomach. Blood poured from its maw as it let out a shriek of agony, cut short when Harus gripped its spine and yanked.
With a sickening crack, the creature's back split apart, collapsing in on itself like a puppet with its strings cut.
Then came the slaughter.
The air filled with screams and tearing flesh as Harus moved through them, a butchering creatures as if they were pigs. They clawed, swung, and howled, but it was pointless. Against him, they were nothing.
After Harus's dormant Ability evolved, its greatest flaw vanished. Now he could blind as many enemies as he wanted, so long as they weren't outside his range. And with his Awakened Ability, every aspect of his physical and spiritual self had been amplified threefold. His muscles coiled with power, his bones hardened into something robust and unyielding. Wounds sealed themselves rapidly, his recovery surging far beyond what it once was.
His strength became monstrous, crushing creatures of his rank with ease. His speed was just as terrifying, Harus wove between Abominations with brutal, predatory footwork. His body was durable, flexible, and frighteningly precise… like a cornered cat that had learned to kill.
As for his essence: its output, its potency, its very quality... Those, too, had skyrocketed. Harus swung his arm, and an ancient warrior split cleanly in two.
But even with all of that, it didn't mean his reserves were bottomless. He wasn't recovering essence nearly fast enough. His stamina bled away, his core drained at an alarming pace. His control was sloppy and unrefined, a consequence of having too little time.
Harus was the type of person who grew as he fought, learning to become a sharper, deadlier version of his already cold-blooded self. But even so, he needed time to fully absorb what he learned, to understand, refine, and improve it. Sadly, after his return, he had been too busy to train.
Because of that, he was at a disadvantage, gradually growing more exhausted. That meant he had to finish this quickly… or die.
And judging by the swelling tide of Abominations closing in, he already knew which outcome awaited him…
Harus frowned, a chill running down his spine.
Something was coming.
It wasn't the same kind of threat as the hounds or the corrupted warriors. This presence was different. Ut was heavier, colder, and far more dangerous than the maggots he had crushed moments ago.
From within the Gate's swirling darkness, a new silhouette began to emerge.
The moment it appeared, all the beasts around him froze. Then, as one, they raised their heads and howled triumphantly, welcoming their master into the waking world.
The Gate Guardian had arrived.
It was massive, more than four meters tall. Its withered body resembled the primeval hunters and demons Harus had once fought, yet there was something far more dreadful about it.
The creature gripped a colossal spear, its blade carved from a single slab of obsidian. The weapon was so soaked in ancient, dried blood that the black stone itself seemed to have turned dark red.
Leather armor covered its skeletal frame, reinforced with strange bluish metal plates. Dozens of iron and bone bracelets clinked softly around its wrists, and a cloak made from the hide of some long-dead monster draped over its shoulders.
The skull of that same beast served as its helm, while a burial mask hid its face, its twisted features neither human nor divine.
Both the skull and the mask bore three eyes each, six in total, all blazing with a crimson, malevolent light.
The Guardian looked down at Harus, its gaze cold and ancient, studying the tiny human before it, not with rage or caution, but with the detached curiosity of a predator.
Elly, watching from the distance, felt her breath catch in her throat. Her whole body trembled. She couldn't understand how that hunched boy was supposed to fight something like this... Wait a second... Hunched boy? Her eyes went wide as her lips trembled.
"My poor boy..."
And then she heard it, the sound of cracking bones.
Harus straightened slowly, vertebra by vertebra, until he stood at his full height, half the size of the giant before him, yet radiating an equally dreadful presence.
White sparks flickered in his hand, gathering, twisting, shaping into a jagged, monstrous butcher's blade, it's serrated edge gleaming coldly.
The Guardian's many eyes flared brighter for a moment… then dimmed.
It, too, fell victim to Harus's ability.
Power surged through him, his strength, speed, endurance, essence output, everything multiplying by threefolds. His body trembled with raw force, every breath heavy and violent. He felt like a beast, ready to tear the beasts apart.
But he knew.
It still wasn't enough.
Harus exhaled slowly, his expression unreadable. He already understood how this fight would end.
"…Whatever," he muttered, then he moved.
His blade tore through the air, aiming for where a human's tibial and fibular nerves would be. But this creature wasn't human, and he couldn't be sure if its anatomy even allowed such damage.
The Guardian roared, swinging its massive spear in wide arcs, the weapon howling as it cut through the air.
Every strike missed.
Harus slipped through the gaps of the giant's attacks like a shadow, his ability keeping the creature blind and disoriented.
He wasn't losing because he lacked power. In truth, his ability could counter almost anyone.
The problem was different.
His energy was fading, his essence burning away with every passing second. His body screamed in protest.
Soon, the darkness would lift.
And when it did… the Guardian would see him.
And, indeed… it did. The creature grabbed Harus, holding him in its crushing grip. He freed one arm, the serrated edge of his blade slashing down and biting into its neck, eliciting a howl of pain.
"Just die… worm," Harus muttered, air escaping his lungs as the giant's grip tightened, forcing a grunt from him.
But that wasn't what worried him most. If he was trapped, that meant the others, and his mother, were defenseless. The hounds and ancient, corrupted warriors would tear them apart without hesitation.
But when he looked back, he saw nothing but slaughtered creatures. Each of them lay dead, some crushed and mutilated, others shredded to pieces.
In front of Elly and the other humans stood a tall, muscular man in golden armor. Beside him, a young man in light armor held a green, ghostly Jian.
What the hell… Harus's eyes narrowed, teeth gritting as he struggled to free himself.
At that moment, a four-eyed giant bird fell from the sky, striking the creature with its claws and piercing its back with its beak. The giant let out a chilling roar, releasing Harus.
Raven snorted, gripping the giant's shoulders with its dark talons. With a powerful flap of its wings, it lifted the beast high into the air, only to hurl it down.
The giant crashed onto the asphalt with a deafening roar, shockwaves rippling through the streets. Dust erupted, and the ground shattered under the sheer weight of the tyrant.
It struggled to rise, its eyes burning with hatred as it gripped its spear tighter. But what it saw next froze it in place. It was a young man with long, messy, shoulder-length curly black hair. His dark eyes were calm and composed. He wore a dark suit, the top buttons of his white shirt undone, his tie loosened messily. A long coat trailed behind him. On his ring finger gleamed a simple silver ring. A crystal monocle shimmered over his right eye with an unsettling luster as he held a dark cane.
"Hmm… what an ugly creature," Amon muttered in disdain, tossing a seed into the beast's gaping maw. The giant roared, and then choked.
Slowly, its veins bulged and split, sinister lines spreading across its entire body. It was consumed, nothing more than nourishment for the seed. From its maw, a beautiful scarlet rose began to bloom.
Blood gushed like a river from the giant's body, its flesh twisting into a grotesque fusion of leaves and meat, petals glistening under the sun.
Amon had never used a carnivorous rose before, but it was terrifyingly effective.
Shaking his head, he turned to Harus, who stared at him in disbelief.
"How…"
Amon tilted his head, glancing back as the giant finally stopped struggling, now nothing more than part of the rose. Then he bowed, gentlemanly, as if announcing the end of a performance, and smiled.
"Are you… pleasantly surprised?"