Chapter 2: Red Gate Chaos
The sun had barely risen over the Magic Academy when whispers of a mysterious anomaly spread through the campus. Students pointed, teachers murmured warnings, and a strange red glow pulsed from the sky above the western forest.
Eren's eyes narrowed. He had felt this before not here, but in fragments of his previous life. Memories surged like lightning, each one a key unlocking his dormant powers. The Red Gate had arrived.
The Shadows Assemble
By nightfall, Eren stood atop the academy walls, cloaked in black. His seven shadows flanked him, silent and ready.
Kaelen's claws scraped against the stone, sensing danger in the air.
Aeryn adjusted her bow, arrows shimmering with elemental magic.
Lyssara summoned a small lightning storm, sparks dancing across her fingers.
Thalen twirled his twin blades, their edges catching the dim light.
Sylveth disappeared, her presence a whisper in the wind.
Orion melted into the shadows, unseen yet watching every move.
Vaelith closed her eyes, sensing the flow of the Red Gate's magic.
"We move as one," Eren whispered. "Tonight, Umbra Dominion meets Noctis Veil."
The Red Gate Emerges
The red glow expanded, swirling into a portal that pulled fragments of memories, magic, and power from across the world. Twenty of Eren's lost memories flooded back, each one filling him with knowledge, skill, and deadly intent.
He felt Atomic awakening. Not as a persona, but as raw, unstoppable power.
"So, this is what they were hiding from me," he murmured, voice calm but deadly. "They thought they could control me."
Umbra Dominion Strikes
From the shadows of the Red Gate, agents of Umbra Dominion emerged:
Sevryn leapt forward, dagger gleaming, aiming for Eren.
Kalyra summoned dark flames, encasing the field in hellish fire.
Draven unleashed monstrous beasts, their roars shaking the ground.
Eren's shadows moved in perfect synchrony.
Kaelen tore through the beasts, claws like a whirlwind.
Aeryn rained arrows, each imbued with explosive wind magic.
Lyssara's storms collided with Kalyra's flames, sparking a magical explosion.
Thalen sliced through Sevryn's dagger strikes, countering with lethal precision.
Sylveth warped perception, causing several agents to attack phantom targets.
Orion sabotaged traps and unleashed poisons on the enemy ranks.
Vaelith healed minor injuries and revealed hidden enemy ambushes.
Eren himself moved like lightning, his black cloak blending with the night. Every strike was decisive, each movement calculated, leaving Umbra Dominion's elite stunned.
"We lurk in the shadows," Eren whispered. "And we hunt the shadows."
When the dust settled, the Red Gate pulsed violently, then collapsed. Umbra Dominion's agents lay defeated, their plans shattered. Eren's shadows regrouped silently. The night air was heavy with tension, but victory had a bitter edge.
Public Perception and Hidden Power
The next morning, at the academy, students whispered about the Red Gate incident. But no one knew the truth: Eren, the seemingly weak background student, had single-handedly neutralized one of the deadliest threats to the kingdom.
He returned to class, his expression unreadable. The princess watched him, confusion and admiration in her eyes. He barely acknowledged her, still haunted by memories and the knowledge that Umbra Dominion would return, stronger and more cunning.
"Let them come," he thought, smirking behind his calm façade. "I am Atomic. I am unstoppable. And this world? It will learn that the shadows are mine."