Tokyo – 6:27 PM
The sky was overcast, heavy with clouds. The air carried the scent of rain... and electricity. The pale glow of the streetlights failed to lift the gloom that blanketed the city.
On the rooftop of an old building, Kaido Shin stood silently, staring at the horizon where a strange glow flickered.
A gate… slowly spinning at the edge of the district, like an open wound torn into the fabric of reality.
It wasn't the first gate he had seen, but something about this one felt… different.
His breath quickened.
His blood whispered:
> "Come closer…"
His device buzzed with a dry chime.
> [You've been summoned – E-Rank Assignment]
Location: Gate 17-A, Shibuya Subsection
Arrival required within 30 minutes.
Kaido closed the device without hesitation.
"An E-Rank gate? Should be a simple mission..." he muttered, though his heart offered no such reassurance.
---
A Small Apartment in a Worn-Down District
Aiko Shin, a sixteen-year-old girl, quietly set the dinner table.
"My brother's late… again," she murmured as she placed a bowl of soup on the table.
A distant explosion echoed through the sky. She turned to the window, eyes filled with worry.
She pulled out her phone and typed:
> "Please don't be late. I made your favorite dish."
Then she closed her eyes for a moment, unaware… that this night would change everything.
---
Gate 17-A
Five hunters stood before a slowly turning circle of glowing energy—dim blue in color.
The leader, Ryoji Tanaka, studied the readings on his device.
"The gate's stable… but the signals are strange," he said, eyes narrowing at the screen.
Minato Kuga, a muscular hunter, shot Kaido a mocking glance.
"An E-Rank hunter? Did you bring your water pistol with you?"
Kaido said nothing. This wasn't the first time he'd been looked down on.
"That's enough, Minato," Ryoji cut in. Then he continued:
"We split into two groups. Kuga and Yume, you're with me. Kaido, you stay in the rear and provide support. Stick to the plan. If anything feels off—pull out immediately."
He locked eyes with Kaido for a moment, as if sharing an unspoken warning.
But Kaido had no intention of retreating.
---
Before the Gate
The energy circle spun softly, whispering in the wind… as if calling out:
> "Enter... and choose your fate."
With the first step inside, the light swallowed them whole.
---
Inside
This was no ordinary gate.
The ground was smooth, black like metal. The air—heavy, saturated with a foreign energy that didn't belong in the real world.
The sky? A vast white void—no sun, no shadows, no meaning.
"Did we go into the wrong gate?!" Minato shouted, sword drawn. "This place… it's cursed!"
Ryoji tapped at his device—no signal.
No readings.
"Stay sharp!" he ordered. "We move forward. We have no other choice."
Then the ground shook.
From the metallic walls, dark circles opened… and from them emerged beings.
Humanoid forms, faceless, moving in silence—breathing, yet soulless.
Yume raised her hands to cast healing—but before she could speak, one of the shadows grabbed her.
And she vanished.
"YUUUUME!" Kaido screamed, rushing forward—
But more shadows surged, swallowing her cry as if she never existed.
Minato charged wildly, slashing at nothing, yelling into a void that didn't answer.
"Retreat!" Ryoji shouted.
But it was too late.
The shadows consumed Ryoji.
Then Minato.
And Kaido... was alone.
---
The White Void
He opened his eyes.
No ground. No gravity. Just a vast, blinding space surrounded by towering stone pillars.
Each pillar bore a symbol.
Each symbol whispered to his mind—in a language he never learned, but somehow understood:
Bloodbound Pact
Shadow Covenant
Flame Vow
Mirage Pact
Legacy Bond
Dawn Oath
Oath of Purity
Then a voice echoed:
> "Choose… but remember: every power comes with a price."
Kaido stepped forward slowly.
Many pillars… but only one called to his heart.
A pillar bleeding—red drops trailing from its peak.
He reached out to touch it—feeling a searing heat against his skin.
Familiar… like the warmth of blood spilled in battle for survival.
He understood. He felt. He chose.
> "If I have to choose…
I choose blood."
And he placed his hand on the stone.
---
An explosion.
A scream.
Red light engulfed everything.
---
The Return
He awoke in the ruins of the gate.
Everything around him was destroyed—no monsters… and no hunters.
Only Minato, crawling, his face disfigured, eyes wide with terror.
He whispered,
"You… what did you do?"
But Kaido said nothing.
He looked at his hands—his skin had changed, his veins glowed red, and his eyes… held something inhuman.
Within him… something had awakened.
The Bloodbound Pact was sealed.
And Kaido Shin... was no longer the same.
---
Gate Surveillance HQ
In a dim-lit room, crimson light from the monitors bathed the faces of the crew. The danger was undeniable.
Daiji Kitaoka, the guild director—an older man with a deep scar across his forehead—studied the erratic data.
"This was marked an E-Rank gate?" he asked in a low voice.
A nearby analyst replied, nervously:
"It was… but the gate's energy spiked past A-Rank levels for a moment—
Then everything went dark."
Daiji pointed at the screen. The team's signal was gone.
"Status?"
"Lost, sir. No life signals. No trace."
Daiji fell silent. Then whispered:
"…This isn't a system glitch.
Something behind those gates is moving.
And we're no longer in control."
---
That Night
The city was cloaked in silence.
In a small, dimly-lit apartment, Aiko Shin sat alone at the dinner table.
The soup in front of her had grown cold.
She glanced at the clock—Kaido was long overdue.
She checked her phone for the tenth time.
No messages.
She sighed, whispering,
"Brother… where are you?"
She walked to the window.
Far in the sky, a brief red flash shimmered—short… but strange.
A chill ran down her spine.
Her heart clenched.
She slowly closed the curtains… then sat down again, wrapping her arms around herself.
There were no tears in her eyes.
Only a fear she could not name.