Chapter 1: Behind The Flickering Gate

The night sky was full of grey clouds, thunder rumbled and illuminated the sky. On the outer edge of Sector H, inside a dark alley a small, frail boy laid down on the cold and wet ground.

Raindrops fell on his unmoving body which was barely covered by a tattered robe, bigger than his size. His feet were bare same as his torso, the trousers he wore had patches all over it.

He breathed slowly but the cold air he inhaled made him shiver yet he didn’t move from the fetal position he was in.

Blood poured out from a scar on his cheek and fell on the wet ground. His black hair which covered his face was also wet and his completely black eyes were devoid of everything.

No emotion, no will, nothing. Just utter complete darkness. He felt like a ghost. Footsteps were heard behind him splashing in the rain water.

A small voice called out to him, “Xior, why the hell are you laying down here?”

He ignored her and continued staring at the ground. Then the person crouched down and brushed away his hair. Only then he looked at her.

She was a girl, with messy long red hair, green emerald like eyes and a short stature. She wore the same clothes as Xior. With the only difference being her eyes full of hope.

“Why not?”

Xior responded lazily to her question which made her pout and sigh.

“Because it is raining and you will catch a cold.

We don’t have any money for medicine. And then you’ll get sick and die a miserable death.”

“Meh, it’s fine. How much more miserable could it be, Becca?” He questioned.

Becca or Rebecca, the only friend of Xior was thrown off by his question. She knew he was pessimistic but this was not like him.

But what she had not grasped was that he was at his limit. Despite both being fifteen and orphans, their world views were different.

Xior had no interests, he was just waiting for the day he died. He was an orphan with no family, just an old pendent he kept in his pocket.

He was five when the world was plunged into chaos. The tower erupted from the ground and stood tall like a nail driven into the earth by the Gods. This event came to be known as, “The Fall.”

What followed after was an influx of mana from the tower which changed the world. Spatial rifts, or ’Gates’ started to appear all over the world. Unfortunately for the humans who were unprepared ’Gate Breaks’ happened which wiped out about fifty percent of humanity.

The mana made people awaken and every awakened gained an elemental rune based on their elemental affinity. They came to be known as ’Hunters’. Who ventured into Gates and climbed the tower to defended humanity.

Kids who grew up after the fall awakened in between their fifteenth and sixteenth year. So, Becca and Xior would awaken rather soon. But they couldn’t afford to wait till then.

“Get up now, Xior. We have to check the new guild office which opened.

Maybe we can find some odd jobs and get some money.

That would be enough to cover for food for the kids back at the shelter”

No response, Xior ignored her plea and sat up straight. He looked at her, with a dead expression and got up as he dusted his robe and adjusted it.

“Take the lead, Becca.” He said in an uninterested tone.

She took hold of his hand and walked out of the alley. The street was dimly lit due to it being the outer edge of Sector H, a walled city made after the Gate Breaks.

On both sides of the street were different shops, alchemists, blacksmiths, butchers, clothing and armor shops and at the right corner was the guild office of the Sparrow Guild.

A small guild, with about twenty five hunters. Their leader being a B-Rank and the highest ranking Hunter in the guild.

*****

The building of the guild was small. Much smaller than others. On the inside, there was a bench on the left for waiting, and two teller windows in the back.

The room was small enough that it felt a bit crowded with only fifteen people. Becca got in line in front of one of the teller windows.

“They look like they don’t have any non-hunter employees. Maybe we will get lucky.” She whispered as she waited.

Soon it was their turn. She moved forward and took out a small sigil, of an eagle catching an arrow in its claws. The woman eyed Becca and Xior who stood behind her, his hand still in her grasp.

The woman grabbed the sigil and inspected it intently, it was not a fake which made her be vary of the kids.

“I don’t know how did you get your hands on this sigil kid, but sorry we don’t hire beggars and thieves.” She said with a nasty grin

“Thieves? Are you serious. That sigil belongs to me.

I did not steal it. Give it back.” Becca yelled.

“No, this is clearly impersonation of the Eagle Group. How could a filthy beggar own something like this?” The woman yelled back.

The woman had no plans on returning the sigil. Tears formed in Becca’s eyes as she ran out frustrated. The sigil was the last and only thing she had of her parents who went inside the tower but never came back unlike others.

Xior stepped in front of Becca and glared at the woman. His completely black irises looking like a demon’s eyes made the woman shiver. He knew people were scared of his eyes, so he did what he had to do for Becca.

He put his thin arm on the counter and extended his hand. The woman threw the sigil in his hand and ducked under her table.

Becca sobbed uncontrollably as she sat on the sidewalk, Xior looked at her, his eyes the same were unreadable. No one could discern what he was thinking. And that dead expression pushed people away from him.

He sat besides her and patted her back before putting the sigil in her hand.

“Here’s your sigil back. Don’t use it again.

Everyone mistakes us for thieves and beggars because of our appearance.”

She looked at him as tears streamed down her face. Just like Xior, she had no family, only him and the kids at the shelter. But no one could understand her better than him. Xior was her opposite yet her reflection.

Both had been together since they were eight. Seven years, that’s enough for people to form bonds and to understand each other.

Then someone slapped Xior’s head from behind. Despite that there was no retaliation from him, while Becca looked back at the assaulter.

It was a group of five people. A boy, not older than both of them was in the front. He was the one who hit Xior.

Behind him were two older men, a woman on his right and a huge man at the back who towered the whole group,

“Long time no see huh, Xior and Becca.”

“Ew, don’t call me Becca with that foul tongue of yours Derek.” Becca responded disgustingly.

“Now now, let’s not start with the insults Becca.

I just saw you both come out of the Sparrow Guilds office with unamused expressions. Did you get rejected again?” Derek concealed his mock in a question.

Becca was furious, but Xior tightened the hand that held her hand and she drank the anger. Derek than looked at the people behind him and nodded.

“These four are my new party member. We’re going to be raiding a D-Rank gate tomorrow.

We don’t have porters, so we could use your help. We’ll give you 20% of the profit since you’re kids and old acquaintances.” Derek declared.

The offer was not bad but despite him being a C-Rank and the others being D-Rank, for Becca and Xior who have not yet awakened this was still dangerous.

Derek took out a card from his pocket and threw it at Xior. He let it fall down before he picked it up.

“Are we really doing this, Xior?” Becca questioned as Xior read the details on the card.

This was a blessing in disguise, there was a high chance they both could awaken during the gate expedition and earn decent cash as well.

*****

The sun shone brightly, the sky was clear and the water from the rain last night had dried. Xior and Becca had changed into leather tunics, patched all over and their signature robes which were twice their size.

They had just arrived at the location. A Yellow Gate of strength II was visible in the distance. Hunter Association officers had put up a barrier around it. The five people from yesterday stood there as Derek talked to an officer.

“Ah! There they are, the porters for this raid.” Derek exclaimed as he shoved the paper he held in his hands towards the officers.

The officer was confused seeing Becca and Xior but Derek hurriedly entered the Yellow Gate of strength II.

The surroundings changed and a vast horizon came into view of the group. A grass field was their start point. The sun was hotter in here. As Derek took a step his foot made a sizzling sound as he jumped back.

The ground was hot enough that the heat passed through his shoes. His right wrist emitted a faint light and runes etched into his skin glowed. Then a piece of ice formed in his hand and he threw it on the ground.

It melted and turned to water which cooled the ground, Derek turned towards Xior and Becca and pointed towards the entrance.

“Set up your things here, once we’re done with the raid, each one of us will accompany you back further down so that you both can gather the things.” Derek boasted and turned to his group which had already gone down the small hill.

Then the sky split open, and from the split darkness came forth. It engulfed everything in its path. The sky, the sky and the horizon in the distance. Everything turned into darkness.

The Gate entrance glitched as it twisted, then the colors shifted, from yellow it went to green then blue followed by violet and then black before it closed. Xior jumped and pulled Becca down and covered her because the forceful closing of the Gate caused an outburst of mana.

Derek and his party stood there shocked as the burning heat was gone, replaced by a chill which crept up their spine and made it hard to move their body.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep