It was a dark chilly night.
The moon hung behind a veil of dark clouds, its pale light struggling to illuminate the desolate landscape. Countless stars flickered in the gaps between the clouds, distant and indifferent to the commotion unfolding beneath them.
Footsteps thundered through the darkness.
A young man in a tattered black robe staggered along the side of the road, one hand pressed against his abdomen. Blood seeped between his fingers, dripping onto the cracked pavement with every hurried step.
Behind him, several figures pursued without any intention of letting him escape.
Drops of blood could be seen dripping on the ground as he struggled to adapt to the pain of having several cuts on his body.
The wind wailed, enveloping the desolate area with the scent of his blood.
'How the hell did they find me?' The thought flashed through his mind as he forced his aching legs to move.
"Damn it! Someone must have leaked the information." He muttered silently as he continued making his escape from his pursuers.
His breath came in ragged bursts. Each inhalation scraped against his burning lungs, and every movement sent fresh waves of pain through his battered body. He was fatigued, but he endured the pain coming from his entire body as he could not afford to stop until he reached that place.
"There he is, Stop him!"
"Boy, keep running I tell ya!"
'sh*t!'
Behind him, one of the pursuers raised his hand. Energy gathered in his palm, distorting the surrounding air with a faint ripple.
The man casually swung his arm forward.
A compressed shock wave tore through the darkness.
BOOM!..
He spat blood on the ground as he was thrown off to the side when the shock wave reached him. Nonetheless, he got up and continued running despite the accumulating injuries.
He had experienced attacks like this before. Not from ordinary people, but from Ascenders—individuals whose bodies and abilities had surpassed the limits of normal humanity.
Knowing what they could do didn't make being struck by one any less terrifying.
Raven staggered back onto his feet and resumed running.
He had to reach the city.
Just a little farther.
After several agonizing minutes, faint points of light appeared beyond the darkness. The distant glow of buildings illuminated the horizon, offering a glimpse of safety.
Prime City.
He was almost there.
'damn it! Just a little bit closer, endure it, endure it.' He gritted his teeth as he resolved to make it back alive. When suddenly －
'huh?' A sharp, searing pain erupted across his back.
Kyakk!
Splat… Gahh!
Blood sprayed from his mouth as the impact lifted him off his feet. He crashed onto the road, his body skidding across the rough pavement.
For several seconds, he could do nothing but lie there.
His fingers twitched.
His lungs struggled to draw breath.
The distant city lights blurred into indistinct patches of color.
Footsteps approached.
One figure appeared before him, followed by another, then another. Their shadows stretched across the road, swallowing what little moonlight remained.
"Annoying little shit." A burly figure swore as he kicked him, throwing him off.
The young man screamed.
"Enough," another man said impatiently. "We've wasted too much time on this kid. The items take priority."
The burly man clicked his tongue but stepped aside.
A pale-haired man approached Raven and crouched beside him. His expression was composed, almost bored, as though the bloodied teenager before him were nothing more than an inconvenient obstacle.
"Listen carefully, boy. Tell us where you hid the items, and we'll let you live."
"Item? What bullsh*t item are you talking about?" The night sky cleared as moonlight shone revealing the young man's deep golden amber eyes he glared and replied in a menacing manner.
"Feigning ignorance?" The pale-haired man landed a punch on his chest as another burst of blood spilled out of his mouth.
Ahh!.. splat.. gah…
Though it was only once, he felt as though he was hit by a car, but knowing the fact that the man in front of him is someone who has been awakened, it couldn't be far from the truth.
'Bullsh*t! are they even human?!'
His thoughts were growing sluggish. The pain was becoming distant, replaced by a heavy numbness spreading through his body.
'I don't even f*cking have what their looking for!' He screamed inwardly.
"West…cough…cough… of.. prime wall" He lowered his head and gritted his teeth as he endured the pain and gave a weak response.
It was total nonsense.
He only said so to trick them into bringing him into the city as he expects them to not let him go, they would likely bring him along to confirm what he said.
Raven possessed no treasure, no precious artifact, and certainly none of the mysterious items these people seemed so desperate to obtain.
He had only gone to the ruins because he believed they might contain something valuable.
Now he was paying for that decision with his life.
'Damn it! What rotten luck!'
'What damned fate this is! That damn f*cker, If I get to return, I'll find him, beat him up, and report him to the authorities.' He swore inwardly.
The pale-haired man spoke again, but Raven could barely hear him.
His dimmed vision started darkening even further as he slowly lost consciousness due to the amount of injury and pain he was experiencing.
His final conscious thought was not about the men surrounding him.
It was about the map.
That overpriced, incomplete piece of information he had bought from a stranger who had smiled far too easily.
I should've known…
A flash of light appeared before his fading eyes.
Then everything went black.
***
Earth.
Three days earlier.
"Order for Mr. Raven!"
A young woman behind the counter called out, holding a cup of coffee.
At seventeen, he was hardly an imposing figure. His black hair was slightly disheveled, and his golden amber eyes carried the alertness of someone who preferred observing a room before becoming part of it.
He approached the counter and glanced at the cup.
"Excuse me, miss. Didn't I ordered a latte?" Raven furrowed his eyebrows as he asked the girl that served him the coffee.
"Eh?" Flustered, she took another look at the receipt, then the coffee.
"Oh! I'm terribly sorry, sir. It looks like we made a mistake."
"Yeah. You sure did."
Raven watched her replace the drink before returning to his seat.
He wasn't particularly upset. Mistakes happened.
Still, he made a mental note to check his order before leaving next time.
A holographic display suddenly flickered to life above the café's central counter, drawing the attention of several customers.
A news headline appeared across the translucent screen.
[LIVE: A New Beast Species Has Been Recovered by the Aurora Exploratory Team in Northern Europe.]
The café immediately filled with conversation.
"Another species? Already?"
"I heard the northern territories are becoming more dangerous."
"It's all thanks to Haksen Feronia, isn't it?"
Raven glanced at the screen while taking a sip of his iced latte.
"The Aurora Exploratory Team, huh?"
The organization belonged to Europe's Aurora Guild, a fairly influential force among the groups exploring the world beyond Earth's dimensional gates.
Its members included several Sequence 8 and Sequence 7 Ascenders, commonly known as Keepers and Guardians. The team was led by two Sequence 6 Seekers.
For an ordinary exploratory group, that was a formidable lineup.
His gaze lingered on the holographic image.
'I wonder what else exists out there.'
"Excuse me."
A voice interrupted his thoughts.
The café attendant had returned with his drink. "Here's your iced latte, sir. I'm sorry again for the trouble."
"It's fine, thanks." Raven replied nonchalantly as he took his iced coffee and headed back to his seat.
Ding…
A thin man with white hair walked into the café. He wore a plain long-sleeved shirt and black trousers, and dark circles hung beneath his eyes.
His gaze swept across the room.
Then it settled on Raven.
The man smiled and approached.
Raven noticed him as he sat in front of him while drinking his iced latte. Despite how he looks, he was an awakened person.
"Nice to meet you, are you the informant?"
"The name's Adrienne."
"Raven." Raven replied with a calm gaze after observing him.
"So about the contents of that, are you sure that it's authentic?" Raven asked him while peering into his eyes.
As he believed that those who aren't able to maintain eye contact were only uttering bullsh*t and not the entire truth. This was his way of maintaining vigilance and exercising caution. After all, keeping information and using it to their advantage is common in the 21st century.
"Straight to the point. I like that."
Adrienne leaned back.
"And yes, the information is authentic. I guarantee it with my status as a Sequence 8 Keeper."
He produced an identification card and placed it on the table.
Raven examined it carefully.
The card looked legitimate. The markings, the identification number, and the official seal all appeared consistent with the documents he had researched beforehand.
He looked back at Adrienne.
"Are you certain the information hasn't been sold to anyone else?"
"Absolutely."
Adrienne met his gaze without hesitation.
"It's a rare opportunity. I wouldn't waste your time with something I couldn't guarantee."
Hook, line, and sinker.
Behind his relaxed smile, Adrienne was already congratulating himself.
The identification card was fabricated.
He was not a Sequence 8 Keeper. He was merely a Sequence 9 Apprentice who had discovered that selling incomplete information could be considerably more profitable than exploring dangerous ruins himself.
'Another easy customer. Young, inexperienced, and eager to make a name for himself.'
They believed they were cautious because they checked a few documents and asked a few questions. They never realized how easily those precautions could be manipulated.
"How much is it?" Raven asked.
"10,000 arcs." Adrienne replied with a smile.
Raven stared at him.
For a moment, he wondered whether he had misheard.
"10,000 arcs?"
"That's right."
What the hell?
He almost choked on his coffee.
'For incomplete information? At that price, you might as well rob a bank!'
Raven had spent days researching the opportunity. The location was supposedly on the outskirts of Prime City, in a region that had already been partially explored. There were no guarantees of treasure, and the information Adrienne possessed was admittedly incomplete.
Ten thousand arcs was an absurd amount of money for a gamble.
"That's rather expensive, don't you think?" Raven asked. "Especially for information that might not even lead anywhere."
"I'll make it a thousand less then, how about it?" Adrienne offered.
"less a thousand? Forget it, looks like we're done here." Raven muttered as though he was disappointed and stood up to leave.
"8,000 arcs, I'll do you a discount as this is our first-time deal." Adrienne said but raven has already turned his back to leave, ignoring what he said.
"7,000 arcs! You won't be able to obtain this aside from me." When Adrienne said this, Raven turned his head slightly.
'Seven thousand arcs... that's three thousand arcs less.' He had already decided to purchase the information before entering the café. The negotiation had simply been an attempt to reduce the damage to his savings.
"Fine, I'll take it." Raven said after thinking about it for a while.
___________________________________________________________________________
"Thank you, please come again." The counter girl said with a smile as he left.
Raven left the café with the information secured in his possession, his mood considerably improved.
Outside, he glanced at the confirmation on his device.
Seven thousand arcs.
He had saved three thousand.
A grin crept across his face.
"Heh. Not bad."
He tucked the device away and began planning his trip.
Meanwhile, inside the café, Adrienne counted his earnings with barely concealed satisfaction.
'Two thousand five hundred arcs to acquire the information. Seven thousand to sell it.'
His smile turned into a quiet sneer.
'And I sold the same information to several other people, too.'
To Adrienne, the ruins were not an opportunity, but a business.
And he had made a very good deal.
________________________________________________________________________________
46 years ago.
The world had changed in a single day.
Cracks appeared across the skies and in various regions of the Earth. At first, scientists proposed astronomical disturbances, spatial distortions, and other explanations that seemed plausible within the limits of contemporary knowledge.
Then, a shattering shift began.
The earth trembled. Buildings collapsed. And through the cracks emerged creatures that humanity had previously known only through myths, legends, and fiction.
Beasts and monsters poured into the world.
Thousands died in the initial catastrophe.
Civilizations that had believed themselves secure discovered how fragile their defenses truly were.
But humanity was not left entirely helpless.
During the same period, strange interfaces began appearing before certain individuals. These interfaces displayed attributes, abilities, and information that resembled the status windows of a game.
The people who awakened to these changes became known as Ascenders.
Exposure to the energy of the other world transformed them, allowing them to surpass ordinary human limitations. Some gained extraordinary physical abilities; others developed supernatural powers that defied conventional scientific explanations.
With their help, humanity gradually pushed back against the invading beasts and reclaimed portions of the lost territories.
The dimensional cracks became known as dimensional gates.
Beyond them lay another world, vast and largely unexplored.
Humanity eventually established fortified strongholds around the gates, creating safe zones for research, defense, and exploration. Governments cooperated with powerful organizations, and the World Union was established to maintain order and coordinate humanity's response to the new reality.
Technology advanced alongside cultivation.
Holographic communication, enhanced equipment, supernatural abilities, and the study of unfamiliar energies became parts of everyday life.
Yet the greatest mysteries remained unanswered.
Why had the gates appeared?
Why did the status windows manifest only for certain individuals?
And why did the process of awakening seem to follow a system of sequences?
No one possessed a complete explanation.
Humanity had learned to survive in the new world.
It had not yet learned to understand it.
...
After an entire day of traveling, Raven finally arrived at the ruins.
He stood before the remains of an ancient structure, examining its broken walls and partially buried entrance.
Along the way, he encountered a few beasts but considering they were located on the outskirts, North of Prime City, none posed a serious threat.
"So this is it."
He checked the information on his device once more.
The location matched.
At least, according to the map.
Raven unslung his spear and held it firmly in his right hand before entering.
Stay alert. The more abandoned a place appears, the less reason there is to assume it's safe.
He proceeded carefully, checking the ground and the surrounding passages for signs of movement.
He encountered a few beasts along the way, but none posed a serious threat. Judging by the remains scattered around the area, stronger creatures had probably been eliminated by previous explorers.
That was reassuring.
It was also suspicious.
After several hours of searching, Raven had found absolutely nothing of value.
No artifacts.
No memories.
Not even a glimpse of a vestige.
He frowned.
Have I been scammed?
He had researched Adrienne's identity before the meeting. The information appeared consistent, and the location had been verified by more than one source.
Yet the ruins were empty.
Maybe someone got here first.
That was the most reasonable explanation.
Still, it didn't explain why the entire area felt so strangely deserted.
Raven continued exploring.
Eventually, he reached a large hall at the end of a narrow passage.
The chamber was enormous, its ceiling disappearing into darkness. Ancient pillars lined the walls, their surfaces worn by an age he could not begin to estimate.
At the far end stood a massive tablet.
It was made of an unidentified material, its dark surface untouched by the dust and erosion that covered everything else around it.
Raven's eyes widened.
He approached slowly, his earlier frustration giving way to excitement.
Lady Luck hasn't abandoned me after all.
He walked calmly, but cautiously towards the large tablet. As he arrived, he discovered rows of unfamiliar characters carved across its surface.
'What language is this?'
The instant the thought crossed his mind, the characters began to glow.
Raven froze.
A strange pressure filled the chamber.
The tablet remained motionless, yet something seemed to stir within it, something ancient enough to make the air itself feel heavy.
Then the words entered his mind.
Not as a voice.
Not as a sound.
He simply understood them.
[The tears of heaven, the sorrow of earth.]
Raven's smile faded.
[A hail of myriad fates, flowing endlessly like rivers and lakes.]
A faint tremor ran through the floor.
[Where shall the wind blow, death follows.]
Silence returned to the hall.
Raven stared at the tablet.
"…That's it?"
Raven's expression twisted.
"What ominous nonsense is this? Who wrote this shit and left it here?"
He looked around, half expecting another inscription to appear.
Nothing happened.
He had spent 7,000 arcs, endured a day of travel, and explored a ruin—only to find three ominous lines carved into an ancient tablet.
"Where's my supposed opportunity?!"
"This is crazy."