Chapter 34
Gate To The Stars
Part 5
Day Six
Date: 06/01/01
Location: Zone 6
Destination: To the City Gate
Mission Duration: Day 6
Remaining Time: 04 Hours
Objective: Reach the City Gate
Subject Names: Thomas, Samira Ali, Amanda Jefferson
Native: Khorcha (Guide)
Previous Success Rate: 95%
Expected Success Rate: 80%
Failed Subjects: 250
Successful Subjects: 10
Success Percentage: 4%
Experiment Results: 96% Failure
Experiment Outcome: Termination
Next Stage: Initiated
Objective: Monitoring
Stage Duration: 30 Days
Days Count-Down: 29
They did not celebrate. Not because the victory was small, but because the cost was written all over their bodies.
The ruined street stretched ahead of them in a long, broken line, rubble piled like the remains of something that had tried and failed to stand back up. The Devourer Titan's corpse was already cooling behind them, its glow fading into nothing more than scorched flesh and shattered plates. Whatever energy had kept it moving was gone, absorbed, dispersed, erased.
Eight hours remained.
Thomas walked at the front, not because he felt strong, but because stopping felt worse. His breathing was shallow, measured, every step a quiet argument between will and pain. His arm still trembled faintly from the final Qadab release, muscles screaming every time he clenched his fist.
Samira followed close behind him, her scanner inactive now, held loosely at her side. She was watching everything, the road, the buildings, the air itself, but her expression had shifted. Less urgency, more calculation. The kind that only came after surviving something that should have killed you.
Amanda walked a little farther back, crystal club resting across her shoulders. She tried to look casual, but the stiffness in her movements gave her away. Every few steps she adjusted her grip, wincing slightly, refusing to say anything about it.
Khorcha brought up the rear, silent as ever, eyes scanning the skyline with the patience of someone who had crossed worse paths than this.
The Gate was visible now.
Not clearly, not yet, but enough.
A shape on the horizon, enormous and unnatural, rising above the ruins like a scar in the sky. Even from this distance, it didn't look like a structure that belonged here. The air around it shimmered faintly, as if reality itself hesitated to touch it.
Amanda broke the silence first.
"So," she said, voice rough but steady, "that thing really is a gate."
Thomas nodded without looking back. "Looks like it."
She exhaled slowly. "Good. I was starting to think this whole mission was just the System messing with us."
Samira glanced at her. "It still might be."
That earned a dry laugh from Amanda. "Yeah. Figures."
As they moved, Thomas felt it again, that faint pressure behind his eyes. Not pain, not strain, but attention. The System wasn't dormant. It was watching.
Then it spoke.
Not aloud. Never aloud.
Information surfaced in Thomas's vision, clean and structured, layered over Amanda as she walked.
She slowed. "Uh, Thomas?"
"Yeah," he said quietly.
"Tell me I'm imagining this."
"I doubt it."
The System window stabilized.
SUBJECT PROFILE GENERATED
Name: Amanda Jefferson
Species: Human
Status: Active Combatant
Survival Classification: Adaptive Vanguard
Attributes Updated
Strength: Increased
Endurance: Increased
Agility: Moderate
Mental Resistance: Stable
Combat Record: Confirmed
Threat Exposure: Extreme
Evolutionary Response: Positive
Amanda stopped walking.
She looked down at herself, then at Thomas. "You're seeing this too, right?"
"Yeah," he said. "You earned it."
She swallowed. "That's… unsettling."
Samira stepped closer, reading over the data as it scrolled. "The System doesn't generate full profiles unless it recognizes long term viability."
"That supposed to make me feel better?" Amanda asked.
"Depends," Samira replied calmly. "Do you plan on dying soon?"
Amanda snorted. "Not today."
The System chimed again.
SKILLS ACQUIRED
Impact Drive
Passive
Physical force increases proportionally with forward momentum.
Effect scales with emotional focus and intent.
Resonant Guard
Passive
Reduces damage taken while maintaining offensive posture.
Effectiveness increases during sustained combat.
Breaker's Instinct
Active
Short duration burst enhancing strike accuracy and force.
Cooldown dependent on physical condition.
Amanda stared at the final line, then slowly let out a breath. "So that's why hitting things started feeling… easier."
Thomas allowed himself a small smile. "You broke through when it mattered."
"Yeah," she said quietly. "Guess the System noticed."
Samira folded her arms. "These skills suit you. Direct, force based, reactive."
Amanda tilted her head. "You say that like you already have yours figured out."
Samira didn't answer immediately. She looked ahead, toward the Gate. "I'm figuring it out."
Khorcha spoke for the first time since they started moving. "The System rewards those who survive long enough to be useful."
Amanda glanced back at him. "That supposed to be comforting?"
"No," he said simply.
They resumed walking.
The closer they got, the heavier the air felt. Not oppressive, but charged, like the moment before a storm breaks. The ruins thinned, replaced by wide, fractured avenues that all seemed to subtly curve in the same direction, toward the Gate.
Thomas checked the mission timer instinctively.
Eight hours.
Plenty of time, assuming nothing else tried to kill them.
He flexed his hand again, feeling the lingering echo of Breach State deep in his muscles. Whatever came next, he knew one thing with absolute certainty.
They were not the same people who had started this journey.
And the Gate ahead of them was about to prove just how much that mattered.
They hadn't gone far before the air shifted again.
Not in the way it had near the Titan, no violence, no pressure, just a subtle tightening, like the world pausing to take inventory. Thomas felt it first, that familiar pull behind his eyes, sharper than before but controlled.
He slowed his steps.
Samira noticed instantly. "System?"
"Yeah," Thomas said quietly. "It's doing something new."
Amanda rolled her shoulders, crystal club still resting across them. "Please tell me it's not another fight."
Khorcha's gaze narrowed. "This is not hostile."
The confirmation came a heartbeat later.
Thomas's vision dimmed at the edges as a translucent interface unfolded in front of him, larger and more structured than anything he'd seen before. This wasn't a combat window or a mission update.
This felt like infrastructure.
SYSTEM NOTICE
Threshold Reached
Total Points Exceeded: 1,000
New Function Unlocked
MARKET ACCESS GRANTED
Primary User: Thomas
Secondary Evaluation: In Progress
Amanda let out a low whistle. "Market. As in, buy stuff market?"
Samira leaned closer, eyes scanning the text. "Points threshold based access. That means progression isn't just about survival anymore."
Thomas swallowed. "Looks like it."
The interface expanded, reorganizing itself. The harsh combat fonts softened slightly, replaced with categorized panels. Icons formed rows, clean and unsettling in how normal they looked.
Food. Water. Shelter.
Things that should not have been scarce.
MARKET INTERFACE INITIALIZED
Categories Available
Daily Sustenance
Survival Tools
Medical Supplies
Equipment and Enhancements
Weapons and Defense
Note: Inventory availability scales with user progression.
Amanda stared. "That's cruel."
Samira nodded slowly. "And efficient."
Thomas didn't answer. He was already scrolling.
The first category opened smoothly.
DAILY SUSTENANCE
Clean Water Pack, 5 liters
Nutrient Meal Ration, balanced, single serving
Protein Concentrate Bar
Electrolyte Drink, fatigue recovery
Thermal Blanket, compact
Amanda stepped closer, disbelief creeping into her voice. "You're telling me the System could've been selling food this whole time?"
"Probably," Thomas said. "We just weren't worth feeding yet."
Khorcha snorted softly. "The System does not reward need. It rewards progress."
Samira's attention shifted. "Thomas, check the pricing."
He did.
The numbers were almost insulting in their simplicity. Affordable. Reasonable. As if starvation had been a choice.
Amanda turned away, jaw tight. "I'm buying water first. I don't care what it costs."
Thomas nodded and confirmed the purchase. A soft chime followed, and reality answered.
A sealed container materialized in his hands, cool to the touch, weight perfectly balanced. No light, no flash. Just there.
Amanda froze. "That's… unsettling."
"But useful," Samira said.
Thomas handed it to her. "Drink. Slow."
She didn't argue.
The market interface shifted again.
SURVIVAL TOOLS
Multi Function Utility Kit
Portable Fire Generator
Adaptive Shelter Sheet
Environmental Scanner, basic
Repair Compound
Samira's eyes lit up slightly at the scanner. "That could help us avoid half the trouble we keep stumbling into."
"Or find it faster," Amanda muttered between sips.
Thomas moved on.
MEDICAL SUPPLIES
Stimulant Injection, emergency use
Wound Sealant Foam
Pain Suppressant Capsule
Bone Stabilizer Wrap
Regeneration Patch, low grade
Amanda stared at the regeneration patch. "You're kidding."
Samira shook her head. "Low grade regeneration won't regrow limbs. But it'll keep you moving."
"That's all I need," Amanda said.
Thomas purchased two.
The System chimed again.
SECONDARY USER EVALUATION COMPLETE
Samira Ali
Total Points: 1,040
MARKET ACCESS GRANTED
Samira exhaled slowly. "So it wasn't just you."
"Congratulations," Amanda said dryly. "You're officially a customer."
Samira ignored the sarcasm, already navigating her own interface. "This is dangerous."
"How so?" Thomas asked.
"Because it makes us comfortable," she replied. "Comfort reduces urgency. Urgency keeps you alive."
Khorcha watched the invisible exchange with quiet interest. "Yet you will still use it."
"Yes," Samira said without hesitation. "Because refusing tools is not bravery. It's stupidity."
The final category opened.
The air felt heavier.
WEAPONS AND DEFENSE
Plasma Edge Blade
Kinetic Barrier Unit
Pulse Sidearm
Reactive Armor Vest
Skill Amplifier Module
Amanda's breath hitched. "That's… not fair."
Thomas's gaze lingered on the Skill Amplifier. "Temporary enhancement," he read aloud. "Short duration, heavy cost."
Samira frowned. "Everything has a cost."
Khorcha finally spoke. "The Market is not generosity. It is investment."
Amanda glanced at him. "And what happens when the investment stops paying off?"
Khorcha met her eyes. "Then the System reallocates its resources."
Silence followed that.
Thomas closed the interface slowly. The Market didn't disappear, it minimized, waiting, patient.
They resumed walking.
The Gate loomed closer now, its shape clearer, impossibly vast, edges cutting cleanly through the sky. The road beneath their feet felt straighter, more deliberate, as if the world itself was guiding them forward.
Amanda adjusted her grip on the crystal club. "So," she said quietly, "food, weapons, skills, points."
Samira nodded. "A controlled ecosystem."
Thomas looked ahead. "And we're inside it."
Khorcha's voice came low from behind them. "For now."
The Gate pulsed faintly in the distance, like a heartbeat.
And the System watched them spend their future one decision at a time.
--------+---------&-------+-------------------++
The Gate was not what Thomas had imagined.
It wasn't a wall, or a door, or even a structure in the traditional sense. As they drew closer, the air itself seemed to bend around it, light stretching and folding as if reality had learned to hesitate. The ruins thinned out, the broken city giving way to a wide circular platform of black stone, smooth and untouched by time.
The Gate stood at its center.
A colossal ring, suspended upright, its inner surface filled with slow moving layers of light, colors bleeding into one another like liquid stars. Symbols drifted along its rim, not carved, not glowing, but existing, as though the stone remembered them rather than displayed them.
Amanda slowed to a stop. "That's… not a gate."
Samira swallowed. "It's a threshold."
Thomas felt it pressing against him, not physically, but deeper. The System hummed quietly in his head, restrained, observant, like a machine holding its breath.
Khorcha stepped forward first.
His posture changed as soon as he crossed onto the platform. His shoulders straightened, his grip on the spear relaxed, and for the first time since Thomas had met him, Khorcha looked old.
Not weak. Ancient.
"This is where I leave you," Khorcha said.
Amanda turned sharply. "Leave us, as in stay behind leave us?"
"Yes."
Samira frowned. "You said you were our guide."
"I was," Khorcha replied calmly. "To the Gate. Not beyond it."
Thomas took a step forward. "You're not coming with us?"
Khorcha shook his head. "I cannot."
The Gate pulsed once, a low vibration rippling through the platform. Thomas felt it resonate in his chest, like something recognizing him.
Khorcha continued, voice steady. "The Gate is not a passage between cities alone. It is a junction."
Amanda blinked. "A what?"
"A junction between layers of existence," Khorcha said. "Between controlled spaces. Between worlds that share governance."
Samira's eyes widened slightly. "Governance."
Khorcha looked at her. "Yes."
He turned to face the Gate fully, reverence and resentment mixing in his expression. "This Gate connects not only to other cities in this world, but to places far beyond it. Stations. Habitats. Strongholds that orbit dead stars."
Thomas felt his stomach drop. "Outer space."
Khorcha nodded. "Where the Langkatans reside. Where their government operates. Where the System was refined."
Amanda let out a short, disbelieving laugh. "You're telling me this thing can send us to space."
"Yes."
Silence pressed down on them.
Samira spoke first. "Why didn't you tell us earlier?"
"Because you were not ready," Khorcha replied. "And because the Gate decides as much as you do."
The symbols along the ring shifted, reacting to his words.
Thomas stared at the swirling light within the Gate. "So this whole time… the city wasn't the end."
"No," Khorcha said softly. "It was the funnel."
Amanda ran a hand through her hair. "So where does it send us now?"
"That depends," Khorcha said, finally turning back to them, "on what you choose."
The System chimed before Thomas could ask.
MISSION UPDATE
Primary Objective Completed
Reach the City Gate
REWARD PENDING
Gate Access Unlocked
Destination Selection Available
Samira's breath caught. "Destination selection."
Thomas clenched his jaw. "It's giving us options."
Khorcha stepped back, spear lowering. "And that is why I cannot follow. The Gate does not permit natives of this world to cross into governance space."
Amanda looked at him. "So what happens to you?"
Khorcha smiled faintly. "I return. I warn others. I prepare."
"For what?" Thomas asked.
"For you," Khorcha answered honestly.
That landed heavier than any revelation so far.
Khorcha bowed his head, fist pressed briefly to his chest. "You have survived what most do not. That alone has consequences."
He took a final step back, the edge of the platform humming beneath his feet.
"Beyond this Gate," he said, "you stop being experiments."
Samira stiffened. "And become what?"
Khorcha met her gaze. "Variables."
The Gate pulsed again, brighter this time.
Thomas felt the System stir, deeper layers unlocking, information pressing against his awareness like a storm about to break.
Khorcha turned away, already retreating down the path they had come from.
"May your choices break something important," he said without looking back.
And then he was gone, swallowed by distance and dust.
The three of them stood alone before the Gate.
The System did not give them time to process.
REWARD INFORMATION UNLOCKED
Data Packet
Experiment Overview
Access Level: Partial
Information Segment: 3 of 4
Amanda's voice was barely above a whisper. "I don't like how that sounds."
Thomas swallowed. "Me neither."
The light within the Gate shifted, splitting into multiple spiraling paths.
Waiting.
Watching.
And offering them something far more dangerous than survival.
A choice.
The System did not rush them.
That alone made Thomas uneasy.
The Gate continued to pulse quietly behind them, layers of light rotating like a patient predator. The air felt heavier now, charged, as if the world itself had leaned closer to listen.
Then the System spoke.
Not with alarms.
Not with commands.
With information.
DATA PACKET UNSEALED
Experiment Overview
Segment 3 of 4
Access Level: Restricted
Observation Status: Active
Samira stiffened immediately. "It's not a reward."
"No," Thomas said quietly. "It's a confession."
Amanda folded her arms tightly across her chest. "Then let's hear it."
The information did not flood them all at once. It came in layers, structured, deliberate, like someone explaining something they believed was perfectly reasonable.
PROJECT DESIGNATION
Human System Compatibility Trial
Initiating Species
Langkatans
Objective
Determine long term survivability and psychological resistance of human subjects under System governed environments
Amanda let out a sharp breath. "We were lab rats."
Samira shook her head slowly. "No. Worse."
The text continued.
METHOD
Forced relocation of human subjects from Origin World
Memory suppression protocols applied selectively
System exposure under escalating threat conditions
CONTROL GROUP SIZE
257 Subjects
Thomas felt his jaw tighten. "Two hundred and fifty seven."
Amanda whispered, "That's not a test. That's a purge."
The System did not argue.
CURRENT STATUS
Failed Subjects: 247
Terminated due to environmental collapse, mental fracture, or System rejection
Successful Subjects: 10
Classification: High Compatibility
Silence fell like a dropped blade.
Samira's hands trembled slightly as she clenched them into fists. "Ten."
Amanda's voice cracked despite her effort to keep it steady. "Out of everyone they took… only ten lived."
Thomas stared at the words, feeling the weight of every unseen death press against his chest. People who had woken up confused, terrified, alone. People who never made it past the first monster, the first night, the first realization that no one was coming to save them.
"We're not special," Amanda said quietly. "We're just the ones who didn't break."
The System continued, unbothered by their reaction.
OBSERVATION NOTES
Subjects exhibiting the following traits show increased survivability
Adaptive aggression
Emotional compartmentalization
Interpersonal cooperation
Resistance to System authority without rejection
Samira laughed once, sharp and humorless. "They're measuring how well we disobey."
Thomas felt something cold settle in his stomach. "They want soldiers."
"Yes," Samira said immediately. "Or tools."
Amanda looked up at the Gate, at the spiraling paths of light. "And now they're watching to see what we do next."
The System chimed softly, almost approving.
NEW INFORMATION UNLOCKED
Remaining Compatible Subjects
Status: Active
Quantity: 7
Thomas straightened. "Seven more."
Samira's eyes narrowed. "Alive."
"Somewhere," Amanda added.
Locations did not appear. No names. No faces.
Just the confirmation that they were not alone.
That there were others who had survived, suffered, adapted, just like them.
The System paused, then delivered the final piece.
EXPERIMENTAL PURPOSE
Long term projection indicates instability within Langkatan governance structures
Human subjects with high compatibility may be deployed as corrective variables
Amanda stared at the words. "They broke us to fix their problems."
Samira's voice was low, dangerous. "They kidnapped us, killed hundreds, and now they want to use us as pressure points inside their own system."
Thomas felt the anger finally settle into something solid. Something sharp.
"They don't see us as people," he said. "They see us as leverage."
The Gate responded to that, its light flaring brighter, the inner paths rearranging themselves.
The System followed with one final update.
DESTINATION OPTIONS AVAILABLE
Option One
Transit to Adjacent City Node
Purpose: Stabilization, resupply, subject interaction
Option Two
Transit to Governance Space
Purpose: Oversight engagement, information escalation
Amanda barked a laugh that held no humor. "City, or space."
Samira rubbed her temples. "Another city means more of the same. Monsters. Missions. Watching us from behind glass."
Thomas stared at the second option, the words Governance Space burning themselves into his mind.
"That's where they are," he said.
"Yes," Samira replied. "That's where the Langkatans watch from. That's where the System was refined. That's where the decisions were made."
Amanda exhaled slowly. "And probably where they expect us to hesitate."
The three of them stood there, the Gate humming softly, patient, eternal.
"Going to another city keeps us alive longer," Amanda said. "We get stronger. Learn more. Maybe find the others."
Samira nodded. "It's safer."
Thomas didn't answer.
He thought about the number 257.
About the 247 who never reached a gate.
About waking up in a ruined world with no explanation and being told to survive or disappear.
"They won't stop," he said finally. "Even if we go to another city."
Samira looked at him. "No."
"They'll just keep running trials," he continued. "Different species. Different worlds. Different versions of this."
Amanda swallowed. "And if we go to space?"
Thomas turned to face the Gate fully. "Then we stop being subjects."
Samira met his gaze. "And start being a problem."
The Gate pulsed, brighter now, the paths within aligning as if reacting to their intent.
The System delivered one final line.
NOTICE
Selection will determine observation intensity
No reversal possible after transit
Amanda closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them. "If we do this… there's no going back, is there?"
Thomas shook his head. "No."
Samira stepped forward, standing beside him. "Good."
Amanda looked at both of them, fear and resolve fighting in her expression.
Then she smiled, slow and tired and real.
"Well," she said, "if we're going to confront the people who turned us into an experiment… I'd rather do it face to face."
The Gate reacted instantly.
The spiraling paths collapsed into one.
A vertical corridor of light formed, deep and endless, stars burning within it.
The System chimed.
DESTINATION CONFIRMED
Governance Space
Transit Sequence Initiated
The ground beneath their feet vibrated.
Thomas took a breath, steadying himself.
Whatever waited beyond that light had answers.
And consequences.
As the Gate opened fully, one thought cut through everything else, sharp and undeniable.
They had survived the test.
Now it was time to confront the ones who designed it.
The System did not force immediate transit.
The Gate remained open, its light dimming slightly as if acknowledging the state they were in. Exhaustion settled into their bones, heavy and unavoidable. Whatever waited beyond, it would still be there in the morning.
For the first time since waking in this world, they slept not because they were safe… but because they had no strength left to run.
A/N
Hello everyone happy holidays, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, please point out to me if there's any inconsistency since I am using online editing there may be some mistakes that I didn't pay attention to it. I would appreciate it if you mention it to me.