The city was no longer the same.
After the explosion of the Gate, the sky over Sector 7 was cracked with veins of red light —
a scar that refused to heal.
Ryn stood atop a ruined skyscraper, the wind pulling at his coat, the scent of ash heavy in the air.
He had been awake for three days.
He didn't need sleep anymore.
He didn't even know if his body was still human enough to require it.
> [Status Update: Mutation stable.]
[Power output increased by 127%.]
[Warning: Mental synchronization unstable.]
He ignored the voice.
He had learned something since the Gate of Origin —
the system didn't control him anymore.
It followed him.
Below, chaos spread like fire.
Hunters fought beasts in the streets; civilians screamed as fragments of the broken Gate rained from the sky.
And amidst the carnage, a name began to spread through the underground networks:
> "The Red Phantom."
A man who hunted both monsters and hunters.
A man with eyes like dying stars.
A man no one could kill.
Ryn didn't care for names.
He only cared for the silence that followed the slaughter.
For that brief, empty moment when the world stopped fighting him.
---
Suddenly, his earpiece crackled to life — a voice, familiar yet distant.
> "Ryn… this is Commander Vale. If you can hear me, do not engage. The Gate residue is warping reality itself. You're— you're not immune to it!"
He looked at the small device, then crushed it in his hand.
> "You still think I'm one of you."
The system's voice cut through the static:
> [New Quest Unlocked: Eliminate Source of Distortion.]
[Location: Core Rift – 3 kilometers east.]
[Estimated threat level: Unknown.]
Ryn's eyes narrowed.
> "Another gate, already?"
The shadows beneath his feet rippled as he stepped forward —
and the world around him bent.
One step, and he was no longer on the rooftop.
He was standing in front of a massive crater — glowing red, humming with a pulse like a heartbeat.
Inside it… something watched him.
> [Detection: Entity classified as "Echo of the Origin."]
[Caution: This being shares genetic resonance with host.]
For the first time since his awakening, Ryn felt something stir in his chest —
not fear… but curiosity.
A shape rose from the light —
a mirror image of him.
Same face. Same eyes. Same power.
But colder.
Empty.
The reflection spoke first.
> "You stole my path."
"You were never meant to survive the Gate."
Ryn tightened his grip on his katana, the blade humming with black energy.
> "Then I guess fate made a mistake."
The echo smiled — a perfect imitation of him.
> "No. You did."
The ground shattered as both figures vanished —
two predators colliding in a storm of blood, steel, and shadow.
The city below trembled again —
as if the world itself couldn't decide which Ryn was real.
---Chapter 9 — Coming soon."