Chapter 22: A Bridge Between Worlds – The True Beginning
Scene One: The First Trial
After realizing that his new power was not to steal but to connect, Rin decided to try it immediately.
He spotted a flickering micro-gate opening and closing chaotically in the middle of the street.
Rin (raising his hands toward the gate):
"Alright… let's see if this actually works."
Leon (worried):
"Wait! Do you even know what you're doing?"
Rin (smirking):
"Honestly? No. But when has that ever stopped me?"
Gentle, harmonious energy flowed from his hands — nothing like the violent force he once used to steal abilities.
The micro-gate slowly calmed… its chaotic pulses settling into stability.
Mr. X (astonished):
"Incredible… you transformed it from a threat into a stable power node."
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Scene Two: Mixed Reactions
The area around the stabilized gate softened.
Even the glowing plants began growing in organized patterns.
Great-Sword Girl (touching a luminous leaf):
"It's… beautiful."
Leon (uneasy):
"But is it safe? What if this is all just a trick?"
Rin (feeling the gate):
"No. It feels like a melody now, not a scream."
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Scene Three: The Unexpected Witnesses
A group of survivors stepped out of a nearby building — this time, without fear.
Elderly Woman:
"You… you calmed the whole area. How did you do that?"
Rin:
"I just… restored the balance."
Young Man (pointing at the gate):
"Can you do this everywhere?"
They told him about other unstable gates scattered across the city.
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Scene Four: Forming a Plan
A quick, urgent meeting was held.
Mr. X:
"If we stabilize the major gates, we might regain control of the city."
Leon:
"There are hundreds! This'll take forever."
Rin (thinking aloud):
"Not if I don't stabilize them one by one… but link them."
A daring idea — a network instead of isolated repairs.
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Scene Five: The Greater Experiment
They moved to an area where three gates were close together.
Rin sat in the center and closed his eyes.
Rin:
"Protect me. This might… attract attention."
Great-Sword Girl:
"We've got you."
He felt the three gates like currents of a river.
Instead of blocking them, he guided them.
Rin (in deep focus):
"They're streams… I just need to redirect them."
The three gates synchronized, forming a stable triangle.
The entire zone began returning to normal.
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Scene Six: A Discovery
Rin opened his eyes suddenly.
Rin:
"I can… feel other gates through these."
Mr. X:
"Meaning?"
Rin:
"These stabilized gates… they're connection points. I can sense nearby gates through them."
A massive breakthrough.
---
Scene Seven: New Opposition
Their progress didn't go unnoticed.
A group of Purifiers appeared — this time armed with advanced gear.
Purifier Leader:
"Stop! You're making everything worse!"
Rin (gesturing around):
"Look around you! The area is calm!"
Leader:
"This is fake stability! Abilities are the disease — true peace comes from cleansing them!"
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Scene Eight: Conflict & Understanding
Instead of fighting, Rin tried reason.
Rin:
"You're afraid. I get it. But destroying everything won't save anyone."
Young Purifier:
"But… look what abilities did to our world!"
Rin:
"Abilities are tools. The problem is how we use them."
He demonstrated that the stabilized gate could even provide clean, usable energy.
Some of the Purifiers hesitated.
---
Scene Nine: An Unexpected Arrival
Another group arrived — neither Purifiers nor Hunters.
Ordinary people… who had developed powers due to the world's distortion.
Young Woman:
"We never asked for these abilities… but we learned to live with them."
Old Man:
"Mine saved my life when my building collapsed."
A new perspective — forced evolution.
---
Scene Ten: A New Alliance
Rin made a bold proposal.
Rin:
"Maybe the solution isn't choosing sides… but bringing everyone together."
Leon:
"But trust? Between us?"
Powered Civilian:
"Trust is built through actions, not talk."
Thus formed The Stability Council, made of:
Professional Hunters
Purifiers willing to cooperate
Newpowered civilians
Specialists like Mr. X
---
Scene Eleven: The First Crisis
A massive gate began forming in the city center — far larger than anything before.
Mr. X (alarmed):
"This isn't a normal gate… it's a primary gate."
Rin:
"I can feel it… it's huge."
Its collapse would swallow half the city.
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Scene Twelve: The Hard Choice
Leon:
"We need to close it!"
Purifier Leader:
"This is suicide!"
Rin:
"No… I can't close it.
But maybe… I can link it to the network."
A dangerous gamble.
Succeed — they gain a monumental energy source.
Fail — catastrophe.
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Scene Thirteen: The Bold Attempt
Rin connected all the stabilized gates, forming a vast energy web.
Rin:
"I need everyone. Focus your efforts!"
Even Purifiers helped — redirecting energy rather than suppressing it.
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Scene Fourteen: Success… at a Price
The giant gate stabilized.
But Rin collapsed, drained completely.
Leon (catching him):
"Rin! Stay with me!"
Rin (weakly opening his eyes):
"It… worked. But… there's more…"
During the process, he sensed something.
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Scene Fifteen: The Warning
After recovering, he shared what he felt.
Rin:
"Someone… something… was watching us through the gates."
Mr. X (grave):
"If that's true, then we've exposed ourselves."
Rin:
"It's worse…
I think that entity is the reason all this began."
A new threat loomed — silent, distant, yet terrifyingly aware.
The race had begun.