Chapter: A Fractured World
The first reports were dismissed.
A spatial fluctuation.
A temporary anomaly.
Something minor. Contained.
That illusion didn't last long.
Because within minutes—
The second gate appeared.
Then the third.
Then the tenth.
And then—
They stopped counting.
Across the Federation, space itself began to tear open. Not violently, not explosively—but precisely. Controlled. Intentional.
Gates.
Identical in nature.
Different in location.
All leading to the same place.
A single dungeon.
Multiple entry points.
And every single one of them—
Was active.
At the Northern Frontier Base Camp, alarms blared as a gate tore open just beyond the defensive perimeter. Cadets barely had time to react before the pull began.
Some resisted.
Some failed.
And those who failed—
Vanished.
At an academy thousands of kilometers away, a lecture hall descended into chaos as a swirling vortex formed mid-air, right above the instructor's platform.
Students scrambled.
Desks overturned.
But the pull didn't care.
Three were taken instantly.
A fourth held on—
Until he didn't.
In a remote mountainous region, a lone hunter froze as the air in front of him split open. He didn't understand what he was looking at.
He didn't get the chance to.
He was dragged in before he could even turn to run.
And then—
The worst one.
A city.
Crowded.
Unprepared.
Unprotected.
The gate formed above a major intersection.
At first, people thought it was some kind of projection. A malfunction. A trick of light.
Then the pull began.
Panic erupted instantly.
Cars collided.
People screamed.
Some tried to run.
Some froze.
And some—
Were simply taken.
Vanishing into the vortex as if erased from existence.
Authorities responded within minutes.
Barriers were deployed.
High-level awakeners arrived.
But it didn't matter.
Because the gates weren't just spatial anomalies.
They were selective.
And once they locked onto a target—
Resistance meant nothing.
Deep within the Federation's central command, the atmosphere had turned suffocating.
Screens filled every wall.
Each displaying a different gate.
Different location.
Same signature.
"This isn't a natural dungeon manifestation."
The voice was calm. Controlled. But beneath it—
There was tension.
"Of course it isn't," another replied sharply. "Natural dungeons don't synchronize across this scale."
A pause.
"…Then say it."
Silence lingered for half a second.
Then—
"It's a coordinated event."
The words settled heavily.
Because that meant intent.
Planning.
Design.
Someone—
Or something—
Had orchestrated this.
At another base camp, far from Zael's location, a squad of cadets stood frozen as the gate before them pulsed violently.
One of them clenched his weapon. "…We fight it."
A senior nearby shook his head immediately. "You can't."
"Then what? Just let it take us?"
The senior didn't respond.
Because he knew the answer.
They didn't have a choice.
The pull intensified.
One by one—
They disappeared.
At a secluded compound hidden deep within a forest, a group of cloaked figures stood before a gate that had formed silently in front of them.
Unlike the others—
There was no panic here.
Only observation.
One of them stepped forward slightly, his voice low.
"…So it begins."
Another tilted his head. "…Earlier than expected."
A third chuckled faintly. "Does it matter? The pieces are already in place."
A pause.
Then—
"Has the target been secured?"
Silence.
Then a nod.
"Yes."
"Good."
The gate pulsed once.
The cloaked figures didn't resist.
They walked in.
Willingly.
Back at the original base camp—
The one Zael had vanished from—
The atmosphere had shifted from chaos…
To something colder.
Controlled.
But only on the surface.
Kael stood at the edge of the now-stabilized gate, his expression unreadable.
Behind him, Starfire Squad had already regrouped.
Cyrus stepped forward slightly. "…We've confirmed it."
Kael didn't turn. "…Say it."
"…It's happening everywhere."
A pause.
"Every major region has reported at least one gate."
Another pause.
"…Some have more."
Kael's gaze darkened slightly.
"…And the pull?"
Cyrus hesitated for just a fraction of a second.
"…Selective."
Silence followed.
Heavy.
Because that confirmed it.
This wasn't random.
This wasn't a malfunction.
This was a harvest.
Kael's fingers curled slightly at his side.
"…Targets?"
Cyrus shook his head. "Still unclear. But patterns are forming."
"Which are?"
"…High potential individuals are being prioritized."
Another silence.
But this one—
Was different.
Because now—
It was personal.
Kael's eyes shifted slightly toward the gate.
To where Zael had disappeared.
"…Of course he is."
Behind him, one of the epic-ranked members spoke, unease clear in his voice.
"Captain… what do we do?"
Kael didn't answer immediately.
His gaze remained fixed on the vortex.
Cold.
Calculating.
Then—
He stepped forward.
"…We follow."
Cyrus frowned slightly. "We don't know what's on the other side."
Kael's response was immediate.
"…That's exactly why we're going."
A pause.
Then—
"No one else moves until we confirm conditions."
His voice turned sharper.
Absolute.
"That includes the cadets."
There was no room for argument.
None came.
Kael stepped closer to the gate.
The pull reacted instantly.
Stronger.
But this time—
He didn't resist.
He let it take hold.
For a brief moment—
Space distorted around him.
Then—
He was gone.
Cyrus exhaled slowly. "…Form up."
One by one—
Starfire Squad followed.
And just like that—
They vanished too.
Across the Federation—
The gates continued to pulse.
To pull.
To consume.
A single dungeon.
Countless entries.
And now—
Countless participants.
But the question remained—
Who created it?
And more importantly—
What was waiting inside?
[END OF CHAPTER]