11 years later
Kage woke up to a Mira's deep blue eyes staring down at him.
Wake up shorty today is the day. we can enter our first gate.
ughh, at least let me shower and get dress first.
Fine, whatever as she steals some glances at his tone abs.
I am waiting for you downstairs in the hall, also grandma sue wants to see us.
after a while, Kage went downstairs.
There he saw Mira, and Sue talking about her first gate adventure.
Kage rubbed a hand through his messy black hair as he stepped down the final stair. The scent of fresh bread and herbs drifted through the estate halls, mixing with the cool morning air slipping through the open windows.
At the center of the hall, Mira leaned against the long oak table, dressed in dark leather armor trimmed with silver. Her Twin daggers rested at her waist, and the silver markings along her arms glowed faintly beneath her sleeves.
Sue sat nearby with a cup of tea in hand, though the sharpness in her eyes made it clear she was far from relaxed.
"There he is," Mira said with a grin. "Took you long enough, shorty."
Kage sighed. "You woke me up before sunrise."
"And you're still late."
Sue chuckled softly before motioning him closer. "Sit down, both of you."
The teasing faded almost instantly.
Kage pulled out a chair beside Mira while Sue studied them carefully. For a moment, the old woman simply watched the two children she had raised become warriors.
Eleven years.
It felt both short and impossibly long.
"You two are entering a real Gate today," Sue said quietly. "Not training grounds. Not simulations. A real Gate filled with monsters that will kill you if you make mistakes."
Mira's confident smile dimmed slightly.
Kage stayed silent.
Sue leaned forward. "Most young hunters think strength is what keeps them alive. It isn't." She tapped the table once. "Trust does."
Her eyes settled on Kage first.
"You think too much before acting."
Then Mira.
"You act too much before thinking."
Mira crossed her arms. "That's balanced teamwork."
"That's exactly what worries me."
Kage snorted, earning a glare from Mira.
The warmth vanished from Sue's voice completely.
"The world outside the estate is changing. Gates are becoming unstable. Monsters are appearing stronger than they should be." Her expression darkened slightly. "Something is happening."
Kage noticed the way her fingers tightened around the tea cup.
"You know something," he said.
Sue was quiet for a second too long.
"…Just be careful inside."
Mira suddenly stood up, forcing energy back into the room. "Relax, Grandma Sue,
She threw an arm around Kage's shoulders.
"This gloomy guy carried me through training for eleven years. We'll survive the other realm"
Kage pushed her arm away. "You failed climbing drills because you kept trying to race me you overgrown amazonian."
"And I still won."
"You literally fell off a cliff."
"I landed safely."
"You landed on me."
Sue covered a laugh with her hand.
For a brief moment, the hall felt normal again.
Then the estate bells rang. A deep metallic sound echoed through the building.
The signal for Gate deployment. Mira's grin slowly returned.
Kage felt his heartbeat quicken.
Their first real Gate, The beginning of everything.