Bloodsteel Horizon
Episode 1 — The Day the Guns Woke Up
Kael Draven had counted down the days to his twenty-first birthday without really knowing why.
Not because of the usual reasons — no drinking parties, no friends waiting to take him out into the neon-lit nightlife of Neon District 9. He had no real family left; his father had been a Hunter, his mother too, both killed in off-world hunts when Kael was still in high school.
He'd spent the past three years working at a weapons repair shop, servicing other Hunters' firearms, polishing their blades, replacing overheated plasma cores — all the while wondering what it was like to stand on the other side of the counter.
But tonight was different. He could feel it in his bones.
The Awakening Hour
The city was quiet in that strange way only Neon District 9 could manage — not truly silent, but filled with the low, constant hum of technology. Steam hissed from sidewalk vents, casting ghostly halos under streetlamps. Towering billboards shimmered with holographic ads for combat stims, warp gates, and exclusive Hunter contracts.
Kael sat on his apartment balcony, staring at the clock on his HUD implant.
11:59:58.
11:59:59.
12:00:00.
The world shifted.
A tidal wave of heat and static electricity surged through him, forcing him to his knees. His vision blurred, every edge doubling, every shadow sharpening. His heartbeat boomed in his ears — not in rhythm with his chest, but with something else.
That's when they appeared.
Two machine guns — identical in design but far beyond anything human engineers could build. Their barrels gleamed with blackened steel laced in veins of crimson light. Every surface was smooth yet etched with moving patterns, like circuitry alive and breathing.
The weapons hovered in front of him for a heartbeat before slamming into his hands. The moment he touched them, his vision exploded with data:
LEVEL: 1
CLASS: Hunter
SUBCLASS: Duel Machine Gun
TARGETS: Monsters / Hunters
MAX LEVEL: 100,000,000,000
EVOLUTIONS: 0 / 150
CURRENCY PER KILL: $1,000
PRIMARY TRAIT: Vampire-Cyberpunk Hybrid
First Blood
The scream shattered the night.
Kael whipped his head toward the street below. Something moved in the shadows — wrong, jagged, and glowing with a sick green hue.
A Street Wraith. Level 12.
It didn't walk; it flowed across the asphalt like liquid shadow, its limbs distorting as it chased a woman toward an alley. Its name and level floated above its head in crimson text only Kael could see.
Before Kael could think, his new weapons roared to life. The barrels spun faster than any mechanical system should be able to, each round screaming into existence with a sonic crack. Bullets of silver-blue energy ripped through the Wraith, each impact detonating with a flash of heat and magic.
The creature screeched — a sound like tearing metal — before dissolving into ash.
Kael's HUD pulsed.
LEVEL UP!
Current Level: 4
+10% Damage
+15% Range
NEW MOD: Target Lock Mk. I
His hands shook — not from fear, but from the rush. The weapons weren't just tools; they were alive, evolving with every kill. He could feel the faint hum of their magic inside his bones, syncing to his own pulse.
⸻
The Vampire Edge
Then came the second change.
A prickling sensation along his jaw — then pain. Two sharp fangs pushed through his gums as if they'd been waiting all along. His reflection in the shop window below showed more changes: silver eyes that glowed faintly, veins beneath his skin lit with an electric-blue hue, cybernetic plating along his neck and jawline shifting like it was part of him.
Half vampire. Half machine. Entirely dangerous.
He touched his tongue to his new fangs and felt the pull of hunger — not for blood alone, but for battle.
The Rift
Before he could process it all, the air in front of him shimmered. A tear in reality ripped open, revealing a vast, impossible view beyond: worlds stacked atop worlds, each unique. Shattered Earths floating in space, metallic planets glowing from within, endless deserts roamed by titanic beasts.
A cold, mechanical voice echoed inside his skull:
"Welcome, Kael Draven.
You are now bound to the Hunter's Pact.
100 billion worlds await.
Level cap: Celestial.
Kill to grow. Grow to survive. Survive… to ascend."
The Rift expanded until it filled his entire view. The voice returned:
"First Assignment: Eliminate 5 Rogue Hunters — LVL 7–10. Payment: $5,000."
Stepping Into War
Kael glanced at the guns. They pulsed faintly in his grip, almost impatient. The strange connection between them was undeniable — they wanted to fight as much as he did.
His parents had died in this line of work, but Kael realized something important in that moment: he wasn't like them. Not anymore.
He stepped through the Rift.
The air changed instantly — humid, metallic, and carrying the faint smell of burning ozone. He stood on a bridge made of bone, suspended over a chasm filled with glowing blue mist. Across the span, five figures waited.
Hunters. Their levels hovered in red above their heads: 8, 9, 7, 10, 9.
They saw him, and their leader grinned. "New blood," he said, drawing a jagged plasma blade. "You won't last a minute."
Kael spun his guns in his hands. "I only need thirty seconds."
The fight began with a blur of motion and the thunder of gunfire. His rounds tore through the mist, each impact slamming into armored torsos, bursting shields, and sending enemies staggering. The mods kicked in — target lock icons danced over their heads, guiding each bullet unerringly.
The first went down screaming.
The second crumpled as rounds pierced their knee plating and detonated.
Kael ducked a plasma slash, came up firing, and dropped the third. The last two came at him together — but he was faster now, his reflexes sharp enough to track every movement. His guns adjusted mid-burst, pouring fire in perfect arcs until both opponents hit the bridge floor, smoking and unconscious.
⸻
Aftermath
Kael's HUD flared again.
LEVEL UP!
Current Level: 7
+10% Damage
+15% Range
+5% Firing Speed
NEW MOD: Overcharge Burst
Total Earnings: $5,000
The bodies vanished in flashes of light, leaving only scorch marks on the bone bridge. The Rift reopened in front of him, swirling with possibilities.
Kael allowed himself a small grin. This was just the start.
⸻
Closing Line:
"Happy birthday to me," he muttered, stepping into the next world.