BOOM!
Somewhere near them, a distinct boom is heard, followed by unmistakable silence, the silence before everything plunges into chaos.
"ARGH!"
"Oh my god!"
"What is that?!"
"That's… that's a gate!"
"What?! A gate?!"
"Yes! A gate to a dungeon!"
"But how can it appear here?!"
"Why aren't there any alarms?!"
"Hurry! Call the dungeon emergency number!"
People are panicking at the sudden appearance of a dungeon gate. Even though gates do occur randomly, scientists have found ways to detect them before they appear, and the government usually sounds alarms around the affected area to warn people in advance.
Unannounced gate appearances have become less and less common, making people forget that sometimes they still happen. And what's terrifying about an unannounced gate like this is that, more often than not, they are far more dangerous than the average gate. It also means the Heartstones that can be harvested are higher in purity.
"Thea!"
Claudia is being helped getting up by her bodyguard. She ignores him and looks around for Theo. They got separated when the gate appeared. Now, people around her are running and panicking, but she doesn't see Theo.
"I'm here!" Theo appears from the crowd.
Claudia hugs him immediately. "Thank god, you're safe!"
"Miss Claudia, we need to go. Now!" the bodyguard insists.
Claudia nods and grabs Theo's hand. "Let's go."
RUMBLE.
The three of them whip their heads toward the sound. It's coming from the gate. The symbols etched along the arch start to pulsate, slowly at first, then faster and faster until they glow continuously.
"Not good!" The bodyguard whips out his phone and dials.
While urging Claudia and Theo to leave, he reports the incident in an urgent tone. "Yes, a rogue gate, at the Arvion Beach sidewalk. It's approximately four to five meters wide and nine to ten meters tall. I'm with Miss Claudia and Miss Thea; they're both safe."
He keeps his eyes on the gate. "It's starting to activate. Send our people now!"
Under the arch, a misty, cloud-like wind appears and swirls into a vertical mini-tornado.
The bodyguard pushes both young women away from the gate while positioning himself behind them, shielding them as they run. All three are sprinting away from the gate.
Then the rumbling stops, replaced by wind… and things begin to float, drifting toward the gate.
"Its pulling force has started! Move away from its suction path!" the bodyguard yells over the roaring wind.
"Help me!" A young man suddenly lifts off the ground, flying toward the gate. He tries desperately to hold on to something.
More and more people and larger objects are pulled in. Including the bodyguard.
"Grab that light pole!" he shouts before disappearing into the gate.
Claudia manages to grab the pole just as her body starts to lift off the ground. Behind her, Theo reaches for the same pole – and misses.
"Grab my hand! Or my foot! Anything!" Claudia screams.
But Theo can't catch hold of anything – and a small part of him wishes he'd missed on purpose. He feels himself being pulled toward the gate.
"THEA!" Claudia yells, tears in her eyes, still clinging desperately to the light pole.
------------------------------
Alarms within a one-kilometer radius of the beach sidewalk are blaring, a sure sign that a rogue dungeon has appeared. Within minutes, the city's Dungeon Emergency Unit (DEU) arrives. Their mission is clear: enter the dungeon and clear it before anyone else.
A rogue dungeon belongs to the city. The DEU has priority to enter it before any other exploration teams. However, this doesn't apply to the Heartstone inside. Whichever team manages to kill the Haelion King can harvest sixty percent of the Heartstone, while the remaining forty percent will be divided equally among the other teams.
The DEU team arrives and is relieved to find they're the first on site.
"Let's gear up quickly! A rogue gate this size could hold a level ten Haelion King or a high number of level five Haelions. Reports say a few civilians were pulled in!"
"Yes, sir!"
They are ready in less than three minutes. They move toward the gate, preparing to be pulled in, but suddenly, the wind dies down, and the pulsating symbols begin to slow, dimming little by little.
"Shit! We need to enter before it closes!" The DEU Captain starts to run toward the gate, but before any of them can reach it, the symbols stop pulsing altogether.
"Shit, shit, shit—SHIT!" The Captain doesn't bother concealing his irritation.
"NO!" A woman's scream pierces the air. Footsteps pound against the pavement, and a redhead with light brown eyes full of tears bursts onto the scene. She runs past the DEU officers and crosses the gate.
"Miss!" the Captain shouts.
But nothing happens. The young woman doesn't disappear, the gate is no longer active.
"No! Thea!" she cries, collapsing into sobs.
"Miss, please calm down. We're doing everything we can. But a closed gate is a closed gate. It won't open again unless someone clears it."
------------------------------
Arthur shakes Dumar's hand, both wearing polite, professional smiles. Then he moves to the Sandrina representative and shakes his hand as well.
"Thank you, Chief Dumar, President Martin. I hope this is—"
City alarms blare.
Everyone in the room turns to one another, then to the windows. Arthur frowns. "A rogue gate? That's rare."
Dumar steps beside him and murmurs, "You gearing up? I could use some exercise."
Arthur can't help but smile. "Crazy adrenaline addict," he mutters back. He checks his watch and frowns again. "Level five gate. That's rare."
Dumar's expression doesn't change. "Imagine the quality of the Heartstone. Not going?"
Arthur almost laughs.
Then a series of urgent knocks interrupts them. Without waiting for permission, the door opens, Sarah appears, her face pale with fear.
Arthur snaps his head toward her. She would never interrupt like this unless it was serious.
"Sir, I'm sorry to intrude, but you need to contact Mr. Julian. He says it's urgent."
Arthur pulls out his phone. Sure enough, several missed calls from Julian flash on the screen, he'd put it on silent during the signing.
"Jules, what – WHAT?! Thea's signal disappeared?!"
------------------------------
Theo falls to the ground with a loud thud. The very first thing he notices is the magic energy – or what he calls mana. It's everywhere.
Theo feels like a fish thrown back into water for the first time.
It's refreshing. Exhilarating.
This is heaven! Theo exclaims inwardly, grinning. He couldn't be happier. After almost a month deprived of mana, this truly feels heavenly.
He gets up and notices it's dark. No stars, no moon. Pitch black, except for a few small, faint lights from nearby bushes, plants, and insects.
I need some light.
Theo raises his palm upward, preparing to cast a light spell. I need to –
Theo stops mid-thought. A glowing orb suddenly appears on his open palm. He frowns. I haven't said the incantation yet. Why did it appear on its own? It's exactly the shape, size, and brightness he wanted.
A soft beep breaks the silence. Theo glances at his watch. A red bell icon flashes on its face. He taps it, and a line of text appears:
100% PURITY DETECTED.
Theo sighs. "Yes, yes, I know. It's me, you idiot. You're detecting me. How do I turn this off?" He taps the watch's face again, but it keeps beeping softly.
Then he hears rustling nearby –
Follows by a growl.