Upon stepping through the Ecliptic rift, he found himself on a vast stretch of scorched earth. The air was thick with heat and the sour stench of beast blood. Stronger creatures prowled the wasteland, either tearing into the weaker ones or leaving them crawling in agony. A shimmering magic dome sealed the entire land, trapping everything inside. For the weaker beasts it was an inescapable hell, and for the stronger ones it was a throne built on carnage.
The dome was like a prison to the beasts yet a shield to the humans. And it was precisely the same reason why the beasts would always want to break out after an Ecliptic gate had been formed.
The beasts that had been roaring only moments ago pulled back the instant they sensed Axel's presence. Their snarls collapsed into uneasy whimpers, and one by one they began to retreat, eyes lowered as if facing a natural predator. Axel froze, startled by the realization that they were afraid of him. The strange part was the shift inside him. That fierce urge to cut them down simply dissolved, as though their existence no longer carried the weight of danger. For the first time, he felt as if he had stepped into a different tier of power — one they instinctively recognized.
"Well… I guess I'll just go back."
Axel turned and started walking toward the rift he'd entered from, but a sudden tremor in the ground made him pause. A hybrid bull burst forward, energy crackling along its horn as it charged straight at him. The creature had the hulking frame of a bull, but its hide was tough and scaled like a crocodile. Four horns jutted from its head, two on each side, each one close to forty centimeters long. Its roar shook the dust off the ground as it lowered its head, aiming to smash him off his feet.
"Bull frame, crocodile hide and that reckless aggression no matter the situation… a Drakbull."
Axel watched calmly as the beast approached.
"I guess you didn't enjoy the peaceful life here." Axel slipped to the side as the Drakbull thundered past, his movement so quick it looked effortless. In the same breath, he caught one of its horns with his right hand, halting the charge as if the beast had slammed into a wall. His left hand clamped down on the back of its neck, holding the creature in place while dust rolled around their feet.
KRACK!
Then came the sound: a sharp, ugly snap. The Drakbull's neck had broken under Axel's grip.
"Sorry, I guess I tightened my grip a little too much."
Axel stepped back as the dead Drakbull collapsed to the ground with a heavy thud, dust and scales scattering around its massive frame.
That was all it took to take the life of the beast. With little strength he'd crushed the neck of the beast barehanded.
"I guess that's it," Axel said calmly. "You'll all have to see it off… wherever it's going."
He turned to the remaining beasts, whose bodies shook violently. Panic rippled through them, and one by one they scattered, as if silently pleading for their lives.
Before a cry could be heard from a beast,
Axel slid his katana into its sheath with a sharp "shing", the sound cutting through the tense silence.
It was already over. Axel had ended the lives of every beast in the area without breaking a sweat. His speed was impossible to track; not a single creature even had the chance to react. Over sixty beasts were slain before a second could pass.
Three more of the Drakbull had been slain, and ten more lifeless Velvark also
"Is this the lowest-ranked rift, or was this just a fluke?" Axel muttered, inspecting his armor. Not a single stain of blood marred its surface. Satisfied, he turned and headed toward the rift.
*****
Outside the rift, a group of six Resonants stood arguing with the muscular man who was at the entrance of the rift before Axel had entered.
"You mean you made a teenager enter the rift without knowing whether he had the qualifications or not. Which kind of agent does that?"
"Is it wrong to kill some beasts if I have the strength to do so?" Axel walked out of the rift with a cold look on his face.
"Hey, kid! Don't get cocky because you were able to enter and come back with that look on your face." A lady in her late twenties shouted at him.
"He said you entered only a few minutes ago and you're already back out. I'm guessing the beasts scared you. Did you pee your pants?" another woman, about the same age as the first, teased with a smirk.
"There should be cores and items inside the beasts in that rift," Axel replied calmly. "You might want to collect them before the sun goes down."
He stepped past the group of Resonants without slowing.
After a beast dies, some drop items while others leave behind crystal-like energy cores.
"Hey! Who said you could walk off?" a muscular Resonant growled, reaching for Axel's shoulder—only for his hand to swipe at empty air as Axel slipped out of reach.
The man blinked, confused. He clearly hadn't even seen Axel move.
"What…?" he muttered, staring at his empty hand.
Axel kept walking.
"Hold on!" the muscular Resonant barked, irritation rising. He tried again, faster this time, but Axel had already taken a single step to the side. The man's hand cut through air once more.
A few of the others gasped.
"Did he… dodge that?"
"No. I didn't even see him move."
Another stealthy-looking man rushed forward, slipping in front of Axel and raising a hand in a polite gesture. "Please wait a moment," he said.
Axel stopped instantly, meeting the man's gaze without a hint of hesitation.
"I guess amongst the bad looking grain there will still be a good one." Axel said with a smile. "What do you wish for me to do?"
"I just wanted to ask… What happened in the rift? Anything that happened in there will be viable information for the Celestial Resonants Authority."
" You have nothing to worry about. You just have to go for the cores that are left behind before the sun goes down. The rift will close by that time."
" I'm sorry for the behaviour of my colleagues." The man apologized.
"Don't worry." Axel said.
The man ran back to his group but turned to ask Axel a question again. However, Axel was nowhere to be seen. The man seemed to be surprised because he had a keen sense of hearing which allowed him to hear even the faintest footstep that could be but he heard none when Axel walked.
"Let's just go for the cores and items that were left behind. He seemed not to have sent anything away." The man turned to his team and led them inside the rift.
****
"Impossible… You're telling me that kid killed all these beasts and walked out without a single stain on his armor?"
The woman who had shouted at Axel earlier stood frozen, shock tightening her voice.
Before them lay the proof—dozens of beasts piled together, all slain cleanly, their bodies forming a grim mound.
"This is a Gold-ranked rift," the stealthy man muttered, eyes narrowing as he surveyed the field. "It should cover around two and a half square kilometers..."
"Kelvin. Isn't this too much for a boy that age?" Another man who was silent the whole time the others engaged with Axel asked the stealthy man calmly.
"Yh, I think so. And he seemed not to know that much about the authorities when I spoke about it." Kelvin responded. " Let's hurry up with the items and cores."
****
"Lord Axel, where have you been?" Thorngage asked as Axel passed by him.
" I told you I was going into one of the rift that had appeared, didn't I?"
"Sorry Lord Axel, how was your rift experience?" Thorngage asked with a smile.
"Nothing to be worried about?" Axel said with a calm look on his face.
After all those years he'd gone through to get this strong, he didn't expect the first rift he'd enter to be filled with beasts which posed no threat to him at all.
"A bath has been prepared with a change of clothes and dinner is also ready." Thorngage said with a slight bow.
"I'll be there soon." Axel walked to the room next to the one he'd awakened in and entered, closing the door behind him.
He let out a small breath as he looked around. The room was spotless, almost shining. His cloak was already hung on the stand, and a clean set of clothes was folded neatly on the bed. A faint warmth from the bath next door drifted into the room.
Thorngage must have hurried to prepare everything.
Axel loosened the straps on his armor and set it aside piece by piece. It felt good to be home after the rift's noise and chaos.
He glanced toward the door. "Thorngage," he called softly.
The servant poked his head in. "Yes, my lord?"
"You arranged things well."
Thorngage brightened a little. "I'm glad it suits you. Please take your time. Dinner will stay warm."
Axel nodded. "I'll wash up first."
Thorngage bowed and closed the door, leaving Axel alone in the quiet, well-kept room.