Chapter 1 - A New World
Keir had been on his way home after studying at the library when the space before him fractured like shattered glass. Startled, as anyone would be, he turned to flee—but before he could take a step, a sudden vacuum pulled him in. There was no chance to resist, no time to even think of escape.
He fell for what felt like an eternity, plummeting through a void so dark it was as if a veil had been draped across his eyes. Then came the whispers. Indistinguishable ravings clawed at his mind, piercing his sanity and fracturing his very being.
With a gasp, Keir jolted awake. Sweat trickled down his forehead as he scanned his surroundings. The place was unfamiliar. A faint glow filtered through the window, illuminating the room enough for him to take it in. Turning toward a mirror, he noticed a tag beside him with the name Haeyl.
The reflection staring back at him wasn't his own. The man in the glass had a sharp, handsome face, a smart haircut with the left side slicked back, and a flawless smile that revealed gleaming white teeth. Instead of reeling in disbelief, Keir—now Haeyl—couldn't help but admire the godlike looks and build he'd apparently been given. His
Beyond the endless void, a pair of eyes peered curiously through a crimson veil. He had stirred, perhaps only briefly, but the awakening was inevitable—the one absolute truth. At the Primordial's gaze, the void trembled, splintering with cracks. The Lord of All proclaimed, with celestial will:
"There shall be space. Along with space shall come time. And with this foundation, the world shall take shape."
Stars ignited. Galaxies swirled into existence. From dust, planets formed, and time began to move in its endless strafe.
Looking out the window, Haeyl saw a gathering of priests in vibrant robes, proclaiming this cosmic tale to the masses gathered near them. The story resonated within him until his vision blurred once more. The indistinguishable ravings returned, drilling into his mind as his spirit was wrenched upwards, pulled into the endless void again.
When his senses returned, Haeyl found himself surrounded by swirling nebulae. Before long, his vision changed as he was grafted onto a throne. Looking down he saw an empty void, with a few stars twinkling occasionally reminiscent of the cosmos. Two of the starry clouds dissolved, then reformed into the shapes of a man and a woman. Their features remained obscured, their forms woven from the stars themselves.
At once, both turned toward him. "Sir, may we ask what this space–-" Their words were drowned out by a rumble. A voice thundered in their minds, its decree undeniable: Stormbringer. Judgement.
Behind the one marked as Stormbringer, in an explosive burst a star convulsed, transforming into a grand figure bound to an inverted cross, gazing down as if observing the world. On the woman's side, a radiant angel took shape, trumpet in hand, casting its gaze over creation.
Awed by the spectacle, the two fixed their eyes on Haeyl, seated at the table's end. This time their voices carried reverence.
"Sir, how may we address you?"
Before Haeyl could answer, a voice echoed "The Advent."
Inside, Haeyl balked. The Advent?! Isn't this too cool for me? I'm just a regular person!
Steeling himself, Lev, the one designated as Stormbringer, faced the pair and asked, "I assume you have no ill intentions, sir. So I must know—what shall this fateful encounter grow into?"
Before he could say more, Themis, the Judgement, leaned forward with bright curiosity. "Sir! Are you a Gatekeeper? Would it be possible for you to tell me how to become one?"
The Advent kept his face composed, betraying nothing of his thoughts. Seeing that The Advent had no intentions to speak, Lenn answered, "I can procure the Key to the Gate of Order. But you must understand—choosing this path will bind your fate forever."
Themis laughed. "That's no problem! What would you like in return?" She shot to her feet, placing both hands on the table. "Mr. The Advent, would you oversee this transaction? With a great being like you as witness, neither of us would dare break the deal."
Haeyl scoffed inwardly. What great being? I just learned about Gates! But outwardly he leaned back, sighing. "As you wish."
Themis' excitement was plain for all to see, her childlike joy drawing faint amusement from both Haeyl and Lenn.
Haeyl's forehead throbbed, and a sharp pain rang his head. His vision blurred, and noticing the stars around him imploding, he understood that it was beyond his limits to keep this meeting going. Acknowledging this, he declared the meeting over. "We will reconvene. I shall contact you to arrange a time suitable for all."
And with that, the vision faded.
Haeyl woke up, his forehead drenched in sweat. As he scanned his surroundings, he noticed a glowing key in his hand. Immediately, Haeyl stood up, fully alert looking to find any abnormalities. Recalling his recently acquired knowledge, he understood that what lay in his hand was key to a gate, but the issue was that something as coincidental as this happening as soon as he learnt about the existence of gatekeepers was just simply ridiculous. If Haeyl was even slightly stupid, he may have opted to have just accepted the gift with joy and moved on with his day.
After constant speculation, Haeyl determined that instead of pondering about the origins of the key, he would go about his day, doing the tasks that the original Haeyl did regularly. This wasn't because Haeyl decided that there was no issue, but specifically because there was a serious issue. If he was given the key, someone was surely keeping watch! Haeyl was confident that he would be able to discover clues if he acted oblivious.. The thought that the one watching him would be skilled enough to evade detection eluded him.
Seated on top of a cathedral, a man chuckled slightly, observing Haeyl's chosen course of action before disappearing into the darkness.
Haeyl walked past a plethora of stalls, selling everything from food to daily necessities. He stopped to buy a loaf of bread, still eyeing his surroundings looking for anything out of place. This unfamiliar yet familiar scenery left Haeyl conflicted, still digesting the reality of the situation. He had truly transmigrated, leaving behind his former life. The city had many similarities to perhaps some time between the Victorian and Edwardian eras. In the centre of this massive city lay a grand cathedral, its massive stained glass windows reflected a kaleidoscopic ray of light, as if blanketing the entire city with its veil.
Haeyl kept walking, stopping by various stalls to procure his needs for the week. After an unknown period of time, Haeyl heard a loud boom. Turning around he saw buildings engulfed in a raging inferno, watching two shrouded figures, one in a deep crimson and another in a pale green, leap out the blast as they exchanged blows. Pa! Pa! Their clash sent shockwaves flying, causing Haeyl to tremble, as they blitzed around him. Boom! Another explosion sent debris flying. Flames devoured everything in their paths. This left Haeyl in quite the predicament. The flaring embers had surrounded him, forcing him to draw nearer to the battle, risking getting blown apart by their intense clash. Haeyl frowned. With no real solution to this problem he grabbed the Key in his pocket and fell into deep thought.
Inside a cathedral by the city centre, a group of figures entered a secret passageway hidden beneath the altar. Their footsteps echoed softly as they descended, they met up with a bishop draped in brightly coloured garments constantly shifting between material and illusory. After confirming everyone's attendance, the bishop spoke, "Go and settle the disturbance in the market district." He sighed. "There seem to be two wild gatekeepers causing a commotion". The leader of the group—a young man with black hair, a slender face, and fair skin—met the bishop's gaze and gave a firm nod. He turned, making his way up a spiral staircase and heading towards the commotion as his team followed closely behind.
…
Haeyl heard the man draped in green shout in a language he couldn't comprehend. Suddenly, the wind gathered, swirling fiercely as it picked up speed. Consuming the raging inferno laying around, the whirlwind ignited, pulling Haeyl and the surrounding rubble into its core. Haeyl cursed. He was momentarily stunned, wondering how he ended up in such a situation. After learning of the existence of gatekeepers, he had accepted that supernatural powers were indeed real, but he didn't think they could be this dangerous! What was even more questionable, was that not even a day after Haeyl had learned of this he had first awoken with a key in his hands and was now even being roped into a supernatural incident. Anyone with a brain could tell that this was too much of a coincidence!
Haeyl thought deeply. Grasping the key in his hands while he was being whirled around by the raging winds. He had wanted to avoid using this key, as its origins were unknown and quite blatantly, suspicious. However, how could a dead person worry about the consequences! He had to survive first! As soon as Haeyl thought of using the key, it transformed into shards of dazzling light, blinding Haeyl
In a land devoid of even the slightest sign of life, a faint chuckle echoed.
…