"I know you might not want to answer me this, but still."
Nova's face remained calm but visibly fatigued.
"What do you want?"
"I saw something earlier and was a bit puzzled. I want to know what I'm getting into before I start."
Nova raised an eyebrow.
"Just say it already."
"It's about the gates.
Aren't you guys supposed to clear it completely? Or is it that you're just not strong enough to clear it?"
Immediately after he said it, her face completely changed; the corner of her mouth twitched visibly in anger as she tightened her grip so tightly that Kael thought she was going to hit him.
Even some members of the RAID team turned their heads to look at him.
"You guys don't understand anything at all, do you?"
Her voice was low and cold but still visibly angry; she gritted her teeth tightly.
"Do you think it's that easy to clear a gate?
Just to reduce the danger level close to the entrance of the gate, do you know how hard it was?
We lost 4 people, and even more would have died if those 4 didn't stay to hold them back."
Kael looked at her with his eyes still as calm as always, then replied.
"So, in other words, it is possible?"
She looked at him with a hint of surprise in her eyes.
"Yes, if we can defeat the guardian.
But couldn't even reach it, let alone defeat it."
"Wait, if it's another realm, then why do you guys have to clear it? Why can't they clear it on their own?"
'I might never get to be able ask her these things again.'
"That's just how all the realms are; the people simply leave the corruption-infested areas and move to another place.
And we couldn't waste much manpower and resources when we can't afford to."
"So, what you're saying is that you just don't want to defeat them enough?
It might seem harsh, but I've realized that no matter how overwhelming the obstacle is, there's always a chance—though hard, it will be there.
But the question is, are you determined enough? If so, then who dares stop you?"
Nova stayed silent for a few moments.
'I know he's right; I've seen and heard this more than a few times.'
She was born into Stormfang—but not high enough to matter.Adopted into the main family because of talent.And still… never enough.
She always felt out of place; every member of the main family was on a different tier from everyone she had known.
They were simply on a different level.
The daughter of the current patriarch, Elara, was so far out of reach for her.
She had been hailed a prodigy even in a place filled with incredibly talented people.
But she was just so different; she had seen the girl take down opponents far stronger than her multiple times.
Even when she seemed like losing, be it facing defiled creatures as awakened or facing wretched as an ascended, she would still not back down.
She once asked the girl how she was able to do all that she did; her response was simple.
"If I want it, then who dares stand in my way?"
The answer surprised her; was such simple logic what made the girl so different?
'Prodigies are so different,' is what she thought.
She couldn't understand it.
Today, she had been given a direct order to handle the gate by the patriarch himself.
Some people were unconvinced by her talent, which seemed to be lacking, according to them.
As she was in her car driving to the gate, all she could do was think about her time as an awakened.
She had done everything she could; even though people said she was talented, she still worked hard.
She practiced her techniques and abilities every day, so what else was she supposed to do?
But her thoughts disappeared when she saw she had hit someone because she didn't pay attention to the road.
'Just great.'
Talk about things going from bad to worse.'
She walked closer to the person.
When she finally saw him clearly, she was rather stunned.
'Is he someone new at the TAA (Thal'mora alliance ambassadors)?'
His neat white hair was being blown by the gentle breeze, revealing his pearl blue eyes and alabaster skin.
He looked more like someone from another realm than just a mere human.
She didn't let any emotion show on her face
She was still thinking when he spoke.
"Are you crazy? Didn't you learn how to drive, you psycho?"
His voice sounded nice, but he was rather rude.
'He's not even an awakened.'
At first, she thought he was just rude, but by the time they both reached the gate, she realized that he was even a con artist.
But now that same guy was telling her the same thing the heiress of the great Clan Stormfang had told her.
"You know, someone told me the very same thing you're saying now same time back.
You all keep yelling the words "conviction" and "determination." What's wrong with just wanting to do my own thing and stay there? Do you even know anything about me? Do you know what horrors I've seen?
If no, then shut up and stop acting as if you know me, damn it."
Her blood was boiling; she felt as if all the anger and emotions she had suppressed finally surfaced all at once.
But the young man with calm ocean blue eyes simply smiled and replied.
"You know, I was also like you in a way; I thought that if I just had enough to eat and a roof to sleep under, that was enough.
But now it's not.
"You talk about horrors?"
His voice lowered.
"In three days, my world collapsed."
"In three days, I learned what it means to stand in front of something that can erase you without effort."
In three days, I realized what fear was. The primal fear of standing before an opponent that means nothing but instant death.
"I saw people die without understanding why."
"And I realized something."
He looked at her directly.
"I don't want to die."
Silence fell.
"If they're strong, then I'll become stronger."
"If they stand in my way, I'll crush them."
"If that's what I want… then who dares stop me?"
All this time, two members of the raid team were standing a few meters away, hearing a porter give their commanding officer the speech of her life.
Even Nova herself was stunned; she could only stare at Kael.
He was saying everything the way he felt.
It was only after he was done that he realized what he had done.
He looked around and saw that he had attracted some attention.
Silence stretched for a few minutes.
'Shit, I got too worked up.'
"Um, you can just forget what I just said; I just spoke without thinking."
He twisted a strand of his hair as he looked away in embarrassment and then walked away.
Lilith, who was one of the two standing a few meters away, walked over to Nova and patted her shoulder.
"He can say all he wants, but he wasn't there.
I know that you did your best."
Nova smiled a bit and just burst into laughter.
She laughed.
Not because it was funny.
But because the words hurt deeply.
"I just got lectured by an awakened who just started a job as a porter."
She looked in towards the gate and sighed.
'Just what did he go through in his challenge?'
Just then, she was surprised by the scream she heard from the armored truck.
"What's wrong, Liana? Did another gate open up close?"
The lady was short of breath, so her words weren't cohesive at first.
"T-the p-porters."
Nova was a bit troubled.
She could feel it.
Something had gone wrong.
Lilith tried to calm her down.
"Try to talk calmly."
When she calmed, she finally spoke.
"A new gate opened up."
Nova breathed a sigh.
"So how does this affect the porters right now?"
"You don't get it; I got gate readings coming from inside this gate."
Liana paused for a bit.
Nova froze in place, praying she wasn't about to hear what she was thinking.
"There's a spatial tear inside the gate."
Nova felt her body go numb.
"What?"