Rain turned Manila into a mirror of broken lights.
Neon signs reflected across flooded streets while jeepneys crawled through traffic like exhausted animals refusing to die.
Kai Reyes watched it all from behind the visor of his cheap motorcycle helmet.
His delivery app chimed again.
NEW ORDER ACCEPTED
He sighed.
"Of course it is."
The timer immediately started counting down.
Twenty minutes.
Across town.
During rush hour.
He almost laughed.
The engine beneath him rattled as if sharing his misery.
"Relax," Kai muttered, patting the handlebars. "We just need rent money."
The motorcycle responded by making a noise suspiciously close to a dying cough.
Perfect.
Just like his life.
________________________________
The city had changed six months ago.
Everyone said it happened slowly.
Kai disagreed.
It felt instant.
One day people worried about inflation and traffic.
The next—
The sky cracked open.
Floating doors appeared across the world.
At first people thought they were advertisements or holograms.
Until someone walked through one on live television.
They never came back.
The second group did.
Covered in blood.
Holding weapons made of light.
They called themselves Hunters.
Now they owned everything.
Guild towers replaced office buildings.
Hunters appeared on cereal boxes.
Children traded cards with rankings printed beside smiling faces.
Power had become entertainment.
And civilians like Kai?
Background noise.
Disposable.
His phone vibrated again.
$62 earned today.
Six hours of work.
He stared at the number while waiting at a red light.
"…Nice."
Instant noodles again.
Maybe without egg this time.
Luxury was expensive.
The light turned green.
Rain intensified.
Kai accelerated.
_______________________________
The restaurant pickup took longer than expected.
It always did when hunters showed up.
Three of them sat inside laughing loudly while employees rushed around nervously.
Their armor glowed faintly beneath fashionable coats.
Weapons leaned casually against the wall.
No one complained when they skipped the line.
No one ever did.
Kai stood quietly near the counter.
Invisible.
A staff member finally handed him a plastic bag.
"Sorry for the wait."
He smiled automatically.
"It's okay."
It wasn't.
But apologizing never paid extra.
Outside again, rain slapped against his hoodie as he secured the order behind him.
The address blinked on his phone.
Old district.
Shortcut alley required.
Kai hesitated.
Everyone avoided shortcuts now.
Too many dungeon incidents.
Too many "accidents."
But the timer ticked down mercilessly.
Late deliveries meant penalties.
Penalties meant less pay.
Less pay meant eviction.
He exhaled slowly.
"…Shortcut it is."
_______________________________
The alley smelled like rust and wet garbage.
Dim lights flickered overhead.
Water dripped steadily from cracked pipes.
Kai pushed his motorcycle forward slowly instead of riding.
Safer that way.
Probably.
The sound reached him halfway through.
A scream.
Sharp.
Cut off suddenly.
He froze.
Rainwater dripped from his helmet visor.
"…Hello?"
Silence answered.
Smart people would leave.
Kai knew that.
He also knew refunds came out of his salary if orders were canceled.
He swallowed.
Just a quick look.
That's all.
He walked deeper.
One step.
Two.
The alley opened into a wider maintenance courtyard.
And Kai stopped breathing.
A man lay sprawled across the concrete.
Armor cracked open like shattered glass.
Blood spread beneath him in dark rivers mixing with rainwater.
Hunter armor.
Expensive.
Real.
Kai staggered backward.
"No…"
The delivery bag slipped from his hand.
Food containers burst open.
Sauce mixed with blood.
His stomach twisted violently.
"I didn't—"
He hadn't even touched him.
The man's eyes stared upward.
Empty.
Dead.
Footsteps thundered behind him.
Flashlights exploded into existence.
"DON'T MOVE!"
Hands grabbed his shoulders.
Kai flinched as someone slammed him against the wall.
Pain shot through his ribs.
"I—wait—I just got here!"
Police uniforms surrounded him instantly.
More than normal police.
Dungeon Response Unit.
Hunters stood among them.
Weapons already drawn.
One officer crouched near the body.
Seconds passed.
Rain fell harder.
"…Dead," the officer finally said.
Another turned slowly toward Kai.
"You found him?"
"I didn't find him!" Kai's voice cracked. "I was delivering food—look!"
He pointed desperately at the spilled containers.
Nobody looked.
A hunter stepped closer.
Tall.
Cold eyes.
Scanning him like an insect pinned to glass.
"…Civilian," the hunter muttered.
Disappointment filled his tone.
As if that alone explained everything.
Camera flashes suddenly burst from the alley entrance.
Reporters.
Of course.
They appeared faster than ambulances these days.
Microphones shoved forward.
"Is this the suspect?"
"Did a civilian really kill a hunter?"
"Is this anti-hunter terrorism?"
Kai blinked in shock.
"What—? No!"
Someone pushed his head down roughly.
"Quiet."
Another officer whispered to a superior nearby.
"He's the only one here."
The words felt heavier than handcuffs.
Kai's stomach dropped.
"No… no wait—there has to be cameras or something—"
The hunter inspecting the corpse stood.
Rain slid off his armor.
"Cause of death?"
"Blade wound," the officer replied.
The hunter's gaze moved slowly toward Kai.
To his empty hands.
To the kitchen knife lying near the spilled delivery bag.
Kai followed the look.
His brain froze.
That knife wasn't his.
He didn't carry knives.
He barely owned proper cutlery at home.
"I swear that's not—"
Flash.
Flash.
Flash.
Cameras captured everything.
A civilian.
A dead hunter.
A weapon nearby.
Perfect story.
One reporter smiled slightly.
Kai noticed.
And understood.
Truth didn't matter.
Narratives did.
Metal cuffs snapped around his wrists.
Cold.
Final.
Rain soaked into his clothes as they dragged him toward the entrance.
Crowds gathered beyond police tape.
Phones raised.
Recording.
Whispers spread rapidly.
"That's him?"
"Seriously?"
"Pathetic."
"Hunters protect us and civilians stab them?"
Kai's chest tightened.
He searched desperately for someone—
Anyone—
who looked uncertain.
Nobody did.
Sirens wailed.
News vans arrived.
A massive screen on a nearby building flickered to life.
BREAKING NEWS.
His own face appeared seconds later.
Wet.
Terrified.
Small.
CIVILIAN SUSPECT DETAINED IN HUNTER MURDER CASE.
His legs nearly gave out.
"I didn't do anything…"
Nobody heard him.
Or maybe nobody cared.
As they shoved him into the vehicle, thunder rolled across the sky.
Except—
It wasn't thunder.
People began pointing upward.
Murmurs spread.
Kai followed their gaze instinctively.
The clouds above Manila fractured.
A thin glowing crack spread slowly across the sky like broken glass.
Light leaked through.
Cold.
Unnatural.
Every electronic screen flickered simultaneously.
Phones glitched.
Streetlights blinked.
For one brief second—
Golden letters flashed across Kai's phone screen inside his pocket.
He felt it vibrate violently.
He couldn't see it.
Couldn't read it.
But somewhere deep inside his chest—
Something answered.
The crack vanished.
Reality settled again.
As if nothing had happened.
The police vehicle door slammed shut.
Darkness swallowed him.
Outside, reporters continued shouting questions.
Inside, Kai stared at his cuffed hands.
Rainwater dripped from his sleeves onto the metal floor.
He tried to remember when his life had started going wrong.
He couldn't find the moment.
Maybe there wasn't one.
Maybe some people were just born unlucky.
The engine started.
The vehicle moved.
And somewhere beneath the city—
Far below concrete and forgotten tunnels—
A floating door flickered awake.
Waiting.