Unique Gate [13]
1605 Words
To the world, Devils were the embodiment of all evil. The mere mention of them sent chills down the spines of even the bravest warriors. Stories of their cruelty passed through generations—tales of cities burned to nothing, of men driven mad by whispers in the dark, of kingdoms crumbling under their cursed influence.
They were not just creatures of darkness. They were ‘despair’ given form.
But to Zenon, the word Devil meant something far worse than stories. It was not a legend, nor a distant fear. It was real. And it was something that had already taken everything from him.
The memories clawed at the edges of his mind, threatening to surface. But he couldn’t let them.
The pain was unbearable, a weight so heavy it crushed the breath from his lungs whenever he dared to recall it. The screams, the blood, the betrayal—it was a wound that refused to heal, an agony buried deep within him, sealed away by sheer force of will.
He never spoke of it. Not because he lacked the words, but because saying them aloud would make it real again.
And if someone else were to see? To witness the horrors that had shaped him?
No.
Some truths were too cruel to be shared.
Some burdens were meant to be carried alone.
But no matter how deeply Zenon buried those memories, no matter how much he tried to keep them locked away, something had begun to stir.
A c***k.
Faint—barely noticeable—yet enough to let something slip through.
The vessel within him, the seal that bound his power, shuddered under the weight of his emotions. And in that moment, a sliver of energy leaked out.
Then—
[ SYSTEM ERROR ]
[ SYSTEM ERROR ]
A jarring chime rang through the air, an unnatural distortion rippling through the Gate itself. The golden screens that hovered in the chamber flickered violently, their pristine glow now marred by erratic static.
Zenon's breath hitched. This was different. The System—something he had always seen as an impartial force, a mere structure of rules governing the world—was reacting.
No.
It was restraining him.
The realization hit like a cold dagger to his spine. The System wasn’t just overseeing his power—it was containing it. The vessel that held him back wasn’t something natural. It was a construct. A cage forged by the very laws of this world.
And now, it was breaking.
The air grew heavy. A low tremor pulsed through the chamber, so subtle at first that it could have been mistaken for a distant quake. But then, the stone beneath Zenon's feet trembled. The torches lining the walls flickered violently, their flames wavering as if struggling to stay alight.
A slow, creeping pressure filled the room. The vampires stiffened, their instincts screaming of something unnatural. Even the Gate Boss, who had reached for Zenon’s mind mere moments ago, paused. His crimson eyes gleamed—not with fear, but with something close to intrigue.
Zenon inhaled sharply, his body tensing. He could feel it—the familiar sensation of power slipping past his control. A force he had spent years keeping buried.
It wasn’t much. Just a fraction. A whisper of what lay beneath.
But even that was enough to shake the Gate.
Elsewhere…
Beyond the confines of time and space, within a realm untouched by mortal hands, a lone figure sat upon a massive throne. The chamber around them was infinite—an endless expanse where glowing screens hovered in the air, each one displaying a different story unfolding across countless worlds.
And among those countless stories, one screen flickered with particular interest.
Zenon.
The figure leaned back, watching with an amused expression as the System faltered, its rigid constraints buckling under a force it was meant to suppress.
A low chuckle escaped their lips.
“Well, now… that was unexpected.”
Their glowing eyes narrowed in amusement, fingers tapping idly against the armrest. “I sealed his true power through the System, yet he still managed to break through—just a c***k, but even that much is impressive.”
They exhaled in mock exasperation.
“Hmm... should I patch that in the next update?"
The flickering screens reflected in their gaze, showing glimpses of warriors, rulers, monsters, and forces beyond comprehension. But none intrigued them quite like this.
The Administrator—the overseer of the System itself—grinned.
"If this fight turns out to be interesting…" They mused, their voice carrying a hint of something deeper, something far more dangerous.
"He might enjoy this."
And in that moment, as the Gate trembled under Zenon’s awakening power, the Administrator simply watched—waiting to see how the story would unfold.
A shift.
The air trembled as something unseen pressed against the walls of reality itself. It was subtle at first—a faint pulse, a mere ripple in the fabric of the domain. But then, like cracks spreading across glass, the pressure deepened. The Gate Boss remained motionless, yet his crimson eyes gleamed with newfound focus.
He could feel it.
The power radiating from the human before him was unlike anything he had encountered in centuries. It was raw—unrefined—but beneath the surface, it carried a weight that made the very foundations of the Gate groan in protest.
The vampires surrounding them stiffened, their instincts screaming of danger. Some took cautious steps back, others bared their fangs in reflex, but none dared to move.
The Gate Boss, however, only smirked.
"Fascinating," he murmured.
He moved.
Faster than human eyes could perceive, his form blurred as he stepped back, putting distance between himself and Zenon. Not out of fear, but curiosity.
His crimson eyes gleamed as he observed the energy radiating from the human, wisps of invisible power coiling around him like unseen chains unraveling. It wasn’t merely leaking—it was synchronizing, sinking into Zenon's very being, as though it had always belonged there.
The Gate Boss narrowed his eyes.
This power…
His mind flickered back to the notification he had received from the System—cryptic, yet laced with undeniable intent.
A key to his past.
He had dismissed it at first, believing it to be another meaningless designation. But now, standing before this human whose very presence sent tremors through the Gate, he could no longer deny the possibility.
The smirk on his lips deepened.
So, this was the one the System had spoken of.
The anticipation curled within him, cold and sharp. If this human truly was the key, then unlocking his past might be closer than he had ever dared to believe.
And for the first time in centuries, the Gate Boss felt something close to excitement.
The Gate Boss let out a slow breath, his smirk never fading.
The energy seeping from Zenon was unstable, but that was to be expected. Power long sealed away never returned gently—it clawed, it raged, it demanded to be acknowledged. And yet, despite its raw intensity, Zenon stood firm, unaware of just how much of himself had begun to resurface.
The Gate trembled again, the air thick with an oppressive force that made even the lesser vampires struggle to stay upright. Some instinctively dropped to their knees, their bodies recognizing what their minds could not.
A presence, and undeniably dangerous.
The Gate Boss tilted his head, watching as Zenon clenched his fists. His breath was steady, but there was tension in the way his muscles coiled, as if he were barely keeping something from slipping further.
A laugh rumbled in the Gate Boss’s throat.
“Do you even realize it?” he mused aloud, his voice echoing through the chamber. “The power within you? The weight of it?”
Zenon's gaze snapped to him, sharp and questioning, but the Gate Boss only chuckled.
“It’s amusing,” he continued, taking a slow step forward, his expression unreadable. “You reek of restraint, of a cage built not by your own hands but by something far greater.” His crimson eyes glowed. “And now, the first c***k has formed.”
With his sharp senses, he even noticed Zanon's changes.
“You’re the key…”
Now, he's convinced. Zenon is the key.
His smirk returned, wider than before.
Zenon might very well be the key to unlocking everything the Gate Boss had lost. Memories buried so deeply that not even he could grasp them, sealed away by the very same force that governed this world.
And now, that force—the System itself—was faltering.
Both of them locked eyes, and in unison, they spoke:
“Tell me, what do you know about the Devil-Possessed?”
Their voices overlapped, echoing through the vast chamber like a foreboding omen.
At that moment, an invisible force surged between them. Their auras flared, tendrils of energy rising like smoke from their bodies, twisting and curling in the air.
The sheer intensity of their presence sent another violent tremor through the Gate. The ancient pillars groaned under the pressure, deep fractures spreading like spiderwebs across their surfaces. Dust and debris rained down from the ceiling, yet neither of them moved.
The Gate Boss narrowed his crimson eyes.
This wasn’t just raw power—this was recognition.
Zenon, too, felt it. A connection, faint yet undeniable.
For a brief moment, the weight of the unknown pressed against them both, heavy and suffocating.
Then, as if the Gate itself could no longer withstand their presence—
The chamber began to collapse.
- Writer
