Unique Gate [12]
1556 Words
A thick fog veiled his thoughts.
The Gate Boss sat motionless upon his throne, crimson eyes half-lidded in contemplation. His fingers tapped against the armrest, a slow, rhythmic sound that echoed in the vast chamber. No matter how many centuries passed, the emptiness in his mind remained.
Memories—incomplete, distant—lingered just beyond his grasp. He had ruled this castle for as long as he could remember, yet he could not recall how it had begun. There were only fleeting impressions, shadows of a past life that refused to take form.
A name… A face… A purpose…
No matter how hard he tried, they slipped away like water through his fingers.
And only a few vague memories remained.
How long had it been since he first became aware of this void? He had tried everything—searching through the ruins of his domain, questioning the lesser creatures that roamed the halls, even consuming the life essence of those foolish enough to challenge him. But nothing worked.
His mind remained a broken puzzle with missing pieces.
Then, on a night like any other—
A chime echoed through the chamber.
A translucent screen flickered into existence before him, its golden glow casting eerie shadows across the ancient stone walls.
[A Messenger Approaches]
A key to your past shall be delivered to you. A guest will arrive soon—welcome them, and the path to your forgotten self will unfold.
The Gate Boss’s eyes narrowed.
This was different.
In all his years within this domain, the System had never spoken to him this way. Usually, the Gates followed a simple cycle—intruders entered, they were tested, they either perished or conquered. Yet now, he was being given something?
A key to his past.
His fingers curled slightly against the armrest.
Had the System always known about his lost memories? Had it chosen to keep them from him?
The thought sent a flicker of something unfamiliar through him—annoyance? Anger? He wasn’t sure.
But one thing was certain.
Whoever this messenger was… they would bring him answers.
And he would be waiting.
Days passed. Weeks, maybe. Time inside the Gate was strange—shifting, inconsistent. He had all but dismissed the message as another one of the System’s cryptic tricks.
Then, the Gate trembled.
A new presence had arrived.
The Gate Boss straightened on his throne, crimson eyes gleaming with curiosity. He felt it instantly—the one who had entered was different. A human, yet not quite.
And then, he saw him.
Zenon.
His gaze sharpened as he silently analyzed the human before him.
Was this the one? The key to unlocking the memories he had lost?
A human stood before him, unfazed despite the overwhelming presence of their kind. Even though the weight of the Gate pressed upon him, he still stood tall.
A peculiar human.
The Gate Boss had waited centuries for the arrival of the messenger, holding onto the hope that they would finally break the chains of his fragmented mind.
But now, as he observed Zenon, he found himself disappointed.
There was nothing remarkable about this one—no overwhelming power, no presence that demanded recognition.
He was strong-willed, yes, but not exceptional. Not enough to be the messenger.
The Gate Boss frowned. He had only fragments of his past, but among those shattered memories, one thing remained clear—humans were not as weak as they appeared.
They were creatures of deception, hiding what lurked beneath the surface.
Some of them possessed a power unlike any other.
The Devil-Possessed.
That term lingered in his mind, a whisper from a forgotten past. He knew of them. Had seen them. Fought them.
Humans… they were beings who tried to hide their true nature. But no matter how much they covered themselves in light, darkness was their true essence.
And he would prove it.
However, now at present, it seems like his speculation regarding Zenon if Devil Possessed has no certainty.
Nonetheless, after uttering the word Devil Possessed and heard by Zenon something happened—He reacted.
***
At present, the Gate Boss had no further interest in Zenon. Despite the human's reaction to the mention of the Devil-Possessed, there was no certainty that he was one of them—or that he held the key to his past.
And yet, the moment the words left his lips, something changed—Zenon had reacted.
Even without a direct order, the vampires in the room turned their bloodthirsty gazes toward him. Their instincts screamed for c*****e, their fangs aching for blood. The tension in the chamber thickened, and the oppressive air grew heavier.
But the Gate Boss did not act.
Instead, his focus shifted elsewhere—toward the massive tunnel leading out of the throne room.
Zenon was not the key. That much was clear.
But the Gate was finally open.
Now, all that remained was to wait.
Once the barrier shattered, once the boundary between dimensions broke, they would finally be free.
The key holder had to exist somewhere beyond this prison. And if Zenon had reacted to the Devil-Possessed, then perhaps, in his world, the true answer lay hidden.
Yes… all they needed to do was cross over.
He turned, prepared to leave. But before he could take a single step, a voice tore through the silence.
"Tell me…!"
The Gate Boss paused.
He turned his gaze back to the throne room, where Zenon, with all his remaining strength, struggled against the vampire pinning him to the ground.
"How do you know about the Devil-Possessed?"
The Gate Boss's crimson eyes glowed, a flicker of something—amusement, curiosity—passing through them.
A smirk tugged at the corner of his lips.
So, the human was desperate for answers as well.
Perhaps this encounter was not a waste after all.
"Why should I tell you?" the Gate Boss replied, his voice laced with amusement. "Are you, perhaps, searching for answers as well?"
His crimson eyes locked onto Zenon, observing the way his bloodshot gaze burned with both curiosity and anger.
With a mere wave of his hand, the vampires in the room obeyed. Even the one pinning Zenon down disappeared into the shadows, vanishing as if they had never been there.
Zenon gasped as the crushing weight lifted from his body. His arms trembled as he pushed himself up, coughing violently. Blood dripped from his lips, staining the cold stone beneath him.
Yet, even in his weakened state, his glare remained unwavering.
"You…," Zenon gritted out, wiping the blood from his chin. "You know something, don't you?"
The Gate Boss chuckled, resting his chin on his fist as he observed him. "I know some things, human. But knowledge is not given freely—it must be earned."
Zenon's fists clenched. He could feel his heart pounding against his ribs. This was the first solid lead he had gotten about the Devil-Possessed since arriving in this world. The Gate Boss knew something.
And he wasn't about to let this opportunity slip away.
He steadied his breathing and forced himself to his feet. "Then tell me—what do you know about the Devil-Possessed?"
The Gate Boss smirked. "Interesting… that topic seems to stir something deep within you."
Zenon stiffened. "What do you mean?"
The Gate Boss leaned forward slightly, his crimson eyes glowing ominously. "It seems you have a dreadful history with them. I wonder what it could be."
Before Zenon could react, the vampire lord’s massive hand moved—silent, undetectable.
Zenon barely had time to process the movement before it was inches from his head.
The sheer size difference was staggering. At 5'8", Zenon was no small man, but the Gate Boss towered over him at well over seven feet. His palm alone was large enough to engulf Zenon’s skull with ease.
"Let me take a look for myself," the Gate Boss murmured, his voice dripping with amusement. "I’ll just… dive into that mind of yours."
Zenon’s breath hitched. His body refused to move, as if paralyzed by the weight of the vampire’s presence. He watched, helpless, as the Gate Boss’s fingers inched closer.
Then it clicked.
Vampires have the ability of Mind-reading.
Zenon’s eyes widened. If the Gate Boss truly had the ability to pry into his memories, then—
No. He couldn't let that happen.
The past he carried, the truth he had buried—it wasn’t something he could afford to let anyone see.
Desperation surged through him.
And then—
Something cracked.
A shattering sensation erupted from deep within him, like the fracture of a sealed vessel.
The moment it happened, the entire domain trembled.
The ground rumbled beneath them. The towering stone pillars groaned under an unseen force. The air itself warped as a wild surge of energy pulsed from Zenon’s body.
The System reacted instantly.
[SYSTEM ERROR]
[SYSTEM ERROR]
[SYSTEM ERROR]
[SYSTEM ERROR]
A deafening chime rang through the chamber, the notifications flickering erratically in Zenon’s vision.
The Gate Boss’s hand halted inches from Zenon’s forehead.
His expression shifted—no longer amused, but intrigued.
Zenon, gasping for breath, felt it.
The power he had long been denied.
And for the first time since arriving in this world—
A fragment of his past strength had returned.
- Writer
