Kade stared at the shuttle in front of him, flabbergasted. It looked like something pulled straight out of a sci-fi movie—sleek, silver, and humming softly with energy. He had never seen anything like it.
Before stepping aboard, he glanced at Damon standing nearby. "Are you a Demon Hunter as well?"
"Glad you asked!" Damon said with a smug smile. "I'm one of the top fifty Demon Hunters in Pandora. Been on active duty for six years. People who know me call me the Storm Blade."
Kade raised an eyebrow at the dramatic flair but said nothing.
"So what's your power?" he asked instead, curious about what abilities others like him possessed.
Damon gave him an amused look. "Shouldn't you show yours first?"
"Fair enough," Kade replied.
He summoned his twin blades and scanned the rocky landscape. They were at the base of a mountain, with plenty of boulders around. He slashed at one, cleaving straight through it with surprising ease.
[Eclipse Blade - Kinetic Charger 10%]
"Oh, nice. That's quite the power," Damon said, though inwardly he was calculating. That boulder was twenty feet across... Is his talent strength-based?
"That's not it. This is my power."
Kade slashed again—this time at an even larger boulder. A faint arc of blue electricity crackled around the blade. As it connected:
BOOM!
The boulder exploded into fragments.
Damon's eyes widened. That's at least a level 20 output, he thought. He looked at Kade. "What's your level?"
"Ten," Kade said with a smile. "Your turn."
He gestured mockingly at a nearby boulder.
Damon's eye twitched in irritation. He stepped forward, extended his hand, and summoned a sword made of swirling green wind. One slash, and a massive twenty-meter gash tore through the earth.
Kade's jaw dropped.
"You're still new, rookie," Damon said, walking toward the shuttle. Kade could swear he saw a smug smile.
"Come on. We're heading to Braylorn."
"Braylorn? That's far—and I didn't even pack anything."
Damon shrugged. Kade sighed and followed him into the shuttle. The hatch sealed shut, and the vehicle lifted off, speeding southward.
The shuttle's hum was low and steady. Sleek walls pulsed with glowing blue veins of Aether, casting a calming light throughout the cabin. Kade sat across from Damon, who lounged with one leg crossed over the other, arms behind his head.
"So," Kade said, breaking the silence, "you mentioned demons… I think I deserve a full explanation."
Damon cracked one eye open. "Right. You do."
He sat upright and stretched. "Ten years ago, the first spatial rift opened in Pandora's northeastern ranges. What spilled out weren't just beasts. They were demons—intelligent, malicious, and fueled by something darker than Aether."
Kade leaned in, intrigued.
"They're not from our world," Damon continued. "They hail from Zendor—a realm where elves dwelled peacefully until the emergence of demons. Then it became a realm of chaos, endless war, and twisted magic. The rifts are tears in reality. No one truly knows why they began appearing, but they're unstable and dangerous."
He glanced at Kade. "Most rifts close within hours. The big ones? Days. And each one brings horror."
"So the Demon Hunters were created to stop them?"
"Exactly. The High Council formed our organization with a singular goal: eliminate any demon that trespasses into Pandora. We've been fighting ever since. You're the 1007th Awakened, but we've lost hundreds. Some rifts are too massive. Some demons, too powerful."
Kade exhaled slowly. "You mentione elves, are they really real ?"
"Oh they are real. They're the reason we're still holding the line," Damon said. "Not the fairytale kind. These elves are warriors, scholars, mages. There are five clans up to our knowledge—Sun, Moon, Sky, Earth, and Ocean. They provide us with knowledge and weapons. In return, we guard the rifts on our side."
He paused. "It's not all harmony though. There's tension. Political disputes. Some say it was the elves who opened the rifts in the first place."
Kade's brows furrowed. "Why would they do that?"
"Not all elves agree with helping us. Some believe Zendor should reclaim what they've lost instead of helping outsiders. Others think we're just delaying the inevitable. It's... complicated."
The silence stretched.
"Why me?" Kade asked. "Why awaken me now?"
Damon looked at him more seriously. "Awakening isn't something we control. The Arcane Codex chooses who awakens—and when. Some think it's fate. Others believe it's manipulation by forces we can't see. But in the end, it doesn't matter because it's you who has to make the choice, not anyone else."
He smirked. "But one thing's clear—it never chooses without a reason. And judging by that blade of yours, you're more than just another rookie."
Kade leaned back, arms folded, eyes drifting to the shuttle window. Outside, forests blurred past, and distant mountains loomed.
"Where's the headquarters?" he asked.
"Fort Aetherhold," Damon replied. "Built into the mountains north of Braylorn. It's heavily warded—only Awakened and special military can enter."
Kade nodded.
A memory from the distant past played in his mind.
Six-year-old Kade was playing in the park when he heard something from nearby bushes.
"Aoo!"
It was a puppy, surrounded by a bunch of kids, and it was badly hurt. Kade peeked from the bushes as the children threw stones at it. Finally, he couldn't stand it any longer and stepped forward.
"Um-u w-why are you hurting the puppy."
One of the kids with a crooked tooth looked at him. "It has nothing to do with you. Go away."
He threw a rock near Kade's leg. Kade flinched but stayed put.
"N-no it didn't do anything. Why are you hurting him?"
"Go away or I will throw it at you instead."
The kid gestured with a rock in his hand. Kade looked down at another rock that had been thrown earlier. He clenched his fist and picked it up.
"Do it. I will also throw it at you."
The kid looked at his friends and sneered.
"We ar—"
Just then, the bushes rustled, and a tall lady with black hair appeared.
Kade instantly beamed. "Aunty Mira!"
Mira looked at the children with rocks in their hands and the wounded puppy trembling near Kade.
"What's happening here!"
She shouted, and the children scattered.
Kade dropped the stone and ran to her, hugging her legs.
"What happened, Kade? Are you okay? Did they hurt you anywhere?"
"I'm fine. You appeared just in time."
Kade explained what had happened.
"Oh my sweet little hero! You did good. But there were three kids against you. You definitely would have gotten beaten up."
Kade looked down sadly.
"But you did right not to step back. So what if there were three? So what if you get beat up later? As long as you stand straight and hit even one, then I will be proud."
Kade looked up as she flexed her bicep.
"But won't you be mad if I beat people up?"
Mira kissed his forehead. "As long as you do it for the right reason, I will never be mad."
Kade opened his eyes again, looking at the passing scenery from the shuttle.
"As long as it's for the right reason, I will never step back."
He didn't know what lay ahead, but something deep inside told him: this was only the beginning.