The black SUV pulled up quietly to a plain, twelve-story building.
No name.
No sign.
No markings.
Just cold, gray concrete and tinted windows that gave nothing away.
The tall iron gates slid open without a sound, and the vehicle rolled into the underground parking lot, joining a neat line of identical black cars.
In the back seat sat Rion, hands folded neatly on his lap, his face unreadable, blank, almost lifeless. On each side of him sat men in black suits, identical sunglasses, identical expressions. Another pair sat in the front, driver and passenger, both silent, both still.
When the car stopped, one of the men opened Rion's door and motioned for him to step out.
He obeyed.
The air was cold, metallic, sterile. He looked around. The entire compound was quiet, too quiet.
The men flanked him as they walked toward the building. The main doors slid open automatically, revealing a minimalist reception area. One woman sat behind a counter, typing away at a computer. She glanced up for a second as they passed, gave a small nod, then returned to her screen.
No words. No greetings. Nothing.
They stepped into the elevator. Five people in total. The soft hum of machinery was the only sound.
Rion expected the elevator to rise, but instead, one of the men pressed the button marked B12—the lowest floor.
The car began to descend.
The numbers on the display flickered downward.
11.
10.
9.
8...
No one spoke.
When the elevator finally stopped, the doors opened to reveal a sprawling underground laboratory. The air was thick with antiseptic and the faint hum of machines. Rows of scientists in white coats moved methodically from one glass chamber to another, writing on clipboards, examining samples, and murmuring quietly to themselves.
Rion's gaze swept across the room, and froze.
Inside a glass tank, suspended in bluish fluid, was something that looked human... but wasn't. Its skin shimmered faintly, veins glowing with light. On a nearby table, several pieces of flesh, unmistakably organic, lay beside labeled vials and mechanical devices.
He didn't know what he was looking at, but his instincts screamed one thing.
These things aren't from Earth.
The men escorted him deeper into the lab until they reached a small group gathered near a central console. Standing among them was an elderly man with white hair slicked neatly back, wearing a black coat over his lab uniform. The moment the man saw Rion, his sharp eyes flicked to the black mark on the back of Rion's hand.
His expression changed subtly, recognition.
"Ready the gate," he said in a calm, even tone.
Two scientists immediately nodded and hurried off to a chamber at the far end of the room.
The old man turned his attention back to Rion. The guards gave a curt nod to him, then stepped back and walked away, leaving Rion standing alone before the scientist.
The old man looked him over from head to toe. He said nothing for several long seconds, simply studying him as though he were an object under a microscope.
Then, finally, he spoke.
"Do you have anything to say?"
Rion blinked, taken aback. "Not really," he said slowly. "Everything's… just happening too fast. I don't even know what's going on."
The old man's lips curved into a faint smile.
"You're not the first to say that," he replied. "You might not believe me, but it's the same for everyone the first time."
He adjusted his gloves and continued, "You'll get used to it. Once you're in there."
Rion's brow furrowed. "Wait… in where?" he asked. "You mean I don't get any training? Any information? I don't even know what I awakened to!"
His voice rose slightly, fear creeping in.
The old man simply smiled wider, the kind of smile that didn't reach his eyes.
"Oh, you'll learn soon enough," he said quietly, his tone almost amused. "That's what the gate is for."
He turned, gesturing toward the far end of the lab.
And as Rion followed his gaze, he saw it—
A massive, circular construct of steel and crystal, humming with light. Strange runes glowed faintly along its rim, and the air around it shimmered as though reality itself was bending.
The Gate.
Rion subconsciously took a step back. "Shouldn't I at least train, or know what I'm doing? I was just an office worker until today, the mark just appeared on my body a few minutes ago," Rion argued, but the man shook his head.
"I wish there was more I could tell you, kid, help you out one way or the other—but it doesn't work that way, sadly. You have to enter the gate now. That's the law," the man replied.
Rion looked at the gate. He didn't know how to feel about anything that was happening. Everything just felt all too fast, wrong, and out of place.
"Sir, the gate is ready," one of the scientists said as he walked up to the man. The man replied with a nod, then looked at Rion.
"Go on, kid. Walk right through. The God's Domain awaits you."
Rion stared at the gate for a solid minute, and then finally took a step in that direction. He walked to it and stood before it. It felt strange, the energy it exuded, the way it pulsed, it all felt weird. He turned his head to look at the man again.
"Before I go, can I get a bar of chocolate? I'd like to have one more," he said.
"Hmmm? A bar of chocolate? You didn't ask for a sword, or a gun, or anything?" the old man asked.
"I don't even know how to shoot a gun, and what use is a dagger against a monster? I'm pretty sure you'd also refuse to give me any special weapons that can actually help me. So instead, I want a bar of chocolate—so if I die, I die with a smile, knowing I tasted sweetness," Rion said.
The old man let out a small smile, then looked at one of the younger scientists. "The fridge should have one. Get it for him."
The scientist rushed and got it, then handed it to Rion. It was the biggest bar Rion had ever seen. He smiled and took it, and without a word, he stepped toward the portal, hesitating for a few seconds before entering, a nine-to-five worker a few moments ago, a hunter in the next second, done so fast that he didn't even understand.
But one thing he missed was the final, sinister smile that hung on the face of the old man as he vanished into the portal.