SYSTEM ASCENSION

SALVADOR EMPIRE CAPITAL CITY >

SOUND CITY

The sun shorn brighter than it has ever been that week. The walkway was crowded. Chatter clouded the air as a cab pulled up in beside a building. A man stepped out and gazed up to assess the size of the building.

He sighed.

’What sort of mission is this? Why did Mr Rowen called me here?’

He gulp.

’Sound league. One of the biggest alliance in Salvador empire, that only accepts B rankers and above. Own by the Ringoff family, the branch family of the royals. It has stood for over centuries.’

He was still in his train of thought when the door slid open and two people walk out.

"Ned, did you wait long?"

He snapped out of thoughts and collected himself. With a hurried startle, he bowed.

"Good morning, Mr Rowen!"

His voice echoed the place, so loud everyone stopped to look.

Zeal blinked twice and burst into laughter.

"What the hell was that. So cringe..."

Ned face heat up.

’Did I do something wrong?’

He stepped back, eye darting between Zeal and the cloaked boy.

Wait, the cloaked boy?

His eyes went back to Elias.

’Who is this? He smells like trouble. Total trouble.’

Zeal cleaned off his artificial tears.

"I’m not Rowen."

This brought back Ned’s attention.

"Sorry?"

"I’m Zeal."

"Huh?"

FIVE MINUTES LATER:

Ned continue to cast suspicion stares at Zeal and Elias at the backseat, through the mirror, as he drove through the streets of sound city. He hands was firmly clutched on the wheel, but his eyes were unfocused.

’He’s not Mr Rowen? What sort of bullshit is that? He’s clearly Mr Rowen... except this attitude.’

He clutch the wheel tighter.

’That person is no push over either. Who are this two?! Why did Mr Rowen call me to accompany his brother and his student? So this is Mr Rowen’s brother... this is unexpected...’

"We would crash if you keep staring at me Ned." Zeal muttered.

Ned gasped and averted his eyes.

"Sorry...sir."

’Nope! He’s Mr Rowen!’

"Where are we going?" Elias finally spoke since they started the journey.

Zeal grinned.

"You’re not going to ask about your eyes? How it magically healed?"

"I’m not curious."

Zeal pouted.

"Oddball." He shifted closer. "I’ll start from the top. The energy you emit. What is it called?"

"Vital?"

"For the black empire, vital, and for Salvador empire, essence."

Ned frowned.

’Black empire? Why bring it up?’

"What are portals?" Zeal leaned closer to Elias.

"Gate." Elias shove his face away.

"Gate? Black empire calls it gate?"

"It’s a gateway to different realms and realities. Appears random and unexpected."

Zeal smiled. "You’re pretty knowledgeable in that aspect."

"Hmm, excuse me." Ned called their attention. "Why are you talking about the black empire, Mr Rowen?"

Zeal glanced at Elias and back at Ned. He grinned.

"Introducing.... drumroll! Drumroll! Drumroll! The only Black-eyed in Salvador empire!"

...

Awkward silence.

Ned eye twitched.

’He’s definitely not Mr Rowen’

It took few seconds for him to understand. The car drifted into an abrupt halt, and Zeal slammed his face against the window.

"Urgh!"

"A Black-eyed?!" Ned gasped. He turned around to stare at the young man who didn’t even flinch.

"He’s...a Black-eyed? Are we going to war?!"

"Fortunately, no." Zeal rubbed his nose. "Not yet. He’s my student."

"Student..." Ned muttered.

"Now hit the road." Zeal added.

As the car moved again, Zeal leaned against the seat.

"Like you said, the portals are gateways to different realms or world, and whenever they open, creatures crawls out nonstop. We can go to them, and they can come to us. In other words, you can travel between both worlds as long as the portals is opened."

"And if it closes?"

Zeal gave a bright smile. "Then you’re stuck."

"..."

"To close portals," he continued. "You need to meet the specific reason while it was opened. There are differences types of portals. One, the casual portal. It opens coincidentally, when worlds energy aligns. The most it lasts is a week before it closes itself. Although, it’s still dangerous because of whatever crossing over. They are D rank and below.

Two, the deliberate type. Although we don’t know how to open those portals to another world, some species from the other worlds can. Most of them uses external resources to open the portals,"

"Like an artifact?" Elias raised a brow.

"Yes! An artifact, he snapped his finger. "To close those portals, we need to find the artifact in the other world, destroy it and return before the portal closes. B rank or C rank,"

Three...is kind of a problem. A rank and above. World invasion. We have to find how the portal was open, to close it. No definite pattern.

Ned called their attention.

"We have arrived."

They arrived at the destination.

A sealed-off portal. Just a black pit carved into the ground, surrounded by rusted metal bars and yellow caution tape that had faded to gray with time.

Weeds had grown through the cracked concrete of what used to be a construction site. The air here smelled like copper and rotten metals.

Ned killed the engine and stared.

’This is it? This is the place Mr Rowen sent me to? This Portal has refused to close for two years now.’

He swallowed.

’This isn’t scouting. This is a freaking death sentence!’

Zeal hopped out first, stretching like he’d just arrived at a picnic. Elias followed next, hood still pulled low over his eyes, hands in his pockets like he was visiting a convenience store. Ned came out last.

Zeal’s grin dropped for half a second as he assessed the site. "Abandoned and evacuated six months ago," he said, voice suddenly flat. "They couldn’t close it. S-rank raiders tried and failed. So they buried it and pretended it didn’t exist. Half the city was evaluated because of this. It ranked A."

"Why can’t they close it?"

"They couldn’t get to the other side. It was sealed off."

Ned’s knees felt weak. "Why are we here? Don’t tell me that you want to close it."

"Yep." Zeal popped the boot and pulled out two black masks.

Ned’s eyes widened. "Wait. Wait wait wait." He stumbled back. "We didn’t come here for scouting?! You’re... you’re going to close it?!"

Zeal tossed one mask to Elias, who caught it without looking.

"Obviously."

"Obviously?!" Ned’s voice cracked louder. "That’s a death zone!"

"I know."

Ned stared at the pit. Then at Zeal. Then at Elias, who was already putting the mask on like he’d done this a hundred times.

"Wow. You’re familiar with wears masks," Zeal clapped. "Come to think of it, you did wear mask everytime when you were young."

Elias paused half a second. He put down his hands with a frown and glanced at the older man.

"Hand it over!"

Zeal reached into his coat and pulled out the sealing stone.

"Here."

Elias snatched it, before wearing the mask again.

Ned’s eye followed the stone.

’He really is a Black-eyed.’

He felt like he was going to be sick. "You’re insane. Both of you are insane."

Zeal wore his own mask. His playful demeanor vanishing along with his face.

"Ned."

The teacher flinched. The sudden change in tone caught him unnoticed.

"Ye ..s?"

"Don’t go too far from here."

"Yes sir!"

He gulped.

’I just have to accept that he’s not Mr Rowen.’

Zeal turned to the edge of the pit and looked down into the darkness. "Elias. A raider who isn’t careful could have their bodies ripped apart just from the force of the edge."

Elias nodded.

Then, without another word, Zeal jumped. A clean dive into the black pit.

Elias followed a second later.

Ned stood there, the car door swinging open behind him.

Silence.

Only the sound of his own breathing, fast and ragged, filled the abandoned site.

’They jumped, into an A-rank portal, with no backup.’

Ned’s legs gave out and he sat down hard on the concrete.

"Mr Rowen," he whispered to the empty air. "What sort of job recommendation is this?"

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