Aiden had always believed that life followed a simple rule.
If something strange happened once, it was probably a coincidence.
If it happened twice, it was a pattern.
And if an ancient, multi-eyed entity from beyond reality announced that your body belonged to it less than twenty-four hours after becoming the world’s first Classless Awakener— Then your life had officially gone off the rails.
He spent most of the night trying to convince himself that he’d hallucinated the entire thing.
Unfortunately, hallucinations generally didn’t leave behind evidence.
At exactly 2:13 AM, every electronic device in his apartment had turned on simultaneously.
His television had displayed static.
His phone had frozen.
And his alarm clock had repeatedly flashed a single message.
FOUND.
Needless to say, he hadn’t slept particularly well after that.
By eight in the morning, he was standing outside the New Haven Hunter Association headquarters with a paper cup of coffee in one hand and an overwhelming sense of dread in the other.
The headquarters occupied nearly an entire city block.
It was less of a building and more of a statement.
Towering white walls rose into the sky, decorated with the insignias of famous Hunters throughout history.
Armed security personnel stood at every entrance, while dozens of reporters lingered outside in hopes of catching a glimpse of someone important.
Apparently, becoming a public embarrassment had its perks.
The moment he approached the entrance, several cameras turned toward him.
“Mr.
Cross!
Is it true that your Awakening failed?” “Do you believe the crystal malfunctioned?” “How does it feel to become the first Classless citizen in recorded history?” Aiden considered his options carefully.
“Respectfully, I haven’t had breakfast yet.” Then he walked inside.
The receptionist smiled politely.
“Mr.
Cross.
They’re expecting you.” Of course they were.
He was escorted through a series of hallways before arriving at a conference room overlooking the city.
Three people were waiting inside.
Marcus Vale.
An elderly woman wearing silver robes.
And, to his immense surprise— The old man from the park.
“You!” The old man waved cheerfully.
“Oh, good.
You remember me.” “You’re supposed to explain how you disappeared from a bench.” “I was never particularly attached to that bench.” Marcus Vale pinched the bridge of his nose.
“Please sit down, Mr.
Cross.” That wasn’t ominous at all.
Aiden sat.
Nobody spoke for several seconds.
Finally, Marcus folded his hands together.
“Mr.
Cross, do you know why you’re here?” “Because I committed crimes against magical infrastructure?” “No.” “Tax fraud?” “You don’t pay taxes.” “That’s fair.” The elderly woman suddenly laughed.
It was a surprisingly warm sound.
“I like him.” “That makes one of us,” Marcus said.
The old man leaned forward.
“My name is Theodore Ashbourne.” Aiden nearly choked.
Theodore Ashbourne.
Former SSS-Rank Hunter.
One of the Five Pillars of Humanity.
Officially retired.
Unofficially considered one of the strongest people on Earth.
“Oh.” It was becoming his favorite word.
“We reviewed the footage from your Awakening,” Theodore continued.
“Would you care to explain why an Awakening Crystal worth approximately thirty million credits exploded?” “I touched it?” Marcus did not look amused.
“The crystal recorded traces of an unknown energy source.” That got his attention.
“What kind of energy?” The elderly woman spoke for the first time.
“We were hoping you could tell us.” Her name, he quickly learned, was Sophia Evernight.
The world’s leading expert on mana and ancient civilizations.
Which seemed like an oddly specific combination.
“I don’t know,” Aiden admitted.
“I just touched the crystal.” Sophia studied him carefully.
“Tell me, Mr.
Cross.
Have you experienced anything unusual since yesterday?” He hesitated.
How exactly did one explain an ancient monster trying to claim ownership of their body?
“Define unusual.” Marcus sighed.
“That’s never a good response.” “There was…
an incident.” Theodore smiled.
“Oh?” “I may have had a conversation with a giant cosmic nightmare.” Silence.
Marcus slowly leaned back in his chair.
“I’m sorry?” “It had a lot of eyes.” “Aiden,” Theodore said gently, “have you suffered any recent head injuries?” “Not that I’m aware of.” Sophia, however, had gone completely still.
“What did it say?” The room suddenly felt colder.
Aiden frowned.
“It said it found me.” Sophia’s expression paled.
“It also mentioned something about turning me into a vessel.” Marcus and Theodore exchanged a glance.
“No,” Sophia whispered.
“What?” “No, that’s impossible.” She immediately stood and walked toward a nearby bookshelf.
After several moments, she removed an ancient-looking document and placed it on the table.
At the center of the page was a creature unlike anything Aiden had ever seen.
A massive beast covered in scales and countless golden eyes.
Beneath it were three words.
THE PRIMORDIAL CHIMERA.
“Oh.” “There it is again,” Marcus muttered.
“The ‘oh’?” “The ‘oh.'” Sophia looked at him with an expression somewhere between fear and disbelief.
“This creature predates recorded history.
According to ancient texts, it was one of the first beings to emerge from the Void before the Gates existed.” “That’s concerning.” “It attempted to possess entire civilizations.” “That’s more concerning.” “It cannot be killed.” “Significantly more concerning.” Theodore leaned forward.
“Mr.
Cross, are you absolutely certain this is what you saw?” Aiden stared at the illustration.
Every instinct in his body screamed at him.
It was the same creature.
“Yes.” Nobody spoke.
Then— The building shook.
Every alarm in the headquarters activated simultaneously.
WARNING.
WARNING.
UNIDENTIFIED GATE DETECTED.
Marcus immediately stood.
“What now?” A voice echoed throughout the building.
“Emergency alert!
An unidentified Gate has appeared in Sector Twelve!
All available Hunters report immediately!” Sophia’s eyes widened.
“Sector Twelve?” Aiden’s blood ran cold.
Sector Twelve.
Saint Aurora Orphanage.
“No.” He was already moving before anyone could stop him.
“Aiden!” He ignored Marcus and sprinted toward the exit.
Please.
Please not there.
Not the orphanage.
The streets outside had descended into chaos.
People were running.
Emergency vehicles filled the roads.
And in the distance— He saw it.
Every Gate humanity had encountered over the past forty years shared certain characteristics.
They glowed blue.
They emitted mana.
They followed predictable patterns.
This Gate did none of those things.
It hung above the city like a wound in reality itself.
Black.
Massive.
Wrong.
Even from several kilometers away, Aiden could feel it watching him.
No.
Not him.
Something inside him.
The moment he saw it, a familiar voice echoed within his mind.
AT LAST.
His entire body froze.
“No.” THE DOOR HAS OPENED.
“No.” RETURN TO ME, MY VESSEL.
People around him continued running, completely unaware of the conversation taking place inside his head.
“I said no.” FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS, I HAVE WAITED.
“Find someone else!” THERE IS NO OTHER.
The pressure in the air intensified.
Windows shattered across nearby buildings.
Somewhere in the distance, Hunters had begun engaging monsters emerging from the Gate.
Yet Aiden’s attention remained fixed on the darkness above.
For a brief moment, he saw something move within it.
A pair of enormous golden eyes.
And then— Pain.
It began in his chest.
A burning sensation unlike anything he’d ever experienced.
He collapsed to one knee as his heartbeat accelerated.
THUMP.
THUMP.
THUMP.
“What…
is happening?” YOUR BODY REMEMBERS.
“No!” He could feel it.
Something beneath his skin.
Something ancient.
Something waking up.
For the briefest of moments, his vision shifted.
The world became sharper.
He could hear distant conversations.
Smell rain several blocks away.
And reflected in the window of a nearby car— His eyes had turned gold.
The transformation lasted less than a second.
Then it was gone.
Aiden stared at his reflection in horror.
“No.” Somewhere deep within the endless darkness of the Void, the Primordial Chimera opened its countless eyes.
The vessel had begun to awaken.
And humanity had just made a terrible mistake.
Because the Gate hanging above New Haven wasn’t opening to invade their world.
It had opened to retrieve something that belonged to it.
Aiden Cross.
The Classless boy.
The first vessel in thousands of years.
And whether he accepted it or not— The future Chimera King.
As the black Gate expanded above the city, the first drops of rain began to fall.
And for the first time since the Gates had appeared forty years ago, humanity felt something it had almost forgotten.
Fear.