Rain fell over New Haven like a curtain drawn across the world.
People often romanticized the rain.
Poets wrote about it.
Artists painted it.
Children danced in it.
No one ever mentioned how terrifying it became when it fell beneath a sky occupied by something that shouldn’t exist.
Aiden remained on one knee in the middle of the street, one hand pressed against his chest as his heartbeat gradually returned to normal.
Around him, panic had consumed the city.
Emergency sirens echoed from every direction.
Military transports moved toward Sector Twelve.
Hunters leapt across rooftops, their weapons already drawn.
And above all of it hung the black Gate.
It was larger now.
He hadn’t realized that at first.
The thing was growing.
“No…” he whispered.
The golden eyes inside the Gate blinked.
They were impossible to describe.
Human language simply wasn’t designed to explain something so ancient.
Looking at them felt like staring into an ocean and realizing the ocean was staring back.
“Aiden!” Marcus Vale’s voice cut through the chaos.
The Guild Master landed several meters away, the pavement cracking beneath his feet.
“What happened?” Aiden opened his mouth before realizing he had no idea where to begin.
“The Gate talked to me.” Marcus stared.
“I’m sorry?” “It called me its vessel.” “…Of course it did.” For a brief moment, Aiden saw something unexpected.
Marcus Vale looked tired.
Not physically.
Existentially.
As if he’d reached a point in life where he simply accepted that reality would occasionally stop making sense.
Several more Hunters arrived moments later, including Theodore and Sophia.
The old woman’s expression darkened the moment she saw the Gate.
“It can’t be.” “I’m beginning to hate that sentence,” Aiden admitted.
Sophia ignored him.
“The records described this event.” That got everyone’s attention.
“What records?” Marcus asked.
“The oldest texts recovered from the First Ruins.” Her eyes never left the Gate.
“There was a prophecy.” Aiden immediately disliked where this conversation was going.
“Why does every ancient civilization insist on leaving prophecies?
Why couldn’t they leave recipes?” No one acknowledged the question.
Sophia continued.
«”When the Beast Beyond Time finds its vessel, the heavens shall darken, and the Gates shall remember their king.”» Silence followed.
Aiden slowly pointed toward himself.
“I’m going to assume I’m not the king in this scenario.” “No.” “Wonderful.” Theodore stepped forward.
“The orphanage.” Aiden’s expression immediately changed.
The Gate.
The prophecy.
The Primordial Chimera.
None of it mattered if Saint Aurora was in danger.
Without another word, he started running.
“Aiden!” “I’m not leaving them!” Marcus swore under his breath before following.
The journey to Sector Twelve should have taken twenty minutes.
It took seven.
The streets were unrecognizable.
Monsters had begun emerging from the Gate.
But these weren’t creatures anyone recognized.
Hunters were accustomed to goblins, trolls, and wyverns.
These things were different.
One looked like a wolf stitched together from shadows and bone.
Another possessed six arms and no face.
A third moved backward on all fours while laughing like a child.
“What the hell are those?” Marcus demanded.
Sophia’s face had gone pale.
“Voidspawn.” The word carried an uncomfortable weight.
“I assume that’s bad?” Aiden asked.
“They’re not supposed to exist.” “That seems to be a recurring theme today.” The closer they came to Saint Aurora, the worse things became.
Buildings had been abandoned.
Cars sat empty in the streets.
The rain had intensified, transforming the city into a blur of light and shadow.
And then Aiden saw it.
The orphanage.
Still standing.
For one glorious moment, relief washed over him.
Then he saw the monster.
It stood in the middle of the courtyard.
Nearly four meters tall.
Its body resembled a twisted mockery of a knight, forged from black armor and exposed flesh.
Six golden eyes stared down at the building while a massive blade dragged through the ground behind it.
The children were trapped inside.
Mrs.
Palmer stood in front of the entrance holding nothing but a fireplace poker.
Aiden felt something inside him snap.
“Move.” Marcus blinked.
“What?” “Move.” For the first time since meeting him, there was no humor in Aiden’s voice.
Only anger.
The monster turned.
All six eyes focused on him simultaneously.
And then, impossibly— The creature knelt.
The world seemed to stop.
Sophia’s breathing hitched.
“No.” The monster lowered its head.
A voice echoed across the battlefield.
«WE HAVE FOUND THE VESSEL.» Every Hunter present froze.
The Voidspawn slowly raised one clawed hand and pointed directly at Aiden.
«ALL HAIL THE FUTURE KING.» “Nope.” Everyone looked at him.
“Nope.
Absolutely not.” The creature tilted its head.
«…NO?» “Definitely no.” «WE HAVE WAITED.» “I appreciate that, but I have absolutely no interest in becoming anyone’s king.” The monster appeared genuinely confused.
«THE PRIMORDIAL ONE HAS CHOSEN YOU.» “THE PRIMORDIAL ONE CAN WAIT IN LINE.” There was a long silence.
Even Marcus seemed unsure how to process the conversation.
Finally, the Voidspawn rose to its full height.
«IF YOU REFUSE, WE SHALL FORCE YOUR ASCENSION.» “That’s significantly less polite.” The creature attacked.
It crossed the distance between them instantly.
Marcus intercepted the strike with his sword, the impact creating a shockwave powerful enough to shatter nearby windows.
“GET THEM OUT OF HERE!” Hunters immediately moved toward the orphanage.
Aiden ran to Mrs.
Palmer.
“Are you alright?” “I’ve had worse afternoons.” “You’ve never fought a four-meter monster with a fireplace poker.” “Details.” Even now, she somehow sounded unimpressed.
The children quickly surrounded him.
“AIDEN!” Emma looked up at him with wide eyes.
“The monster called you king!” “Please don’t encourage this.” The battle behind them intensified.
Marcus and Theodore fought together, yet neither seemed capable of gaining the upper hand.
Every wound inflicted upon the creature regenerated almost instantly.
“It’s adapting,” Sophia shouted.
The word struck him like lightning.
Adapting.
His chest began to hurt again.
THUMP.
THUMP.
THUMP.
The familiar voice returned.
YOU SEE NOW.
“No.” THEY CANNOT DEFEAT MY CHILDREN.
“They’re not your children!” SEMANTICS.
Aiden nearly stumbled.
“What?” I HAVE ADOPTED THEM.
“YOU CAN’T ADOPT NIGHTMARES!” The Primordial Chimera was silent for several seconds.
…WHY NOT?
He decided this wasn’t a conversation worth having.
Then Marcus screamed.
Aiden turned just in time to see the Guild Master crash through a nearby building.
Blood covered his face.
“No.” The Voidspawn slowly advanced.
«NONE SHALL STAND BEFORE THE KING.» THUMP.
The pain in his chest intensified.
YOUR BODY REMEMBERS.
“No.” PROTECT THEM.
His breathing stopped.
“What?” PROTECT YOUR PACK.
For the first time since hearing the Primordial Chimera’s voice, there was no hunger in its words.
Only certainty.
He looked toward the orphanage.
Toward Mrs.
Palmer.
Toward Emma and the others.
His family.
“No.” The word left his mouth quietly.
“I won’t become your vessel.” THEN DON’T.
The response caught him off guard.
BECOME THEIR PROTECTOR.
The world seemed to fall silent.
THUMP.
Something beneath his skin moved.
THUMP.
Pain spread through his arms.
THUMP.
His vision sharpened.
“I don’t understand.” YOU WILL.
The Voidspawn raised its blade.
Marcus couldn’t move.
Theodore was too far away.
There wasn’t enough time.
Aiden acted without thinking.
He stepped forward.
Then the world changed.
Golden light erupted from his body.
The air itself trembled.
For a single, impossible moment, everyone in Sector Twelve witnessed the same thing.
Behind Aiden’s human form stood the silhouette of a colossal beast.
Horns.
Wings.
Countless eyes.
And a crown of black flame.
The Voidspawn froze.
Its six eyes widened in terror.
«…MY KING?» Aiden stared at his trembling hands.
Black scales had appeared across his right arm.
Sharp claws replaced his fingernails.
And reflected in the shattered window beside him were eyes that no longer belonged to a human.
The Primordial Chimera laughed.
The sound echoed across eternity itself.
AT LAST.
Aiden’s heart sank.
“Oh, this is bad.” The scales continued spreading across his arm.
And for the first time in human history— The Chimera King began to awaken.