At the edge of a flowing river, the sound of a waterfall filled the air, its waters crashing down with relentless force. Mist rose from the base, shrouding the area in a thin fog.
Suddenly, the air warped. Space twisted unnaturally, as though reality itself was being sucked inward.
THUD!
A figure crashed to the ground with brutal force, dirt and rock exploding outward from the impact.
Blood and sweat coated his battered body, streaked with ash and grime. His breaths came ragged and fast, each one sounding like it might be his last.
Blackgate.
His eyes burned with fury as he slammed his fist into the ground. Over and over.
Boom. Boom. Boom.
Each impact made the earth quake, cracks spiderwebbing outward, shaking the nearby trees.
'Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit.' The word replayed in his mind like a mantra, his battered hand striking the ground again and again, sending shockwaves rippling through the forest.
He was seething. No, seething couldn't even begin to describe it. Words could not capture his fury.
He had gone to Sector 8 filled with confidence. He was a paragon, a being at the top of the food chain in this world, and the boy he had targeted should've been an easy kill. He should have erased him from existence with a flick of his finger. It wasn't arrogance, it was reality.
But that boy… that damned boy.
Blackgate's mind filled with the image of Atticus. His cold, unyielding gaze. His overwhelming strength. His impossible power.
The chase through the skies of Sector 8 replayed in his mind over and over. The humiliation. The fear. He hated it. He hated it with every fiber of his being.
He had barely escaped with his life, his pride utterly crushed. He had lost an eye. He had abandoned the branch heads, knowing full well they would die.
He had been humiliated.
The memory was unbearable. Blackgate's rage surged, his aura spilling out uncontrollably. The ground trembled beneath him, trees quaked, and waves of pressure rippled through the forest.
His hand clenched into a fist, blood dripping from his knuckles, as his teeth ground together.
"That fucking bastard!"
ROAR!
The sound tore through the air, a shockwave filled with pure fury. Trees shattered like twigs, ripped apart by the force. Beasts caught in its path disintegrated into mush, their forms obliterated. The forest trembled beneath the raw power of his anger.
When the roar subsided, Blackgate stood there, breathing heavily. His shoulders heaved with each breath, his expression twisted into pure rage.
Despite shouting at the top of his lungs, the anger didn't subside. Instead, it burned hotter, consuming him from the inside out.
He dreaded the consequences of his failure. The thought of returning and facing that man's wrath made his battered body tremble.
But before he could sink further into his thoughts, a voice broke through the tense silence.
"Yikes. You've definitely seen better days."
Blackgate's eyes snapped up, locking onto the source of the voice.
Leaning casually against a tree was a blue-haired man, impossibly handsome, holding a half-finished bowl of popcorn.
The man's expression was relaxed, his demeanor unfazed by Blackgate's terrifying presence.
As Blackgate's aura surged violently, the man plucked a piece of popcorn and popped it into his mouth.
Chewing slowly, he raised an eyebrow.
"What? Did I say something wrong?"
Blackgate's aura exploded outward, shaking the ground and warping the air. His killing intent slammed into the blue-haired man like a tidal wave.
But Whisker didn't flinch.
If anything, he looked amused. He casually dusted off his sleeve as though brushing away a stray leaf.
"Huh. You know, you could've used all that energy a few minutes ago," Whisker said, his lips curling into a grin. "Unfortunately for you, I'm a lot older than seventeen."
The words hit their mark. Blackgate's fists tightened, his face twisting in anger. It was obvious that Whisker knew about his battle and loss in Sector 8. Worse, he hadn't bothered to help.
Blackgate's gaze landed on the bowl of popcorn in Whisker's hand, and his expression darkened.
'Was this bastard watching the entire fight like entertainment?'
His breath hitched, but he forced himself to take a deep breath, reigning in his rage.
'He's not worth it,' Blackgate repeated in his mind.
Whisker chuckled loudly, popping another piece of popcorn into his mouth.
"Looks like getting your ass handed to you humbled you, huh?"
He laughed again, carefree and mocking.
Blackgate didn't respond. His eyes were cold as his battered body trembled. He struggled to stand. His legs wobbled, barely holding him up, but he eventually stood.
Taking a deep breath, he reached for the space ring on his trembling hand. As a paragon, his wounds were too severe for normal healing potions to work, but they could start the healing process.
However, as he focused on the ring, he froze.
"What…?"
His eyes narrowed as he realized the ring wasn't responding. His heart pounded as he turned his gaze back to Whisker.
The blue-haired man was smiling at him, but his eyes were not.
They glowed faintly crimson, cold, unfeeling, and suffused with a chilling intent.
Blackgate felt it instantly: the suffocating pressure that blanketed the forest. The primal aura was so overwhelming that even breathing felt like a struggle.
And then he noticed them.
Eyes.
Countless glowing eyes.
Every beast in the forest had emerged from the shadows, their glowing stares fixed on him. Silent. Still. Waiting.
Blackgate's expression darkened as his mind churned. He was no fool, he knew what was about to happen.
"What are you doing?" His voice was icy, carefully masking the slight fear creeping into his chest. He was in the worst possible state for a battle. Facing another paragon now would end badly for him.
Whisker's smile didn't change. "What's it look like?"
Though he stood in front of Blackgate, his voice seemed to echo unnaturally, coming from everywhere at once.
"I'm taking care of a problem."
Blackgate's gaze sharpened. "Are you betraying the Order?" His voice turned colder.
He had always been wary of this beast. Whisker was unpredictable, a loose cannon.
Blackgate had reported him countless times to the head of the Obsidian Order, but nothing had ever come of it. He couldn't understand why.
Whisker had been with the Order long before Blackgate joined, he was one of its founders. His origins were a mystery even to Blackgate.
And now, that same beast was trying to kill him.
"Do you think he'll let you live if you kill me?" Blackgate demanded.
Whisker's grin widened. "And how would he know?"
Blackgate froze. His gaze snapped to the artifact lying on the ground.
The Obsidian Beacon.
It was an artifact carried by key members of the Obsidian Order, a paragon-ranked treasure with profound functions.
In Eldoralth, only paragon artifacts could affect paragons, and such artifacts were incredibly rare, rarer than paragons themselves.
This artifact had enabled Blackgate to teleport into the human domain and out again. But its effects were finite, and after the last use, it had stopped functioning entirely.
One of the beacon's critical functions was to relay the final moments of its user back to the head of the Order upon their death. That connection was supposed to be absolute, unbreakable.
But now, the artifact was no longer functioning, the connection severed.
Blackgate's eyes darkened further.
"Why? Why are you doing this? Are you working for the humans?"
Whisker burst into laughter. "Humans? Work for them? Please. I'm far too lazy for that. And honestly? Working for anyone is boring."
"Then why?"
Whisker's smile turned icy, his eyes narrowing.
"You've outlived your usefulness, Blackgate. You were a great tool to help my star actor grow stronger." He popped another piece of popcorn into his mouth. "Hell, I finished a whole pack watching that battle. But now? You're nothing but a distraction. And I hate distractions. Besides, watching the same story play out over and over? That's dull."
Blackgate's fists clenched, his fury boiling over.
"You think I'll go down without a fight?!" he roared.
Behind him, dozens of blackgates tore open, their energy trembling the air.
Whisker sighed dramatically. "Oh, please."
The air shifted.
The world rumbled.
Whisker's crimson gaze sharpened, his voice echoing with unshakable authority.
"Close."
A shockwave erupted from Whisker, and one by one, every blackgate snapped shut. The energy dissipated in an instant.
Blackgate's eyes widened in horror. "What—?!"
Whisker took a step forward, his smile calm but his aura oppressive.
"Kneel."
Before Blackgate could resist, his knees slammed into the ground. No matter how hard he struggled, his body refused to move. His powers refused to respond.
"What?!" His mind raced in disbelief as he struggled futilely against the invisible force.
Whisker stood over him, his hand outstretched, his crimson eyes glowing faintly.
"Don't worry, Blackgate. For entertaining me, I'll make this painless."
Whisker's hand touched Blackgate's face, and the oppressive aura surged. The air twisted violently as Whisker's will condensed into a singular, overwhelming force.
Blackgate's body trembled violently before it exploded in a grotesque burst of blood and gore.
Not a single drop touched Whisker.
The blue-haired man's smile remained as he popped another piece of popcorn into his mouth.
"Hmm~ Delicious."
A thought crossed his mind, and he chuckled. "Ah, I better stock up. Things are about to get interesting."
With a casual turn, Whisker vanished into the mist.
And silence fell.