"To all amateur daemonists, please gather in the hall immediately after breakfast, before you go on your first mission. Thank you."
Shaan woke up instantly as he heard the announcement over the loudspeaker inside his room. Today was his last day on Earth... At least until he could complete his mission.
In the middle of the night, the midnight gate portal would appear and take him to a mysterious world he had never seen before. His feelings were mixed. On one side, he was happy because he could at least experience the battle inside the dark realm, but he was quite anxious because he would face something he had never seen before.
Still, he knew there was no point in worrying too much. He had trained hard, studied everything he could about the Dark Realm, and honed his meditation skills. Sure, he hadn't unlocked a personal skill yet—unlike most amateur daemonists—but at least he was prepared. Prepared to face whatever awaited him beyond the Midnight Gate.
"I guess I'd better get ready to go to the main kitchen for the last time."
After walking for a while, he finally arrived at the main kitchen. The atmosphere in the main kitchen was filled with other Daemonists, but somehow it was very quiet and lonely. There was no sound of laughter or boisterous conversation that could be heard every time he entered the main kitchen.
Shaan then walked over to the food rack and picked up his usual breakfast. But this time, he decided to challenge himself by adding a few pieces of minced meat covered in spicy sauce—something he had always avoided during his time here. It was the only dish he deliberately stayed away from because of its intense heat, though it remained a favorite among most amateur Daemonists.
"Woah! Oof! This is way spicier than I expected."Shaan quickly grabbed a nearby drink and took a long gulp. "Damn, how can people enjoy something like this?"
'All amateur Daemonists are requested to gather in the main Hall now. There is something to be announced regarding your first mission. Thank you.'
"Well, looks like some of the others have already left the main kitchen. I'd better finish my food soon."
Shaan eagerly finished the last bite of his breakfast, then quickened his pace toward the main Hall. But a sudden cramp twisted in his stomach—the spicy food he had dared to eat was taking its toll. Without hesitation, he ran as fast as he could to the toilet located around the main kitchen.
"Fwoosh!"
"Ah, finally.... That's why I don't like eating spicy food, but at least my stomach feels better now. He was gently rubbing his stomach. " Oh, crap. I need to get to the main hall now, before..." He stopped as he caught sight of a man with silver hair entering the toilet. "Mr. Maximus?"
"Oh, hello Shaan." Mr. Maximus turned on the water faucet, washing his hands in the sink. "So... today's the day. Are you ready?"
"I'm not sure… I've trained, studied everything I could about the Dark Realm," Shaan replied with a sigh. "But I still have doubts… I don't know if I'll be able to handle my first mission properly."
Mr. Maximus slowly walked over to Shaan, gently tapping him on the shoulder. "Trust yourself, Shaan. I believe in you," he said with a gentle smile. "Now, hurry to the main hall before it's too late."
"Thank you, Mr. Maximus."
Shaan quickly accelerated his footsteps until he reached the entrance of the main hall. It seemed that all of the amateur daemonists had gathered in this place, listening to what Mr. Luis was saying at the front. Damn. It looked like he was late this time. He then slowly slipped in between the other amateur daemonists while they were all focused on listening to Mr. Luis.
"The Midnight Gate portal will soon appear, and you will perform your first task," Mr. Luis explained. "The officers on my left will carry the Alpha group, while the officers on my right will carry the Beta group. Is everything clear?"
"Yes, Mr. Luis!" All the amateur Daemonists in the room replied in unison.
"Now, quickly move towards your group and complete your first mission properly."
Just a few minutes later, all the daemonists in the hall began to move towards their respective groups. Shaan, who was in the Beta group, immediately moved to follow the Beta group officers out of the training bunker.
"Okay, all Beta group daemonists, get on this bus." One of the officers pointed his finger at the black bus in front of the bunker entrance. "We will be heading to the portal location soon."
"Alright, Sir!"
***
As the bus made its way to the Riverglace train station, Shaan kept his eyes out the window. For some reason, the weather today just felt different from before. The sky, which was clear for several days, slowly began to become covered with clouds, and one by one, raindrops fell on the surface of the window's bus.
'I just hope nothing bad happens during this mission.'
After several hours on the road, the bus finally came to a slow stop in the parking lot of Riverglace Station. An attendant signaled for all the daemonists to disembark and make their way into the train station.
"Watch your step going down the stairs!" shouted a red-haired attendant at the front of the group.
"The station lights have been flickering nonstop, caused by a strange energy surge linked to the portal's appearance!"
As Shaan descended the stairs, he couldn't find the words to say anything. The atmosphere of Riverglace Station felt like that of a ghost town. He could count the number of people present on one hand—and they were all police officers. It was far from what the station used to be, once filled with bustling crowds and daily commotion.
'God… h—how did the station end up like this?'
After safely descending the stairs, a man in a police uniform stood waiting to greet them. Without delay, he motioned for the group to follow him toward the location where a small vortex had been discovered—believed to be the emergence point of the Midnight Gate.
"There it is," the officer said, pointing ahead. "Right beside the train tracks, we found a small swirling vortex that we believe is the Midnight Gate. It's been growing steadily, so I've stationed several officers nearby in case something goes wrong."
"Yeah, there's no doubt about it. That's the Midnight Gate," the red-haired attendant replied, nodding firmly.
"Alright then. We'll wait here until the portal fully opens."
***
"Dong...Dong...Dong...."
The clock finally struck at zero hour, and the midnight gate portal finally opened. Shaan, along with the other daemonists, stood up from their seats and started walking towards the midnight gate portal that had opened.
"Listen to me, the midnight gate portal has a very unstable energy flow, so when you pass through this portal, you will be separated from each other. The safest way if you have passed through this portal is that you must find the whereabouts of the other daemonists and defeat the creature of darkness that caused this portal to appear," the officer explained. "After defeating the creature that caused this portal to open, return as soon as possible before the portal closes. If you get lost, remember to search for the Twilight sanctum nearby. Understand?
"Yes, we understand," said all amateur daemonists in unison.
One by one, the amateur daemonists passed through the midnight gate portal until Shaan's turn finally came. Gathering all the courage he had, he walked through the midnight gate portal. Instantly, everything went dark, and a notification appeared in front of him saying....
[Welcome to the Dark realm!]