Rin avalan sat on the rusted bench, staring at the wind-stirred trees of the park. The sun filtered through branches above him, warm and gold, almost too perfect for a world like this. Around him, the city hummed quietly the traffic distant, people moving on with life, somehow still able to laugh and play despite the terror that visited Earth every three months.
A small girl's laughter cut through the air, bright and innocent. She ran in circles chasing a floating drone toy while her mother watched nearby, clapping. Rin smiled faintly, then looked down at his hands. No light pulsed beneath his skin. No strength in his blood. No gifts.
Just flesh. Just Rin.
He had never Awakened,not once. In a world reshaped by the Gates and filled with power-wielding heroes and monsters, he was still painfully, pathetically human.
He let out a slow breath and leaned back.
Then the world shattered.
The air cracked like splintering glass, high above the grass. A Break,a shimmering rift, jagged and glowing,ripped open the sky like a gaping wound.
Rin shot to his feet.
No. No, this wasn't right.
Gates didn't open in random places. They were contained,locked in military zones, guarded by the Awakened, studied and regulated by every major power on Earth.
This park,this quiet, open, innocent park,should have been safe.
The girl screamed. The toy drone crashed to the ground.
From the jagged sky-hole, two figures descended like shadows falling through water.
They looked human at first. But as they touched the grass, the illusion peeled away.
The one in front had black horns curling back from his temples, his eyes sharp gold slits like a predator. A long, smooth tail twitched behind him. His armor shimmered with unknown energy.
The one beside him,a younger version, perhaps,was leaner, meaner-looking, his left hand glowing faintly with heat.
The older one took in the park with a bored glance. "Hmph. Empty."
His brother scoffed. "We're early. Just our luck. Thought we'd get some decent resistance this time."
Rin's breath caught. He should run. He should hide. But the girlansthe mother,they hadn't moved. Frozen in fear.
His legs moved on instinct. He ran forward, stepping between them and the intruders, heart thundering like a war drum.
"Go," he whispered behind him, voice shaking. "Run. Don't stop."
The mother hesitated, eyes wide with terror. But then she grabbed her daughter's hand and fled.
Rin turned to face the invaders.
He bowed slightly. "Hello, great beings," he said, voice dry in his throat. "It is... my honor to welcome you to our planet."
To his shock, they understood.
The younger one laughed. "Big bro, look! An ant that talks."
The older one's eyes narrowed. "Thinking about others while being so weak is a crime."
Rin barely had time to process the words before the man opened his eyes fully,eyes that glowed with deep, ancient fury.
There was a flash.
Rin spun around.
The mother and daughter were gone. Not vanished. Erased. No trace. Not a sound.
His knees buckled.
He turned back to the invaders, mouth dry, his voice caught in his throat.
The older one stepped closer. "Not kneeling when you're in my presence... is also a crime."
Pain exploded through Rin's body.
He looked down.
Half of him was gone.
No blood. Just emptiness.
He collapsed forward, the world spinning.
The younger brother clicked his tongue. "What a waste."
The older one sighed. "We don't have time to clean up. Let's move on."
As Rin's vision faded, a strange calm settled over him. It wasn't fear anymore.
It was confusion.
Why had he stood up?
Why had he tried?
He didn't have an answer. Only silence, and darkness.
And then—
Nothing.