Gates, at their core, were portals - fractures in reality that connected Earth to other worlds filled with dangers, monsters, and beasts.

That much was clear.

But beyond that, almost everything about them remained uncertain.

From the very beginning, humanity discovered one absolute rule: only those with Titles could pass through. Untitled individuals were completely rejected, unable to enter, regardless of the methods attempted. It was as if the gates themselves enforced a law beyond human understanding.

Inside, each gate functioned like a hostile, self-contained world governed by supernatural forces. If not cleared, they grew unstable over time, the boundary between worlds weakening until it eventually collapsed, a phenomenon known as a Gate Break.

When that happened, the portal would widen uncontrollably, allowing the creatures within to spill into Earth and run amok, causing destruction on a massive scale.

Entire areas had been lost this way in the early days, before systems were established to manage and respond to them. As a result, clearing gates wasn’t just a duty; it was essential for survival.

The Association developed a classification system to rank gates by difficulty, but as a whole, they were still a massive mystery. Despite years of research, no one knew why they appeared, what determined their location, or what truly lay behind their creation.

And yet, for all the danger they posed, gates were also invaluable.

Only Titled could enter and exit under normal circumstances, but they could carry things back with them - resources, minerals, materials, and the corpses of beasts. These discoveries had accelerated human advancement at an unprecedented rate.

In biology, researchers studied beast anatomy to uncover new possibilities in medicine and regeneration. In technology, unknown materials and minerals from within gates led to breakthroughs that would have otherwise taken decades, if not centuries.

Entire industries had been reshaped by what was brought back.

Not all Titled were suited for combat, and that was where extraction squads came in. These groups were primarily made up of lower-ranked Titled who either lacked confidence in battle or had abilities better suited for support roles.

They focused on gathering resources and recovering materials rather than fighting, receiving less compensation than combat-focused Titled, but still earning well with significantly lower risk.

It had only been seven years since the appearance of gates and the emergence of the Titled, yet the world had changed completely. The first gates had thrown humanity into chaos, exposing just how unprepared they were, but adaptation came quickly.

Progress was constant, with new discoveries being made every day.

However, no matter how much humanity advanced, every line of research eventually led back to the same conclusion.

The gates were beyond their understanding.

It was almost as if they were designed that way, as if humanity was being toyed with by something far greater than themselves.

The same applied to the Titles.

While their abilities could be analysed, categorised, and even partially replicated through technology, their source remained completely incomprehensible.

And, without even realising it, Ethan had gained the interest of someone who possessed an exceptionally powerful Title...

-

The moment the gate closed, the Riot Valkyrie made up her mind.

Though frustrated that she wouldn’t be able to enter the gate that had raised alarm bells within the association, she had found something else to satisfy her.

She stretched casually before bursting off the warehouse roof.

The drop was significant enough to seriously injure and even kill a normal person, but to her, it was nothing.

She descended like a falling missile and landed with a...

Boom!

The ground cracked beneath her boots as she hit, a shockwave of force rippling outward and forcing nearby personnel to stumble back in alarm.

"W-What the-?!"

"It’s her!"

"The Riot Valkyrie!!!"

She ignored them all completely, her purple eyes locked onto one person.

Ethan.

He was still lying on the ground, playing his part and keeping up his act.

But she saw right through him.

She stepped forward, slow and deliberate, as subtle arcs of energy danced across her fingertips. Looking down at him, pinned beneath two unconscious Titled while covered in blood and breathing weakly, anyone would believe he had been through it.

Yet his piercing blue eyes were sharp, aware, and calculating, exposing him.

Her grin widened.

"Well... well..."

She crouched slightly, resting one arm casually on her knee as she leaned in to get a better look at his face.

"...What the hell are you up to?"

As soon as the Riot Valkyrie’s purple eyes locked onto him, Ethan felt a chill crawl its way down his spine. It wasn’t fear exactly, but something close enough that his instincts screamed at him to move.

’Some bullshit already?’

He resisted the urge to react.

Instead, he lay completely still, his body slack beneath the weight of Darius and the A Rank, his breathing shallow and uneven as he committed fully to the act.

It should have worked, and would have worked on most, but he could feel her gaze on him.

’She’s not buying it.’

Still, she didn’t act immediately, and instead, her attention shifted to the surrounding pests with cameras.

"If I’m going to have some fun with him, I should deal with all the noise," she murmured to herself.

The experienced reporters and military personnel were already backing away, their instincts kicking in as they recognised her presence. Whoever knew the Riot Valkyrie knew that they were better off keeping their distance from her.

But not everyone was so perceptive.

Some remained, still filming, shouting, and flashing cameras in her direction like she was a celebrity on a red carpet.

It made her feel like an animal, and that pissed her off.

Her expression darkened instantly, her purple eyes flaring with irritation as the constant barrage of flashes reflected in them.

"All of you, fuck off."

Her voice wasn’t loud, but it carried and was laced with something dangerous.

Then she slammed her foot into the ground.

BOOM!

She didn’t even seem to put that much effort into it, yet the impact was so violent. The ground trembled as if struck by an earthquake, cracks spiderwebbing outward from where her boot struck, as a shockwave rippled through the area.

People screamed, cameras fell, and bodies were thrown back as the force knocked them off their feet. It sent everyone into a frenzy as they scrambled for cover.

For an Untitled, and even for C Rank Titled and below, an A Rank was an existence they couldn’t even fathom that could easily crush them.

And the Riot Valkyrie wasn’t your average A Rank at that.

Within seconds, the once chaotic scene cleared out, leaving only a wide, empty space around her and Ethan.

It was silent, eerily so.

Satisfied, she rolled her shoulder slightly before turning her attention back to the supposed E Rank who remained lying on the ground.

She burst out into laughter, deeply amused by him.

"You’re quite the actor, aren’t you?"

Ethan didn’t move, react, or even open his eyes.

He committed fully.

’Maybe if I hold this long enough, she’ll lose interest.’

Spoiler alert, she didn’t.

Instead, she stepped forward casually and kicked both Darius and the other A Rank off him without a second thought, their bodies rolling away across the ground like discarded baggage.

The sudden loss of weight made it harder to maintain the illusion, but Ethan held firm.

Then her hand grabbed his hood, and just like that, he was effortlessly lifted into the air like he weighed nothing.

"You still gonna play dead?" she asked, her tone almost playful.

Ethan didn’t move, react, or even open his eyes again.

As humiliating as it was, he committed to the bit, but that only seemed to fray her nerves.

"Alright then."

Before he could even process it, she threw him upwards like he was nothing more than a ball. Ethan’s body shot into the air, wind rushing past him as gravity seemed to vanish for a split second.

’What the fuck!?’

His instincts kicked in immediately.

Ethan’s body reacted before his mind could catch up, his limbs flailing slightly as he tried to stabilise himself mid-air, a single thought flashing through his mind.

’Beast Summoning: Tal-’

Before he could bring out his Skyrend Hawk to catch him, she was already there in front of him. She jumped so fast that it was like she had spawned in front of him, her purple eyes locking onto his.

But what was most impressive was that she calculated the exact amount of effort she needed to use to match his altitude in an instant.

"So you were faking it."

Ethan froze.

’Me and my shitty luck with people.’

He didn’t even have time to respond before she grabbed him again, halting his momentum entirely before dropping back down to the ground with him in tow.

They landed smoothly, as if nothing had happened.

But then, without warning, she jumped again, this time sideways while carrying him like a sack of potatoes.

Ethan didn’t even bother trying to resist.

The way she moved - bounding across rooftops, leaping over warehouses with ridiculous power and precision - made one thing very clear.

’I can’t force my way out of this.’

But then that led to his other question...

’What the fuck does this lunatic want?!’