He probably didn’t possess great intellect. But he had never been known as a complete fool.
He clearly recognized the danger that brief audiovisual clip represented, and it was very serious.
He sat on the edge of the bed, holding his head in his hands with force, as if he could magically give the images logical reasoning.
The creature in the video — a grotesque, primitive, and savage silhouette — was identical to the Pseudo-Tyrants from the ruins.
It wasn’t a coincidence. For a mont he recognized that sothing had crossed the line separating imagination from reality.
The ga was no longer contained within the neural helt. It had leaked into the real world, and Kael had paid the price.
The silence of the apartnt was oppressive. Only the distant hum of drones outside and the constant dripping of broken pipes could be heard.
Gabriel took a deep breath, trying to organize his thoughts. He had erased all traces, hidden the evidence, and now he had to decide what to do about Noel.
But before he could move, three firm knocks sounded on the door.
He stood up abruptly, alert. His heart pounded hard.
He tiptoed to the entrance and stayed still, listening. The knocks returned, more insistent.
They had probably followed him. He was beginning to understand the reasons behind Noel’s ticulousness in transmitting the information.
"Who the hell is knocking like a complete idiot?" he asked in a monotone voice loaded with hostility.
There was a brief silence on the other side.
"Sir, please, could you open the door?" a male voice responded, calm but authoritative.
Gabriel clenched his jaw.
"Do you know where they are? Why don’t you ask your fucking mother to open the door for you? I want to see your damn dog faces when you hear the unfortunate news."
He heard noises beyond the door, as if they were discussing in low voices. Gabriel already had a steel bar in his hands, taken from under the bed.
It was an old habit from the neighborhoods. If the situation got complicated, he wouldn’t hesitate.
But Gabriel heard sothing that made him doubt imdiately.
"Your na has appeared in an active investigation."
He dropped the steel bar to the floor with a deliberate tallic clang so they would hear it. He removed the locks and opened the door.
He found himself facing two agents with serious expressions. Impeccable dark suits, polarized glasses, and disciplined postures. They carried no visible identification.
"Do you have weapons? Arrest ," Gabriel said, crossing his arms.
One of the agents, the taller one, sighed.
"Your pride blinds you, young man. We don’t want to hurt you."
Gabriel pointed at the other agent with his finger.
"When this idiot gets killed, tell the sa thing to your mirror’s reflection."
The second agent almost choked on his own saliva but didn’t respond. The first one showed a holographic identification card that glowed briefly.
"We understand you’re going through a difficult ti, so we’ll talk again on another occasion."
"But from today onward you will be under monitoring due to the incident with your friend. Any anomaly will be reported."
With those words spoken, they disappeared as quickly as they had appeared, getting into a polarized vehicle that drove away silently.
But another unknown vehicle remained parked.
Gabriel closed the door and leaned against it, breathing heavily. All of that had been very strange.
Too professional and too fast.
He imdiately understood that they were not ordinary police. He thought about the possible consequences and how it connected to the unfortunate experience his friends had gone through.
The neural helt rested on the table like an innocent artifact, but Gabriel already knew it wasn’t.
In his mind, all the previous events were like a wild whirlwind.
His silver streaks, the monster in the video, Kael’s death, and the strange confrontation with governnt agents.
He didn’t need to think much.
Rembering Kael’s words of encouragent, life, and dreams that he always presented, he felt a knot in his throat.
The video ga was no longer a video ga.
It was the only source of answers he had left.
***
The transition was instantaneous. Gabriel appeared on the outskirts of the beginner village, under a sky that seed brighter than ever.
The contrast with the gray sky and acid rain was striking.
He walked toward the center with determination.
His level 18 glowed in the interface, but it wasn’t enough. He needed more power and answers.
He then checked the Black Raven Order’s regency seal. It remained alone in his inventory. A notification appeared:
[As Regent, you have absolute authority over the Order. Requires leaving the beginner village.]
Gabriel stored the symbol. Soon.
He sat on the sa bench where it all began. His advantages were now his responsibility, just as Kael’s death was now his burden.
He closed his eyes and rembered the images from the video.
One had crossed over. More could co.
He needed to prepare. It was no longer just a ga.
When he opened his eyes, his determination was steel.
"I will leave this village," he murmured, "and start hunting for real."
***
Kael had died protecting them, Noel was injured, and a governnt agency was watching him.
The situation was threatening on its own, without including the possible monsters.
Gabriel clenched his fists. He couldn’t keep waiting.
He needed to start moving between both worlds.
Gods, alchemists, kings, or any conspiracy... He would receive them.
Because Blood Tempest was no longer just a title.
It was him.
Rage shone in his eyes. Replacing the sadness.
He would conquer the forbidden cetery by trampling a thousand bones.
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