Ethan Lee moved like a shadow through the quiet streets of Oldtown, Seattle. It was late, the kind of late that stretched into early, where even the streetlights seemed drowsy, flickering under the cold light of the moon. He felt the familiar weight of exhaustion pressing on him, but he didn't mind. Late shifts at the convenience store kept the landlord at bay and his pantry stocked.
He tugged his worn jacket tighter, glancing around the deserted street as he walked. This neighborhood was as rundown as they came, with cracked asphalt and boarded-up stores. It suited Ethan, though—he preferred places where he didn't have to explain himself, where no one asked questions. His life was a quiet spiral of days fading into nights, weeks blurring together. But something was different tonight. He could feel it.
A cold breeze swept past him, carrying a prickling, electric sensation that settled on his skin. His instincts, honed from a childhood of survival, sent a spark of warning through him.
He stopped and scanned his surroundings. The street was empty, yet the air buzzed with an intensity that set his nerves on edge.
It's just exhaustion, he told himself, trying to shake off the strange feeling. But as he took another step, a soft, low hum echoed in the distance, like a rumble from underground. A strange flicker appeared in the alleyway up ahead, a faint light that pulsed with an unnatural glow.
He hesitated, every part of him screaming to ignore it, to walk the other way. Yet curiosity—and perhaps a deeper, hidden instinct—pulled him toward the alley. Steeling himself, Ethan took a step forward.
The closer he got, the brighter the light became, intensifying until it transformed into a swirling, opalescent void, twisting and churning in midair. It was a… gate. Or that's the only word that came to his mind, because what else could this be? An opening into… something.
"Hey! You there!" A voice cut through his shock. Ethan whipped around to see a figure running toward him—a young woman in her mid-twenties, dressed in tactical gear and carrying a sword that gleamed with an unnatural blue light.
"Get back!" she shouted, her voice sharp and commanding. Ethan stumbled backward just as the gate flared, and a jagged tear ripped through the air. From it spilled a wave of twisted creatures, their eyes burning like coals and their claws scraping the asphalt as they surged forward.
Monsters.
The woman didn't hesitate. She swung her blade, cutting through the first creature with a practiced, fluid motion, sending a spray of dark, oily blood splattering onto the pavement. More monsters poured through, gnashing their fangs as they scuttled toward her, shrieking and howling. She turned to Ethan with a quick, fierce look.
"If you want to live, get behind me. Now."
Every rational thought screamed at him to run, to bolt down the street and never look back. But he couldn't move. His feet were rooted to the ground, his eyes fixed on the nightmare unfolding before him. His mind reeled, but something inside him burned, a heat he hadn't felt in years—a part of him that wanted to stand his ground.
The woman gritted her teeth. "Suit yourself," she muttered, bracing herself as the monsters charged again. She darted forward, slicing through them in quick, controlled bursts, but it was clear she was being overwhelmed.
Ethan clenched his fists. His heart pounded as he felt a surge of something within him, like fire racing through his veins, coiling at the base of his spine, urging him to act. His vision blurred, and he saw the world through a strange, heightened clarity. Without understanding why, he raised his hand, and as he did, something dark and cold poured out of him—something sharp and deadly.
The woman glanced at him, eyes wide. "You… you're an Awakened?"
Ethan didn't know what she meant. All he knew was that, somehow, his hand was wreathed in shadows, coiling and writhing around his fingers. He thrust his arm forward, and a lance of darkness shot out, impaling one of the creatures in mid-leap. It crumpled to the ground, disintegrating into ashes as soon as it hit the pavement.
"What… what is this?" he breathed, staring at his hand in horror and wonder.
The woman let out a short laugh, strained but impressed. "Looks like I'm not the only one tonight. Welcome to the club, newbie."
But there was no time to process her words. The last of the creatures were retreating, skulking back toward the portal, hissing and screeching. With a final howl, they slipped through the gate, and the swirling void began to shrink, its light dimming as it closed in on itself.
Ethan let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding as silence settled over the street.
The woman sheathed her sword, wiping blood from her cheek. "You okay?" she asked, eyeing him closely.
Ethan nodded, his heart still racing. "I… I don't know what just happened."
"Name's Sarah Lin," she said, offering him a hand. "And trust me, I get it. Awakening for the first time is a hell of a thing. You got a class name?"
"A class…?" he echoed, frowning. The question didn't make any sense, but something in his mind shifted as he focused on the word. A faint text seemed to appear in his mind, like a status screen in a game.
Class: Eclipse Reaper
Rank: Unranked
Ethan blinked, the words vanishing as quickly as they'd appeared. "Eclipse Reaper," he murmured, feeling an odd resonance with the name.
Sarah's eyes widened slightly, and she let out a low whistle. "Well, well. Lucky find, huh? That's a rare one, and from what I've heard, pretty powerful. But… you're unranked?"
Ethan didn't know what to say. It was all happening so fast—monsters, portals, classes… "I don't understand any of this," he admitted, rubbing his temples.
"Don't worry," Sarah said, her tone softening. "This world's been shifting for a while now, even if most people haven't noticed. Gates like that… they've been appearing more and more lately, and some of us are 'Awakening' to classes that help us fight back. It's… well, it's like a game, if that helps. But real."
"A game…" Ethan muttered, still struggling to wrap his mind around it.
"Listen, Ethan. Things are about to change. For you—and for the world. But there's a whole community out there of Awakened people like us. We'll help you figure things out." She turned, glancing at the spot where the portal had vanished. "And we're going to need all the help we can get."
Ethan's heart thundered as he looked down at his hands, which still felt faintly cold from the shadows he'd summoned. He didn't know what lay ahead, or how his life had changed in that single moment. But he knew, deep down, that something had awakened inside him—something dark, powerful, and dangerous.
And maybe, for the first time in years, he wasn't afraid.