"I—can't—breathe" 

Somewhat like rain but devoid of its innate purity a dreadful sight hung in the air. Droplets of blood filled the sky before gradually pouring down to its origin.

A SEA OF BLOOD

Everybody in the Eastern Cortex was DEAD…

At the very least that's what it appeared to be. As what was left of the formerly lively crowd being a grotesque reality. 

Mangled bodies littered the ground beneath them leaving behind the red essence that normally flowed within the confines of veins to dance freely on the floor.

'I'm gonna throw up.' 

A young boy's eyes raced through the stadium in search of someone across the confusion as he battled with the new yet familiar feeling of dread.

Pools of blood each from a different source mixed in an artistic way gifting the air a vile stench.

What happened next was ironic yet it fit the situation in no better way—the crowd was brought to a still.

But one thing about humans was their overly expressive nature.

The silence broke out into depressing screams and cries of fear followed suit. Their former yells of admiration for the show sounded like a soft whistle compared to their current wails.

THE CROWD BROKE OUT INTO CHAOS.

"Ma—ster"

Everyone pushed against each other as they tried to escape the nightmare scene that befell them when…

A MELODIOUS TUNE FILLED THE AIR

In the midst of the madness a curious figure hovered in the air stealing the attention of the multitude.

A flute that resonated from another world in hand, and adopting a tune that attuned to an otherworldly figure she played a sonorous song that serinated over the atmosphere silencing the crowd a bit.

AN ENCHANTMENT?

"Humans breathing, humans holding unto life and all those who have lost it join me to welcome the most honored one"

Her voice was angelic and her tone was celestial yet the aura she adorned antagonized anything holy. She was the embodiment of every vile and cruel thing it seemed. Yet who she bore witness to as her lord was the representation of vile itself.

"MYATORIA THE 8TH VOID KING"

"Tell me this humans—" He took a pause, his eyes glinting in dreadful ecstacy.

"Are you as tasty as the ones from thousands of years ago?"

The introduced figure who spread a never before seen degree of fear declared, emerging from the runes that filled the stadium.

This world was anything but ordinary. Ridden by beast, malicious forces and those that quelled the chaos with powers from a celestial heritage known as ARTIFACTS. It was something more, something much more than natural.

SUPERNATURAL.

This scene which brought awe and confusion to humanity's footsteps shook their very foundation once more. Yet there was someone it shaped in the most cruel way possible—

THE BOY WITH THE CRIMSON RED EYES.

But before this tale once again continues we have to follow the seamstress' strings from how they connected and intertwined sewing the great calamity. The day of Blood Rain

Besides the great soul tress all began from a single seed.

"BANG"

A loud boom echoed through a cave as steel met crystal.

A miner whose age boasted of several years of experience delayed his pickaxe in the air, his trusty tool emanating a soft gleam before he brought it down with heavy momentum blasting a mysteriously glowing rock from its origin.

"Now that's how you extract an Azure ruby kid." The man chuckled boisterously letting his pickaxe rest on his muscular shoulders.

His apprentice paled in shock flabbergasted at his senior's display.

"How do you manage to look so good at your age Mr. Alloy, I've been hitting the gym every day yet I'm not even half your build." 

"Hahaha, no gym can bless you with such a meaty body kid, this build right here is called the miner's gift." 

"A few more years of mining and all the ladies will be running after your ripped body." He finished flexing his muscles for show.

"Maybe you should focus more on the job at hand Mr. Alloy." A figure emerged from the darkness towards the two miners.

"Tch, spoil sport." Mr. Alloy muttered.

The man paid him no mind continuing his sentence.

"I've observed our surroundings, no sign of a monster in sight." He donned a brown jacket that extended all the way down to his feet, the edges embellished with a gold embroidery that adorned it with an esteemed appeal.

"Took you long enough Nicolas, I almost started to think you'd been devoured by a dancing gallopavo." The senior miner directed his gaze to the well draped man.

He replied with a half smile stroking a worthful badge on his chest.

"Surely an Artifact hunter of my class wouldn't lose to any monster in this jurisdiction let alone one as weak as a dancing gallopavo." He retracted his hand from the badge revealing a crest that had a dragon being diagonally cut through with three swords.

He squatted down to the cave floor where two bags filled to the brim with ore stood. Rubbing them briskly he opened up his jacket revealing a mysterious katana which remained in its scabbard. 

He placed both hands on the two objects of his interest. One on the ore and the other on his scabbard. 

The Azure ruby. It was the same material which was used to form his artifact the famed "cerulean slasher".

This was only possible because of the ruby's inner energy hence its wide use in artifact smithing amongst other technological applications, making it high in demand by the government.

But it was because of this rich energy that the danger of mining it was heightened. Monsters were usually drawn to its tempting energy causing artifact hunters to tag along during these types of expeditions.

Yet these monsters weren't the major cause for the extra protection. It was a much more concerning reason.

The artifact hunter stood to his feet letting out a satisfied smile.

"You've still got a long day of mining ahead, the government wants every ruby in this cave and were not leaving till the job's don—" 

WHOOSH. 

A condensed eerie wave washed over the atmosphere.

"Impossible."

Nicolas went pale instantly, his hands shivered violently as a black door like mirage began to emerge evolving in size before being bathed in a blood red glow.

Red streams of energy whistled from the portal flying through the air in a scattered fashion.

The formerly confident artifact hunter took a step back as every fiber of his being screamed one thing at him.

"We need to get the hell out of here!"

THIS SITUATION WAS THE DEFINITION OF UNLUCKY. A DOOR HAD EMERGED.

Dating back from hundreds of years ago. Dreadful portals started to pop up randomly on earth. 

Within these eerie portals lied devious creatures ones so diabolical that the name "monsters" could not sum up causing grim existence to earn them the name—

VOID BEASTS.

Forgotten by time they coerced forceful remembrance

Dreadful in nature they feasted on our brethren

Ohh where are the heroes that once defended us?

Where are they that kept our habitation?

What sin was so grave that cursed them with artif—

Have the ones we worshiped forsaken us?

The ones we revered left us in isolation?

We are naked, stripped from our clothes of hope

This is surely a curse

The curse of the VOID

This was the oldest poem that could be recovered speaking on the puzzling root of these beasts. 

Though parts of it stood unreadable the writings which were readable summarized their horrific nature alone without giving much information on their origin.

But with centuries of research and ongoing ones more information was unraveled on the nature of void portals and void beasts themselves.

BLACK, AZURE and CRIMSON.

These were the doors artifact hunters were taught to observe.

Within the black doors lied beasts that although horrid posed no threat to professional artifact hunters.

By contrast within the AZURE doors lied powerful void beasts with guileful abilities that challenged higher ranking artifact hunters.

And within the CRIMSON doors stood void beasts so terrifyingly powerful that only artifact hunters standing on the pinnacle of strength could match.

Yet these doors stood as anomalies in the school of portals. Their uncommonness earning them a GRADE A rarity.

That's why it was so strange that right now Nicolas stood in awe as a door emitting a red glow appeared in front of them.

'Of all doors, off all the doors it could be.' Nicolas clenched his katana impulsively.

"Why a red one and why here."

They all shielded their faces from the strong winds emerging from the door. 

This was a sign that it was not yet fully formed they still had a little time to escape, if they all ran away like their lives depended on it they might escape their impending doom

Well if only it were that simple…

"That door, it really is beautiful." The younger miner muttered as his eyes reflected the door's scarlet glow.

The strong winds were immediately brought to a halt leaving behind an uneasy level of silence and puzzling confusion. 

"Huh?" Nicolas stood in bewilderment watching the young man slowly head for the portal.

He had a deep look of curiosity, it seemed somewhat endless. His eyes were fixed directly on the door and every other thing apparently blurred out of focus. 

Nicolas' mind was in a jumble, he tried to piece every shard of the puzzle together only to end up with more pieces and not enough spaces.

Why was there a crimson door here of all places? and what was it the youngster just said?

'The door beautiful?' For some reason he felt a sense of familiarity and that was when the exact reason hit him.

'An enchantment!' But it was too late

"It—it's" The younger miner muttered softly taking a few steps forward.

"CALLING ME!"

Like a man possessed he lunged forward taking large strides towards his target. The enticing crimson door.

The artifact hunter instantly tried to pull the boy back rewarding him with only but a piece of the miner's clothing.

"Get back here ki—" Mr. Alloy tried to warn before stepping back in visible strain.

He rubbed his eyes briskly, mumbling soft words Nicolas could not make out.

When Nicolas finally heard, what he said was more dismaying than he had imagined.

"Th—that door."

"It's—."

"It's MAGNIFICENT!"

In a swift but guided motion Nicolas unsheathed his katana pressing its harmless sides against the elder miner's back.

Blue vestiges of aura then began to emanate from his artifact breaking loose the red glimmer that reflected off the elder miner's eyes.

Nicolas was at a crossroads.

He had broken the enchantment but how many more times would this have to be done? Was helping the kid worth the risk? Was getting a couple of azure rubies worth their priceless lives? Was improving in rank worth prohibition from outside this damned cave?

Was saving them all really worth fighting whatever would soon pop out from that GRADE A DOOR? 

He racked his brain tirelessly watching the boy get inches and inches closer to the door whilst the elder miner seemed belated in the enchantment once more.

'What the hell should I do!' He yelled mentally in absolute confusion.

But it was too late—

"Gu—guys what's going on? How did I get here?" The formerly ecstatic miner had paused right in front of the grim red door.

Nicolas' eyes once more shone with hope. The boy's enchantment seemed to be broken. But there was no time to lo— wait it was broken? How though?

Nicolas didn't care about the details what he wanted more than anything right now was to get him and everyone out of this cave in one piece. 

That was his duty as an artifact hunter.

"Quickly, get over here before the door comple—"

WHOOSH

Immediately despair ruled the room.

In an instant a dark hand emerged outside the CRIMSON DOOR holding unto the younger miner's face.

"LOO—LOO—WHA—" It muttered in an eerie but high pitched tone.

The entity slowly walked out revealing its grotesque appearance. It was dark all through the only exception being it's red eyes that glowed with an uneasy degree of darkness.

It had four limbs that almost struggled to stay attached. And it wore a smile so sickening that all it's melancholic thoughts could be deciphered in a single glance.

IN TRUTH IT WAS THE DEFINITIVE NATURE OF EVIL.