In the busy city, neon lights flashed, and the night was illuminated by countless advertising screens. People and vehicles are in constant flow. This is a modern society with advanced technology, but it hides a transcendent world unknown to ordinary people.
Kyle Dius sat in a cafe down the street, looking out the window at the crowds of people coming and going. He gently stirred the coffee in his cup and pondered over his situation.
In this world, the Transcendents were not a myth, but a real group of people. Ever since mankind first discovered the special energy of entropy a hundred years ago, the existence of transcendents has gradually surfaced. The government has set up a special governing body to register and regulate those who can manipulate entropy and utilize it in a timely manner.
Kyle was one of them.
However, his situation was somewhat unique.
Every Transcendent's awakening is accompanied by an "Observation". Visualizations were the carriers of power, the core of their ability to harness entropy. Some powerful visualizations, such as the "sword" that can cut through all obstacles, the "flame" that can burn everything in the world, and the "mirror" that can look into the past and future.
But Kyle's object ... is just an ordinary door.
It was an ordinary wooden door, with no fancy decorations, no special patterns, and even the handle was a bit old, looking like an old apartment door that could be found anywhere.
When his visualization appeared at the awakening ceremony, the entire testing ground was silent for a full half minute.
"What is this?"
"A door?"
"That's it?"
Questioning, mocking, and contemptuous gazes pressed down on him all over the place.
The initial form of a Contemplation did not imply ultimate strength or weakness; some Contemplations could evolve as the user grew. But even so, awakening a door still made Kyle the laughing stock among his contemporaries.
While everyone else was training combat skills and exploring the use of entropy with their own visualizations, Kyle could only stare at his own door in disbelief.
"Why don't you try and push it open?" An instructor had teased.
Kyle did try.
The door could be opened, and there was ... nothing behind it.
It certainly made his situation more awkward.
A month had passed without the slightest progress in his ability. Those who had awakened at the same time had already been able to perform all kinds of entropy abilities on the training ground, while he was still stuck in the ridiculous stage of "studying how to open the door".
But Kyle never gave up.
He knew that the real power of an object did not lie in its apparent form, but in the "concept" it carried.
So he began to try to think - what does "door" mean?
Passage? Connection? Boundary?
Or ... change?
There are no answers to these questions. But Kyle believed that if he kept thinking and trying, sooner or later his door would change.
"Sir, your coffee is getting cold."
A soft voice interrupted Kyle's thoughts.
He looked up and saw a girl in a cafe uniform standing at the table. The girl had clear eyes and a professional smile on her lips.
"Thanks." Kyle looked back and picked up his coffee and took a gentle sip.
The girl smiled weakly and turned to work on something else.
Kyle set his cup down and looked out the window at the street.
His fingers tapped unconsciously on the desktop as if he was thinking about something.
The door.
It may be just an ordinary door now, but in the future ...
He would make it change.
That was his belief.
Outside the window, the city was still bustling at night, neon lights illuminating every street. And in a corner of this metropolis, an Awakened man was silently contemplating his path.
He would not stop.
Because-
This doorway will one day lead to a world no one can imagine.
"Kyle?"
A familiar voice startled him, and he turned his head to see a young man in casual clothes walking towards him.
"Joseph?" Kyle raised an eyebrow slightly.
"You are indeed still here." Joseph sat down, ordering a latte in passing.
"Looking for me for something?"
"Sort of." Joseph spread his hands, "How have you been? Still figuring out your 'door'?"
Kyle didn't answer, instead looking at his coffee cup.
"You do realize that the grading for our batch of Awakened has come out, right?" Joseph whispered, "Your rating is F."
Kyle didn't respond.
"F. Ah, that means you're not even qualified for basic missions." Joseph sighed, "So, what are you going to do?"
Kyle gently took a sip of his coffee, then faintly said, "Keep thinking."
"Thinking?" Joseph cried and laughed, "Everyone else is training in actual combat, and you're the only one still 'thinking'?"
"Have you ever heard of the true meaning of 'gate'?" Kyle raised his eyes and stared at Joseph.
"Uh ... what does it mean?"
Kyle tapped the desk without saying more.
Joseph shrugged, "Fine, you've always been so stubborn anyway."
They were silent for a moment and Joseph shook his head.
"Never mind, I'll leave you alone."
He got up and left, leaving Kyle alone.
Kyle looked at his reflection in his coffee cup and sighed softly.
His door would only rely on him to change.
That, he was beyond determined.
So, in the middle of the night, Kyle closed his eyes and began another visualization.
The outline of the door floated into his consciousness.
It was still the same ordinary door, unchanged.
But he was in no hurry.
One step at a time, he would make it different.
He slowly reached out, in his consciousness, and touched the door.
This time, there seemed to be a little more ... something behind the door.