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Sahara Desert – Gate #3
Deep in the desert, far from all settlements, the ground was no longer silent.
From beneath the sand, a twisted bone tower slowly emerged.
Not built by hands.
Not grown by nature.
But something planted long ago.
It made no noise.
Emitted no aura.
But the air around it grew unnaturally still—as if the world itself was holding its breath.
At the top of the tower, an ancient eye opened… and began to listen.
---
Suwon – Early Morning
Jung Ha-Joon opened his eyes before dawn.
He hadn't slept. He never really needed to anymore.
Something far away—something foreign—was resonating.
A Gate.
Not the first. Not random.
> "The second one's waking up," he whispered to himself.
The street outside was quiet. Ordinary.
But in the back of his mind, he could feel the pressure rising.
---
Jung Family Kitchen
Ha-Joon helped set the table while his mother prepared breakfast.
His father hummed along with the radio as he tied his work shoes.
Ha-Rin sipped soybean milk and stared at her phone.
> "You're up early again, Joon," his mother said, glancing at him.
> "Just habit."
> "Bad dreams?"
> "...Something like that."
She smiled and ruffled his hair, unaware that he had once faced nightmares for a time longer than the universe had existed.
But he didn't say that.
No one needed to know.
---
Suwon High School – Lunch Break
The sun was warm. Birds chirped. The soccer club practiced in the distance.
Ha-Joon sat under a tree, writing in a blank notebook. Not notes. Not homework.
Just… thinking.
Baek Seo-Yeon approached and sat beside him.
> "You've been quiet lately."
> "Haven't I always been?"
> "No. This is different. You're… distant. Heavier."
> "That's just life catching up," he said.
She leaned closer, eyes serious.
> "Something's coming, isn't it?"
He looked at her slowly.
> "Maybe."
> "And you're preparing for it?"
He didn't answer.
He didn't have to.
---
Elsewhere – Sahara Observation Camp
Scientists monitored the strange structure via drones.
> "It's growing. We thought it was static, but it's changing shape every four hours."
> "Still no mana field?"
> "None that we can register."
One researcher pointed at the readout.
> "It's not giving off power… it's absorbing intent."
> "Intent?"
> "Like it's watching... like it's learning."
The room fell silent.
> "Should we inform Korea's Hunter Guild?"
> "We'll prepare a report—but they already had one of these. Maybe they'll understand it better than us."
No one dared say what they were all thinking:
That another Gate might be opening.
---
Later That Night – Rooftop in Suwon
Ha-Joon sat alone with barley tea in his hand and the stars above his head.
He glanced at the sky.
Not just with sight, but with the strange awareness that had become part of him.
The Sahara gate pulsed again.
And he felt a ripple in fate.
> "You're not just waiting," he whispered.
> "You're… reacting."
His crimson eyes glowed faintly, reflecting distant starlight.
They looked peaceful.
But within them—
Something waited.
Something no one had yet seen.
Not even himself.
---
Elsewhere – Private Jet, Korea Airspace
A girl with silver-white hair stared out the window.
She wore a hooded coat, her hands folded calmly on her lap.
She had no name registered in any country, no guild ties, and no aura signature.
> "Touchdown in Suwon in 30 minutes, Miss," the pilot said.
She didn't answer.
Her gaze was locked on the stars.
> "I'll find him," she murmured.
"Even if he doesn't remember me."
Her voice was steady.
But her heart raced.
---
International Hunter Alliance – Covert Meeting
Dozens of agents reviewed classified data.
Drone images. Gate tremors. Reactions from psychics.
And the boy with crimson eyes.
> "Still no ID?" one asked.
> "Not even facial recognition. He's a ghost."
> "We need to know who he is before the next Gate opens."
Another man leaned back, thoughtful.
> "Or maybe…"
"He's the reason they're opening."
---
Final Scene – Ha-Joon's Room
Ha-Joon lay awake in bed, staring at the ceiling.
He could still feel the Gate.
Still hear the silence between pulses.
And for a moment, he thought of something strange—
Not fear.
But excitement.
Because deep within him, something was beginning to stir.
And his crimson eyes—
Still calm. Still quiet.
—held a power that had not yet awakened.
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