One Step Too Far

Since their appearance a century ago, portals have been at the heart of humanity's concerns. These rifts in reality, these gateways to unknown dimensions, have disrupted the established order. First feared, then studied with fascination, they eventually became an essential part of the modern world. However, despite decades of research, their true origin remains a mystery.

Scientists and Awakened beings have classified them into two main categories: Type X portals and Type Y portals. Each has its own rules, dangers, and mysteries.

Type X portals are the most common but also the most unpredictable. They function as bidirectional passages: one can enter and exit freely, provided they know the location and understand the mechanism. This feature makes them essential for raids, allowing exploration groups to retreat in case of danger. However, their apparent safety is deceptive. Inside, these portals harbor unstable environments where terrain, climate, and even the laws of physics can change without warning.

Scientists believe these portals are transitional zones between dimensions—a sort of airlock where creatures from other worlds adapt before invading Earth. This hypothesis would explain why Type X portals are filled with ferocious monsters and strange artifacts. Raids conducted within them serve not only to recover valuable resources but also to prevent potential invasions.

But they are not the most fearsome.

Type Y portals, on the other hand, are true dimensional prisons. Once crossed, they seal shut behind those who enter, cutting them off from the outside world. There is only one way out: to kill every creature inside. No exits, no reinforcements. That is the absolute rule of these portals.

Groups venturing into them take extreme precautions. Before stepping through, they always hold hands to ensure they arrive at the same location. Being separated in a Type Y portal is a death sentence. These portals are rare, but their danger makes them a top priority for all nations. Every time one is discovered, elite Awakened are dispatched to eliminate it before it becomes too great a threat.

Ryan had never entered a portal before—neither Type X nor Type Y.

But today, that was about to change.

The Type X portal before them pulsed with a strange light, like a gigantic eye observing the outside world. Its bluish glow cast moving shadows on the ground, giving an almost unreal atmosphere to the raid site. The air vibrated with subtle energy, and a slight pressure weighed on Ryan's shoulders, as if the portal were trying to pull everything around it into its unfathomable abyss.

Ryan stood apart, hands in his pockets, watching the Protectors prepare. These elite warriors, Awakened beings handpicked for their skills, were the only ones authorized to fight within the portals. Their armor, forged with special alloys capable of channeling mana, shimmered under the portal's light. The hum of their enchanted weapons filled the air, betraying the massive amount of energy concentrated within them.

Around them, another group of people was getting ready: the gatherers. Unlike the Protectors, they had neither extraordinary abilities nor military training. Their role was simple but essential: to collect mana stones and precious resources once the monsters had been neutralized. Ryan was one of them.

"Look at them, all proud and powerful. They act like they're heroes from a movie," Daniel remarked, crossing his arms.

"They're doing their job," Ryan replied, not taking his eyes off the Protectors. "Without them, we couldn't even get close to these portals."

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean they should treat us like we're nothing," Daniel retorted, casting a dark glance at one of the Awakened who had turned his back on them. "Without us, their precious mana stones would just rot there."

Ryan didn't respond. He knew Daniel was right about one thing: gatherers were often seen as expendable pawns. The Awakened were the heroes, the exceptional fighters. They, on the other hand, were replaceable. If one of them died in a raid, another would immediately take their place.

But Ryan didn't see it as a fate to accept. He had never been one to complain about his lot. He preferred to learn, understand how the portals worked, and analyze the Awakened in combat. He knew that one day, he wouldn't just be gathering mana stones.

A movement caught his attention.

The leader of the Protectors, a tall man named Kael, stepped forward. His black and gold armor revealed his veteran status. His piercing gaze swept over the ranks of the Awakened and the gatherers, demanding silence and attention.

"Listen up!" he called in a firm voice. "We're entering a Type X portal. The rules are simple: we eliminate the threats, you collect the resources. Stay behind us, don't engage in the fighting, and follow our instructions to the letter. If everything goes well, we'll come out rich and alive. Any questions?"

No one responded.

The gatherers, including Ryan and Daniel, nodded. They knew the risks, but the promise of a reward more than justified the danger. Every mana stone they returned would guarantee a good income. And for Ryan, it was another opportunity to observe, learn, and maybe get closer to his true goal.

Kael gave a nod.

"Let's move out."

A shiver ran down Ryan's spine as the Awakened stepped through the portal's threshold, disappearing into the pulsing light.

His heart raced.

This was his first raid.

And he was about to discover just how different the world inside the portals was from everything he had imagined.

The moment he stepped through the portal's threshold, Ryan felt an immediate change.

The air was heavier, charged with a strange energy that tingled on his skin. He took a deep breath and immediately regretted it. The atmosphere was saturated with a metallic odor, like a mix of blood and sulfur. He glanced around, trying to adapt quickly to his new surroundings.

The landscape was both fascinating and terrifying. Giant crystals emerged from the ground, emitting a bluish glow that pulsed slowly, as if they were alive. The ground was uneven, scattered with cracks from which thin tendrils of purple mist escaped. Above them, an unreal sky stretched out, streaked with luminous veins that pulsed like arteries. Ryan felt like he was in another world… a world that didn't follow the same rules as Earth.

The Protectors immediately formed up. Kael, at the front, scanned the surroundings with absolute concentration. His hand rested on the hilt of his sword, ready to draw at the slightest sign of danger. The other Awakened held their weapons with confidence, their sharp gazes analyzing the terrain.

"Creatures approaching," Kael announced in a calm yet cutting voice.

The Protectors tensed instantly.

Ryan and the other gatherers stayed behind, following the instructions to the letter. It was the first rule of raids: never interfere in a fight. Their role only began after the threats were eliminated.

The silence didn't last long.

A shrill scream tore through the air, followed by a deep growl. Ryan spotted moving silhouettes in the mist. They were numerous—perhaps a dozen, maybe more. They moved quickly, their dark bodies undulating fluidly, their red eyes glowing in the shadow.

Then they emerged.

Reptilian creatures, at least two meters tall, covered in black scales that gleamed under the glow of the crystals. Their sharp claws screeched against the ground as they advanced, ready to strike. They looked like a nightmarish fusion of raptors and demons.

Kael drew his sword in a flash.

"Defensive formation!"

The Protectors reacted instantly. Swords flared to life, spears crackled with energy, and the first spells were cast. In the blink of an eye, the calm shattered into a maelstrom of violence.

The first clash erupted in controlled chaos.

Kael charged toward the nearest creature, and with a fluid motion, his sword whistled through the air. The blade glowed with a golden light before slicing cleanly through the monster's throat. A spray of black blood splattered into the air, but Kael didn't stop. He spun and brought his weapon down on another beast that was trying to attack him from the side.

A few meters away, a Protector with short hair summoned energy blades that spun around her, cutting through the air with lethal precision. In the blink of an eye, three creatures were sliced into pieces.

Another Awakened, a slender man with sharp eyes, extended his hands toward a massive rock. With a simple gesture, he lifted it using telekinesis before slamming it down onto a group of monsters. A dull thud echoed, followed by a muffled cry of agony.

Ryan watched the scene, mesmerized.

It was like a deadly ballet, a choreography where every movement was precise, calculated... and fatal.

"Look at that!" Daniel exclaimed, elbowing him. "They look like they're straight out of a movie!"

Ryan nodded, unable to tear his eyes away. The Protectors didn't fight like ordinary soldiers. They wielded their mana with impressive ease, chaining spells and combat techniques with terrifying efficiency.

But the creatures weren't holding back either.

One of them, larger and faster than the others, took advantage of a momentary lapse in attention and lunged at Kael, its claws glowing with malevolent light. The leader of the Protectors barely dodged, leaping backward. He immediately retaliated with a mana-charged sword strike, severing one of the beast's legs.

A howl of pain echoed through the air.

Before the monster could counterattack, a burst of light sent it flying into a crystal. It crashed heavily to the ground and remained still.

Kael wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead and scanned the area.

"Move out."

The Protectors resumed their formation and continued their march through the portal, leaving the monsters' corpses behind.

Ryan, still frozen in place, felt his heart race. He had just witnessed a battle between elite warriors and creatures from another world... and it was the most impressive thing he had ever seen.

But he didn't have time to be overwhelmed by emotion.

The time for the gatherers had come.

As the echoes of the battle faded, a new dynamic settled in. The Protectors had done their part. Now, it was the gatherers' turn to take action.

Ryan took a deep breath and stepped forward cautiously with the others. The corpses of the creatures littered the ground, soaking in their own dark blood, while remnants of energy still crackled in the air.

"Go, let's move!" Daniel shouted, kicking a broken rock.

Ryan nodded and kneeled beside a cluster of crystals. The mana stones were their main objective. These glowing fragments, embedded deep within certain rock formations or even inside the creatures' bodies, were incredibly valuable. The gatherers' job was to extract them carefully, making sure not to damage them.

With precise movements, Ryan took out his tools and began to extract a stone lodged in a cracked crystal. The stone, about the size of his fist, pulsed slowly with a bluish glow. When he held it in his hand, he felt a gentle warmth pass through his gloves.

"We've got one!" Daniel exclaimed, proudly holding up a similar stone.

Around them, the other gatherers worked methodically. Each stone extracted was placed into a special pouch to prevent any energy loss.

Kael and the Protectors kept watch, remaining alert despite their victory. Experience had taught them that danger could always appear when you least expected it.

Ryan focused again on his task. He spotted a second stone slightly buried in the ground, and as he unearthed it, a strange shiver ran down his spine. A bad feeling.

"Everything okay?" Daniel asked, noticing his hesitation.

Ryan glanced around. The place seemed calm. Too calm. He shook his head, brushing off his unease.

"Yeah, just a weird feeling."

He placed the stone in his bag and stood up.

The raid seemed to be going smoothly. A success.

The gatherers had already collected a satisfactory amount of mana stones, and the Protectors were beginning to organize the retreat. Kael approached the group and addressed them in a firm tone.

"We don't stay any longer. Gather the last stones and get ready to leave."

Ryan nodded, as did the others. He glanced at his phone to check the time.

That's when everything changed.

As he put his phone back in his pocket, another gatherer, distracted, accidentally bumped into him.

Ryan lost his balance for a moment, and his phone slipped from his hands.

The device hit the ground, bounced... and dangerously slid toward a second portal that was about ten meters away.

A different portal.

A type Y portal.

"No!" he shouted as he watched his phone cross the dimensional boundary and disappear into the darkness.

Without thinking, Ryan rushed toward it.

A moment later, he had crossed the threshold of the type Y portal.