The name behind the gate
Tokyo, Japan — Present Day
Kōsei Academy
Ren Sato's shoes squeaked against the polished linoleum floors of Kōsei Academy, a sprawling institution where modern glass architecture clashed with old Shinto shrines nestled in its courtyards. The whispers followed him—arsonist orphan, cursed boy—but he kept his head down, clutching the strap of his bag where Hiroshi's journal lay hidden.
At lunch, he retreated to the rooftop, a habit he'd formed to avoid the bullies. Today, though, the door creaked open. Kiyomi Hara leaned against the frame, her black ribbon fluttering in the wind. "You're like a stray cat," she said, tossing him an onigiri. "Hiding doesn't make you safe."
Ren caught it, wary. "Why do you care?"
She sat beside him, her gaze piercing. "That pendant. It's… alive. And it's tied to the Nine Gates."
Ren stiffened. "What do you know about the Gates?"
"Enough to know you're in over your head." She flicked a cherry blossom petal off her sleeve. "My grandmother was a miko. She spoke of a man who's guarded the 9th Gate for centuries. Calls himself Wang Longtian. But names are masks, Ren Sato."
---
Hiroshi's Journal
That night, Ren pored over the journal by flashlight. Anna worked the night shift, leaving him alone with the whispers of his pendant.
Entry 67:
The sovereign path is a lot .Wang Longtian is no deity—he's a man. A man who abandoned his name, Akira Takahashi, to become a god. He slaughtered his clan to steal the 9th Gate's power. Now he hoards it, fearing the day a true Sovereign rises.
Ren's breath hitched. Akira Takahashi. The name echoed in his skull, familiar yet alien.
A sketch filled the margin: a man with white hair and eyes like cracked ice, standing before a gate of swirling shadows. Beneath it, Hiroshi's scrawl:
"The 9th Gate demands balance. Akira chose Entropy. I pray my son chooses Stasis."
---
The Academy's Secret
The next day, Ren's history teacher, Mr. Yukimura, lectured on Edo-era myths. "Legends speak of the Nine Gates, thresholds between realms. The first eight test the body and soul. The ninth…" He paused, eyeing Ren. "…grants godhood. But guardianship comes at a price—eternity."
A girl with dyed-blue hair raised her hand. "Is it true the last guardian went mad?"
Mr. Yukimura's gaze darkened. "Guardians don't go mad. They become the Gate."
After class, Ren lingered. "Sensei… what happens if someone opens the 9th Gate?"
The teacher stiffened. "They rewrite reality. But the cost is… unspeakable."
---
Anna's Fear
At home, Anna found the journal.
"Ren, what is this?" Her voice trembled as she flipped through Hiroshi's entries. "Your father died chasing these delusions!"
"They're not delusions!" Ren snapped, the pendant flaring. Shadows writhed in the corners of the room.
Anna stepped back, horrified. "You sound like him."
---
The Vision
That night, the pendant dragged Ren into a dream.
He stood before the obsidian gate, its surface reflecting a thousand fractured versions of himself. The shadowed figure from Chapter 1 emerged—Akira Takahashi, his white hair glowing like moonlight.
"You found my name," Akira said, smiling. "Clever boy. But names have power. Now I see you."
Ren woke screaming, his room frozen in a cocoon of ice.
End hook:
In Kyoto, Akira Takahashi traced Ren's name on the ancient scroll. The ink bled black, spreading like cracks in glass. "Stasis or Entropy, Ren Sato?" he mused. "Choose wisely… or I'll choose for you."