The heavy metallic sound of the test chamber latch muffled Asher's every step while the colder, reinforced, metal door clanged itself shut behind him. The room was big, sterile and empty — except for armed enforcers behind thick glass walls.
At the far end of the chamber, the woman of the Hunter's Guild—Seraphine Vael—stood before a control panel, eyeing him with a sharp and calculating stare.
"Because it's Asher Vale," she said over the speakers. "This test is mandatory. You will comply, or you will be registered as an unregistered anomaly."
Her voice held no warmth. No room for negotiation.
Asher stepped forward and cracked his shoulders, smirking slightly. "Yeah, yeah. Get on with it."
Seraphine's eyes narrowed, though she did not react otherwise. A robotic voice suddenly filled the chamber as she tapped the screen before her.
"Inital Combat Assessment."
"Subject: Asher Vale."
"Threat Level: Unknown."
Metal panels in the walls jammed open with a heavy grinding sound. The humanoid drones in the black armor that walked out o there were shined black.
Each wielded a different weapon: one, twin blades, another, a reinforced shield, the last, an energy rifle.
Seraphine's voice cut through again. "It's Combat Units that are C-Rank, used to train elite Hunters. You will engage them at full strength. If you hesitate, the system will notice. If you lose, you fail. If you die… well, let's hope that doesn't happen."
The robotic voice spoke again.
"Combat Test—Begin."
Asher didn't hesitate.
The instant the command came, the first drone struck—twin blades arcing toward him in a lethal, well-calibrated arc.
His body moved instinctively.
He ducked below the strike, turning his torso just enough so that the blade sailed over his shoulder. His foot slipped forward, and with a sudden turn he thrust his elbow into the side plating of the drone.
CRACK.
The metal crumpled inward and the drone stumbled back.
But he wasn't done.
Asher whirled, gripped the wrist of the other drone — the one with the shield — before it could bring its guard up. Then he wrenched it forward, using its own momentum to smash it into the third drone.
The impact sent both of them crashing into the wall.
The enforcers, watching through the glass, murmured in shock.
Seraphine's expression was neutral, but Asher could see how her fingers tapped against the console—calculating.
The energy rifle drone recovered first. It thickened its weapon with a low hum as it charged.
Asher exhaled.
The force within him flared—not mana, not Awakened energy based off of a system. Something entirely new.
It was throbbing under his flesh, animalistic, wild.
And when the drone opened fire, his body acted quicker than his brain.
BOOM.
The energy bolt ripped through the air — but Asher was gone.
A blur of motion.
Just a second before, he had stood in the path of the blast. The next, he was in front of the drone, his hand around its neck.
Before the machine had time to react, he drove it into the earth, the raw force of his impact sending splinters of cracked ground spraying across the floor.
The room fell silent.
The final drone twitched as its internal systems crashed.
"Combat Test Completed."
"Analyzing Results..."
Asher sat up straight and rolled his shoulders. His breathing was calm, his heartbeat barely accelerated.
He had hardly even skimmed the surface of the power he drew from the Rift.
The glass doors parted, revealing Seraphine in the chamber; though her expression offered little. Behind her, a team of armed Hunters stood at attention — just in case.
Asher smirked. They were nervous.
Good.
Seraphine paused a few feet from him, studying him. Finally, she spoke.
"That… was not normal."
Asher raised an eyebrow. "Well, neither am I."
She didn't respond to his sarcasm. "You move so quickly for someone who hasn't Awakened. Your hits are precise, calculated—like your body is adjusting on the fly. And that power…"
She tilted her head. "It's not mana. It's not system-based. It's something else."
Asher remained silent.
Seraphine looked to the broken shells of the drones. "You ingested something from that Rift, didn't you?"
Asher's smirk widened. "And now why would you ask that?"
She exhaled slowly. "Because I've been down this road before."
Asher narrowed his eyes a little. That was new.
"Ruffian," Seraphine said, her tone dropping. "There are others like you. People who have entered the wrong Rift… and emerged transformed."
The air between them grew thick.
Asher thought he was the only one dealing with this. That his was a special case.
But if Seraphine had seen… others like him…
So this wasn't solely about him either."
This was larger than he envisioned.
She stepped closer, the silver of her eyes keen. "I'm not sure what you are, Vale." But I do know one thing."
Her voice dipped low enough only he could hear.
"You're dangerous. And the Guild doesn't like things that they can't control."
Asher held her gaze. He took the warning to heart.
The Guild didn't trust him.
And if he couldn't be controlled…
They'd try to eliminate him.
Seraphine recoiled, her professional visage reemerging. She looked around at the enforcers. "Results from testing are indeterminate. For now, catalogue him as an unclassified anomaly.'"
One of the enforcers hesitated. "Should we—?"
Seraphine cut him off. "No. Not yet." She turned back to Asher one last time. "He'll be useful for now."
Asher grinned, thrusting his hands into his pockets. "Wow. I'm honored."
She ignored him. "Congrats, your Freelancer status was pre-approved. You're a free entity to operate — for now. But you'll be watched."
She turned to leave. But before crossing the threshold, she hesitated.
"Oh, and Vale?"
Asher tilted his head.
"If I was you, I'd start looking behind my back."
Then she was gone.
The Weight of Power
Asher sighed, the tension easing in the room. The enforcers exited, leaving him alone in the testing chamber.
The Guild had questions.
And now, so did he.
Others like him…?
Rifts that might transform people…?
He clenched his fists. Whatever had happened to him — whatever he had become — it was not an accident.
The Rifts were somehow something more, and there was something the Guild wasn't telling him.
And he was going to find out what.
Stepping out into the cold night air, he promised himself silently.
As if the Guild wanted to see him…
They had better be prepared for what he was about to do next.