Chris lay flat on his narrow bed, his body sunk into the thin mattress as if the weight of the world pressed him down. The room was quiet except for the faint hum of distant traffic and the soft ticking of an old wall clock that had survived more gate incidents than he cared to remember. His heavy eyelids struggled to stay open, yet sleep refused to take him. Instead, his eyes remained fixed on the ceiling above, tracing the long cracks that ran across it like scars left by time and neglect.
At thirty years old, Chris had the build of a man who should have stood confidently among others. He was six feet two inches tall, with long limbs and a solid frame shaped by years of physical labor rather than proper combat training. His black hair fell naturally around his face, usually unstyled, often messy after long shifts. His features were sharp and well balanced, the kind people casually described as handsome, though there was nothing flashy about him. He was not the sort of man who drew attention simply by entering a room. His appeal was quiet, almost unnoticeable, overshadowed by the exhaustion etched permanently into his eyes.
Those eyes now reflected nothing but frustration.
"Why am I not meant for more?" he murmured quietly, his voice barely louder than a breath.
He had done everything right. Or at least, he had tried to. When the System Change reshaped the world, Chris had thrown himself into training like everyone else. He endured evaluations, gate assignments, and endless reexaminations. He pushed his body beyond its limits, hoping that effort alone would be enough.
It was not.
Seven years had passed since his awakening, and he was still trapped at F-rank. The lowest classification. A rank so insignificant that most people barely considered it awakened at all. No matter how hard he trained or how many low risk gates he entered, his status never changed.
Others rose. He remained where he started.
Because of that, survival became a constant struggle. After the gates became common, everything grew more expensive. Rent doubled. Food prices climbed. Medical care became a luxury. F-rank awakened earned just enough to scrape by, far less than anyone capable of actual combat.
To keep food on the table, Chris worked extra shifts whenever he could. Cleanup operations. Post-clearance retrievals. Guard rotations no one else wanted. If it paid, he took it.
All for one reason.
His sister.
If the gates had never appeared, his life would have followed a completely different path. He would have been a doctor by now. He remembered the nights spent studying before the world fell apart, memorizing anatomy, dreaming of hospital halls instead of ruined streets. He wanted to heal people, not scavenge remains from monsters that should not exist.
That future died alongside his parents.
They had been among the early awakened, answering calls for help during the first monster outbreak. There were no systems, no ranks, no strategies back then. Only fear and desperation. His parents never returned from that mission. Their deaths left Chris as the head of the family overnight, responsible for his younger sister in a world that offered no mercy to the weak.
She was in college now, one of the few institutions still standing strong. Tuition alone was crushing, not to mention books, transportation, and daily expenses. Chris paid for all of it. He never complained to her. Never let her see how close he often came to breaking.
"I should have had a family by now," he whispered. "A real life."
Instead, survival consumed everything.
The sudden vibration of his phone broke the silence. Chris turned his head and reached for it, blinking as he brought the screen into focus. He answered without checking the name.
"Hello?"
A deep, gravelly voice responded. The voice belonged to a man in his fifties, worn down by age and battle. It carried authority, confidence, and the calm of someone who had survived more gate raids than most men could count.
"What's up, buddy?" the man said. "Are busy today?"
Chris exhaled slowly. "Depends on what you need uncle Tom."
"I'm in District Five," the man continued. "There's a job. Good pay. Bigger cut than usual. Thought you might want in."
Chris hesitated, already knowing the answer he would give.
"Can we meet today?" the man added. "Face to face."
Silence followed. Chris stared at the ceiling again, weighing risk against necessity. He could not afford to turn down work.
"Alright," he said at last. "Give me an hour. Send the address."
"Good," the man replied, satisfaction clear in his tone. "See you soon."
The call ended.
Chris remained still for a moment longer, phone resting against his chest. "Here we go again," he muttered.
He was part of a five man group, loosely assembled around a fifty year old C-rank awakened who acted as the team's core. The man had power, experience, and connections. The only reason Chris was allowed to stay was because of that connection. Even then, most of the group treated him like excess weight.
At least this team paid him properly. That alone kept him coming back.
Chris checked the time. 7:00 a.m.
"Better get moving."
He forced himself out of bed, took a quick shower, and dressed in worn but clean clothes suitable for light gate work. By 7:30, he was already in the small kitchen. He grabbed five slices of bread from the counter, spreading a thin layer of paste across each one. It was not much, but it would keep him going.
As he ate, soft footsteps approached.
His sister emerged from her room, still wearing her pajamas, her hair slightly messy from sleep. She rubbed her eyes before noticing him.
"You're up already?" she asked, sitting beside him and reaching for a slice of bread.
"Yeah," Chris replied. "Just another job."
She spread paste on her bread slowly, then glanced at him. "Where are you going today?"
"To work."
Her hands paused. Her expression shifted immediately, worry flashing across her face. Her shoulders tensed, and her lips pressed together.
"…A gate?" she asked quietly.
Chris hesitated, then nodded. "It's already cleared. Just retrieval work."
She lowered her gaze. "You know you're the only family I have."
He smiled gently. "I know. I'll be careful."
After a moment, she nodded. "Okay, brother."
Neither of them knew that this gate would be different from every one Chris had entered before.
And that his story was about to change forever.