Gaia: Urqell, Shadow of the Hunt.

Gaia: Unregistered Territory. Highest Classification. Some time earlier.

Grengg… Grengg… Grengg…!

The alarm blared loudly, shattering the silence. "A magnificent palace revealed itself-rigid in architecture, towering and oppressive. Its walls were filled with ancient carvings, as if every corner concealed flawless surveillance.

Tap… tap… tap…!

Hurried footsteps echoed through a long corridor, heading toward a chamber with towering twin doors. Two formally dressed men stopped precisely at the threshold of the room. Without hesitation, they knelt.

“Elder,” they spoke in unison.

“We received an alarm signal. An anomalous energy signature was detected from the Katsushika region, Japan. It appeared at 16:06, December 1st, 2008.”

Before them stood a massive work desk carved with intricate patterns.

Tek… Tek… Tek…

The silhouette of an index finger tapped its surface in a calm rhythm.

“Which radar… triggered the alarm?” The voice was quiet. Relaxed. Too relaxed.

“LIGO… Strain scale,” they replied. The two exchanged a brief glance. “Dimensionless Strain (h).”

“The value?” The tapping finger stopped, the voice calm-too calm.

The two men swallowed, answering with their heads bowed deeply.

“h ≈ 10⁻¹.”

The room instantly froze. A pair of eyes within the dim light shifted, looking at them without emotion.

Then the voice was heard again, this time absolute, leaving no room for refusal. “Dispatch one Urqell. Conduct an investigation and… secure the subject.”

“Understood… One Urqell will be assigned immediately.” The two officers stepped back, still kneeling, until the massive doors slowly closed behind them.

***

Meanwhile, inside a warm house filled with the aroma of food from the dining table.

Ting… tring… terk…

The clinking of glass and metal on the dining table rang clearly. Jōgan devoured his dinner hungrily, as if he had not touched food for the past three days. Rika and Riko exchanged glances, curious.

“Mh… big brother, how was your match today?” Riko asked, her voice full of curiosity.

“You look like someone who hasn’t eaten for three days,” Rika added firmly, staring at Jōgan.

“Huh… Rika, Riko, just focus on your food,” Hugo replied, leaning casually against the kitchen cabinet, blowing cigarette smoke toward the ceiling.

“Mhh… tonight’s menu is delicious, and I burned too many calories from the basketball match earlier,” Jōgan answered, his mouth full of rice.

In the background, a news broadcast could be heard, the reporter’s voice announcing that a train had derailed and crashed into a barrier.

Jōgan paused for a moment, his mouth still full, his eyes staring at the television screen. His throat swallowed the food that had not even been chewed.

“You won’t find the real chronology in the news or on the internet,” Hugo said, his face remaining calm.

“I-it should have been that train-!” Jōgan had not finished his sentence when loud knocking was heard at the door.

Druak ~ dokk… dokk!

The door was knocked roughly and urgently, shattering the warmth of the dinner.

“Huh… it must be them…” Hugo said casually as he walked toward the door. “Welcome… you two damn brats,” he greeted warmly, opening the door wide with a relaxed smile.

“JŌGANNN…!!” Zulo and Kaito shouted in unison, shoving their way inside.

At the dining table, Jōgan, Rika, and Riko froze. Their eyes blinked several times, trying to process what had just happened.

“Ahh… ahh… ahh…” Kaito’s breath came out in gasps, his body half-kneeling as he struggled with exhaustion.

“E-eh… there he is… Jōgan!!” Zulo and Kaito shouted almost at the same time. Without any warning, the two of them ran toward the dining table.

Bruak!

Zulo and Kaito’s bodies slammed into Jōgan, knocking him down together with the chair and the dining utensils.

“Ahh! Jōgan, are you alright?!” Kaito shouted, his voice almost crying.

“We were really worried about you, champ! After you left the railway crossing!” Zulo added while hugging both Jōgan and Kaito at the same time.

Plak..plak..plak..!

Jōgan’s hands frantically tapped Zulo’s arm. His face turned red, his breath trapped under the weight and the overwhelming embrace.

“L-let go… let go…!” Jōgan’s voice came out faintly, almost choking.

“Yo… if you two keep doing that, I’ll have to order a coffin for him soon,” Hugo commented casually while sitting in his dining chair.

“MOVE ASIDE!!” Jōgan pushed Zulo and Kaito away with all his strength. “Aa-! Damn it! Are you trying to kill me?!” he shouted irritably while catching his breath.

“S-sorry, Jōgan…” Kaito sniffled, his trembling voice accompanying him as he adjusted his glasses. “We were worried when you left the railway crossing. We thought you were injured or dying. Uwahh…”

“Mm… that’s right,” Zulo nodded firmly, both of his hands resting on his chest, his face serious.

“Eehh… You’re the ones, who almost killed me just now!” Jōgan replied emotionally, still trying to steady his breathing.

***

Meanwhile, at the dark railway crossing.

The railway tracks appeared clean and silent, as if nothing had ever happened there. A false silence, in stark contrast to the astonishing event that had occurred several hours earlier.

Herrr ~ grokk..!

The sound of heavy breathing could be heard, accompanied by thin vapor escaping from a terrifying figure.

Beside the tracks stood a tall, massive silhouette. Silent, unmoving.

A pair of blood-red eyes stared sharply toward the rails, as if piercing through the remnants of energy that had almost completely faded.

Ngrok ~ rrrggg..!

The vibration of its breathing sounded heavy, like a hunter that had lost the trail of its prey, yet could still smell a faint lingering scent.

Slowly, the creature’s face turned toward the north. The hood of its robe shifted with the movement, revealing a scaly face with a rough structure. Sharp fangs protruded as its lips curved, forming a thin smile filled with malicious intent.

No words were spoken, yet its intention was clear.

Bruakk ~ Brugh!

Heavy footsteps slammed against the ground, growing faster and farther from the crossing.

The figure shot into the darkness, like a shadow of death that had just found the direction of its hunt.

***

Back at the warm house in the Katsushika area.

Trek… tring… tring…

The clinking sounds of spoons and plates echoed, mixed with the nearly nonstop noise of enthusiastic chewing.

Riko blinked several times. “E… are we holding an eating contest here?” she asked innocently, still staring.

“Hmm… it seems like there are three starving people at our table,” Rika replied calmly, without shifting her gaze.

“Men are supposed to eat heartily,” Hugo said while leaning lazily. “Large portions are necessary for calorie needs and muscle training.”

Across the table, Jōgan, Kaito, and Zulo were almost impossible to see. Their faces were hidden behind plates, their hands moving quickly as they ate without pause.

“Th-thank you, Uncle Hugo… the food is very delicious,” Kaito said with a mouth full of food, almost choking.

“I hope… we are not causing trouble,” Zulo added, struggling to push a large piece of octopus into his mouth.

“Aaah… I’m full,” Jōgan said in relief, leaning back in his chair.

“I thought big brother would go for an eighth serving?” Rika teased, already losing her appetite.

“I-I left a little space for dessert…” Jōgan replied with a chuckle. His hand patted his stomach until it made a sound, Pluk!

“Huh… after eating,” Hugo exhaled cigarette smoke toward the kitchen ceiling. “The task of washing the dishes and cleaning the table, belongs to the three of you.” He pointed at Jōgan, Kaito, and Zulo with the tip of his cigarette.

“Understood, Uncle!” Kaito replied enthusiastically, raising his hand high into the air.

“Well then, since today Jōgan just created quite a surprise at the railway crossing,” he said with a proud face while opening the refrigerator. “I made caramel pudding with matcha ice cream.”

“Waaah…!”

Jōgan, Kaito, and Zulo’s voices rang out almost at the same time, their faces filled with amazement and drool forming at the corners of their lips.

“Huh…” Hugo exhaled cigarette smoke toward the ceiling, then continued his sentence.

“Enjoy it, you three bra-!”

Suddenly, his eyes narrowed. Hugo’s gaze shifted sharply toward the door. In one swift motion, he spun his body. The dessert tray slipped from his grip, shattering against the floor with a sound too soft for the violence that followed.

Both of Hugo’s hands immediately formed a triangular symbol.

“Barrier Ves-!”

Blue light ignited instantly.

A transparent layer of energy formed from the symbol, expanding rapidly, covering almost the entire space of the house.

BRUAKKKKK~!!

An explosion of gamma energy slammed into the wall of the house, flattening the front wall in a single brutal blast. The air pressure that slipped past the blue layer struck the dining table.

The bodies of Zulo, Kaito, Riko, and Rika were thrown backward.

With a reflex almost like instinct, Jōgan wrapped his arms around Riko and Rika, twisting his body to shield them from crashing into the wall behind.

Hugo clenched his teeth, glancing briefly toward the back.

“Tch… My instincts, have grown dull.” He muttered softly. Hugo gaze then returned straight ahead.

Beneath the room’s lights that had already gone out, a tall, massive silhouette slowly moved, emerging through the shadows.

Brukk ~ Brughh!

The sound of heavy footsteps echoed, drawing closer to the shattered wall of the room. When the light from a single lamp still burning touched its body, the creature’s form became clear.

A creature nearly three meters tall, its body filled with dense muscles wrapped in rough, scaly skin. Veins bulged along its arms and neck. A pair of blood-red eyes stared straight into the house, cold and devoid of human emotion. Sharp fangs protruded as its lips curled upward, forming a thin, terrifying smile. At the center of its forehead, a single horn rose upward, cracked as if it had once struck something extremely hard.

Hugo showed no sign of surprise, as if this was not the first time he had faced such a being. Calmly, almost flatly, he spoke a single word.

“Chi… Urqell.”