12 Abyss Gates [1]

Five years later.

Shin had turned thirteen-years-old.

Splurt!

"Watch your back Satoshi."

"Ah, thanks Shin."

"Don't space out Satoshi."

Camilla chimed in, facing against a horde of Abysmal.

"Shin, switch!"

Camilla backstepped and Shin dashed forward, clearing the horde of Abysmals.

"Damn."

Satoshi was astonished at the two's teamwork.

This was the first time Satoshi joined them in their Abyss Raid.

As Satoshi stood in a daze, an Abysmal had managed to sneak up behind him.

"Behind you Satoshi!

Slash! Splurt!

Satoshi reflexively turned around and sliced the beast.

"Good job."

"Thanks."

"Don't celebrate too early, we still have a long way to go before we clear this gate."

Camilla pointed ahead towards the raging horde of Abysmal coming their way.

Once someone enters an Abyss Gate, they could either clear the Abysmals residing in the Gate, or ignore them and dash towards the exit portal.

Once someone enters the exit portal, there'll be an 8-second time lag before the portal closes.

So if they were to leave, they all have to leave together.

But dashing towards the exit portal while ignoring the Abysmals wasn't advisable.

Most Ascenders died this way, trying to make a hasty retreat while the Abysmals would try to stop them.

Hence it was better to mince their numbers slowly with a party.

Going solo would be a death sentence. 

There were simply too many Abysmals for a sole person to handle.

Even a 10th Star Ascender would have difficulty, and if they let their guard down…

They would die.

A party of three may not be enough in higher tiered Gates. But Shin, Camilla, and Satoshi were only raiding First Star Abyss Gates.

Plus…

They had Shin.

Camilla wasn't falling behind either, they were equal in terms of skill.

In the four years they spent, Shin was able to bridge the gap with Camilla.

They were a force to be reckoned with in the Nocturn Family.

***

After clearing the Abyss Gate, the three returned to the estate.

At the entrance, they were greeted by the house maid with a smile plastered on her face.

"Welcome back Young Mas–ters…"

She was taken aback by the sight of the three Young Masters covered in a lot of purple blood.

Ignoring her puzzled look, Camilla instructed her.

"Thank you, Teresa, could you call the House Nurse, Satoshi needs to get his injuries checked."

Compared to the two, Satoshi had suffered some minor injuries. He was less experienced after all.

"Sis, I told you, I'm fine."

"No, go get treated, that's an order."

"...Fine."

He had no choice but to agree to his sister.

At the sight of the two siblings, Shin patted Satoshi's back.

"Just listen to her Satoshi, you don't want to make Elder Sister mad."

The only way to describe Camilla was…

Scary.

Even Shin was no exception to the fear once Camilla got enraged.

Over the years, Satoshi had grown on Shin. He didn't find him annoying anymore.

The two had treated each other like they were brothers now.

Shortly after, Shin's phone audibly buzzed.

Brrrrt!

When he opened it, he found three text messages from a certain individual.

Shin's usual composed demeanor faltered, eyebrows furrowing. But he instantly fixed his expressions, just fast enough for no one to notice.

Noticing the buzz, Camilla leaned in, peering at Shin's phone.

"Is it from Alea again?"

After exchanging contacts, Shin and Alea had become chat buddies. 

Alea would constantly give updates about her life. She would also oftenly rant to Shin, or talk about random things.

Tapping his phone, he opened the message.

From: Weirdo

Hey Shin! Guess what, Father recently admitted me to the Academy even when I told him I would wait for you. Soooo annoying. 

I guess that means I'll be starting the school year before you. Maybe you should call me Senior then Hehe. I'll be waiting for you.

Hey, it's been two minutes. Why haven't you seen my message yet? Are you out raiding Gates again? That must be it right? Don't forget to text me back when you return. Stay safe!

Shin's expressions contoured to a visible frown at the ridiculous third message Alea sent.

He'd already told her ahead of time he would be raiding a gate today, which is why it peeved him so.

Reading the message with him, Camilla's lips curled into a sly smirk and lightly tugged Shin's elbow.

"Seems like someone misses you, eh?"

At Camilla's teasing, Shin coldly said,

"Ridiculous."

"Oh don't be like that Shin, you can tell how genuine that girl is."

Following his sister's example. Satoshi chimed in, tugging at Shin's elbow as well.

"Yeah Shin, for how long are you gonna keep that stone cold act– Oww!"

Shin smacked him.

It was obvious to the two siblings that Alea had a little crush on Shin.

And despite Shin's indifference about it, he knew it as well. He wasn't dense.

Shin had no idea why Alea developed a crush on him. He knew he could be considered as handsome in this world, but it still left him puzzled.

That couldn't have been the only reason.

But for him, Alea was a child.

All he could think about when the topic was brought up, was that Alea could pass off as his Daughter, given the age gap, albeit mentally.

No, it was ridiculous to think about romance in the first place.

Shin had things to do. Romance was the least of his priorities.

But despite that, the two had gotten pretty close over the years. 

Alea would often visit the Nocturn estate with her father. Giving her opportunities to interact with Shin.

Shin was quite fond of her as well, like a little sister.

Shin decided to leave her on seen for now, they haven't even gotten inside the mansion yet.

'Maybe I should start attending now too, just to surprise her.'

After deciding, Shin pulled out one of his contacts.

After finding the specific person, Shin typed out,

Hey, Uncle Jerome. I think I'm ready to start attending the academy, could you send me the forms for Satoshi and Elder Sister Camilla as well?

Sent.

At first it was awkward, but after Jerome's relentless insistence into calling him Uncle, Shin eventually gave in.

Just three-seconds after sending the text, Shin had already received three attached files.

'Is this man on his phone all day?'

Wasn't he the Headmaster of a famous Academy?

Turning around, Satoshi left to get himself treated. So it was only Camilla who was standing beside Shin.

"Hey, Elder Sister. Why don't we start attending the Academy now? Any longer and you'll be left behind by children your age."

"Are you saying I'm old?"

"Not at all, you're still fifteen. But if you start even later, you'll find yourself surrounded with children way younger than you."

Since most children would start attending the academy at twelve to thirteen, Camilla would be too old compared to her peers if she started even later.

"Okay then, when should we start attending?"

"Next week."

"Next week? What are we going to do before then?"

Shin's expressions contoured to a smirk, then said,

"One last Abyss Gate."