Chapter 2: Epiphany

‘Same thing, once again.’ Ryan muttered as he left the Château.

Another day, another termination. This process, though mundane, was the only way for Ryan to rise up the ranks. As an agent gets promoted up a class, their salary trends up as well. But Ryan was no materialist; just a breadwinner earning money for his family, albeit in a much more niche industry.

His manager informed him that a promotion was imminent should he keep up his progress, and Ryan wasn’t letting some puny Riftwalker impede him from achieving that.

Or so he thought.

Ryan whipped out his phone to book a taxi. Katong was far from a walkable distance, despite Singapore’s miniscule size. Fumbling on a few keypresses, the now frustrated Ryan waited for his car to arrive. He pondered; considering his dinner options, and what he should get when the next paycheck arrived. A new frying pan for mom? A bidet for the family? Some games for his siblings?

His train of thought came to a halt, just as the car did. He climbed into the back seat, and the Honda Accord drove away, Katong-bound.

The one-chambered Riftwalker towered over him as Ryan stepped into the depths of the alley. Tucked away from the sunlight between two shophouses, no passersby would have otherwise noticed it, Ryan deduced.

One-chambered Riftwalkers tend to only have one human limb. Some are fitted with extra body parts based on the extent of the absorption of human energy. Ryan took a gander at the creature. It matched the description to a tee.

Class 3 agents, like Ryan, are expected to be able to handle one-chambered Riftwalkers in a one-on-one situation. This mission shouldn’t be, couldn’t be a problem for Ryan. As he gathered his rift energy, a man stumbled into the alley behind him. Ryan was tempted with the choice of following through with the termination. But he was not willing to get anyone harmed. Not on his watch.

The next few instances that unfolded was anything but what Ryan could have imagined. There he was, helpless in front of a monster that he instinctively knew he could not defeat. Worse still, it targeted the man first. Riftwalkers usually target the human with more rift energy; it should have been Ryan that took the first blow.

Ryan collected his thoughts. Prioritize the preservation of human life, or focus on removing the threat from this scenario? If the Riftwalker were to change its target, thereby removing the spike from the man, it was a given that he would die of blood loss. But if Ryan didn’t do anything to stop it, it might just inflict another lethal wound on him.

Ryan made his choice, beginning to ramp up his energy output.

“Charge Form: Ampere.”

By then, Jun had already slipped into a state of unconsciousness, passing out from his injury. The darkness coalesced, engulfing him.

Ding!

A door, akin to that of an elevator, slid open. A giant figure stood on the other side. Another Riftwalker? Jun wasn’t sure. He raised his head. Sure, it had the body of a human, but it had the face of a bull. Jun stepped through the door to face the ‘minotaur’.

“Where am I?” Jun questioned.

The beast heaved a sigh.

“Welcome to Hell.”