Lord Of Beasts

While Ethan rampaged through the Tower of Beasts from the roof of the Crowe Inc skyscraper, Kaela, Elara, and Mark certainly hadn't been sitting around doing nothing. They were quickly driven to another private jet, something the group was starting to get disturbingly used to.

At this point, travelling in luxury was beginning to feel almost normal, which was probably a sign that their lives had become far stranger than any of them had expected. Elara even had fast-food burgers from the same place where she had first eaten with Ethan prepared for the journey.

After clearing so many gates for them, the Association knew what she liked, and it was the least they could do for her.

She happily chowed down on them during the flight, clearly enjoying the familiar taste.

Mark, however, didn't have much of an appetite.

He was excited about what was to come, but beneath that excitement was an uncomfortable nervousness. Something dark seemed to be stirring inside him, something he still didn't fully understand and certainly didn't trust himself to control.

Kaela, on the other hand, had absolutely no such concerns.

She was drinking like there was no tomorrow, determined to enjoy herself before they even reached their destination. At one point, she started pressuring Mark into whipping up some fancy cocktails for her simply because she thought it would be fun.

By the time they landed in Canada, Mark looked even more uncomfortable than when they had taken off.

"I've never left the country before," he admitted as they stepped off the private jet.

"Me neither," Elara said.

Kaela raised her drink.

"Me neither, unless you count going to help out with Gates like this."

She took another sip before looking around.

"This place sucks. It's cold as shit."

Despite her complaints, she hardly seemed fazed by it.

Elara glanced at her.

"It's Canada."

"Exactly."

They were quickly met by the Canadian equivalent of the black-suited Association operatives they were accustomed to dealing with.

Except they weren't wearing black suits.

The Canadians were dressed much more casually and warmly, with thick coats and winter clothing suited to the cold region they had landed in. They greeted the group with genuine smiles and an almost excessively friendly attitude.

'They really live up to the stereotype.'

The Canadian operatives quickly escorted them toward the Gate while explaining everything they knew.

Unfortunately, there wasn't much to explain.

The Gate itself was enormous.

Even from a distance, its unstable energy was obvious, and the sheer size of the formation made it clear that this was at least a B Rank Gate. One of the Canadian operatives walked alongside them, speaking in a polite but concerned tone.

"This is one of those newly appearing Gates we've been seeing more frequently lately. They're appearing far too often, and they're much stronger than what we'd normally expect from Gates in these areas."

He adjusted his coat as they continued.

"This one's particularly troublesome. It's unstable, and it's been expanding since it appeared. We've already sent two scouting teams inside, but neither of them has come back."

He paused before adding apologetically, "We're a little short-staffed at the moment, eh? Canada doesn't have quite the same number of Titled as some of our allies, so we figured it was better to ask for a hand rather than send more people in without knowing what we're dealing with."

"That's the gist of it," another operative added. "We really do appreciate your help with this."

Kaela shrugged.

"Don't worry. We'll take care of it."

The Canadians seemed relieved.

Mark, however, wasn't listening anymore.

The closer they got to the Gate, the faster his heart began beating, three beats at a time. It raced harder and harder until the sound drowned out everything else around him. The conversations, the footsteps, the cold wind - all of it disappeared.

All Mark could hear was his own heartbeat.

His breathing became shallow, his vision blurred, and he completely zoned out.

"Don't tell me you're scared."

Kaela nudged him with her elbow.

Mark snapped back to reality.

He suddenly realised he had been holding his breath and released it in a shaky gasp. He sucked in another breath, his chest heaving as sweat formed across his forehead despite the freezing temperature.

"Are you sure he is-"

One of the Canadian operatives glanced at Mark nervously.

The man's condition was becoming difficult to ignore.

"He doesn't look so good."

Mark's body suddenly shifted.

His muscles expanded and contracted beneath his clothing as though something inside him was struggling to break free. His skin began developing a faint metallic sheen, and his breathing grew heavier.

"Mark..."

Even Elara was starting to think this might not have been a good idea.

The Canadian operatives exchanged uncertain looks.

"Maybe we should-"

Before anyone could suggest turning around or changing their plans, Kaela moved. She grabbed Mark and threw him into the Gate like the giant man was weightless.

Mark disappeared through the swirling surface.

Elara's eyes widened.

She had prepared to blink after him and catch him, but Kaela grabbed onto her before she could. Everything had been so sudden that even she was caught off guard.

"Kaela!"

The Riot Valkyrie just laughed while dragging her toward the Gate.

This wasn't recklessness.

It was intentional insanity, something she seemed to share in common with their blue-eyed friend.

She grinned.

"This is going to be so fun."

Elara didn't even bother scolding her.

There was no point.

Whatever was about to happen inside that Gate was clearly going to be crazy, and arguing with Kaela now would only waste time.

It was already in motion.

The two of them stepped through.

"See you in a bit."

Kaela waved casually at the Canadian operatives before disappearing into the Gate.

The Canadians stood there in silence.

For several seconds, none of them said anything.

They had just watched what appeared to be a completely random man get thrown into a B Rank Gate by one of their supposed allies, followed by two women who didn't seem particularly concerned about the situation.

They didn't exactly seem like the most reliable bunch.

But their power was undeniable, and it wasn't as though Canada had many better options at the moment.

One of the operatives slowly looked toward the Gate.

"I... suppose we just leave it to them."

His colleague nodded uncertainly.

"Yeah."

Neither of them sounded particularly convinced.

But whatever happened next inside that Gate would surpass even Kaela's wildest imagination...