《GOD OF DESTRUCTION》


 THE BOY AND THE GATE

    Chapter 1 ¨C The Boy and the Gate


    At the highest reaches of the floating continent of Suez, within the divine lands where gods once walked, a storm raged across the golden skies. Thunder cracked through sacred halls. A woman cried out in pain¡ªArtemis, a goddess of will and light, shielding a fragile infant in her arms.


    "You want to protect that child?" a voice growled. "He''s nothing but a curse."


    But she held on. And in that moment of rage, the heavens split. The child fell¡ªcast down through clouds, winds, and fire¡ªfalling deeper through the realms.


    The baby¡¯s cries faded as the world turned dark.


    ---


    A teenage boy woke up with a jolt. Sweat dripped down his forehead, his eyes wide.


    ¡°Agh¡­ what the hell was that dream?¡± he whispered.


    His name was Dante Giordano. He rubbed his eyes and sat up on his old mattress. The walls around him were cracked. The light outside peeked through thin curtains.


    He swung his legs off the bed and winced. ¡°This shin splint again¡­¡±


    Opening the door, Dante stepped into the hallway of his small house in Falias, a quiet town at the edge of the Human Realm.


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    His younger brother stood by the window, arms crossed.


    ¡°Tch. Look who finally woke up. Scaredy-cat.¡±


    Dante groaned. ¡°Don¡¯t call me that.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Did you just raise your tone at me?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m your older brother, show some respect¡ª¡±


    A fist met his face. Dante stumbled back, holding his cheek as his brother, Sol, walked away.


    ¡°Tch¡­ jerk,¡± Dante muttered, wiping his face and getting dressed.


    ---


    Later that day, Dante wandered through the streets toward his friend Ronan¡¯s place. The sky was clear, birds circling overhead, when suddenly¡ª


    WEEOO! WEEOO!


    A high-pitched alarm tore through the air. People screamed and scattered.


    Dante froze. ¡°What¡¯s happening?!¡±


    Just outside the city border, a glowing vortex swirled open above the ground¡ªmassive, dark, and unstable. Armed figures in black armor¡ªRealm Slayers, also called Enforcers¡ªrushed into the breach.


    A Realm Gate had appeared.


    Dante¡¯s heart raced. He turned and sprinted down the hill to Ronan¡¯s cottage.


    Ronan opened the door. ¡°You good, man?¡±


    ¡°I¡ªI saw it! What the hell is that gate thing?¡±


    Ronan blinked. ¡°Wait, you¡¯ve never heard of a Realm Gate?¡±


    Dante shook his head.


    Ronan sighed. ¡°They¡¯ve been popping up randomly for the past few years. Nobody knows why. Some say they connect to other realms¡ªMonster Realm, Demon Realm, even the lost Nephilim lands. But the government hides most of it.¡±


    Dante was still panting. ¡°So what was that light? That portal?¡±


    ¡°Just a gate. It leads to gods-know-where. That¡¯s why the Realm Slayers exist¡ªthey go in and clear whatever¡¯s on the other side before it spills into the Human Realm.¡±


    Dante leaned against the wall, overwhelmed. ¡°I¡­ I had a weird dream. A baby falling from the sky¡­ and gods fighting. It felt real.¡±


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s a vision,¡± Ronan joked. ¡°Or maybe you hit your head.¡±


    Dante smiled faintly. ¡°I think I need to train. I¡¯m tired of being scared.¡±


    Ronan¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°You serious?¡±


    Dante nodded. ¡°Teach me some of the stuff your grandpa taught you. Martial arts, anything.¡±


    Ronan grinned. ¡°Let¡¯s start today.¡±


    ---


    In the heart of the capital, government officials gathered behind closed doors.


    President Edward Augustus stood firm. ¡°We must secure the borders. Don¡¯t let the public know the realms are real. We need to keep order. Raise taxes, expand military training. The Realm Slayers will handle the rest.¡±


    Outside, unnoticed by many, the world was shifting. The gates were growing in number. The realms¡ªonce myths¡ªwere merging again.


    And somewhere in the chaos¡­


    A scared boy named Dante Giordano had just taken his first step toward becoming a Realm Slayer.

 THE WOOL CITY AND THE SHADOWS BELOW

    Chapter 2: The Wool City and the Shadows Below


    The sun cast its golden hue on the path ahead as Ronan and Dante trudged toward the infamous Wool City, a place known for one very odd thing¡ªwool. From scarves to capes, to carpets and even... wool art?


    As they entered through the stone archway, the air turned fuzzy¡ªliterally. Strings of dyed wool hung from shop roofs, and crowds of locals traded, bargained, and bragged about their wool quality.


    Dante looked around in disbelief. "Seriously? These people are obsessed with wool?"


    Ronan smirked. "Yeah. Weird, right?"


    "But... why?"


    Ronan shrugged. "No clue. Even I think it''s kinda creepy."


    Dante sighed, stepping aside to avoid a child throwing wool balls at pigeons. ¡°So, how far to your grandfather¡¯s house?¡±


    ¡°Just a few kilometers,¡± Ronan replied.


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    Meanwhile, back in the city of Falias, Michael Giordano¡ªDante¡¯s father¡ªpaced near the window. ¡°Sol, have you seen Dante?¡±


    Sol lounged on the sofa, sipping from a juice box. ¡°No clue where that shithead went.¡±


    Michael sighed, rubbing his forehead. ¡°Where could he have gone at a time like this...?¡±


    The Realm Authority had issued a full lockdown order. A Realm Gate had opened unexpectedly, and until the Enforcers sealed it, no one was allowed to leave their homes.


    But Dante... was already kilometers away.


    Back in Wool City, the two boys finally arrived at a quaint, seaside house surrounded by sand dunes and seagulls. The air smelled of salt and old wood. As they stepped inside, the house was oddly quiet.


    ¡°Grandpa?¡± Ronan called out.


    No reply.


    Then¡ª


    ¡°HELLO!¡±


    The voice came from above. Ronan and Dante looked up and saw an old man crouching upside down on a rafter beam like a ninja goat.


    Ronan jumped. ¡°Grandpa! Don¡¯t scare us like that!¡±


    Ojjisan grinned as he dropped down like a feather. ¡°Just keepin¡¯ your reflexes sharp.¡±


    He dusted his palms. ¡°Now then¡ªready to learn some moves?¡±


    Ronan gave a thumbs up. ¡°You bet!¡±


    Ojjisan looked at Dante. ¡°And you are?¡±


    ¡°Dante Giordano, sir.¡±


    ¡°Michael¡¯s kid, eh?¡± Ojjisan squinted. ¡°You¡¯ve got his eyes. And his bad posture.¡±


    Dante smiled nervously. ¡°I get that a lot.¡±


    ¡°Well then, let¡¯s not waste time. Warm up!¡±


    The two boys began stretches, lunges, and a few jogs across the sand-covered porch. Ojjisan clapped his hands. ¡°Now, what style do you boys wanna start with?¡±


    Ronan¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Muay Thai... and maybe some BJJ! I wanna move like Tony Jaa!¡±


    Ojjisan grinned. ¡°A fine choice.¡±


    As the sun dipped lower into the sea, fists and elbows flew in practiced rhythm. Ronan and Dante trained hard¡ªevery drop of sweat proof they were evolving.


    Dante¡¯s inner voice echoed in his mind.


    We have to train... We have to become stronger. There¡¯s no other way.


    But deep beneath Wool City, under layers of forgotten sewers and locked doors, shadows stirred.


    A man stood with three others in a damp, torch-lit chamber. His face was calm, yet his eyes shimmered with madness.


    ¡°It¡¯s time,¡± he said.


    His name was Hikaru.


    And above him... the wool market bustled, unaware of the chaos creeping closer.

 THE FLOW AWAKENS

    Chapter 2: The Flow Awakens


    The morning sun cast a warm glow over the beachside house as Dante and Ronan continued their training under the watchful eyes of Ojjisan. They had practiced stances, strikes, and defensive movements, their sweat mixing with the salty sea breeze.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Ojjisan clapped his hands, grabbing their attention. ¡°We¡¯ve warmed up enough. Now¡­ let¡¯s move on to the main job.¡±


    Ronan tilted his head, wiping sweat from his forehead. ¡°Main job? What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Dante echoed, his curiosity piqued. ¡°What job are you talking about?¡±


    Ojjisan¡¯s expression turned serious. He looked toward the ocean, his voice calm but heavy. ¡°FLOW.¡±


    Both boys blinked.


    ¡°Flow?¡± Ronan repeated, puzzled.


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    Ojjisan nodded. ¡°Flow is the fundamental energy that runs through everything in the universe. It¡¯s more than strength, more than magic¡ªit¡¯s life itself. Every living being has Flow within them, but only a few ever awaken it.¡±


    ¡°So¡­¡± Ronan raised an eyebrow. ¡°You mean it¡¯s like superpowers?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Ojjisan said with a grin. ¡°But far more complex. Flow is not just a power¡ªit¡¯s your soul¡¯s resonance with the universe. If you learn to control it, you can do things beyond imagination. If it goes out of control, it can consume you.¡±


    Dante stepped forward. ¡°So¡­ how do we awaken it?¡±


    Ojjisan turned, walking toward a set of ancient-looking doors on the side of the house. ¡°That¡¯s what we¡¯re going to find out. Follow me.¡±


    As the doors creaked open, a wave of strange energy flowed out. The room beyond was circular, filled with glowing symbols and old scrolls. In the center stood a massive crystal, pulsing with soft light.


    ¡°This is a Flow Chamber,¡± Ojjisan explained. ¡°Step inside. If Flow exists within you, it will react. If not¡­ well, let¡¯s hope that¡¯s not the case.¡±


    Ronan looked nervous. Dante took a deep breath and stepped forward.


    This is it, he thought. If I really want to protect those I care about¡­ I need power. Real power.


    He placed his hand on the crystal.


    The moment he did, the chamber exploded with light. Wind roared, and the floor trembled.


    ¡°WHAT¡¯S HAPPENING?!¡± Ronan shouted.


    Ojjisan¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°This¡­ this is not normal. His Flow¡ªit¡¯s overwhelming the crystal!¡±


    A massive surge of energy burst from the crystal, knocking both Ronan and Ojjisan back. Dante¡¯s eyes glowed faintly. A mark had appeared on the back of his hand¡ªshaped like a swirling flame wrapped in a spiral.


    Ojjisan stood slowly, stunned. ¡°That¡­ that mark¡­ That¡¯s the Sign of Ruin.¡±


    Ronan looked at Dante in awe. ¡°What the hell are you, man?¡±


    Dante looked at his glowing hand, feeling a power he''d never known rise within him. ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ but I think this is just the beginning.¡±