Chapter 1 The Judas Awakening
Chapter 1 — The Judas Awakening
There are places in the world that people are never supposed to find.
Places that do not appear on maps never
Places that governments deny ever existed.
And sometimes...
People disappear inside them.
For years, strange disappearances had been reported around an abandoned underground research facility beneath the outskirts of a small American town.
Most people blamed unstable tunnels.
Some blamed gas leaks.
A few believed the place was cursed.
The truth was far worse.
Because beneath the earth, behind layers of concrete and steel, something had been waiting.
Something that had been waiting for a human soul to open the door.
---
The old research station had been abandoned for more than twenty years.
Its corridors were dark, its walls covered in dust, and the emergency lights had long since stopped working.
The only sound came from the occasional drip of water somewhere in the darkness.
Then—
CLANG.
A metal door slammed shut.
Two young men stood inside the abandoned station.
The first was Adrian Cole.
Tall, calm, and almost unnervingly composed, Adrian looked around the underground corridor without showing much fear.
Beside him stood his longtime friend, Mason Reed.
Unlike Adrian, Mason looked terrified.
"Adrian..."
His voice echoed through the empty corridor.
"Tell me we're not actually trapped down here."
Adrian glanced at him.
"We're not trapped."
Mason stared at the locked door behind them.
"Then why won't the door open?"
Adrian walked toward it and examined the control panel.
Dead.
No electricity.
No signal.
No emergency lights.
Nothing.
Mason swallowed.
"This place was supposed to be completely abandoned."
"It is."
"Then why did the lights turn on when we entered?"
Adrian didn't answer.
That was the strange part.
They had only come inside because Mason had heard about an old laboratory beneath the town.
According to the rumors, the government had shut it down after an unexplained accident.
They had expected broken equipment and empty rooms.
They hadn't expected the entire facility to suddenly power itself up.
Mason took a step closer.
"Maybe we should leave."
Adrian looked down the corridor.
At the end of it was a large metal door.
A faint red light was glowing above it.
RESTRICTED AREA — LEVEL ZERO
Adrian's eyes narrowed.
"Let's see what's behind that."
Mason stared at him.
"Are you insane?"
"Probably."
Adrian walked forward.
Mason cursed under his breath and followed.
Neither of them noticed the thin black mist beginning to seep from beneath the door.
---
The door opened by itself.
HSSSSSS...
Cold air spilled into the corridor.
Beyond it was a circular chamber.
At the center stood a massive glass cylinder.
Inside the cylinder was nothing.
At least...
It looked like nothing.
Mason slowly approached.
"What is this?"
Adrian stepped beside him.
The glass was covered with strange symbols.
They didn't look like any language Adrian had ever seen.
Then the lights inside the chamber turned red.
BEEP.
BEEP.
BEEP.
Mason stepped backward.
"Adrian..."
The symbols on the glass began moving.
"What the hell is happening?"
Adrian stared at the cylinder.
For the first time that night, his expression changed.
Not fear.
Interest.
Then a voice came from somewhere inside the room.
Not through speakers.
Not through the walls.
It sounded as though someone had whispered directly into their minds.
"Two suitable vessels detected."
Mason froze.
"What was that?"
Adrian looked around.
"Did you hear it?"
"Yes."
The red lights suddenly went out.
Complete darkness swallowed the chamber.
Then—
BOOM!
Something struck the glass from the inside.
Mason screamed.
The glass cracked.
A second impact followed.
BOOM!
Cracks spread across the entire cylinder.
Mason grabbed Adrian's arm.
"We're leaving!"
Adrian didn't move.
The glass shattered.
But nothing came out.
Instead, a black sphere appeared in the air.
It slowly expanded.
The room began to distort around it.
The floor twisted.
The walls stretched.
Gravity disappeared.
Mason's feet lifted from the ground.
"ADRIAN!"
Adrian reached for him.
Their fingers almost touched.
Then the darkness swallowed them both.
---
Adrian opened his eyes.
He was lying on stone.
His first thought was that he had survived the fall.
His second thought was that there shouldn't be a sky underground.
He slowly sat up.
The sky above him was red.
Not sunset red.
Blood red.
A gigantic crimson moon hung in the distance, surrounded by clouds that looked like smoke from a burning world.
Adrian stared silently.
The underground facility was gone.
So was Earth.
He stood.
The landscape around him was a graveyard.
Broken towers rose from the black earth.
Ancient structures made from dark stone and twisted metal stood half-destroyed in the distance.
Bones were scattered everywhere.
Some were human.
Others were not.
A strange liquid bubbled between the cracks in the ground.
Adrian took one slow breath.
The air smelled of ash.
And blood.
"Where..."
Mason's voice came from behind him.
"Where the hell are we?"
Adrian turned.
Mason was sitting on the ground, staring at the red sky.
His face had lost all color.
"This isn't possible."
Adrian said nothing.
Mason grabbed his jacket.
"We were underground!"
"I know."
"There was no way out!"
"I know."
"So where are we?!"
Before Adrian could answer—
TING!
A metallic sound echoed through the wasteland.
A translucent red screen appeared in front of them.
Mason jumped backward.
"What is that?"
The screen flickered.
Then words appeared.
«[WELCOME TO BLACKGATE]
[LEVEL 1 — THE WASTELAND]
[SECTOR: RED CROSSROADS]
[SURVIVAL BARRIER ACTIVATED]
[DURATION: 02:00:00]»
Mason stared at the screen.
"Blackgate?"
Another message appeared.
«[WARNING]
[THE NIGHT HUNT WILL BEGIN WHEN THE BARRIER EXPIRES.]
[SURVIVE.]
[EVOLVE.]
[OR DIE.]»
Mason looked at Adrian.
"This has to be some kind of experiment."
Adrian remained silent.
He was studying the barrier.
A faint golden dome had formed around them.
Twenty meters in every direction.
Outside it...
Something moved.
Mason slowly turned.
At first, he saw one creature.
Then five.
Then dozens.
They crawled from the ruins.
Their bodies were a grotesque combination of insect and human.
Six feet tall.
Black armored shells.
Long limbs.
Twisted human-like torsos.
Their jaws were lined with sharp teeth.
Yellow saliva dripped from their mouths.
They surrounded the barrier.
One of them scratched the invisible wall.
SCRAAAAATCH.
Mason stepped backward.
"Oh God..."
Another creature slammed into the barrier.
BOOM!
The entire dome shook.
Mason's voice trembled.
"Those things are going to kill us."
Adrian looked at the countdown.
01:59:21
"Yes."
Mason stared at him.
"That's all you have to say?"
Adrian looked toward the horizon.
About five hundred meters away stood a fortress.
Unlike the ruined structures around it, the fortress was intact.
Tall stone walls.
Iron gates.
Lanterns burning along the battlements.
A place designed to keep something out.
Or people in.
Adrian pointed toward it.
"We're going there."
Mason looked at the creatures.
"And how exactly do you plan to do that?"
A new System window appeared.
«[PLAYER EVALUATION COMPLETE]
[PLAYER: MASON REED]
[TRAIT ACQUIRED: HIGH-SPEED RUNNER — TIER 0]
[PLAYER: ADRIAN COLE]
[EQUIPMENT ACQUIRED: IRON BLADE]
[MASTERY ACQUIRED: NOVICE SWORDSMAN]»
A heavy iron sword appeared in Adrian's hand.
Mason looked at his legs.
A strange blue energy was flowing through his muscles.
"My legs..."
Adrian tested the sword.
"It's simple."
Mason stared at him.
"What?"
"You run."
Adrian pointed toward the fortress.
"I'll kill anything that gets close."
Mason shook his head.
"We won't make it."
Adrian looked directly into his eyes.
"We will."
"How do you know?"
Adrian's expression softened.
"Because I won't let you die."
Mason believed him.
That was his first mistake.
---
The countdown reached its final minute.
The creatures outside became more aggressive.
00:00:45
Mason crouched.
Adrian climbed onto his back.
"Ready?"
"No."
"Good."
Mason looked at him.
"What?"
"Fear keeps you moving."
00:00:10
The barrier began to flicker.
00:00:05
00:00:04
00:00:03
00:00:02
00:00:01
00:00:00
The barrier disappeared.
For half a second, everything was silent.
Then Adrian shouted—
"RUN!"
Mason exploded forward.
His new ability turned him into a blur.
The first creature jumped toward them.
BOOM!
Mason smashed directly through it.
Black blood sprayed across the ground.
«[KILL CONFIRMED]
[MUTATED CRAWLER]
[EXPERIENCE AWARDED TO MASON REED]»
Mason's speed increased.
Another creature attacked.
Adrian swung his sword.
SLASH!
The creature's arm fell to the ground.
Another came from the side.
Adrian cut through its neck.
They continued running.
Three hundred meters.
Four hundred.
The fortress was close.
Only fifty meters remained.
Then—
Mason's foot caught something.
CRACK!
His ankle twisted violently.
He fell.
Adrian was thrown onto the ground but immediately stood.
Mason grabbed his leg.
"Adrian!"
His ankle was broken.
"Help me!"
Adrian looked toward the fortress.
Only forty meters.
Then he looked back at Mason.
His friend was reaching for him.
"Please..."
Mason's voice trembled.
"We're almost there."
Adrian stared at his hand.
Something inside him went completely still.
Then he stepped over Mason.
Mason's eyes widened.
"Adrian?"
Adrian didn't answer.
He continued running.
"ADRIAN!"
The creatures were already behind them.
Mason screamed.
"PLEASE!"
Adrian didn't look back.
The monsters reached Mason.
Three of them attacked at once.
His scream disappeared beneath the sound of tearing flesh.
Adrian kept running.
Ten meters.
Five.
The fortress gate opened.
He slipped inside.
BOOM!
The iron gate slammed shut.
The creatures crashed against it.
Adrian leaned against the wall.
His breathing was calm.
He looked at the dirt on his shoes.
Then he quietly wiped it away.
Mason had been his friend for years.
But friendship had a limit.
Survival didn't.
And Adrian had already learned the first rule of Blackgate.
Anyone who slows you down becomes a liability.
---
"Did you come alone?"
A woman's voice came from above.
Adrian looked up.
A young woman stood on the stone staircase.
Blue energy surrounded her hand.
Behind her stood a large man with broad shoulders and sharp, animal-like eyes.
The woman was Claire Morgan.
The man was Marcus Hale.
Claire kept her hand raised.
"Who are you?"
Adrian looked toward the iron door.
Then he lowered his head.
His expression changed instantly.
The coldness disappeared.
Fear replaced it.
His shoulders began to shake.
"I..."
He swallowed.
"I'm alone."
Marcus came down the stairs.
"What happened?"
Adrian's eyes became watery.
"My friend..."
His voice cracked.
"He was killed outside."
Claire's expression softened.
Marcus placed a hand on Adrian's shoulder.
"You're safe now."
Adrian looked at him.
"Thank you."
Marcus nodded.
"Five years ago, Claire and I were dragged into Blackgate too."
Claire lowered her hand.
"We've been surviving in this fortress ever since."
Marcus explained the surrounding territory.
The western side was filled with mutated insect creatures.
The eastern region belonged to something much worse.
Lizard-like monsters that hunted anything leaving the fortress.
"You stay behind the walls," Marcus said.
"The System gives us food and water."
"That's how we've survived."
Adrian nodded.
"I understand."
Marcus smiled.
"You'll be fine."
Adrian returned the smile.
"Thank you."
But inside his head, another conversation was happening.
Five years.
Five years hiding inside a fortress.
Eating System rations.
Waiting for something to kill you.
His eyes moved toward Claire and Marcus.
You call that survival?
A faint smile appeared inside his mind.
No.
You're just waiting for someone stronger to decide your fate.
---
The next few weeks changed everything.
Adrian never tried to dominate them.
He did the opposite.
He made himself useful.
He repaired damaged equipment.
He prepared food.
He helped Marcus train.
He listened whenever Claire talked about Earth.
When she became homesick, Adrian comforted her.
He told stories about his family.
Some were real.
Others were completely fabricated.
Slowly, the walls around them disappeared.
Marcus began treating Adrian like a younger brother.
Claire trusted him.
Completely.
Exactly what Adrian wanted.
One evening, Adrian approached them with excitement in his eyes.
"Marcus."
Marcus looked up.
"What happened?"
"I found something."
Claire immediately became curious.
"What?"
Adrian pointed toward an old System terminal.
"The System sent me a hidden notification."
Marcus stood.
"What kind?"
Adrian lowered his voice.
"An Evolution Gate."
Silence.
Claire stared at him.
"Where?"
"Sector Two."
Marcus's eyes widened.
"Are you sure?"
Adrian nodded.
"The message says anyone who reaches the gate can break through their current limits."
Claire stepped closer.
"And..."
Adrian paused.
"There was another part."
"What?"
"A dimensional passage."
Marcus's breathing stopped.
"To Earth?"
Adrian nodded.
"For the first time in five years, Marcus and Claire saw something they had almost forgotten how to feel.
Hope.
And Adrian knew exactly how to use it.
"We leave at dawn."
---
Morning came.
Marcus transformed.
His body twisted.
Bones cracked.
Muscles expanded.
Silver fur covered his skin.
Within seconds, an enormous werewolf stood before them.
Claire climbed onto his back.
Adrian followed.
Marcus looked toward the wasteland.
"Hold tight."
They left the fortress.
The journey was fast.
Too fast.
Which was why the attack came sooner than expected.
Two kilometers from the fortress, the ground exploded.
BOOM!
Lizard Hybrids emerged from underground.
Dozens.
Claire raised her hands.
SHHHHKK!
Compressed water formed into razor-sharp blades.
She launched them.
Several creatures fell.
Marcus attacked the others.
His claws tore through scales and flesh.
But the monsters kept coming.
One spat acid.
It burned through Marcus's side.
Another drove a bone spike into his leg.
Marcus stumbled.
His breathing became heavier.
Blood covered his silver fur.
Adrian looked ahead.
The next safe zone was sixty meters away.
Marcus couldn't make it.
Adrian understood.
There was no hesitation.
He drew his sword.
Marcus looked over his shoulder.
"Adrian?"
SHIIING!
The blade pierced Marcus's back.
His eyes widened.
His transformation began to collapse.
A terrible howl escaped his throat.
"WHY...?"
His body crashed onto the ground.
Claire was thrown from his back.
She looked at Adrian.
Her face was filled with disbelief.
"Adrian..."
He didn't answer.
The Lizard Hybrids attacked.
Claire screamed.
"WHY DID YOU DO THAT?!"
Adrian ran.
He stepped onto the back of one creature.
Then another.
He jumped over the final gap.
And landed safely inside the next barrier.
Behind him, Claire and Marcus were swallowed by the monsters.
Marcus returned to his human form.
Blood filled his mouth.
He looked toward Adrian.
The boy he had protected.
The boy he had called his brother.
For the first time, Marcus understood.
Adrian had never been trying to survive with them.
He had been using them.
Claire's scream faded.
Marcus's eyes closed.
And then—
TING.
The world became silent.
A crimson System window appeared before Adrian.
«[HIDDEN CONDITION SATISFIED]
[UNIQUE SYSTEM MECHANIC DISCOVERED]
[THE ULTIMATE JUDAS]
[TARGETS: MARCUS HALE & CLAIRE MORGAN]
[TRUST LEVEL: 100%]
[COMPLETE RELIANCE CONFIRMED]
[FAMILIAL AFFECTION CONFIRMED]
[BETRAYAL CONDITION: SUCCESSFUL]»
Adrian stared at the message.
Another notification appeared.
«[HARVESTING SOUL ENERGY...]
[30% OF TARGETS' PERMANENT COMBAT TRAITS ABSORBED]
[30% OF TARGETS' SOUL ENERGY ABSORBED]»
Dark energy rushed through Adrian's body.
His muscles tightened.
His senses sharpened.
His movements became lighter.
For a moment, he simply stood there.
Then he laughed.
Not loudly.
Just a quiet laugh.
A smile slowly appeared on his face.
He looked down at his sword.
"So that's the real game."
Adrian finally understood.
The System didn't reward him for killing enemies.
It rewarded something much more valuable.
Trust.
The deeper the trust...
The greater the betrayal.
And the greater the betrayal...
The greater the reward.
Adrian looked toward the blood-red sky.
He had entered Blackgate thinking survival would be about strength.
He had been wrong.
Strength could kill monsters.
But trust could turn humans into weapons.
And Adrian had just discovered the most powerful weapon in Blackgate.
Himself.
High above the crimson clouds, something was watching.
Two enormous eyes slowly opened in the darkness.
A voice echoed across the dimension.
"Interesting..."
The monsters surrounding Adrian suddenly went silent.
The unseen presence watched him from above.
"A human who understands betrayal."
A low laugh rolled across the sky.
"Let's see how far you can climb."
Adrian looked upward.
He couldn't see the creature.
But somehow...
He knew he was being watched.
His smile disappeared.
His eyes became cold.
"Come and watch."
He raised his sword.
"I'll reach the top."
The crimson sky trembled.
And somewhere beyond the world of humans...
something smiled.
BLACKGATE had found its Judas.
And the game had only just begun.
