No Longer A Heroine (sung jinwoo x reader)

chapter 13- the other side

"Reasons are illusions. Their absence is common. If only it weren't their presence that keeps people sane."

Monsters. They're raw, unapologetic and prone to destruction. They don't pay attention to the heartbreaking screams as they proceed to destroy lives, families. They are soulless, mere puppets that are led by their master, a higher force. A force we have yet to discover. This gate might be our key, our salvation, or it will bring our destruction if not handled correctly.

We arrived to our destination a couple of minutes ago. Time was ticking menacingly with each passing second, so there was no time to waste. The gate was within a 15 minutes distance by car, but we could make it in 2 minutes with jinwoo's ability. The hunter is well aware of how mana consuming his shadow soldiers are, but I couldn't stop him even if I tried. I have faith in his judgment, other people's lives should always come first.

The unsteady landing and strong wind coming from the dragon's wings indicated the fact that we had arrived. I gulped nervously at the scene in front of me. Masses of people were yelling frantically, reporters trying to make their voice known and get some type of news from the hunters, while they tried to approach the gate and open it. It was complete chaos. I could feel the tension even from a distance. I looked at jinwoo waiting for his opinion on the situation.

"Going undercover would be pointless. We should go there and figure out the situation right away" he said, looking at me with unwavering eyes

I nodded and started walking. We really think alike. I thought to myself while getting significantly closer to the gate. Slowly but surely the reporters noticed our presence and turned their attention towards us. The rest of the hunters seemed somehow relieved and let out a long breath.

"Ms Okumura, Mr Jinwoo, how is the situation? Is it as bad as it seems? Why was the help of two foreign hunters required when we have capable people here?"

I ignored the loud voices and the microphones that were shoved in my face, and kept going straight. Jinwoo seemed to be doing the same. Despite my attempts the number of reporters grew, so it became significantly harder to advance. Using my abilities now would only paint me the picture of the irrational hunter who snapped at a couple of reporters, but standing by and doing nothing is not an option either. I felt trapped, and kept trying to push my way through with no avail. Right when I was about to give up and use my ability, I felt a warm hand on my shoulder. Soon after, I heard Jinwoo's voice. Confidence radiated from him and a slightly colder mana took control of his warm one.

"This is an international emergency, reason why we were called here" jinwoo said, trying to get the reporters' attention. Everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to him, watching quietly.

"I won't try to make the situation sound better than it actually is, we're dealing with an anomaly. But be assured that us, hunters, will manage. That's what we've been doing for the past years. Spreading fear will only lead to disaster, so I ask everyone to stay in their homes and have faith in us."

After finishing his speech he signaled the reporters to back off and let us pass. To my surprise, they complied with no argument. I kept walking until the huge gate stood tall and menacing in front of me. It was around 20 meters tall. Dozens of hunters were gathered together, national and international ones all in one place. Our grand entrance came as a shock to everyone, they have yet to realize the gravity of the situation. Wasting no time, a hunter I did not recognize stopped in front of us and greeted us.

He started explaining the situation, their current information on the gate and what they've been trying to do. I listened carefully and came to the conclusion that they were just as clueless as we were. I didn't gather any new information, but an idea was clearly established: nobody could get in. We went around and asked multiple hunters what their experience was like, and they all described the contact with the entrance as "an unknown force that pushes them out and doesn't let them proceed".