Black Gate

Chapter 2 - One Who Overcomes

Squartatore Mansion, Upper Eastside, Manhattan

In dead of night. Jack Squartatore held a folder of doc.u.ments as he sat silently in his father's leather arm-chair with an empty bottle of champagne lying at his feet. Gazing at the pool outside through the French window, Jack was filled with both frustration and unwillingness. Jack threw the papers on the ground and slowly walked onto the veranda to the rails. He grabbed the rail and looked up at the starry night sky.

" Mom, Dad, your son has been awakened, and don't worry I will do everything in my power to protect Aurora." Without knowing it Jack dented the rail.

Jack's parents were both A-ranked Awakened, under their tutelage the Squartatore Family grew to a prominent family in New York. They turned the Squartatore Family from an average mafia family to one of the biggest financial groups and guilds in the North America branch of the UN. However 2 years ago, they entered an A-ranked dungeon and never came out. Some believe they are dead but Jack still holds on to the hope that they are alive. After all, A-ranked dungeons are connected to different worlds.

Early morning. The sun had just risen.

Di! Di! Di!

The phone alarm continuously rang.

Jack woke up resentfully. He helplessly reached for his phone by the bedside; the effects from yesterday's drinking still loomed over him.

"Hey"

"Little Boy, why do you sound like that? Have you been drinking? You are only 20, don't make me come over there and beat your a.s.s."

Jack felt a headache coming on, " Grandfather, please... your voice.... is too loud."

" Whatever, get yourself cleaned up, your uncle is coming over with the Guild Association to register you."

......

" Hey, can you hear me?" shouted the old man.

" Ouch, yes I got it."

Jack staggered to his bath and took a hot bath. He fell asleep under the soothing effects of the hot water. Suddenly he heard a voice calling for him, " Big Bro, Big Bro."

Jack was jolted awake, realizing he was all pruny " I am coming, Aurora, give me a sec."

Jack came to the door in just his towel wrapped around his waist, " What is the hurry?"

Aurora looked at her brother's unbecoming body, " You should really work out. Anyways, Uncle called he is on his way and I am leaving early for a meeting."

Jack stared at the departing girl with a long face and sighed. Then he turned and closed the door.

Jack got ready and went downstairs for breakfast. A luxurious spread was prepared by the house chefs. As he arrived the chefs all bowed, " Morning, Young Master."

" Come on, I told you guys you don't have to do that when we are alone," Jack stated with a playful annoyance on his face.

After Jack finished his breakfast he heard a knocked on the door. It was his uncle. Jack bowed, " Greeting Uncle."

Jack's uncle nodded in return, " Where is Aurora?"

" She had to leave early, she had a meeting at school," Jack replied.

After they all moved to the living room and to their seats, Jack's uncle took out a device with a massive purple crystal embedded into it. He looks at Jack and pointed at the crystal, " This a mana crystal, it is extremely s.e.n.s.i.t.i.v.e to magic power and the device will calculate your magic power for us. Place your hand on the crystal when you are ready to begin."

Jack looked at the device in front and breathed in, calming his racing heart. This is where everything begins, the starting point of his dreams. Jack slowly reached out with his right hand and placed his hand on the mana crystal.

[Beep] [Beep] [Beep]

[50 MP]

....

50!!!!!!!!

Jack's heart was shattered, " What!!!!! Only 50, that would mean I am only an E-ranked, a weakling."

Jack's uncle looked at the device monitor and sighed as he thought, " His parent where both A-ranked, so we had some hope but it seems like that was useless. He is just trash."

His colleagues looked at Jack's uncle with some pity, " Galio, don't worry this isn't necessarily the end of the road for him." However, Galio knew they were just empty words unless his nephew was an extremely rare abnormality he will be trash for life.

Galio finished packing up and looked at the frozen Jack before leaving without saying a single word.

Jack suddenly arose and moved like a zombie toward his room upstairs, grabbing a bottle of champagne on his way. Jack uncorked the champagne bottle, ready to drown in his sorrows but he stopped. Jack threw the champagne bottle on the ground, " So what if I am E, this will not be the end of me. What is it that Rocky said? Oh yeah, It ain't how hard you can hit, it is how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward."

Determination flashed in Jack's eyes, then he suddenly heard something.

[ The ]

" The? Who's there?' Jack frantically looked around for someone. He soon realized no one was there.

" Oh man, am I going crazy? And the voice sounded so real too."

[The world will change.]

[Humans need to prepare.]

[There will be a time when only the strongest will survive. Will you be able to survive?]

" Huh?" Jack was confused.

[ The world has changed]

[Humans have made their preparations]

[The time is here]

[Only the strongest will survive. Will you?]