Wavering Twilight

by grimluka

Summary:

In 2029, Earth had just become nothing but a distant memory as humans had found a new habitable planet that they called ‘Gaia’ in the neighbouring galaxy called “Skylos”. But Gaia had given the remaining humans natural roles— Esper and Guide, though normal humans made up the rest of the population, only a few could be awakened into Esper or Guide. Now, in 2067, a half-guide and half-esper, Kim Dokja, navigates his life as a guide to help espers in missions, but he didn’t imagine that his life would begin to change on his first day in the job as secrets begin to unfold...

Chapter 1

(WILL START UPLOADING CHAPTERS SOON! STAY TUNED READERSSSS!!) its coming out tomorrow.... Be prepared.....

Chapter 2: Chapter 1 - The First Light (1)

“Rise and shine, Polaris City! Daily Polar Station FM is back at it again. Tell us, did ya get a blissful sleep?”

“And you’re just in time for another fact of the day! Did you know that we once lived on a planet called Earth in the Milky Way galaxy? Crazy right!? Even I don’t believe it, folks!”

“Let’s talk about the blooming sunny weather ahead of us today, the wind speed is 7km/hr, ranging to 9km/hr— The perfect wind for the day!”

“Unfortunately, the tunnels around Polaris City, including the crash site, will be closed off as vortexes have been appearing frequently. We advise civilians to avoid straying too far with Hanrams wandering near the blocked areas.”

“We thank the Espers for protecting our city so that we could live such a comfortable and safe life!”

“Now, before we wrap things up, Twilight Fest is coming up in a few weeks, expect decorations to start popping up around the city soon because it’s going to get festive!”

 

“Let us thank our Gaia for giving us a beautiful blessing and a gift that we will cherish for eternity… This message will self-echo until the next twilight cycle. Drift safely, everyone.”

The hologram radio clicks to a stop before fading to the background.

A man stood there in front of the mirror that gazed back at him. “Okay… You can do this, Kim Dokja.” He muttered to himself, his hands buckling his belt neatly and tightly before taking another deep breath.

“First day on the job,” Kim Dokja nodded at the reflection of himself before adjusting his necktie for the hundredth time, then stared at his nametag, written: ‘Kim Dokja, 149’. “What time is it?” He turned to look at the hologram display as the time faded in: “8:34 am”.

“I only got six minutes to get there!?” Kim Dokja cursed under his breath, shaking his head before rushing to the front door and removing his white fluffy slippers, then changing them into his combat boots.

As Kim Dokja rushed out of his apartment, he passed by one of his neighbors— “Morning!” The neighbor, Jung Heewon, passed him with a paper bag filled with groceries in her hand. “Hey, why are you so rushed for?!” Jung Heewon yelled behind Kim Dokja, but he had no time to explain.

“Sorry! Alright!?” He shouted back, bowed his head once, before he started picking up his pace down the stairs that he’s skipping one step at a time.

Kim Dokja checked his hologram watch, showing the direction to the Guides & Espers Headquarters Building. 80km far from him. Great, just what he needed. He was so focused on making himself presentable that he almost forgot about the Ceremony for the newly picked Guides.

So, he ran and ran into the bustling city that he reached the Square then looked right back at his watch while running. Four minutes left, Kim Dokja kept repeating to himself mentally. Until he bumped into someone in his way, but he didn’t stumble back down the ground, well, except for the person in front of him.

The woman sat back up at the ground as Kim Dokja stared at her— She was beautiful, that’s for sure, with her brown hair swaying in the soft wind like an angel’s caress…

“O-oh! I’m sorry!” The woman’s voice broke Kim Dokja from his thoughts as he began focusing on his situation.

“No, I’m sorry.” Kim Dokja offered his hand to the woman, and she took it gratefully. “I’m sorry for bumping into you, I was in a rush and…” Kim Dokja trailed off, not knowing why he was explaining himself to a stranger.

The woman shook her head with a soft smile, “It’s fine, I’m just on my way to the Guides & Espers Headquarters,” She finished with a gentle chuckle.

Kim Dokja’s eyes perk up at the mention of the Guides & Espers Headquarters, “You’re also on your way there?” He asked before Yoo Sangah nodded, “Mhm! I work there as an Esper.”

“Are you one of the newly selected Guides?” She added quickly.

He nodded, “Yeah,” Kim Dokja faltered before speaking up again. “Since we’re both going to the same place, do you mind if we go together?”

“You bumped into the right person! Of course, I don’t mind a bit of company on my way there.” Yoo Sangah adjusted her blazer before gesturing for Kim Dokja to walk along with her.

After a few walks on their way to the building, Yoo Sangah and Kim Dokja went on their separate ways, and Kim Dokja went to the floor where the ceremony is taking place.

When he pushed the large door open quietly and slipped inside, everyone was already in their line, and the President of the Organization was already making his speech. Good thing no one noticed him entering.

The room was cold, yet that kind of cold is comforting.

“Psst! Hey, over here,” A young woman whispered and gestured for Kim Dokja to stand beside her. As his brows furrowed, he read the nametag on the woman’s uniform— “Han Sooyoung,” it reads.

Kim Dokja went to her side as Han Sooyoung cracked him a sharp smile, “You’re new too, right? That’s amazing!” She cackled before pointing at the President in the very front.

“That old man’s speech has been going on for so long, it’s starting to wear me out.” Han Sooyoung rolled her eyes as Kim Dokja shrugged, “Must be fun or something.”

“It’s not fun, it’s torture…! I just wanna get my badge as quickly as possible,” She scoffed, wrapping her arms to her chest defiantly.
“Well, now that being said. Congratulations on passing the selection test for Guides. We are grateful for your hard work. We will now start handing out the badges to the new Guides.” The president gestured to the hologram identification stand in the center.

“We will start from the last of the list to the first, 149?” The president began to look around the crowd of newly selected Guides before Kim Dokja realized, then looked down at the number next to his name on the nametag.

“Isn’t that you? You'd better get on that stage!” Han Sooyoung patted Kim Dokja’s shoulder as he approached the president in the very center of the room.

“Hello, sir,” Kim Dokja greeted the president as he let out a satisfied grunt. “Please place your hand here and confirm your personal information.” The president gestured to the hologram before Kim Dokja placed his hand on the pattern as it began to scan and then reveal his information.

[ Kim Dokja ]
Age: 28
Psyche: Echo
Class: NEBULAE
Grade: Unknown

“Interesting, NEBULAE class and a Guide with a psyche. You’re one of the very few,” The president muttered as he rubbed his beard.

“Is… that bad?” Kim Dokja asked hesitantly before the president shook his head, “No, you’re fine. It’s not every day we see a Guide being chosen in NEBULAE class, nor having an Esper’s ability.”

“It’s a class for Guides whose grade cannot be identified. Do not worry, you have potential.” The president added with an approving smile.

Kim Dokja let out a sigh of relief before nodding, “Thank you, sir.”

“As long as you have the skills and ability to help Espers, we welcome you to the industry with open arms.”
“I won’t let you down, sir.” Kim Dokja nodded once more as the president handed him a silver badge with a symbol engraved on it. “Congratulations, you are now officially a Seraphis Guider.”
—
After the ceremony for new guides, everyone was assigned to a mission instantly in order to test their abilities further, splitting all of them into two pairs in the same area.

Each Guides were assigned with an Esper on a simple mission— eliminate the vortex portals while Guides make sure that the Esper is stable.

Kim Dokja was assigned with an Esper rookie, a young woman, as they entered one of the closed-off tunnels— known to have fractured vortexes around if they’re unlucky…

Suddenly, Kim Dokja’s watch displayed a small hologram, “Kim Dokja, Lee Se-mi, this is Lee Seolhwa speaking. I am your Captain for today. A few moments ago, someone had reported an abnormal vortex appearing near the water. Miss Se-mi, you are tasked to eliminate the Grade 9 Hanram, it’s a low-ranking creature, I believe that it wouldn’t be a problem.”

Lee Se-mi flinched at the tiny insects passing as she gulped and nodded, looking at her watch, “O-of course… I-I won’t let you down!” Lee Se-mi cautiously continued her search while Kim Dokja followed her behind.

“Kim Dokja, you are tasked to stabilize Miss Se-mi once she uses her abilities.” Lee Seolhwa commanded as Kim Dokja nodded, “Yes, Captain.”

“Eliminate any Hanrams you see in your way, be sure to search around the area, you might find valuable fragments. This is your first mission and battle, I do hope it won’t be your last.” With that, Lee Seolhwa’s call ended with a click, the hologram fading inside the watch.

“O-oh god… What if it’s my last!?” Lee Se-mi’s gun materialized out of thin air as she gripped onto it as if it were her last hope of escaping in this damp.

Who knew I got paired with a scaredy-cat who’s an Esper? Kim Dokja sighed to himself as they continued their search in the area.

“Hanram detected nearby!” An automatic voice rang in their watches, cutting him off guard as Kim Dokja instantly sprang into action, his sword materializing out of thin air as he stood beside the woman.

“An… A HANRAM…!!!!!” Lee Se-mi cried out of fear as the creature appeared in the background, its sharp arm blades ready to slice anything in sight.

“It’s a low-ranking creature—” Before Kim Dokja could continue, Lee Se-mi wasn’t beside him anymore as the woman ran in the distance behind him, wailing and screaming out of fear. “-Fuck.” Kim Dokja cursed under his breath, frustratedly.

“I got to do this alone… wow,” He scratched the back of his head before returning his attention to the tall monster figure in front of him, ‘It doesn’t have ears, eyes, and doesn’t have a nose too… Still, its senses are strong, so it relies on its senses,’ Kim Dokja noted to himself mentally before adjusting his grip on the hilt of the sword, tightening it in concentration.

The Hanram roared and screamed, its sharp blade-like arms began clawing the ground as if frustrated that it couldn’t sense its target. Kim Dokja tried to formulate any possible strategies in his mind… Should he just…

Before he began to lose hope, a sharp sound of a blade stabbing pierced through the thick air— Kim Dokja’s eyes widened off-guard as the creature flew against the wall, wailing in pain as it burnt into dust, dropping a fragment on the ground.

“The hell…?” Kim Dokja muttered to himself as he stared at the fragment left on the ground. Kim Dokja didn’t even notice how quickly the monster was killed, from a single stab too and way too powerful for a single stab.

A tall figure stepped out of the shadows, revealing a well-built man with scars covering his muscular body, indicating he had endured many battles. His black cloak swayed as he approached Kim Dokja. The man's demeanor was cold and intimidating.

“Who are—” Kim Dokja began, but before he could finish his question, the fragment left by the creature on the ground transformed into a portal—a fractured vortex. From this portal, larger and stronger deadly creatures emerged, far more fearsome than the last one that had been killed.

“Stay close. Don’t wander,” the man commanded, turning to Kim Dokja. His piercing gray eyes fixed on him. “Less talking, more surviving.”

—
A/N: There are low and high rankings of Hanram, a fragment creature that comes out of the vortexes. They are described as slim and sharp, stone-like or sometimes glass-like bodies with blades as their arms. Their head is like an orb with one eye in the front, but it depends on the creature’s rank; if they’re lower, they don’t have eyes but rather depend on hearing, smelling, and/or sensing. While high-ranking Hanrams have sight and are a lot more powerful and faster. Some Hanrams can turn themselves into other forms if they are strong enough. (Ex. A dragon, a person, or even other terrifying creatures.)

I apologize in advance if my writing is bad T-T…