Gate: Journey In The New World Vol I

Disclaimer: I don't own Gate or Nihonkoku Shoukan as it belongs to its rightful owners.

Prologue Arc: The Call

Tokyo (Japan), It was in the spring of 20XX that everything began.

A mysterious "Gate" appeared in the middle of Chuo Street located in the bustling Ginza. The reception to the strange phenomenon had brought curiosity to the many pedestrians as most believed that the structure was part of a publicity stunt or an anime convention that was assumed to be ongoing for the rest of the day.

At exactly One 'o clock in the afternoon, witnesses had reported a series of unusual noise coming out from the Gate., which one man described as something like the grunting of giant bears, bears, and lions. as moments passed, the sounds began to grow stronger and it attracted a lot of spectators that gathered around the Gate as many were beginning to think that this was some kind of stage show. Around ten minutes later: The Gate suddenly burst open and a huge dragon emerged and flew out. It mounted a man, which appeared to be wearing some kind of Roman Legionary Armor, to which an entire army of foot soldiers, all in the same armor, charged out and began attacking the gatherers and nearby civilians.

Chaos had taken over the entire district.

Besides the dragons, and roman-like soldiers, orcs, ogres, and other mythical creatures never before seen emerged from the Gate.

The hostile army attack soon involved the rest of the district, and it was believed that the people close to the epicenter, where the Gate, when the mysterious army had appeared failed to escape and were either killed or kidnapped.

Hell on earth had become a reality.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department was delayed in their response as they had initially believed the emergency calls to be a prank, but soon acted once convinced otherwise.

Riot units and Special Assault Teams were deployed to protect civilians, but they were ineffective in dealing with the never-ending enemy hordes.

During that time, a hero appeared in the form of a civilian named Itami Youji, who also turned out to be a member of the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force, and managed to save over 800 civilians by bringing them to the Tokyo Imperial Palace, while fending off the relentless assaults by the Roman-like army, until reinforcements from the JSDF and the US army arrived.

The man's efforts were recognized, and he became known throughout the world as the "Hero of Ginza."

The failed attack on the Imperial Palace blunted the otherworlder's offensive, and the arrival of the joint coalition was the final turning point.

The massive light that came from the metallic beast struck the core of the fantasy army.

U.S and Japanese Apache gunships had arrived and swarmed the smoke-filled skies as they began tearing down the terrifying army. Ogres and trolls were torn apart as they fell to crush their smaller comrades in turn. The once unpenetrable shields were no match for the HEDP rounds. Roman-like troops, who had attempted to retreat found themselves trapped as all the escape routes and streets were blocked by armored trucks and tanks.

The dragons didn't do any better as all of them were blown and sliced to bits by the helicopters.

Streets by streets, squares by squares, the fantasy world Romans were forced back towards their original location, where many of them surrendered once surrounded.

As the number of civilian casualties tallied in the thousands, the aftermath of the battle of Ginza shed a terrible light. The number of people who have gone missing has yet to be reported, but current estimates put the figure at less than a hundred.

These numbers made the Battle of Ginza the worst attack on Tokyo by foreign sovereignty since the bombing of Tokyo during World War Two.

The rage of the Japanese people as they cry for revenge and justice.

Along with it, the Americans had pledged their support and would assists whatever they can do.

XXXXXXXXX

Several Weeks Later

Apartment somewhere in residential areas of the city, 8:00 AM

It has been weeks after the Ginza Attack, but the terrors are still fresh within the minds of the people. Today, the Japanese Cabinet continues to discuss on details of the nation's response. Prime Minister Yomiya announces that a 1.2 billion yen relief package will be released for the victims of the attack and furthermore, talks of a coalition between the defense force and the American military in an operation to venture beyond the Gate had finally come into light.

-Nippon News

Blaring in one of the apartments of Tokyo, the words of the news reporter ceaselessly droned from the television as a troubled young man observed the morning sunrise.

The cold morning breeze greeted him once the curtains and windows were opened.

A young black-haired man in his mid-to-late 20s stood on the balcony as he observed the sunrise and the awakening scenery in front of him.

Being on the 20th floor has its perks as it has given him the opportunity to observe the beautiful cityscape of Tokyo. He often spends his time gazing at a certain view to clear his mind from any distractions or unnecessary thoughts running around his mind.

Sometimes, it would help him get the concentration that he needed or generate ideas on a novel that he was currently working on.

Though, this time he couldn't help himself but get bothered by the recent events that had transpired a few weeks ago. It was hard to believe that things had resume back to the way it is as if nothing had happened.

Infamous as it was before, The Ginza Incident had left a mark on his memory as he was one of the people that witnessed the terror that had befell the district. He recalled that he was on his way to visit his grandparents at one of the rural towns near the city when he decided to stop at Ginza for a little sightseeing and stroll.

The plans were immediately scrapped when the Gate suddenly appeared in the middle of the intersection and the rest was history.

He could feel a little disappointment inside of him as he never got the opportunity once more head out again since Tokyo was placed into a lockdown to maintain safety and order until further notice.

Yuji sighed, he took a sip of his hot chocolate milk as his breakfast. Still, in the same spot, he brought his attention towards his right hand, which was still covered in bandages.

He could still feel the traces of pain because every time he looked at it, memories of his first encounter with one of those Roman soldiers returned to haunt him. Despite this, he did not hesitate to kill his attackers in self-defense, resulting in this type of injury.

He had to admit that it was a near-death experience.

After several minutes of spending at the balcony, the young man proceeded to a certain table where all the files and documents were located. It was basically his workstation for quite some time now since arriving back at his homeland.

Sitting on a comfy chair, it was him and the screen of his laptop once more.

The blank page from the Word Document, along with the blinking text cursor icon, awaited him to finally begin working on the first draft of his novel.

The only problem was that there was no title to it yet.

As much as he had already planned the overall outline and how the scenes would turn out, He still struggled to think of the official title for the story.

It was one of the things that a writer like him would face from time to time.

The infamous "Writer's Block" was often getting in the way, and the only way to overcome that was to either take a very long rest or be inspired by what's happening around his surroundings and recent experiences.

"Well, how about..."

He trailed off his words as he was about to press the keyboards, before halting himself.

"Nevermind..." He muttered, giving a sigh.

He went back and leaned on his chair as he decided to close his eyes for a while.

XXXXXXXXXXX

For him, life had become a little too complicated in recent weeks. Aside from the non-stop calls from his parents, who had been residing in the United States for a long time now, asking if he was okay or still alive, and that there was a certain individual who kept reminding him about an offer.

It wasn't really an exact offer but a call for his assistance much to his surprise.

It didn't take long enough for him to realize that the role he was gonna take was far more important than he had expected.

He had to admit that it gave him a bit of anxiety when he first learned the details and eventually would tell the latter that he needed more time to think about it. Although, since the deadline was already approaching, he had to make up his mind.

Moreover, the deadline was in fact today.

In the deep recesses of his thoughts, a certain image of a girl flashed before his eyes.

He was taken aback for a bit as he remembered that smile and the promise that he made to her long ago.

"You promised me that when we get older, we'll go to this place together."

"Don't worry, I promised."

In the middle of the silence, his phone came to life as he received a call from a certain someone.

Yuji snapped back from his reality as he opened his eyes. He directed his attention towards his ringing smartphone.

He had a feeling that this was him as he reached for the phone.

By the time his eyes met the screen, his predictions came true as he stared at the name flashing on the screen.

The young man took a deep breath as he decided to answer the call.

"Good Morning Sir." He said.

"Good morning to you too Yuji. I apologized for calling this early, I got a lot of meetings after this."

Yuji sighed. He really had no idea that the older man would go on to high lengths and personally contact him throughout.

"It's alright sir, I understand." He replied." I know, I'm kinda in the hot seat right now." He added, divulging his attention to the view across the window.

"I'm sorry, but we really had no option." The man behind the phone said." You're the only person we could think of, that can handle the job" He said.

"Besides, you're that genuine in my opinion."

The job at hand was definitely the most surreal and possibly risky considering that he would find himself venturing into unknown territory, though they had a good reason and this was all for bringing justice to the many people that perished during the attack.

Yuji gave a small smile as he darted his eyes towards a certain photograph contained on a small picture stand on his workstation. His mind kept reminding him of that certain memory of her before passing, especially that promise.

"Please Yuji, I hope you could consider this." In a hopeful tone, the voice said.

The young man paused as he took the time to think about it. He had to admit this was bringing him to the edge for a little bit.

"I can't believe that I'm going to say this but... He replied, finally making his decision.

"Count me in!"

"I'm glad about your decision Yuji and it's appreciated." The man's voice said." We'll set up a meeting for you at HQ in a few day's time, to discuss further details." He explained.

"But for now, Have a good day!"

"Thank you, sir."

The conversation finally ended as the quietness took charge once more.

Yuji leaned back in his chair as he replaced the phone on the table. He deliberated on whether or not to accept the current offer. He was unsure if he could pull this off. It had been a long time since he had been in these types of situations.

He wasn't sure how he felt about it all, but a sense of excitement was growing within him. For better or worse, this was going to be a very different experience, and a part of him was relieved that he wouldn't have any regrets.

At that moment when the rays of the sun had reached into him, He sat up straight and then went back to his laptop.

As he figured out the title for his novel, a small smile crept across his lips once more. Bringing his hands to the keyboards, he began to type the aforementioned words.

"A Journey In The New World."

CHAPTER END

AN: Thank you for reading the chapter!