Prologue:

"Go then, there are other worlds than these." – Stephen King

What happens when worlds collide? When peoples of different ancestry, blood and culture clash upon common ground; peace cannot always be held.

Some might say that connecting two separate worlds together might be pure fate, a divine gift from the Gods above perhaps. Others will remain certain that such a link between worlds could only be done by those daring enough to even step foot into the abyss that is the great unknown. It is a bold risk to take, yet such valiant individuals who will not be weighed down by fear or give up so easily will always exist.

That's just a matter of fact. We may never know about other lush worlds in alternate realities, or at least that is what people had initially believed for many years.

Even as mankind took to the skies and into outer space, the thought of other worlds within different planes of existence continued to fascinate many. Not just mirror realities that seemed to reflect our own everyday lives on planet Earth, but also other domains unlike anything we had ever seen.

It seemed to illustrate the principle that other worlds beyond our own plane of existence were not just carbon copies with an infinite number of opposites of our own home. While not everyone was able to comprehend such a peculiar theory, there still lived those firm believers in other worlds.

Of course, there was no feasible way to prove what these hypothetical worlds were like; so only they could create the worlds they themselves envisioned using their own imagination.

Throughout time, many of these artists, authors and storytellers went on to show the world what they imagined other worlds the likes of which we had never seen before. Some chose to take their work in a more science-fiction oriented path that often painted futuristic images; both of blissful and grim prospects of ourselves. Others chose to picture worlds inspired by our own past tales of folklore and mythology, a fantasy world if you will. Whether one preferred fantasy or science-fiction was no doubt a personal taste, but both equally gave their audiences a shared ambition of helping themselves delve into a new world unlike their own.

It was essentially a way of escaping reality just to catch a break from a boring, mundane life within modern society. In fact, that is what its sole intention was.

Using mediums such as drawings, books, films and video games; sometimes the immersion into these works of fiction seemed so believable to the human mind. If only there was physically a way to venture into a fantasy world just like the many reveries written throughout history about other worlds beyond our own reach.

However, that dream may not just be product of imagination any longer; but it comes with dire consequences to both our own world and whatever lurks on the other side of the barrier. Neither we nor the people who inhabit that unknown world want to suffer these ramifications, that is a given.

Unfortunately, the time arrived far too late for us all.

In August 2019, several portals to another world were opened up after mysteriously appearing in various cities across the world.

The cities to contain one of these portals inside their own barriers were Tokyo, New York City, London, Toronto, Berlin, Moscow, San Francisco and Paris. Each of these portals were gates that led to a mysterious fantasy world.

Almost immediately after they were discovered by the public, armies of soldiers consisting of human warriors dressed in ancient combat armour and inhuman creatures such as Orcs, Lizardfolk and Dragons swarmed through the streets, attempting to kill everyone in sight.

The military forces of each nation affected by this abnormal catastrophe mobilized without any delay and were quickly able to repel the enemy thanks to their far superior weapons and technology. It was that day of August 17th 2019 that went down in infamy, being forever recognized as first contact with another world.

Several prisoners of war were apprehended in the wake of this tragedy that left thousands of people across the globe dead within a matter of minutes; but not a single prisoner was speaking any known language on Earth, so interrogations proved to be utterly useless.

With no way to understand why exactly armies from another world had invaded their cities and caused such disastrous carnage, the governments of each country held a conference and determined that it was best to deploy their military forces through the gates and fight the enemy on the other side. A week later, each of the militaries had been prepped to send a good deal of their active troops into the portals.

That is how the war began, and it has yet to subside.

Concealed by the darkness of the night, a row of tanks stood up on the edge of the hill. Each of these heavily armoured vehicles along with most of Earth's military weaponry remained unknown to the natives of this world, but the soldiers knew that they could not take any risks.

Positioned in formation and ready to fire upon the enemy forces down below, the crew of each vessel waited patiently as near silence expect for the light waft of night filled the air around them. Not too far from their proximity, several armoured jeeps were parked as snipers peeked into the distance in search of hostiles.

These soldiers were a mixed batch of Japanese and American forces enacting as a defensive blockade while Canadian, German, French and British forces began to start construction on a shared military base only a few kilometers away. Each army had their job to do under this coalition in foreign territory and they knew that unity amongst each other was key in standing a chance against this enigmatic threat.

Sergeant Major Sōichirō Kuwahara, a veteran soldier serving for the Japanese Self Defence Forces walked up to one of the American snipers and spoke up.

"Can you give me a visual, sniper?" He questioned the soldier, a thick Japanese accent present in his English speech.

The American sniper, still looking down the sights of his Barrett M82 sniper rifle replied.

"I can see some faint signals up ahead, Sergeant. Must be the native's army approaching us."

Curious to see for himself, the Japanese Sergeant took out his pair of binoculars and gazed off ahead. Sure enough, he could see numerous figures that appeared to be moving in formation; which was no doubt one of several armies to have invaded Earth's cities on that fateful day. Though they were too far away to see in great detail with mere binoculars alone, Major Kuwahara knew that now was not the time to strike.

"Don't fire at them yet, Corporal. Remember the element of surprise." He said to the American soldier whom he could tell was readying himself with the trigger.

"Yes, Sergeant." The American replied once more, acknowledging the order given to him by his allied superior.

He knew very well that it was not time yet to fire upon the enemy soldiers down below, as the plan of attack they had formulated called for an ambush at the precise moment; meant to throw the opposite force completely off-guard.

Even so, he still continued to stare through his sniper scope at his unsuspecting enemy; waiting for them to be lured into the trap.

Amongst the thousands of warriors armed with swords and shields; marching onto the hill in the black of night and only illuminated by the moon's haze, a terror was trembling upon them all.

It was widely known that their comrades who ventured through the gates did not return and were most likely dead. Whatever kind of enemy they were up against, the same kind of menace that left their invasion force in ruins without the trace of a single soldier remaining; it was no doubt a force to be reckoned with. Most of the soldiers were practically shaking in their boots as they contemplated the true power of the threat.

They had been waiting for several days in their camps located a few kilometres away in the opposite direction; anticipating the arrival of their adversaries. This very day the armies from the beyond the gates arrived at dusk and began preparations to set up their own headquarters on the soil of their home world.

Even thought that bit of information had been passed down to each soldier parading in formation, there was nothing else to notify them about in regards to their enemy.

Throughout the crowd, whispers could be heard along with the clatter of the metallic armour worn by each soldier. Almost all of them were assumptions about the strange new foe the natives were to face off against, as to be expected with an inexplicable opponent cloaked by the dark.

"If the men from the other world destroyed the Imperial Army's invasion force, they must be using some kind of black magic." One soldier spoke up to his surrounding peers.

"Perhaps they also have some kind of monstrous beast as their ultimate weapon." Another warrior chimed in, voicing his own predictions.

"I honestly wouldn't be surprised; they beat the Imperial Army even when they were aided by the Orc and Lizardfolk armies too." Yet an extra soldier added to the discussion.

"We don't even know how many of them crossed through the gate, so let's not get carried away with guessing about our enemy." This was their leader, a noble man by the name of Duran; King of the Elbe Kingdom and commanding the allied army as they marched onward.

Known for his quiet, harsh and intelligent demeanour, he was a sagacious candidate for leading such an enormous number of men by foot. On the back of the horse he rode, he continued to observe the hill but saw no signs of enemy activity. He knew that there were many ways of concealing oneself in the field of battle, so it would not be wise to think just once after taking a glance.

"Right. As you command, my Lord." One of his officers dutifully responded without hesitation.

The King was certain that his plan of attack would lead his troops to prevail against these foreign invaders. Approaching the side of the hill under the darkness as cover, Duran and his top men were convinced that a night raid of such was the key to victory. It just had to be. Or, maybe it was not.

He could not tell for sure and was well aware that attempting to outsmart an enemy in combat was always guaranteed to be a gamble. From his many years of experience out on the battlefield, it was knowledge practically engraved into his mind. With the clear threat of an army from another world crossing through the gates, it only made the situation on the battlegrounds all the more grave.

"Keep up the pace and remain quiet, don't shuffle your feet." A nearby officer said to his troops, urging them to maintain formation as inaudibly as was humanly possible with all that armour and weaponry. They all did just as instructed, as any true soldier would. After all, they were the best legions the Elbe Kingdom had to offer when the call of battle was heard for the nation.

Just then, Duran caught something in the corner of his eye. He could not tell what exactly it was, but it appeared to be some sort of bright object in the sky; shinning a blazing tint of orange light upon the battlegrounds from above.

Uncertain of the light's peril to his own men, Duran signaled for a complete halt before riding his horse to the very front of his soldier's lines.

As he reached for his sword still holstered away in his sheath, the King of Elbe looked up to the night sky. His troops did the same, maintaining their standing formation as they focused their eyes at the glistening fiery ball in the distant sky; only to then notice several more identical copies in the air as well. Neither Duran nor his soldiers knew if they should be mesmerized or terrified by this sight, as they had never seen anything like this before.

It was almost as if there was a Flame Dragon high enough above them that they could not see such a colossal beast, but there really wasn't. Nothing else could be seen that could warrant immediate panic from the soldiers.

That was, until Duran and the closest warriors within his own vicinity noticed that the lights were growing brighter and coming closer incredibly fast. Widening his eyes and gasping out of pure shock, he quickly came to realize that these lights were some kind of weapon being used against them by their otherworldly enemies.

Duran was not entirely sure what this weapon was, but without a doubt it would incinerate his troops with ease.

"Fall back!" The Elbe King hollered out to his comrades as he attempted to retreat.

From high in the sky, the burning lights came crashing down at the front lines of Duran's soldiers. A series of explosions ensued as a small fraction of his entire army had been annihilated by those mysterious weapons alone. Duran was thrown off the back of his horse in the wake of the shockwave, flung to the ground with his face lying in the dirt.

His ears were ringing from the massive blast that would've killed him had he been only a few meters closer; thus unable to hear the panicking cries of his own men.

The smell of fire and burning flesh filled the air around him, so he knew for certain that something had gone horribly wrong in their plan of attack. When his hearing finally recovered in just a moment later, he wearily stood up and examined his surroundings.

Several charred bodies of soldiers and his war horse could be seen, scorched to the point where they were entirely unrecognizable. He also noticed his sword lying on the ground, unscathed by the inferno of death. As he picked up his blade, several of his troops approached him from behind.

"Your Majesty, we've reported at least 50 of our soldiers dead from that blast and dozens more have been injured! What shall we do now?" The first soldier questioned, eager to know how his King would lead him and the rest of his comrades into battle after the enemy threw the first strike in this skirmish.

Duran pointed his sword towards the hill in the distance, insinuating his plan of attack.

"They'll try to cast those fiery balls of death on us again if we just stand here! Charge forward to the enemy's line and face them head on! And get the wounded out of here immediately!" The Elbe King ordered, bellowing to each warrior still able to fight in this battle.

Nodding in response, the soldier acknowledged the command of his king.

"Yes, sir!" He said as he ran back to round up those left fatally wounded from the explosions and unable to continue fighting in this offensive.

Duran's fellow soldiers stepped closer, armed with their swords and shields and ready to face the enemy in close quarter combat. The king looked back at the massive group of warriors standing before him, noticing that they were equally keen on assailing the unknown foe as they were scared of whatever kind of trap they could've found themselves in.

The looks on their faces said it all. He knew that they had come so far and if they should fall in battle on this very night, their deaths would be in the name of their own world's glory. A smirk formed on his face before turning his head back to the front and roaring "We're taking the fight to them! For the Empire!" at the top of his lungs.

Almost immediately after, the Elbe King's army charged ahead with great speed and agility. Moving as fast as their own legs could carry them, Duran's soldiers dashed to the edge of the hill where they knew the army from the other world was waiting. The pride they held for their nation and the alliance that governed it motivated their will to fight, just like any common solider.

They had also believed that they would need no more than that to gain the upper hand in this battle given their numbers and the noble Elbe King himself commanding such a powerful militia. It seemed to make sense to them, taking into consideration their complete lack of knowledge on the world that stood beyond the very gates they forged.

Unfortunately for the natives of this world, that would prove to be the precarious drawback of their plan which would cost them greatly.

Back up on the hill, the Japanese and American troops observed their adversaries down below as they began to charge forward into the trap just as their superiors had predicted. It was clear that firing mortal shells into the front of their ranks would shake them up and leave them confused, as not a single one of the natives had bared witness to Earth's modern military technology before.

With no alternative option other than to retreat, Sergeant Major Kuwahara continued to monitor his enemy's movements through his pair of binoculars and though he had to admire the valour of these brave men; he still found their tactics to be rather sloppy and crude.

By now, it was clear which faction would emerge from this battle victorious. He reached for his radio and called ahead to his soldiers positioned at the bottom edge of the hill.

"Foxtrot 7, the enemy is on the move. Prepare to fire, over." Major Kuwahara spoke, giving an order to shoot down the natives attempting to advance forward.

"Roger that, Foxtrot 7 out." The voice of the soldier on the other end replied without question, inhibited by the speakers of the transistor issued by the JSDF.

Major Kuwahara lowered his binoculars and thought about the soon to gained first victory for the nations of Earth in this war spreading across worlds. He could not believe the news when he first learned about the tragedy that unfolded when the gates first emerged on their own soil; let alone the multiple catastrophes worldwide that left the globe in shock.

On this very night, he along with the rest of the Japanese Self Defence Forces deployed into this mysterious new world would get a chance to retaliate for the thousands of people slain in Tokyo on that tragic day. The deaths of those innocent civilians would soon be avenged. It gave him mixed feelings of both joy and concern.

This is for Ginza. He thought to himself.

Despite that however, he could not ignore what the consequences for this battle would be for all. There was a chance that these newfound foes from the unknown world might surrender after their armies losing another battle against the forces of Earth, but that only remained as a very slim possibility.

The only way to be absolutely certain was to step into the battlegrounds, and that time was now.

The natives' army charged towards the edge of the hill, bellowing out their battle cry with their swords and shields in hand as the spearmen lead the assault with all their might. They truly believed that with the combined potency of each soldier fighting for the Kingdom of Elbe, no foe; not even the armies from the other world would stand a chance against them. Little did they know however of the set-up forged by their enemy hiding in plain sight, eagerly waiting for them to rush straight into.

A trench had been dug and with their current speed, the Elbe army could not make a clear visual on the obstacle in the distance until it was too late.

Several of their soldiers leading the charge found themselves falling into the dugout and trapped by the barbed wire fences installed by their enemies. It was beyond painful for these young men, as never once had they experienced a kind of metallic barrier that could both ensnare a foe and pierce through his flesh as well.

Screams of pain and agony began to fill the ranks once again as those unlucky enough to fall prey to this wicked hindrance were left to suffer.

"What is this?!" A trapped soldier cried out in anguish to his fellow comrades also caught by the wire. The tiny sharp blades had already torn through his armour and blood had begun to pour out rapidly.

"I have no idea!" Another one said in response, equally in suffering as his surrounding brethren.

Almost immediately after, machine gun fire from small bunkers in the distance camouflaged by some shrubbery began to rain down upon the unsuspecting enemy like hell. With their primitive swords and shields, they were simply no match for a storm of bullets that punctured through their armour with ease and quickly painted the dirt red.

In only a matter of seconds, over a hundred Elbe soldiers were laying dead on the ground.

From the flash the guns gave off in the blackened night, some of Duran's warriors swore that they could make out glimpses of their adversaries. Men wearing green uniforms, ones that made them able blend into their surrounding environments without difficulty.

Though they had yet to know what kinds of weapons were used against their ranks, they figured that it was some kind of ungodly sorcery beseeched upon them.

With every minute that passed, the body count only seemed to grow higher and higher. How their enemy was able to defeat them so effortlessly without the Elbe army even killing a single hostile solider was almost astonishing to those not yet slaughtered in the wake of this bloody massacre.

It was no time to think however, either fight or die right where you stood and they knew it all too well.

The men trapped inside the trench attempted to cut themselves free from the barbed wire fence, which was far easier said than done with just a dagger in hand.

One soldier stood up after successfully freeing his comrade, only to be then shot in the head by a sniper round. Blood and brain matter splattered all over the panicking and wounded troops stuck inside the dugout, causing them to get even more flustered.

"Aldin!" The soldier cried out to his now deceased ally.

"He's dead, Corvola! We'll all be dead in just a moment, I'm sure of it!" Another Elbe soldier raised his voice. Copious amounts of anger and pain filled his speech for he was still trapped by the fence in the trench.

"Should we just surrender to this enemy? There's no way we can win against them, not with magic of that power in their hands." The same soldier suggested to his comrade, uncertain if victory was even a possibility anymore.

"We are soldiers of the Elbe Empire, surrendering is not an option! Either we die hiding from this enemy or we die fighting them! Do you understand that, soldier?!" The Elbe soldier roared back at his teammate, utterly infuriated at the mere thought of them giving up so easily in the field of battle.

Just then, another mortal shell landed near the trench, through a pile of dirt up in the air as the deafening sounds of an explosion were heard around them all. They were all shaken, thrown back to the ground as the ravaged soil rained down upon them. The one soldier who once said he was willing to die fighting this unknown enemy from beyond the gate then noticed something else in the trench, far to his right.

It was King Duran himself, bloody and battered; lying on the ground with his face in the dirt. His horse had become stuck in the barbed wire fence and was killed by machine gun fire, leaving behind the mangled corpse of what was once a brave war beast.

In this battle, it seemed like no life on this side of the hill would be making it out alive.

It was at that moment he knew that they were done for. Should their king fall in battle, all hope for victory or even survival was but gone and buried. That was, until they saw the wounded Duran slowly stand up and pick up a nearby weapon. It was the bow and arrow of a fallen archer, still intact.

They all stood down and watched their leader attack once more. He then locked the arrow with the bow and aimed towards the lights in the distance where the machine guns continued to open fire.

With all the bodies littered around him, the very men that vowed to follow him to hell and back now dead at the hands of this army from another world; anger and sorrow had completely taken over his mind.

Before firing the arrow, he roared out once more to his foe in the distance "God damn you!"

He let go, launching it into the distance. It did nothing to stop his enemy, as they kept on firing like they had seemingly unlimited supplies. Losing his battle stance, he bowed his head low in defeat as he muttered under his breath.

"How could you? What did we do to deserve this!?" The Elbe King said, knowing that the unknown green army had triumphed in battle over the Empire's greatest legions.

He felt that in both his duty as King and leader of this offensive, he had failed greatly and it cost him the lives of many. Thousands were slain in only a matter of minutes, and there was nothing he could do about it.

Looking down at the fresh corpses at his feet reminded him of something else however; the afterlife. Now was the time he would end his mortal life and move on to start again in the heavens, or at least that was what he had believed would happen.

Throwing the bow back onto the ground, Duran started to laugh uncontrollably with arms wide open, accepting death at his door. He knew it wasn't long until he too would finally fall in battle, but little did he know of his true fate. A tank round hit the ground near him and he was blown away in the shockwave blast, losing an arm and a leg in the process. Upon landing back on the ground, he was not dead yet but knocked unconscious and was losing blood rapidly.

As the soldiers rushed in to aid their fallen King, they all knew that one thing was certain regarding their otherworldly adversaries. They were a force to be reckoned with and whatever they had used to ensure victory was something to be feared. Soon the rest of this world would know about the massacre that took place at Alnus Hill on this very night.

It was merely the beginning of a war, the first human war to be fought on different soil than that of planet Earth.

Author's note: Hey everyone, Cosmic Sword11 here with a new story to bring you guys. I honestly didn't think I'd ever be writing this story, but here it is. This is a side project that I have been working on that is not affiliated with my original crossover series of Galactic Threat. What I am doing is creating a re-imagining of the anime series Gate, a series that I really enjoyed but felt like I could create my own unique spin on the story. With that said, I hope that you enjoyed the story so far and if you did; please remember to R&R if you're reading on FFN or AO3. Anyway, I'll head off now and hopefully create a new chapter for Predator and Prey very soon since I've got a lot of free time on my hands because of COVID-19. See you guys later.