Chicago fell quiet before the scream came.
The Rift didn't announce itself with fire or chaos. Just a slow shimmer in the sky, like the fabric of night was peeling back. A tear formed—purple light bleeding through, coiling, stretching—and then it snapped open.
Something stepped through.
A beast of bone and light. A Wyld Revenant—Kieran recognized it instantly. It was an A-rank boss in Eclipse. Not the strongest, but dangerous enough to level a city block if left unchecked. Long arms, no face, floating inches above the pavement like it didn't care about gravity.
People ran. Sirens blared. Soldiers scrambled. Too slow.
But before the creature could even breathe—
A blur cut through the wind.
And it stopped.
The Revenant froze mid-hover. Its head tilted slowly. Like it had sensed something behind it.
Then its body twitched.
Snapped in half.
One clean strike.
No windup.
No warning.
Just gone.
