The morning after their encounter with the Fragment Echo dawned beneath a crimson sky, fractured by shifting clouds. The world outside the Red Door facility seemed somehow quieter, as if holding its breath.
Nuel stood at the edge of a broken overpass, watching the wind twist through the ruins. Corin stood beside him, adjusting a piece of equipment on his belt.
"You slept?" Corin asked without looking.
"Barely," Nuel replied. "Too much in my head."
"That won't change," Corin said. "But you'll learn to carry it."
Nuel nodded slowly. "Is Apex Spire far?"
Corin pointed to the eastern skyline. A jagged silhouette rose from the mist—towering and unnatural, as if a mountain had been sliced into glass.
"That's it. We'll have to cut through the Hollow Stretch to get there. Rift storms, anomaly zones, maybe scavenger packs. Not a walk in the park."
"Then let's not waste time," Nuel said.
Behind them, the others gathered supplies. Kael double-checked his weapons. Elara sealed a small Rift-kit. Nyra packed light, as usual—just blades, bandages, and something that crackled when she touched it.
As the group began their journey eastward, the ruins gave way to wide, skeletal fields. The land here had been shredded by the Rift—roads twisted in spirals, metal trees grew sideways, and the occasional carcass of a Rift-beast lay frozen in glass-like crystal.
Despite the chaos, Nuel felt a strange sense of calm.
For once, he had direction. He had allies. And he wasn't alone in carrying the weight of the unknown.
They traveled for most of the day, weaving through fractured terrain. Corin kept them to high ground, avoiding places where the Rift hummed too strongly.
"Stay clear of the shimmer pockets," he warned. "Time bends there. We might lose hours—or years."
Nyra poked one with a stick. It disintegrated instantly.
"Right," she muttered. "Noted."
By late afternoon, they reached a sunken plateau marked with collapsed monorails and old warning signs.
Kael crouched beside a half-buried helmet. "Military remnants. This was a fallback point before the Spire was cut off."
"Anything useful?" Elara asked.
He pulled out a sealed case, opening it with a hiss. Inside: a cache of Rift grenades and a small tablet still flickering with a blue map.
Kael grinned. "Just our luck."
As they rested, Corin explained more about the Spire.
"It was the last operational Nexus point. Isla designed its core protocols. If she left anything for you—it's there."
Nuel stared at the map.
"And what if that boy—the Fragment Echo—gets there first?"
Corin's jaw clenched. "Then the Rift wins."
That night, they made camp in the husk of an old shuttle. As the others slept, Nuel stepped out alone, his bracelet glowing faintly.
He walked to a ridge overlooking the valley—where Rift-light spilled from cracks in the earth like fireflies.
Elara joined him quietly.
"Couldn't sleep?" she asked.
"Nope."
She stood beside him, hands in her coat pockets. "You did good today."
Nuel glanced at her. "I didn't do much."
"You didn't run. That's something."
He smiled faintly. "Is that your way of saying I'm getting braver?"
She nudged him with her shoulder. "It's my way of saying you're not a liability."
They shared a short laugh.
For a moment, the war outside faded, replaced by something warmer. Not quite comfort—but close.
"Do you think we'll find her?" Nuel asked suddenly.
Elara's expression turned serious. "I think... you have to believe you will. That's what keeps people moving in this world."
He nodded. "Thanks."
Then, without warning, the air shifted.
The bracelet on Nuel's wrist pulsed violently—hot. A high-pitched hum rose from the Riftlight below.
Nuel and Elara turned—just in time to see the shimmer tear open beside their camp.
Figures spilled from the rift—dozens. Twisted things in human shape but bent wrong, like shadows wearing bones.
"Wake them!" Elara shouted.
Kael burst from the shuttle, weapon drawn. Nyra flipped up from her perch, blades already in motion. Corin was last—calm, deliberate.
"Formation!" he barked. "Nuel, with me!"
The creatures surged forward.
Kael intercepted the first wave, slicing through them with brutal efficiency. Elara covered him, firing pulses of energy that burned through their malformed flesh. Nyra danced among them, blindingly fast, vanishing and reappearing with each kill.
But there were too many.
Corin struck the ground with his staff—Riftlight exploded outward, forming a barrier around the group.
"They're Shades," he growled. "Drawn to the Fragment's trace."
"Then let's give them a reason to regret it," Nuel muttered.
He raised his hand.
The bracelet answered. A surge of power rippled through him—instinctual, raw. He didn't try to control it. He just let it move.
A wave of force burst from his chest, slamming into the creatures and sending them flying.
The others gaped. Even Corin paused.
"Not bad," Nyra said, impressed. "First-timer."
But it wasn't over. From the Rift, a larger figure emerged—cloaked in smoke and static. A Shade Lord.
It let out a shriek that cracked the air.
Corin stepped forward, face hard. "This one's mine."
He charged, moving faster than any of them had seen—striking with precision, staff glowing with contained Riftflame. The battle was short, vicious, and ended with the Shade Lord collapsing into ash.
As silence returned, the rift sealed behind them.
Everyone exhaled.
Kael wiped blood from his sword. "So... that was fun."
Elara glanced at Nuel. "You alright?"
He nodded slowly. "Better than I thought."
Corin approached. "You handled yourself well. That surge? That wasn't just the anchor reacting—it was you."
Nuel looked down at his bracelet. "It didn't feel like me. More like… a door I barely opened."
"Then next time," Corin said, "we'll open it wider."