Thirteen years ago.
The first Rift Core was born in a forgotten vault beneath the Carpathians. In that glowing, humming chamber stood Elias Varin and Nyx Valen, then just a scholar with fire in her eyes and no mask to hide behind.
"We can stabilize the wild ones," Elias said, his hand on the crystalline structure. "Harness their energy. Power cities. End disease. Change the world."
Nyx hesitated. "We don't understand them yet. We're pushing the system too fast."
But Elias was already stepping into the center of the spell circle.
> [System Override Requested: Core Genesis Protocol]
The Rift blinked open—small, controlled.
But it whispered.
It spoke of power, systems beyond systems, and a throne untouched since the first dimension cracked open. Elias listened.
Nyx screamed.
A pulse of Riftlight surged. The vault exploded. Nyx woke weeks later, burned, cursed... and betrayed.
Elias was gone.
And the Rift Core had vanished