Without a clear understanding of the urgency, Theon quickened his pace. The sturdy boots of his new armor thudded against the cobblestone streets, echoing off the narrow alleyways. The address led him deeper into the maze of backstreets, each corner more deserted than the last. He finally arrived at what appeared to be an empty, unremarkable alleyway.
He hesitated, glancing at his communicator again to confirm the location. The coordinates were correct, but something felt off.
'Where's the rift?' There were no visible Lu fluctuations, no sign of the gate's presence. A rift was not something easily hidden.
Just as he was about to contact Ren, the concrete wall in front of him rippled, like a stone disturbing the surface of a still pond. From the solid surface, a figure emerged—a man clad in dark tactical gear, his face hidden behind a mask. He raised a gloved hand and silently beckoned Theon forward.
Without a word, Theon moved toward the wall. What should have been a cold, solid barrier gave way like thick mist, enveloping him in a disorienting cold. For a brief moment, he felt weightless, caught in a void, before stepping through to the other side.
'Second time. Guess I should get used to it.' he thought, shaking off the strange sensation.
As his vision cleared, Theon's eyes widened in amazement. The alley had transformed into a vast, concealed chamber, pulsing with muted, yet intense energy. The air thrummed with an undercurrent of power, almost suffocating in its presence. Intricate formations covered the stone walls and floor, their symbols glowing faintly, like veins of molten silver running through the chamber. Each line and curve was etched with a level of precision that left no doubt in Theon's mind—they were suppression formations, designed to cloak the space from sight and suppress any Lu fluctuations.
The Golden Dawn's mastery of formations surprised him. The intricate nature of the runes was beyond anything he'd expected from the organization.
'And yet I was confident I'd surpassed some of their top-level members in cultivation?' Theon mused.
Yet, he hadn't accounted for the difference between cultivation and formations. Unlike cultivation, which depended heavily on time and technique, formations were a matter of intelligence and precision. Even a first-plane cultivator could theoretically surpass a seventh-plane master in terms of formation mastery. The difference, of course, lay in the power and scale of the formations they could produce but it was still possible.
The chamber loomed before Theon, a vast and dimly lit expanse carved from dark stone, its surface cool and sleek underfoot. The air was thick with a weighty stillness, as if time itself hesitated to move within these walls. The stone was intricately etched, the walls lined with faint, glowing veins of silver that pulsed intermittently, like veins carrying lifeblood through the very fabric of the room.
At the heart of the chamber, a rift in space hovered, a tear in the very fabric of reality. It was as though the world had been ripped apart, revealing a swirling vortex of chaotic energy beyond. The rift pulsed with an unnatural light, casting long, distorted shadows across the walls. The edges of the tear were jagged and unstable, flickering with hues of deep indigo and sickly green, like a wound that refused to heal.
Around the rift, massive pillars engraved with more suppression formations surrounded the rift, anchoring it in place, preventing it from growing larger or spiraling out of control.
Theon could feel the immense pressure emanating from the rift, a force that seemed to tug at his very soul. It was raw, primal energy, the kind that could tear apart a man's essence if left unchecked. Steeling himself, he moved past the perimeter of cultivators and headed toward a makeshift control tent.
As he approached, the sound of intense discussion reached his ears. He pulled back the flap of the tent and stepped inside, unnoticed at first by the two people within. The space was dimly lit, illuminated only by the soft glow of various screens and data displays. Maps were spread across a table, along with complex diagrams that seemed to depict the inner workings of the rift, normal electronics, including holograms didn't function well inside the rifts so they had reverted to maps.
The first figure he noticed was a tall, broad-shouldered man with features that looked as though they had been carved from stone. His weathered skin hinted at years of hard battles, and a thin scar ran diagonally across his right cheek, a reminder of one that had come too close. His steely eyes locked on the maps, radiating a controlled authority that immediately told Theon he was in command. His presence was imposing, exuding the kind of confidence that came from countless brushes with death.
He was locked in a heated discussion with a woman who contrasted him in almost every way. Smaller in stature but equally commanding in her own right, she exuded intellectual intensity. Her rectangular glasses, sitting low on her nose, framed sharp, focused eyes that darted across one of the screens with unrelenting precision. Her disheveled black hair and dark circles under her eyes indicated she hadn't rested in some time, and her tactical gear was overlaid by a long white coat, its pockets overflowing with various tools, instruments, and scrolls.
Theon stood quietly, waiting to be acknowledged, as the two continued their discussion.
"…the water Lu concentration is unprecedented." the woman said, her voice edged with concern. "If we don't stabilize the flow before the team goes in, the entire operation could be compromised."
"I'm well aware of the risks, Doctor." the commander responded, his tone firm yet restrained. "But we're on a tight schedule. If we delay any longer, we risk the rift expanding beyond containment."
"We can't afford that."
The doctor shook her head, clearly frustrated. "You don't understand, Commander Sorran. This isn't just about timing. The water Lu in this rift is unlike anything we've encountered before. It's not just volatile, it seems to be sentient to a certain extent. It moves with certainty, with a goal."
Commander Sorran sighed, rubbing his temples before noticing Theon standing quietly by the entrance. "Ah, you're here. Good." He motioned for Theon to step closer. "Dr. Elara, this is Theon. He's the one who will be joining your team in the rift."
Dr. Elara turned to appraise Theon, her eyes narrowing slightly as she took in his presence. "So you're the reinforcement. I hope you understand the gravity of what we're dealing with here."
Theon nodded. "I've been briefed, but I'd appreciate any further details. Why the urgency?"
Dr. Elara exchanged a glance with Commander Sorran before speaking. "This rift was meant to destabilize within two months, so we thought we had plenty of time to excavate and clear it."
Noticing the look of confusion on Theon's face Dr.Elara gestured for him to speak.
"What does a rift destabilizing refer to?" asked Theon.
He had his own estimates as to what it meant but he had no way to know but to ask.
Dr.Elara clicked her tongue, "This is seriously the reinforcement we're getting ?" she murmured while glaring at Sorran.
With an exhale she continued. "A rift destabilizing refers to the 'deadline' the rift has to be on Spectra. All rifts destabilize after a set period of time, and when they do…. the rifts become doorways for both sides, not just for us to go into the rift but also for the rift to come to our side."
"Which is especially catastrophic for this gate." Dr.Elara quietly mumbled under her breath again.
"Anyway, last week, the Lu levels within the rift suddenly started fluctuating and became extremely volatile, hastening the rifts's destabilization with a new deadline of a week. It jumped from a one-stripe one star rift to a one stripe two star. This is serious."
'I see why Ren sent me here now. If the Sylvian Empire rift was a one-star one-stripe, with only the zombies, then the abomination I fought must have been at least two-star three-stripes, if not three-stars. Though I never told him about the abomination, he must know more than I told him.'
Theon absorbed their words, his mind already calculating the potential dangers. "Understood. When do we move out?"
"Immediately." Commander Sorran replied, his tone leaving no room for delay. "The rift is stabilizing for now, but we need to move before it becomes too unstable to manage."