The wind howled through the canyon, carrying dust and silence in equal measure. Ilira lay slumped against a jagged stone, clutching her side as Kaien turned his gaze skyward.
Above, the clouds churned unnaturally — as if the Rift relic's awakening had echoed far beyond this broken valley.
Kaien knelt beside the relic, now embedded deep in the earth where the final rift-slice had landed. Its core pulsed in rhythms that weren't entirely bound to time. He could feel it—each thrum like a heartbeat in reverse, dragging the senses outward and inward all at once.
Ilira stirred. "You shouldn't have awakened it," she rasped.
Kaien didn't look back. "It was already stirring. All I did was listen."
She chuckled darkly. "You're beginning to sound like Varen."
At the mention of the name, Kaien finally turned. "You know Varen?"
Ilira's gaze narrowed. "I hunted him. Once. Before he vanished into the Riftstorm."
Kaien said nothing. The Riftstorm—a celestial anomaly at the edge of the known world. A place where time collapsed, and space rebelled.
Ilira gritted her teeth. "That relic you touched—it's not just a key. It's a beacon. Whatever was sealed in the Deep Fold has felt you now."
Kaien's fingers tightened around the hilt of his katana. "Then let it come."
Meanwhile — Celestia Council Chamber
Far above the battlefield, in the silver-spired city of Elarion, the Celestia Council convened in emergency session. Light filtered through crystalline walls, refracted into ever-shifting patterns—symbols of order, now thrown into uncertainty.
At the head of the table sat Arxus Solon, High Arbiter and Wielder of the Stellar Core. His voice was low but cut through the hum of the room like a comet slicing the void.
"The Phasebrand has awakened a Rift-class anomaly," he said. "And the Riftborn Kaien Morreti now possesses a weapon that rivals our own Celestia Blades."
A low murmur rippled through the council.
One member leaned forward—Vel'Naia, Mistress of the Astral Labyrinth. "Should we send the Wardens?"
Solon shook his head. "Not yet. We need to understand his intentions first. He may be a key... or a threat."
Another figure stood in the shadows—cloaked, unknown to many, but his voice was cold and clear.
"I'll go."
Gasps followed. Few recognized him, but Solon simply nodded.
"Very well... Sirex Voln. You are granted full hunter authority."
The cloaked man turned, cloak swirling like smoke. "If the Rift Sovereign resists, I'll tear the stars from his bones."
Back in the Canyon
Kaien stood, Rift relic now embedded in a stone casing of his own design—a stasis fold sealed with his mark.
Ilira, patched and silent, stood beside him, arms crossed.
"You're not what I expected," she said.
"I never am."
A faint shimmer of space flickered around him—his core was evolving again. The relic had unlocked something. Not just raw energy, but a blueprint—a new layer of spatial understanding.
Ilira caught it too. "Your aura—it's denser."
Kaien nodded slowly. "I think… I'm becoming part Rift."
Chapter End Teaser
Elsewhere, at the edge of the known world, the Riftstorm roared. Within its spiraling chaos, a figure stirred. Wrapped in cracked armor and drifting stars, he opened his eyes for the first time in decades.
"Kaien…" he whispered. "So you finally drew your blade."