***********
The urgent rap of knuckles against hardwood echoed through the Military command center as Colonel Hestian looked up from his stack of intelligence reports. The late afternoon sun cast long shadows across the stone walls, but the peaceful atmosphere was shattered by the expression on his aide's face.
"Sir, word just came in through the communication crystal network," the lieutenant said, his voice tight with controlled urgency. "Another rift has opened in the Westmarch Valley, approximately forty miles north of Millbrook."
Hestian felt his blood run cold. Millbrook was where they'd encountered the fire-resistant beasts just three weeks ago. The area was still recovering from the last incursion, civilian evacuations barely complete.
"Get the rift analyst to the strategic planning room immediately," Hestian ordered, already rising from his desk. "And get me all available intelligence on Westmarch Valley's geological composition, population density, and evacuation routes."
The aide nodded sharply and turned to leave, but Hestian called him back.
"Lieutenant, what's the initial classification on this rift?"
The pause that followed made Hestian's stomach drop even before the response came.
"Sir... it's unranked."
"What the hell do you mean, unranked?" Hestian's voice carried the sharp edge of a man who'd been dealing with escalating crisis after crisis. "Every rift gets an initial classification within the first hour of manifestation. That's standard protocol."
"Yes, sir. But the field observers... they're reporting readings that don't match any known classification parameters. The energy signatures are unlike anything in our databases."
Hestian strode toward the strategic planning room, his mind racing through possibilities, none of them good. 'First fire-resistant beasts that shouldn't exist, now this. What the hell is happening out there?'
"Get me everything we have on unranked manifestations," he said aloud. "Historical data, theoretical models, anything."
"Sir, there is no historical data. This is the first unranked rift in recorded history."
The words hung in the air like a death sentence. Hestian had been coordinating rift responses for three years, ever since the first manifestation had torn through the southern farmlands. He'd seen Class A rifts that spawned creatures capable of leveling entire villages, Class B rifts that produced swarms of razor-winged beasts, and the nightmarish Class S rift near Thornwick that had required the combined efforts of fifty awakened to contain.
But an unranked rift? That meant their entire classification system - the foundation of their response protocols - was useless.
"Sir?" the aide prompted, clearly waiting for orders.
"This is too dangerous," Hestian said, his strategic mind already calculating the implications. "Unranked rifts are unpredictable by definition. We have no way to assess the threat level, no way to prepare appropriate countermeasures."
He reached the planning room and immediately began pulling maps of the Westmarch Valley from the filing cabinets. The area was sparsely populated, mostly farming communities and mining settlements. That was something, at least - fewer civilians to evacuate if things went wrong.
"Where are our S-ranked awakened?" Hestian asked, already knowing the answer would be problematic.
"Sir, the military only has three S-ranked awakened, and none are currently available for deployment. One is still recovering from injuries sustained during the Thornwick incursion. Another is coordinating the investigation of the stable gate near the capital - direct orders from the Crown. The third is leading a deep reconnaissance mission beyond the northern rifts. Expected return unknown."
"So we have no S-ranked awakened available for immediate deployment." Hestian spread the map across the planning table, his finger tracing the location of the new rift. "What about A-ranked personnel?"
"We have several A-ranked awakened currently stationed at headquarters, sir."
Hestian studied the map, weighing options that all seemed inadequate. 'An unranked rift could spawn anything. Could be harmless Class E creatures, or something that makes Class S look like a warm-up.' Sending A-ranked awakened into unknown territory was risky, but they couldn't leave the rift unmonitored.
"Organize our perimeter squad," he decided. "Five A-ranked awakened to establish a secure perimeter around the rift. Standard protocol - maintain safe distance, monitor energy readings, and prepare for containment when it becomes active in seven days. No one approaches the rift directly."
The aide was already taking notes. "Which personnel, sir?"
"We'll need tactical leadership, heavy combat support, stealth reconnaissance, area control, and..." Hestian paused, considering the fifth member. "Actually, get me Edmund Ashford. He's only B-ranked, but his fire abilities might be crucial if this turns out to be another heat-resistant creature situation. And his family has experience with... unusual situations."
"Sir, with respect, that's only four A-ranked awakened if we include Lieutenant Ashford."
"Edmund's tactical experience and his specific abilities are more valuable than raw combat power for a perimeter operation," Hestian replied. "And given his family's recent... circumstances, he might have insights into unusual phenomena that our standard personnel would miss."
He turned to the communication crystals mounted on the wall, each one attuned to different military units across the kingdom. "Get me a direct line to the Crown. I need to know if they have any S-ranked awakened available for deployment - this situation may require capabilities beyond what the regular military can provide."******
As his aide hurried to carry out the orders, Hestian remained at the planning table, staring at the map of Westmarch Valley. 'The stable gate near the capital, the increasingly organized beast attacks, the adaptation of creatures to our known tactics, and now an unranked rift that defies our entire classification system. This isn't random. This is planned.'
The pieces of a larger puzzle were beginning to form, and Hestian didn't like the picture they were creating.
A soft chime indicated an incoming communication from the field. Hestian activated the crystal, and the voice of their field observer crackled through the magical connection.
"Command, this is field observation post. I have visual confirmation of the rift manifestation."
"Report."
"Sir, the rift is approximately fifteen meters in diameter - that's consistent with Class A parameters. But the energy readings..." There was a pause filled with static. "Sir, the energy is fluctuating in patterns I've never seen before. It's like the rift is... breathing."
Hestian exchanged a grim look with his aide, who had returned with the requested files. "Any sign of creature emergence?"
"Negative, sir. The rift appears dormant - standard seven-day manifestation period before activation. But the energy patterns are unprecedented."
"Understood. Maintain your observation position and do not approach the rift under any circumstances. We have a perimeter team en route."
"Copy that, sir."
As the communication ended, Hestian turned to his aide. "How long until the squad can be deployed?"
"Twenty minutes for full gear and transport preparation, sir."
"Make it fifteen. And make sure they understand this is perimeter establishment only. Standard distance protocols - no one gets closer than regulation safety parameters. We monitor and prepare for when this thing becomes active."
As his aide left to coordinate the deployment, Hestian remained in the planning room, surrounded by maps and reports that suddenly seemed inadequate for the challenges they were facing. 'The systematic nature of the rift manifestations, the adaptive intelligence of the creatures, and now this unranked anomaly that defies our understanding. Someone or something is playing a very long game.'
He thought about the intelligence reports from recent weeks, about the coordinated attacks and the evidence of an intelligence beyond the rifts that had been studying their capabilities. If that was true, then an unranked rift might not be a random occurrence or a failure of their classification system.
It might be evolution.
'The enemy - whatever exists beyond the rifts - might be developing new approaches, new strategies that our current defenses can't anticipate or counter. And if that's the case, then the squad isn't just conducting reconnaissance on a dimensional anomaly. They're potentially walking into a trap designed by an intelligence that's been studying our tactics and capabilities for years.'
Hestian activated another communication crystal, this one connected directly to the Crown's military liaison.
"This is Colonel Hestian, requesting priority communication with Crown military command."
Within moments, a formal voice filled the room.
"Colonel, what's the situation?"
"Sir, we have an unranked rift manifestation in Westmarch Valley. The energy patterns are unlike anything in our databases. Our military forces have no S-ranked awakened available for deployment. I'm requesting to know if the Crown has any S-ranked personnel who could be assigned to this situation."
There was a long pause before the response came.
"Colonel, all Crown S-ranked assets are currently committed to critical operations. The Royal Guard is handling the stable gate investigation, and other assets are deployed on classified missions. You'll need to manage with available military resources."
"Understood, sir. But I need to inform you - this isn't just another rift. An unranked classification means we have no protocols, no precedents. If this represents a new phase in rift evolution..."
"Then you'll adapt and overcome, Colonel. That's what the military does. Establish containment protocols and prepare for standard activation in seven days. We'll monitor the situation."
As the communication ended, Hestian felt the weight of command settle heavier on his shoulders. 'The military is on its own for this one. Just like always.'
Hestian looked out the window toward the setting sun. Somewhere to the north, five awakened were about to establish a perimeter around a dimensional anomaly that might represent the next phase of an invasion they were already struggling to contain.
'And I can't shake the feeling that this unranked rift is connected to other recent anomalies. The stable gate that the Royal Guard is investigating, the increasingly organized beast attacks, and somewhere in the Royal Academy, a young Ashford with an unprecedented awakening preparing for reclassification.'*******
Edmund Ashford would be going on his first major perimeter operation. His younger brother had just experienced an awakening that broke their classification system entirely. The timing felt too coincidental for comfort.
'I've been a soldier long enough to recognize when seemingly unrelated events are actually pieces of a larger strategy. And if I'm right, then the next seven days - before this unranked rift becomes active - will be crucial for understanding what we're really facing.'
Outside, the first stars were appearing in the darkening sky, and Colonel Hestian prepared for what might be the longest week of his military career.