They were falling. Fast — faster than anything natural — as if gravity itself had sharpened its teeth. Wind howled past Veyr's ears, pulling at his coat and hair, but the sound felt strangely distant. He heard Ellie scream somewhere above — or was it below? Directions felt meaningless now.
All his life he had despised the Rifts. They were monstrosities, wounds in the world that had swallowed everything he loved. And yet, as they tumbled through that impossible tunnel of color and sound, he found himself thinking — for a single fractured heartbeat — that it was… beautiful.
Bands of light twisted around them in hues he had no names for, like the sky bleeding into itself. The walls of the Rift moved, pulsing, living. Fascinating.
That was when the ground appeared.
Far, far below — then suddenly not so far at all.
Time flickered. One moment they were plummeting straight down. The next, everything froze in place. Ellie's hair floated around her face like ink in water; Rhen hung limp against Veyr's chest. Then — without warning — they began falling upward. Weight shifted, gravity flickered, and then slammed back down again.
Ellie clung to him with wide eyes. "Veyr—!"
He held her tighter, shifting Rhen's body in his other arm. His heart hammered against his ribs. He could see the ground again. Too close now. And coming at them too fast.
Think.His Glyph — the mark etched into his palm — could manipulate energy, sometimes even mass. He had done it by accident before. Never by will. Never twice.
He had never tried it inside a Rift.
Do it or we die.
Veyr took a shuddering breath and closed his eyes. He wrapped his fingers tighter around Rhen's waist and pressed his palm flat against the young man's coat. If it works, it will be through him — through the Glyph embedded in his flesh.
He pulled every last thread of strength in his body toward that single point. In his mind he saw the symbol burning bright — violet and raw — vibrating like a living thing.
Slow us down. Just slow us down—
Something cracked in his bones from the effort.
The ground was a heartbeat away.
And then, with a deep, unnatural thrumm, violet energy flared from his palm. A ripple burst outward against the air, and suddenly their fall stopped — jolting their bodies as though caught in a net woven of pure force. The world stilled. They were suspended one meter above the ground — frozen in place, limbs dangling, hair drifting.
Veyr's entire body shook from the strain. Blood roared in his ears. His vision fractured.
They dropped the final meter with a soft thud.
Then… nothing.
He wasn't sure how long had passed before he opened his eyes again.
Veyr lay on a simple bed — not cold ash or broken stone, but fabric. A roof. Walls. A hut.
For a moment he thought it was a dream. Something about the quiet hum of life outside — laughter, voices, the distant chatter of children — felt too warm, too normal.
He sat up slowly. His body ached everywhere, but his wounds had been wrapped with clean bandages. Two beds stood beside his — both empty.
Ellie.Rhen.
He forced himself to stand. The wooden floor creaked beneath his feet, but it didn't feel like Fallen Lands stone. It felt… alive.
Veyr stepped toward the doorway and froze.
Outside was a village. Green leaves moved in a soft breeze. Lanterns swayed from wooden beams. People walked — talked — laughed. Fresh bread scents drifted from a nearby stall. Children ran past, chasing one another in circles.
Life.So much of it, it almost hurt his eyes.
How…? he thought. How can something birthed from death hold this much life inside it?
He stepped into the light, heart pounding with an unfamiliar mix of wonder and dread.
If this is still inside the Rift, he thought grimly, then perhaps the world I knew was never whole to begin with.