The air inside the Skyforge shimmered like liquid glass. Each breath felt heavy, charged with unseen energy. As we walked deeper into the radiant corridors, I could feel the pulse of the Forge echoing through my chest. It was not just power. It was memory.
The walls around us pulsed faintly with light, as if the entire city were alive and aware of our presence. Strange glyphs glowed softly on the surfaces, shifting whenever we passed, like they were watching or whispering to one another. The sound of our footsteps was swallowed by the humming air.
Ren's voice broke the silence. "You know, I keep waiting for something to explode. A place like this never stays quiet for long."
Kael smirked. "That's because you have terrible luck."
Lyra brushed her hand against one of the glowing walls, her expression thoughtful. "This place… it is not built entirely of matter. It's woven from thought and memory. Every stone here once belonged to someone's dream."
Ren raised a brow. "So, we're walking through ghosts' dreams now? That's comforting."
Soren stopped at a massive doorway ahead. It was sealed by a circular barrier of light, humming faintly with power. "Beyond this gate lies the Core. The Skyforge's heart. It is the source of balance between the two worlds."
I stepped forward and felt the pull of energy intensify. My device reacted instantly, glowing brighter than it ever had. The resonance matched perfectly with the barrier's rhythm.
"It's reacting to me again," I murmured. "It wants to open."
Soren nodded slowly. "Then let it. But remember, once you touch the Core, you will see what the Rift truly is."
I placed my hand on the light. A wave of warmth spread through me, followed by flashes of memory that weren't mine, visions of cities floating above oceans, of people calling to the stars, of a sky torn apart by a black sun. The gate slowly opened, releasing a rush of wind that smelled like rain and electricity.
We stepped inside.
The Core chamber was vast, an endless circular space surrounded by towering pillars of glass and silver. At its center floated a sphere of pure light, rotating slowly above a platform that seemed to defy gravity. Energy cascaded from it like waterfalls of fire and starlight.
Ren stared in awe. "That's the Core? It looks like a god's heartbeat."
Lyra's voice trembled slightly. "It's older than gods."
Kael walked around the platform, his hand near his blade. "Then what exactly are we supposed to do with it?"
Before anyone could answer, the sphere pulsed violently. The light dimmed, then brightened again, flickering as though something was trying to break free.
A low sound filled the chamber. It was not mechanical or natural it was alive, breathing.
Soren's eyes narrowed. "The Rift senses us. It is pushing through the veil."
I gritted my teeth as my device vibrated uncontrollably. The energy link between me and the Core deepened until it felt like my veins were made of lightning. Images flooded my mind two worlds colliding, oceans folding into skies, mountains breaking into ash.
And then, a voice. Not heard, but felt.
Akiya…
I froze. The voice was deep, echoing within the very center of my thoughts.
Akiya, the worlds are not dying. They are returning to what they were meant to be. Let it happen.
I stumbled back, clutching my head. "No… I don't want this!"
Lyra rushed to me, her voice filled with worry. "Akiya! What's wrong?"
"The Rift is talking to me," I gasped. "It says… it says this merging is destiny."
Soren's expression darkened. "Do not listen. The Rift deceives through truth twisted into poison."
Ren clenched his fists. "Then how do we shut it up?"
"The Core must be stabilized," Soren said. "If we fail, the Rift will breach completely."
Kael looked around quickly. "So what's the plan?"
Before Soren could answer, the ground trembled violently. The sphere above the platform burst with light, and from it emerged a shape tall, elegant, and terrible. It looked human at first glance, but its form shifted like smoke. Its eyes were deep voids, filled with galaxies that spun in silence.
Lyra's voice broke into a whisper. "That's… impossible. That's a Riftborn with a soul."
The creature tilted its head. "You awaken my heart, yet you fear my voice. How human of you."
Its words were calm, almost gentle, but every syllable carried an immense weight that made the air tremble.
Kael raised his sword. "Stay back!"
The Riftborn smiled faintly. "Why resist what you already are? Half of your soul lives within the Rift, Akiya. Do you not feel it?"
The words cut deeper than any blade. My heart raced. I wanted to deny it, to scream that it was wrong....; but deep inside, a part of me already knew.
Soren's voice grew firm. "Ignore it. You are not bound to the Rift, Akiya. You are bound to the Forge."
The Riftborn stepped closer, its eyes glowing like distant stars. "She is bound to both. That is why she is the key."
Ren's gauntlet flared to life. "Key or not, if it makes another move, I'm blasting it."
The creature laughed softly. "You think light will harm me? I am made of it."
Then the chamber exploded with motion. Kael lunged forward, his blade slashing through arcs of energy. Ren fired bursts of plasma that curved like comets. Lyra chanted words that turned into spirals of white light. But every strike passed through the creature like smoke.
It extended a hand toward me. "Akiya, come. See what your world hides. See what your father tried to protect."
The mention of my father hit like a thunderbolt. My breath caught in my throat. "You… knew him?"
The Riftborn's eyes softened. "He sought to merge the worlds long before you. He failed because he loved too much."
Lyra's voice rang sharply. "It lies! The Rift feeds on emotion."
But doubt had already taken root inside me. The energy around my body flickered, my link with the Core wavering.
Soren moved between us, his energy radiating brighter. "Enough! You will not touch her."
The Riftborn smiled sadly. "Then I will wait. The Rift is patient. It has waited a thousand years. It can wait for you too."
Its body dissolved into mist, vanishing back into the Core. The room grew silent once more, the only sound our heavy breathing.
Kael sheathed his blade slowly. "What just happened?"
Soren turned to me, his expression unreadable. "The Rift knows you now. It will reach for you again."
Lyra placed a hand on my shoulder. "Do not let its words linger. Your heart decides which world survives."
I looked at the Core, still flickering faintly in the center of the chamber. My reflection stared back at me in the swirling light fractured, divided, uncertain.
Ren broke the silence, his tone softer than usual. "So… where do we go from here?"
Soren closed his eyes, as if listening to something distant. "There is one place left. The Vault of Echoes. It holds the truth of the first merging. If we are to stop the Rift, we must learn how it began."
Kael nodded. "Then we move at dawn."
I gazed once more at the Core. The light pulsed in rhythm with my heartbeat, as if waiting for a choice I had not yet made.
And somewhere, beyond the veil of light, the Rift whispered again.
Akiya… every ending is a return.
I turned away, my fists trembling. "Then we'll see whose return this really is."
Outside, the city of glass gleamed in the rising light. The Skyforge had awakened. The Rift had spoken.
And our journey was far from over.
".....to be continued...."