The Riftline Rogue Gate yawned open like a wound in the air—edges frayed violet, sucking in fog and street debris. Crown teams ringed it tight: barriers up, handlers barking orders, holo-drones scanning for instability.
Kai and Aria geared up fast—mid-grade leathers, relic blades, charge gauntlets for her. No time for warm-ups. Juno watched from the sidelines, arms crossed, that polite smile plastered on.
"Clear it quick," he said. "Data's priority."
Aria ignored him. Hand brushed Kai's—quick contact. Heartlock hummed, steadying them both against the suppression field Crown had slapped on the zone.
Shen nodded. "Monsters breaching. Swarm type. Core likely deep. Civilian evac ongoing."
They jumped in.
Domain hit like a slap—crumbling skyscrapers twisted into spires, ground cracked with glowing rifts, air heavy with static. Storm clouds boiled overhead, unnatural.
Goblins again, but bigger—D-rank maybe, hides crackling with rift energy. Packs of twenty, thirty, pouring from cracks.
Civilians scattered—Riftline workers, mostly unawakened, trapped when the Gate spawned.
Kai slashed first—fusion edge lighting his blade with Aria's borrowed charge. Clean kills.
Aria blasted chains—lightning forking precise, thinning herds.
They moved fluid. Echo Step when split, close instant. Shared Perception for flanks.
Sync Efficiency ticked—47% to 52% fast.
[Kill chain: 15
Dual Cast mastery rising]
Deeper in: plaza ruin, core pedestal pulsing angry violet. But guarding it—something new.
Humanoid. Tall, robed, face hidden under hood. Staff glowing root symbols.
Choir of the Root.
The figure raised staff. Monsters knelt—controlled.
Voice echoed, amplified. "The paired ones. Experiment 07. Divine evolution calls."
Aria's eyes narrowed. "Cult freak."
Kai gripped knife tighter. "They know us."
Figure tilted head. "We watch. The System prunes weak bonds. Yours… intriguing. But flawed."
Monsters rose—charged coordinated now.
Fight turned brutal.
Aria's storms clashed staff waves—root vines erupting, grounding lightning.
Kai darted in—fusion slashes carving vines.
Contact again—hand grab. Heartlock full: vines recoiled from them, like repelled.
Figure hissed. "Compatibility high. Too high."
Staff slammed ground.
Domain Law flickered visible:
[Rift Law: Separation mandatory. Distance enforces Strain.]
Tether yanked hard—forced pull apart.
Fifteen meters hit instant. Strain burned cold.
Kai staggered. Aria doubled, lightning flickering weak.
Figure laughed. "See? Flaw."
Civilians screamed—monsters turning on them.
Kai fought Strain—step toward her. Pain lanced.
Aria met halfway—teeth gritted.
Hands clasped.
Warmth surged. Heartlock pushed back Law—just enough.
Strain eased.
System chimed loud.
[Domain Law resisted via Heartlock.
Trust threshold met.
Stage 2: Partners → Complete
Stage 3: Trust — Active
New skill unlocked: Domain Harmony prototype (rewrite one minor Rule, 10s, high cost)
Distance tolerance: 50 meters
Sync Efficiency: 52% → 65%]
Power flood—stats spike shared.
Aria's eyes met Kai's—something raw there. Not just relief.
Trust.
They turned on the figure.
Fusion wave—storm-blade massive.
Figure blocked—staff cracked.
"Impossible—"
Core exposed behind.
Kai Echo Stepped—direct to pedestal.
Slashed.
Core shattered.
Domain unraveled.
They spilled out—Riftline street, dawn proper now. Civilians safe. Crown teams clapping down.
Juno waited, face tight.
Shen tablet glowed. "Stage Three. Unprecedented speed."
But deeper—private file unlocked.
[EXPERIMENT 07 LOG:
Stage 3 achieved.
Secondary pair activation delayed.
But monitoring: Choir contact confirmed.
Alternate candidate syncing rising.]
And name unredacted this time:
Alternate: Elara Voss. Arc origin. Crown elite. Juno's new training partner.
Aria's old rival—from childhood dorms.
Kai felt her freeze through tether.
Juno stepped closer, eyes on Aria.
"Congrats," he said soft. "But trust? Dangerous. Elara's waiting. Stable. No Dockside baggage."
Aria's hand tightened in Kai's.
The tether sang—trust solid, but storm coming.
And in the clearing fog, a root symbol burned faint on the ground—message.
The Choir was coming closer.
(To be continued…)