The Rift did not open violently this time.
It opened… precisely.
Above the academy.
Silent.
Controlled.
Wrong.
There was no explosion.
No storm of distortion.
Just a narrow fracture in the sky — thin, stable, deliberate.
Students felt it before they saw it.
Pressure.
Heavy.
Focused.
Like something looking directly at them.
Ryo stepped onto the training platform first.
"…You feel that?"
Elias followed, eyes narrowing.
"Yes."
Kai stepped last.
And the pressure shifted.
Not across the academy.
Toward him.
The Rift widened slightly.
Not large.
But deep.
From within—
One entity descended.
Not massive.
Not chaotic.
Dense.
Still.
Watching.
This Riftborn did not attack.
Did not roar.
Did not move.
It simply scanned.
Its gaze moved across students.
Across fighters.
Across the academy.
Then—
It stopped.
On Kai.
Ryo stepped forward instantly.
"Don't even think about it."
The creature ignored him.
Elias raised spatial pressure.
The creature did not react.
It continued staring at Kai.
As if confirming something.
Kai stepped forward slowly.
The air tightened.
"…You're not here to fight."
The Riftborn tilted its head.
Then—
Spoke.
Not broken.
Not distorted.
Clearer than before.
"…Confirmed."
Ryo froze.
"…What?"
The creature continued.
"…Divinity signal located."
Silence fell across the academy.
Elias whispered—
"…No…"
The Riftborn's body began dissolving into shadow.
Its mission complete.
"…Target marked."
And it vanished.
No battle.
No destruction.
No victory.
Only confirmation.
Research Wing — Emergency Lockdown
Mira burst into the chamber, breath uneven.
"They weren't attacking."
Elias nodded slowly.
"They were verifying."
Mira activated global Rift pattern maps.
All recent Rift locations aligned into one converging pattern.
Toward a single point.
Aetherion Academy.
Ryo muttered—
"…You're kidding."
Kai stared at the projection.
Calm outside.
Storm inside.
Elias spoke carefully.
"Divinity Core… is not theoretical."
Mira whispered—
"…It's alive."
Silence.
Then—
Ryo looked at Kai.
"…Say something."
Kai spoke quietly.
"…It's me."
The room went still.
Not shock.
Not denial.
Just realization.
Far beyond Earth—
The distant pulse shifted sharply.
Course locked.
Destination confirmed.
The hunt had begun.