The moment the group stepped out of the Rift, they were greeted by blinding sunlight.
For a brief second, nobody spoke.
After everything they had experienced inside, the ordinary world felt strangely unreal.
The bustling city.
The clear sky.
The familiar sounds of people talking.
It all felt distant.
Then a familiar voice broke the silence.
"You're finally back."
Everyone turned.
Standing near the Rift entrance was the President himself.
Several Association officials stood behind him.
Their expressions were tense.
As though they had been waiting for hours.
The President's eyes swept across the group.
The Team Leader.
Mira.
Darius.
Lyra.
Riven.
When he confirmed everyone was alive, the tension in his shoulders visibly relaxed.
"How are you all?"
The Team Leader stepped forward.
"Sir."
His expression became serious.
"There was a Transcendent-level threat inside the Rift."
To everyone's surprise—
The President didn't look shocked.
Instead, he sighed.
"My mistake."
The Team Leader frowned.
"What do you mean, sir?"
The President folded his arms.
"It wasn't an ordinary Rift."
"It was a Roaming Rift."
Silence.
The Team Leader's eyes widened.
"What?!"
Mira froze.
Darius nearly choked.
Even Lyra's calm expression cracked slightly.
Only Riven looked completely confused.
"What exactly is a Roaming Rift?"
Several people immediately looked at him.
Riven awkwardly scratched his cheek.
"...What?"
Lyra pinched the bridge of her nose.
Then answered.
"Roaming Rifts are extremely rare."
"They appear in one location..."
"And disappear before reappearing somewhere else."
Riven blinked.
"So they move?"
"Yes."
Lyra nodded.
"But that's not the dangerous part."
Her expression became serious.
"Some Roaming Rifts continue absorbing energy."
"They evolve."
"They increase in rank over time."
Riven's mouth slowly opened.
"So..."
"The Rift we entered..."
The President nodded.
"It started as a low-level anomaly."
"By the time we realized what it truly was, it had already become far more dangerous."
Silence followed.
Riven suddenly felt like the biggest amateur there.
Everyone else seemed to know what Roaming Rifts were.
Meanwhile he was learning about them after almost dying inside one.
Darius laughed.
"Look on the bright side."
"You survived your first Roaming Rift."
Riven wasn't sure whether that was comforting or terrifying.
As the group continued walking toward the evacuation area, Lyra suddenly glanced toward him.
Specifically—
Toward the pendant hanging around his neck.
She hesitated.
Then asked casually.
"That pendant."
Riven's heart skipped a beat.
"Yeah?"
"Is it some kind of healing artifact?"
For a moment—
Riven froze.
His mind immediately recalled everything.
The river.
The mysterious woman.
The impossible miracle.
Then another thought appeared.
What truth am I supposed to tell her?
He didn't even know what had happened.
He didn't know who the woman was.
He didn't know what the contract meant.
He barely understood anything himself.
After a brief pause, he nodded.
"I think so."
Lyra raised an eyebrow.
"You think so?"
Riven immediately corrected himself.
"I mean yes."
"Probably."
That only made it worse.
Lyra stared at him for several seconds.
Then sighed.
"Did you get it from the Kaelthron Family?"
Riven blinked.
Then nodded.
"Yeah."
"Something like that."
Lyra slowly looked away.
For some reason, she felt that something wasn't right.
Not with Riven.
Not with the pendant.
Just...
Something.
A faint feeling she couldn't explain.
Like a memory she couldn't quite grasp.
After a few moments, she dismissed the thought.
Perhaps she was simply overthinking.
The group soon arrived at the Association Building.
The moment Riven entered, he glanced at the giant clock hanging on the wall.
Then froze.
"...Wait."
The clock displayed:
4:12 PM
Riven blinked.
Then blinked again.
Something wasn't right.
"We were inside for almost two days."
Darius laughed.
"First time noticing?"
Riven looked at him.
"What?"
"Time perception inside Rifts varies."
Darius shrugged.
"Sometimes a few hours inside become days."
"Sometimes days become minutes."
Riven stood there silently.
Then suddenly smiled.
His mother hadn't noticed he was gone.
Which meant—
He was alive.
And he wasn't getting beaten with a slipper.
A tremendous victory.
Far greater than surviving a Transcendent.
Several hours later—
Most of the team had gone to rest.
Riven had just finished changing clothes when a staff member approached him.
"The President would like to see you."
Riven wasn't surprised.
He had been expecting this.
The office door slowly opened.
The President sat behind his desk.
As always.
Calm.
Collected.
Watching everything.
The moment Riven entered, the President gestured toward a chair.
"Sit."
Riven obeyed.
Silence filled the room.
Then the President spoke.
"What have you decided?"
Riven slowly exhaled.
The question wasn't unexpected.
In fact—
He had been thinking about it ever since the battle ended.
His mind drifted back to the Rift.
To Mira handing him her beacon.
To Darius joking while burning away his own lifespan.
To Lyra refusing to abandon the civilians.
To the Team Leader standing before a Transcendent despite knowing he couldn't win.
They weren't protecting family.
They weren't protecting friends.
Most of the people in that village were complete strangers.
Yet they still chose to fight.
They still chose to sacrifice everything.
Not for rewards.
Not for fame.
Not for power.
Simply because someone had to stand there.
Someone had to protect them.
Riven slowly lowered his head.
Then smiled.
A small smile.
The kind that came after finally understanding something.
He looked at the President.
"I want to join the Association."
Silence.
Then a warm smile appeared on the President's face.
Not the smile of an official.
Not the smile of a politician.
The smile of a man genuinely pleased by the answer.
"I see."
That was all he said.
Yet somehow—
It felt enough.
A little while later, Riven finally left the Association Building.
The sun had already begun setting.
Golden light painted the streets.
The city looked peaceful.
Ordinary.
As though nothing extraordinary had happened.
By the time he reached home—
It was nearly seven in the evening.
He opened the front door.
Immediately—
The smell of dinner greeted him.
A familiar warmth filled the house.
His mother looked up from the dining table.
"Oh."
"You're back."
Riven smiled.
"Yeah."
His mother tilted her head.
"Did you have fun today?"
The question nearly made him laugh.
Fun?
He had watched people sacrifice their lives.
He had fought a Transcendent.
He had drowned.
He had met an ancient being.
Riven thought about it seriously.
Then smiled.
"Yeah."
"I learned a lot today."
His mother smiled.
"Good."
Then pointed toward the dining table.
"Just don't get into trouble."
Riven almost choked.
"Right."
"Of course."
His mother nodded as though she completely believed him.
Which somehow made him feel guilty.
As he sat down with his family—
The memories of the Rift surfaced once more.
The Team Leader.
Mira.
Darius.
Lyra.
The people who had risked everything for others.
A small smile appeared on his face.
Perhaps...
Joining the Association wasn't such a bad choice after all.
Outside, the evening sun slowly disappeared beyond the horizon.
And without realizing it—
Riven had taken his first step toward a completely different future.
End