A Step into the Unknown
Zyra's heart thundered in her chest as she stood at the edge of the abyss. The rift loomed before her, pulsing with a sickly glow, its energy alive—writhing and shifting like something hungry.
Riven stood beside her, arms folded, watching her with unreadable golden eyes. "Hesitation won't serve you," he murmured.
She shot him a glare. "I'm not hesitating."
But the truth was—she was.
This was not a normal portal. It was not a passage meant for mortals to tread. Even standing near it made her bones ache, her skin prickle with an unnatural chill.
But Kieran was in there.
And he was waiting for her.
Exhaling sharply, she clenched her fists. No more hesitation.
She took a step forward—
And the rift swallowed her whole.
---
The Rift's Realm
The world ripped apart.
A rush of freezing air slammed into her, the sensation so overwhelming she gasped.
Light and shadow blurred together, folding in on themselves, stretching reality in unnatural ways. For a brief, terrifying moment, Zyra was nothing—no body, no mind, just raw existence lost in the void.
Then—
Pain.
She crashed onto solid ground, the impact rattling her bones.
Groaning, she pushed herself up, her vision spinning. The air smelled of metal and something wrong, something ancient.
The world around her was not like anything she had ever seen.
Black stone stretched in jagged formations, glowing veins of violet energy pulsing beneath its surface. Above, the sky was cracked—fractured like a broken mirror, shifting between endless darkness and swirling galaxies.
And in the distance—
A massive structure loomed, its spires twisting unnaturally, dark chains extending from its walls, crackling with an ominous power.
That was where Kieran was.
Zyra's pulse pounded. She had no time to waste.
---
The Rift's Guardians
She barely took three steps before the air rippled.
A deep, guttural growl echoed through the landscape.
Zyra froze, her magic surging instinctively to her fingertips.
Then—they appeared.
Shadowed figures emerged from the jagged rock, their bodies twisting as if made from the same fractured darkness as the sky. Their forms were not solid—not fully real, yet terrifyingly present.
They had no faces, only hollow voids where eyes should be, but they moved with eerie purpose, circling her like predators sensing fresh prey.
Zyra's breath hitched.
Guardians.
Of course the rift wouldn't leave its prisoners unguarded.
One of them lunged—fast.
Zyra barely dodged in time, rolling across the uneven ground. She flicked her wrist, summoning fire to her palm—but the flames sputtered.
Her magic—weakened.
Her stomach dropped. The rift was suppressing her power.
A second guardian struck, its clawed hand grazing her shoulder. She hissed in pain as an unnatural cold seeped into her skin.
She had to move.
Had to survive.
With a sharp inhale, Zyra spun on her heel, using her momentum to kick one of the creatures backward. It staggered but didn't fall.
Damn it.
Then—a voice.
"Keep moving."
She whipped around, her pulse jumping.
Riven.
He stood on a nearby rock formation, completely at ease, watching her struggle.
Of course he was just watching.
She gritted her teeth. "You could help."
He smirked. "I could."
She barely dodged another swipe from the creatures, rage flaring alongside her panic. "Then do it!"
Riven sighed as if this was all very inconvenient. Then, with an almost lazy motion, he lifted his hand—
And snapped his fingers.
A shockwave of golden energy burst outward.
The guardians screeched. Their forms twisted violently before they disintegrated, their bodies crumbling into wisps of dark mist.
Silence fell.
Zyra panted, her muscles tight with tension.
Riven stepped forward, peering down at her. "See? That wasn't so bad."
Zyra wanted to punch him.
Instead, she clenched her jaw and turned toward the looming fortress. "We're wasting time."
She didn't wait for his response before she started running.
Kieran was waiting.
And she would not let this realm keep him.
---