The Rift's Aftermath
Zyra's eyes snapped open. She inhaled sharply, expecting to feel stone beneath her, to hear the roaring collapse of the rift behind them.
But instead—there was silence.
The air was cold. The scent of damp earth filled her lungs. Grass. Trees. The sky above them was dark, but it wasn't the endless void of the rift.
They had made it out.
She sat up fast, her pulse hammering. Kieran lay beside her, his breathing even but shallow. Riven stood a few feet away, arms crossed, surveying their surroundings with narrowed eyes.
Zyra swallowed. "Where are we?"
Riven didn't look at her. "Not where we should be."
Something about his tone made her blood turn cold.
She turned, taking in the unfamiliar landscape.
They were on a hill, overlooking a valley—one that should have been familiar.
But it wasn't.
The world wasn't the same.
The trees were twisted. The sky had a sickly tinge of red at the horizon. A village lay below, but it looked abandoned, overgrown.
A sinking feeling spread through her chest.
How much time had passed?
---
Kieran Wakes
A low groan drew her attention.
Kieran stirred, his fingers curling against the grass before his eyes flickered open.
For a split second, they weren't silver.
They were black.
Zyra's breath caught, but then he blinked, and his usual molten silver returned.
He exhaled heavily, shifting to sit up. "We made it," he rasped.
"Barely," Riven muttered.
Zyra hesitated, watching Kieran carefully. He looked the same—but something felt… off.
She reached out, touching his hand. "Are you okay?"
His fingers twitched against hers. A shadow passed through his gaze, but he nodded. "I think so."
Zyra wasn't convinced.
The bond between them was still there, still strong—but something had changed. There was a weight in his magic that hadn't been there before.
And the way he'd looked at her—just for a second—like he didn't fully recognize her.
---
The Truth Hits
Riven crouched near a patch of overgrown vines, his fingers brushing the dirt. "We need answers. And that village down there might have them."
Zyra turned to him. "Do you recognize this place?"
Riven let out a short, humorless laugh. "That's the problem. I should."
Zyra's stomach knotted.
Kieran shifted beside her, looking down at the abandoned village with a frown. "Something's wrong."
"You don't say," Riven drawled.
Kieran's frown deepened. "No—I mean something is wrong with the air. It feels… thinner. Weaker."
Zyra inhaled sharply, focusing. And she felt it too.
The magic in the air—it was dim.
Like a world that had been bled dry.
A chill swept through her. "How long were we in the rift?"
Silence.
Then—Riven stood, dusting off his hands. "There's only one way to find out."
He started down the hill.
Zyra glanced at Kieran, hesitation flickering between them.
Then—together, they followed.
---
The Village of Echoes
As they entered the abandoned village, the sense of wrongness only deepened.
Houses stood empty, doors broken. Ivy and moss had overgrown cobblestone paths. The well at the center had collapsed in on itself.
It was a ghost town.
Zyra ran a hand along a crumbling wall. "What happened here?"
Kieran's jaw tightened. "Something unnatural."
Then—a sound.
A rustling from the shadows of a ruined house.
Instantly, all three of them tensed.
Zyra's hands burned with magic, Riven's dagger was already in his grip, and Kieran—
Zyra blinked.
His aura shifted.
For a brief second, his shadow stretched longer than it should have, twisting unnaturally.
Then—an old man stepped into view.
Zyra exhaled, but something about him made her uneasy.
His clothes were tattered, his skin pale and sunken. His eyes were hollow.
And when he spoke, his voice sent a chill down her spine.
"You shouldn't be here."
Riven raised a brow. "Bit late for that."
The old man stared at Kieran.
Then—he stepped back, fear flooding his expression.
Zyra frowned. "What?"
The old man shook his head violently.
His voice trembled.
"The Rift-touched. He's—he's one of them."
Silence.
Zyra's breath caught. She turned to Kieran—who stood completely still.
His fists clenched. His face was blank.
But his shadow flickered again.
A creeping dread wrapped around her ribs.
What had the rift done to him?
---