Axton chose.
[Choice Confirmed: Yes – Trust Them]
Party Formed: Axton, Kenji, Rei
Party Rank: F (Beginner)
Shared Perception Enabled – Radius: 3 meters
Party Bonus Activated: Awareness +2, Coordination +1
The moment the confirmation flashed, Axton felt it — a subtle tether between the three of them. A faint pulse, like a heartbeat in the back of his mind. Rei blinked and rubbed her arms.
"What... was that?"
Kenji looked around. "Did something just connect us?"
Axton nodded. "We're linked now. You'll feel things before they happen. Danger. Emotion. Distance. Trust me — it might save your life."
"Okay," Rei said slowly, "I was half-joking when I called you a weirdo, but now I'm officially invested. Let's find whatever's haunting this place."
---
That night, they returned to the school. The west wing was quiet. Axton led them through the back entrance, bypassing the alarm lock — the System granted him a temporary bypass key from a previous stealth quest.
[Skill Activated: Shadow Movement I]
Kenji and Rei are now hidden (Urban Stealth Success Rate: 68%)]
They approached the old science lab.
Axton reached out. The door creaked open like before — but this time, something was waiting.
The Rift fragment in the room pulsed.
And then, from its shimmering light, something stepped out.
It didn't walk — it slithered, dragging broken limbs across the tile, its face a blur of distorted features. A twisted mockery of a person — with eyes that shimmered like static and a gaping mouth of silence.
[Alert: Riftborn Entity Detected – Designation: Wraith-Class Aberrant]
Threat Level: C-
Objective: Survive | Optional: Seal the Rift]
Rei gasped, and Kenji froze.
"W-what is that?!"
"A Riftborn," Axton said, drawing the only weapon he had — a conjured energy blade formed by the System. "Stay behind me."
The creature lunged.
[Combat Initiated – Party Formation Holds]
Engage? [Y/N]
Y.
---
The Wraith shrieked — a soundless scream that rattled the lights above. Axton blocked its strike, his blade crackling with blue light. Kenji threw a desk in panic; Rei grabbed a fire extinguisher and hurled it at the creature's head.
[Team Coordination Bonus: Improvised Strike +2]
The Wraith staggered.
Axton lunged — sword through its chest — and for a moment, the Rift behind it cracked wider.
From inside, something else looked out.
But before it could emerge, Axton yelled:
"Kenji! Hit the panel behind the Rift! Power breaker!"
Kenji obeyed. Sparks flew.
[Rift Disruption Successful]
Wraith-Class Aberrant: VANQUISHED
Rift Fragment: SEALED (Temporary)]
Reward: +2 Levels | Class Unlock Token Acquired | Riftborn Lore Fragment (1/5)]
The lab returned to silence.
Rei dropped to the floor, breathless.
"What... the hell was that?"
Axton lowered his sword. "Not the last one, I think."
Kenji wiped his face. "You said you were from somewhere else, didn't you?"
Axton looked at them both — his first true party.
"I'm not the only one who came through the Rift. But I'll be the one who stops what follows."