Lena paced the length of the camp, her thoughts tangled in the crimson sky above. The Rift’s presence pressed against her senses, a silent, pulsing awareness she couldn’t escape. It wasn’t attacking her. It wasn’t resisting.But it was there.Cassian hadn’t spoken much since Idris left, his jaw tight as he sharpened his blade. Dorian, for once, wasn’t cracking jokes. The weight of what they had seen had settled over them all, thick as a storm.“We can’t just sit here,” Cassian said suddenly, breaking the silence.Lena turned to him. “What do you suggest?”He met her gaze, steady and unyielding. “We find out what the Rift is doing. We don’t wait for it to come to us.”Dorian exhaled. “Much as I hate agreeing with Cassian, he has a point. That sky isn’t just for show.” He gestured upward. “The last time something like this happened, entire cities collapsed.”Lena’s pulse spiked. “Then we need to move.”Before they could plan their next step, the trees rustled—and Idris emerged from the
The journey to Varelith was silent, each step heavy with unspoken tension. The once-great city lay in ruins ahead, its towering stone walls crumbling under centuries of neglect. Yet, as they neared, the air itself seemed wrong—thick with something unnatural.Lena could feel it thrumming against her skin, the Rift’s power responding to whatever lay within the city. The green flames Idris had seen flickered in the distance, casting eerie shadows against the shattered remains of ancient buildings.Cassian unsheathed his sword. “Stay close. We don’t know what we’re walking into.”Lena nodded, gripping the dagger at her hip. Power coiled inside her, waiting, but she wasn’t ready to unleash it just yet.Dorian’s usual smirk was gone. “I hate this place.” His voice was low, barely above a whisper.“You’ve been here before?” Lena asked.“Once.” He exhaled sharply. “Let’s just say it wasn’t abandoned back then.”Lena didn’t press. She had a feeling she didn’t want to know what had driven the p
The weight of Lena’s words settled over them like a suffocating fog.“I have to destroy it.”Silence stretched between them. The Rift pulsed inside her, waiting. Watching. It was always watching.Cassian’s jaw clenched. “That’s not an option.”Dorian scoffed, crossing his arms. “You say that like she has a better one.”Lena exhaled, forcing her voice to stay steady. “I don’t.” She turned toward the monolith, its runes pulsing like the heartbeat of something ancient. “If we let this continue, the Rift will consume everything. It doesn’t stop. It doesn’t fade. It only grows.”Idris studied her, his sharp gaze assessing. “You think you can destroy it?”“I have to try.”Cassian stepped closer, lowering his voice. “And if it destroys you first?”Lena held Cassian’s gaze, willing herself not to waver. “Then you stop me before it’s too late.”His jaw tightened, but he didn’t argue. He didn’t have to. They all knew the risks.The monolith stood before them, its runes burning with eerie light,
The world trembled beneath Lena’s feet.The Rift pulsed violently inside her, a living force that fought against her control. The monolith at the heart of Varelith blazed with unnatural light, its ancient runes shifting, reshaping, whispering things that clawed at the edges of her mind.Cassian gripped her wrist. “Lena, listen to me.” His voice was steady, but she could hear the urgency in it. “If you do this, there’s no going back.”She already knew that.Dorian swore under his breath, his gaze flicking between the monolith and the sky above. The red streaks across the heavens had begun to twist, spiraling inward toward the ruins, as if the Rift itself was unraveling reality.“It’s already happening,” Lena murmured.Idris knelt beside the monolith, tracing his fingers over the shifting runes. “The wards are breaking.” His expression darkened. “And something is coming through.”The whispering grew louder.Not just from the monolith, but from the very air around them. Shadows stretched
Lena’s pulse thundered in her ears as the Rift’s power settled uneasily within her. The ruins of Varelith remained eerily silent, as if the world itself was holding its breath. The creature was gone. The fissure had sealed. But the Rift… it was still inside her. Watching. Waiting. Cassian hadn’t let go of her wrist, his grip firm but not unkind. “You controlled it,” he repeated, his voice quieter this time. Lena’s throat felt dry. “Barely.” Dorian let out a breath, running a hand through his hair. “Yeah, well, ‘barely’ is better than ‘not at all.’” He shot a wary glance at the monolith, still glowing faintly in the aftermath. “So… what now?” Idris turned to Lena, his golden eyes unreadable. “You felt it, didn’t you?” She met his gaze. She had. The moment she reached into the Rift, something—or someone—had felt her presence. And it hadn’t been just the creature that attacked them. There was something deeper. Something older. Something waiting. “We need to move,” Cassian said, h
The forest held its breath.Lena’s pulse pounded as the figure stepped forward, his dark robes flowing like liquid shadow. He moved with an unnatural grace, as if he wasn’t entirely bound by the laws of this world. The flickering firelight cast his features into sharp relief—high cheekbones, a strong jaw, and eyes that were nothing but swirling voids.The Rift surged inside her, responding to his presence.Cassian was in front of her before she could blink, his sword drawn, his stance rigid with battle-readiness. “Who the hell are you?”The man did not flinch. His gaze remained fixed on Lena, his expression unreadable. “She knows.”Lena’s throat went dry. No, she didn’t.And yet… she did.This presence—this force—had been watching her for longer than she realized. In her dreams. In the monolith’s whispers. In the way the Rift called to her.It wasn’t just a tear in reality.It had a will.And now, it had taken shape.The Rift was standing before her.Cassian shifted, his blade gleamin
Darkness.It wasn’t the absence of light but something deeper—a void that devoured everything.Lena fell.Or maybe she was floating. Maybe she wasn’t moving at all. Time had unraveled, stretched too thin to grasp. The Rift’s presence was everywhere, pressing against her skin, her bones, her mind.The whispering voices grew louder.“You are one of us now.”No.Lena clenched her fists, trying to summon strength, trying to feel her body, but it was slipping away, dissolving into the abyss. Her thoughts tangled, fragmented—who was she? Where was she?“You fight against yourself.”The voice came from all directions, wrapping around her like a shroud.“You were always meant to ascend.”Ascend?A shudder ran through her. The Rift wasn’t just claiming her—it was remaking her.Lena screamed.A light flared in the distance.No—not light.A memory.She saw Cassian’s hand reaching for her, his eyes fierce with determination. She saw Dorian smirking as he tossed a sarcastic remark her way. She saw
The night stretched endlessly, the weight of silence pressing against them. Lena could still feel the Rift’s power thrumming inside her, an unfamiliar presence that no longer burned or resisted—it settled in her bones, in her breath, as if it had always been there.She wasn’t sure if that terrified her more than the alternative.Cassian’s eyes hadn’t left her since she demonstrated her control. There was something unreadable in his expression—not fear, not quite trust, but something in between.Dorian exhaled loudly, breaking the tension. “So, what? We just act like everything’s normal now? Pretend Lena didn’t just tap into the literal abyss and come back looking stronger?” He gestured vaguely. “Because I’d love a reality check.”Lena rolled her shoulders, still adjusting to the way her body felt—lighter, sharper, as if the Rift had remade her from the inside out.“I’m still me,” she said, but even she wasn’t sure how true that was.Cassian’s jaw tightened. “For now.”Anger flickered
The cavern felt wrong.Even though the Riftgate had disappeared, something lingered in the air—an unnatural stillness, thick with expectation. The Riftfire still simmered inside Lena, coiled like a beast waiting for permission to strike. But it wasn’t just hers anymore.It belonged to her.And she belonged to it.A cold shiver crawled up her spine, but she forced her body to move. One step. Then another.Behind her, Cassian exhaled sharply, shaking his head as he slid his daggers back into their holsters. “Alright. I have questions. Many, many questions.” His voice was light, but his eyes were sharp as they flicked toward her. “Starting with what the hell just happened?”Lena flexed her fingers, watching the faint traces of violet fire dance along her skin before flickering out. The Riftfire wasn’t resisting her anymore. It wasn’t raging. It was waiting.The realization made her stomach twist.“I don’t know,” she admitted, her voice quieter than she meant it to be. “I—I felt it. The R
Lena’s pulse roared in her ears. You were meant to open it. The King’s words curled around her mind like smoke, insidious and inescapable. She wanted to deny them, to cast them away like a lie. But the Riftfire inside her didn’t reject them. It recognized them. She staggered back, breath ragged. “You’re wrong.” The King only watched her, his golden eyes steady, unreadable. “Am I?” Lena clenched her fists, nails biting into her palms. “I came to close this gate, not—” A sharp pulse of power cut through her words. The Rift trembled. And suddenly, she wasn’t alone. Not just with the King. But with the echoes of something long buried. The vision struck like a lightning bolt to the skull. A battlefield. The air thick with Riftfire, burning violet against the endless night. Creatures—monstrosities—crawling from the gate, their shrieks tearing through the void. And at the center of it all— Her. Or rather— The woman who wasn’t her. The woman who was. A w
The pull tightened around Lena like invisible chains, wrapping around her ribs, her spine, her mind. It wasn’t violent. It wasn’t forceful. It was patient. A silent whisper, a presence at the edges of her thoughts, waiting. "Lena?" Ronan’s voice cut through the haze, grounding her. She blinked. The tunnel stretched before her, Cassian and Ronan already a few steps ahead, both watching her now—Cassian with wary confusion, Ronan with something closer to understanding. She forced herself to move. One step, then another, until the pull loosened its grip. It didn’t leave. But it let her go. For now. She exhaled slowly and followed them into the narrowing passageway. The tunnel walls pressed in, rough stone scraping against her arms. The air smelled of damp earth and something older—something untouched by time. Their footsteps echoed, the sound swallowed too quickly, as if the Rift itself was listening. No one spoke. Cassian led the way, navigating the uneven terrain wi
The cavern still hummed with the remnants of Lena’s power, the air thick with the scent of scorched flesh and magic. The Riftfire coiled around her fingers like a living thing—no longer wild, no longer resisting. It had chosen her. Lena’s breath came in ragged pulls, her heart hammering against her ribs. She wasn’t just standing in the aftermath of battle; she was standing at the edge of something irreversible. She could feel it. The Rift’s presence, no longer just a force that haunted her, but a part of her. Her. Cassian took a hesitant step forward, his daggers still in hand, though his grip had loosened. “Lena… what the hell was that?” Lena swallowed hard, but the words tangled in her throat. She didn’t know how to answer. Because she didn’t fully understand it herself. Ronan was watching her closely, his jaw clenched. His sword was sheathed, but his stance hadn’t relaxed. “Your fire—” He cut himself off, then exhaled sharply. “It’s different.” Lena flexed her fingers, st
The ground trembled beneath Lena’s feet. Not with violence, but with recognition. The Rift knew her now. And it wanted her back. Lena’s breath came in sharp, uneven pulls as the air around her thickened, reality bending at the edges. She could feel the Rift pulling, not with brute force, but with something far worse—familiarity. She was sinking into it. Becoming part of it. No. Lena clenched her fists, summoning every ounce of willpower to push back against the weight pressing on her chest. Riftfire surged at her fingertips, flickering wildly, caught between obedience and rebellion. The King watched her struggle, his burning gaze unreadable. “You still resist.” Lena swallowed against the rising panic. “I don’t belong to this place.” The King tilted his head slightly. “No,” he agreed. “But it belongs to you.” The words struck something deep inside her, something she wasn’t ready to face. Because part of her felt it. The Riftfire inside her wasn’t just reacting
The cavern trembled as the Rift’s energy expanded outward, swallowing the air, pressing against Lena’s skin with a force so dense it was almost suffocating.The King stepped forward.He wasn’t like the mindless creatures that had come before. He wasn’t grotesque or malformed.He was whole.His form was cloaked in shadows that moved like living smoke, shifting around him in slow, deliberate waves. Beneath the darkness, glimpses of something ancient and inhuman flickered—jagged obsidian armor, silvered veins pulsing with Rift energy, a face that was too sharp, too perfect, too unnatural to belong to anything mortal.His eyes—twin voids of fire and stars—settled on Lena, and the cavern dimmed, as if the very world was bracing for what came next.A voice, low and endless, rumbled through the chamber."You are the one."Lena’s pulse pounded in her ears. Her Riftfire reacted violently to his presence, rising in defense or recognition—she wasn’t sure which.But she forced herself to stand he
The world tilted.Lena’s breath caught in her throat as the weight of realization slammed into her. The Rift’s power thrummed beneath her skin, but it was nothing compared to the force radiating from the woman standing before her.Her mother.No. That couldn’t be right. Her mother had died when she was a child. She had no memories beyond fleeting warmth and a lullaby whispered in the dark.And yet—The woman’s presence felt familiar.Ronan shifted closer, tension coiled in his frame. “Lena…?”Cassian didn’t speak, but his fingers tightened around the hilt of his blade.Lena swallowed hard. “Who—who are you?”The woman smiled, stepping forward. The edges of her form flickered, like she existed between realms. “You already know, child. You’ve always known.”Lena’s pulse roared in her ears. “That’s not possible.”“And yet, here I stand.”The Riftfire in Lena’s veins surged, responding to the woman’s presence like a long-lost tether being pulled taut.“No.” Lena shook her head. “You can’t
Lena exhaled, steadying herself as the cavern pulsed with anticipation. The Herald stood motionless, hand still outstretched, its offer tangible in the air. The Rift’s power thrummed beneath her skin, no longer just a whisper but a steady, insistent call.This was the moment.She reached forward—then clenched her fist, drawing her hand back. “No,” she said, her voice stronger than she expected.The Herald’s expression didn’t falter, but the cavern trembled in response. “You refuse?” it asked, tilting its head.Ronan let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding, but his stance remained guarded. Cassian edged closer, his eyes never leaving the Herald.Lena swallowed hard. “I’m not a pawn in whatever game the Rift is playing.”The Herald regarded her with something that almost resembled amusement. “A pawn? No, Riftborn. You were never a mere piece. You were meant to be the one who shapes the board.”The cavern walls pulsed again, and the Rift’s energy surged forward like a wave.Le
Darkness swallowed them whole.Lena’s breath caught in her throat as the air rushed past her, cold and unrelenting. The abyss stretched endlessly below, an empty void that felt like falling through time itself.Ronan’s grip on her wrist was iron-tight. He refused to let go.Cassian was just ahead, his body twisting midair, trying to prepare for whatever awaited them below.But there was no ground.No end.Just falling.The Rift’s presence coiled around Lena’s mind, whispering in a voice that sounded so much like her own.You are home.You were never meant to run.The air shimmered.Lena gasped as reality split apart.For a single, horrifying second, she saw it—the Rift in its true form. A world between worlds. A chasm of shifting energy, pulsing with life and death, beginning and end.And at the center—a throne.A throne waiting for her.Her blood burned. The mark on her skin pulsed in time with the Rift’s heartbeat.It was trying to pull her in.No. No, I won’t—“Lena!”Ronan’s voice