2 - Quantum Rift

A chilling wind swept through the mining site, carrying with it an unnatural silence. Nas stood frozen, his grip tightening around the safety helmet in his hands. The once-faint luminescence of the Rift above had grown into a pulsating void, its dark tendrils stretching downward like hands grasping at reality itself. The very air felt wrong—dense yet hollow, as if something unseen was pressing against them from all directions.

"This..."

A sudden, violent tremor erupted from beneath the ground, sending Nas, Luci, and Elodie reeling. Instinctively, they clung to a nearby tree as the earth roared in protest. In the distance, they could see the slaves scrambling toward the exit, their terrified screams drowned out by the cacophony of collapsing rock and shifting terrain.

"Um... is this a normal occurrence?" Luci asked hesitantly.

Nas shook his head. In five years, he had never seen the environment change like this. There was a reason it was called The Uncertain.

Luci stumbled backward, his breath shallow, while Elodie clutched her arms, her already pale skin turning ghostly white. The rocky ground beneath them rippled like liquid, fractures forming and vanishing in an instant. Machinery flickered in and out of existence, and the lamps mounted on the cavern walls cast shadows darkness swallowed them whole.

The descent felt endless. Shapes and colors bled together, distorting into incomprehensible forms. A wave of vertigo overtook them as their bodies tumbled through the abyss. It was no longer a simple fall—at times, Nas felt as though he were floating horizontally, and in the next instant, he was accelerating downward at an impossible speed. Time itself seemed to stretch and twist. Was it minutes? Hours? Was time even moving forward?

Nas forced his eyes open, struggling to make sense of his surroundings. Darkness stretched endlessly in all directions. Then, with a violent crash, they landed.

Nas groaned, pushing himself up onto his elbows. His limbs felt oddly light, as if gravity had weakened. He shook his head, trying to clear the ringing in his ears. The world around them was no longer the mine they had known. The cavern walls pulsed as if they were alive, strange symbols glowing faintly along the surface. The air was thick with an electric charge, each breath sending tingling sensations across his skin.

"Elodie, are you alright?" 

Nearby, Luci was helping Elodie sit up. Blood trickled down her pale thigh, staining her leg. She winced but managed a weak nod. Nas, however, was still scanning the area, his instincts telling him something was deeply wrong.

A strange familiarity gripped him—a place he had known all too well, yet something was fundamentally different.

' This is the underground I know... and yet, at the same time, it isn't. '

The Dunhanmont Mines—an illegal Enigmatite mining operation buried deep within a Rift south of Tijuana. A place where slaves toiled endlessly, most of them individuals with low energy levels, mere Emitters of the weakest class. In a dystopia where the strong ruled unchallenged, the weak had no choice but to submit. That was the reality of this place.

'I know every corner of these mines. Even when the Uncertainty fluctuates, I can always navigate my way through.'

Yet now, surrounded by endless darkness, Nas found himself lost. His helmet and flashlight were gone. No food. No water. And worst of all—no clear way out.

"I guess there is something worse than being a slave," he muttered.

He turned back to Luci and Elodie, who were still seated behind him. A flicker of hesitation crossed his mind. Should he bring them along, or would he be better off alone?

After a moment of contemplation, he sighed and tore a strip of fabric from the bottom of his shirt before kneeling beside Elodie.

"Uh, that's not necessary. It's just a small wound," she protested weakly.

Ignoring her, Nas wrapped the fabric tightly around her leg, securing the wound as best as he could.

"Humans may have evolved to withstand radiation better," he murmured, "but the same doesn't apply when it comes from inside a Rift. Especially this one. Under normal conditions, it exhibits two primary Uncertainties—Uncertainty of Alpha Particles and Uncertainty of Fluid Dynamics."

His voice dropped slightly as he finished the sentence. With the increased instability, he could no longer predict what other dangers might be lurking.

Uncertainty was measured by how much the laws of physics broke down within a Rift. Each major distortion counted as one level.

"You'd be dead within five minutes if that wound were left untreated."

With that, Nas stood up and walked away, leaving the two of them stunned by his blunt words. They exchanged glances before quickly scrambling to their feet, silently deciding to follow him into the unknown.that moved independently of any light source.

A biting cold settled over Nas as he glanced down at the torn fabric of his shirt, exposing his skin to the frigid air.

'Ah, fuck, it's freezing. Why did I even do that?'

It seemed his life goal of becoming more selfish still needed work.

The three of them pressed forward in silence, their footsteps barely making a sound on the unnervingly dark ground. The stillness of their surroundings only heightened the unease settling in Nas' gut. For minutes, they wandered aimlessly—until Nas suddenly halted.

Luci and Elodie stopped short behind him, following his gaze.

'A… tree?'

Nas had to fight the urge to slap himself. Was he hallucinating? He lifted his head toward the sky, only to be met with an expanse of pitch-black nothingness.

"This…"

"-Starless Night," Luci muttered.

Nas turned sharply. Elodie looked just as bewildered, silently demanding an explanation.

"I've read about it before," Luci continued. "Starless Night, or the Uncertainty of Light. Two phenomena—illusion and darkness."

Nas narrowed his eyes. He had never heard of such a thing.

"So, we were never underground to begin with," Elodie realized, her voice barely above a whisper.

Luci nodded grimly. "That means we're in open terrain… or…"

Nas' eyes widened as realization struck. Without a second thought, he grabbed both Luci and Elodie, yanking them backward just as the ground beneath them crumbled.

A deafening roar split the air.

From the gaping hole in the earth, a monstrous creature emerged—its segmented body stretching two meters above the ground, its grotesque mouth lined with spiraling rows of jagged teeth.

"Mine Worms."

A mutant species that had evolved from ordinary worms, these creatures were highly sensitive to sound. Their screeching, a bone-chilling mix of grinding chitin and wailing hunger, sent shivers down Luci and Elodie's spines.

'Tsk!'

"Run!"

Without hesitation, the three of them sprinted toward the tree. Nas quickly noticed Elodie lagging behind, her wounded leg slowing her down. Panic surged through him just as another worm erupted from the side—its massive jaws clamping around Elodie's waist, wrenching her off the ground.

"Elodie!"

Luci screamed, rushing toward her, but he barely made it a step before the worm lifted her higher. His short strides were no match for the sheer height of the beast.

Nas stood frozen for a fraction of a second before he let out a sharp breath. Reaching down, he pulled a concealed knife from his boot. The moment it left its sheath, arcs of white-blue electricity crackled to life around the blade.

Luci, in desperation, struck the worm's body with his fist. The impact barely left a dent. Instead, a sharp pain shot up his arm, as if he had just punched solid steel.

"Agh!" Blood dripped from his knuckles.

But before he could react further, Nas was already in motion. He leaped forward, driving the electrified blade into the worm's thick hide. The creature convulsed violently, its green blood spraying across Nas' clothes.

KRAGHHH!!

With an ear-piercing shriek, the worm released Elodie, sending her tumbling to the ground. Luci wasted no time, rushing forward to scoop her up and drag her away.

Nas, eyes gleaming with electric light, slashed the blade again—tearing through flesh and spilling more of the putrid green liquid.

'Shit. I can only hold out for a few more seconds before I run dry.'

A Starless like him wasn't meant for combat.

The worm thrashed one last time before its massive form collapsed, motionless. Nas stood over the corpse, chest heaving, his body drenched in both sweat and monster blood.

"Is it… dead?" Nas muttered between ragged breaths.

His knees buckled, and he collapsed onto the ground, exhaustion seeping into his bones. The weight of the battle settled over him, his body trembling from the strain. The acrid stench of Mine Worm blood filled the air, thick and cloying. His vision blurred for a moment, the edges of the world turning hazy as adrenaline drained from his system.

***

A dull ache pulsed through Nas as he leaned against the rough bark of a tree, carefully dabbing at the burn searing across his stomach. The acidic blood of the Mine Worms had done its damage, and if left untreated, it would only get worse.

He glanced over to where Luci was kneeling beside Elodie, shaking her gently.

"Please, Elodie… wake up. Say something," Luci whispered, his voice breaking. His grip on her hand tightened, desperation in his every movement.

Nas exhaled slowly, shutting his eyes. Even if he wanted to help, he had no idea what to do. The deep bite wounds on Elodie's body were severe, and in a place like this, without proper treatment…

Luci turned to him, eyes pleading.

"Please, sir, help me! I'll give you anything, whatever I have—just save her! She's the only thing I have left in this world!"

Nas met his gaze, expression unreadable. Then, slowly, he shook his head. A bitter smile ghosted his lips.

"Sorry," he murmured. "I'm just as powerless as you."

Luci's breath hitched. He stared at Nas in horror before his shoulders slumped, his whole body trembling with despair.

Nas sighed and leaned back against the tree, staring into the abyss above. He didn't know if any of them would survive this place of nightmare.

After all, this was only the beginning.