Rift 3

As they studied the swirling vortex at the center of the depression, the corrupted patterns began to shift. The symbols that were hurting their eyes to look at started arranging themselves into more ordered formations.

"Something's responding to our presence," Regina said, her hand steady on her sword.

Jia's nose twitched. "The scent's changing. There's... someone else here."

Through the layers of distorted space, they could make out a figure standing within the vortex. Not a monster or aberration, but a human form. As they watched, the figure took slow steps forward, each movement causing small ripples in the corrupted air around them.

The man who emerged looked unexpectedly ordinary - dressed in worn researcher's clothes, with graying hair and tired eyes. But there was something off about him, the way corrupted energy seemed to cling to his skin like a second shadow.