The Rift’s Gambit

The Rift Stirs

The moment Selene's golden light pierced the Rift, the void howled.

Ethan staggered as a wave of unseen force rippled through the abyss, twisting reality like a living thing in agony. The dark expanse around them rippled and recoiled, its whispers turning to screams.

The Rift did not like this.

And it fought back.

Tendrils of shadow lashed out violently, striking at Selene first. Her aura flickered, dimming as the dark energy coiled around her limbs, dragging her downward.

Ethan lunged forward, but his own shadows turned against him, wrapping around his wrists like shackles. He gasped, feeling their pull—not just physical, but something deeper, something inside him.

"Why do you resist?"

The voice wasn't just the Rift. It was something older. Stronger.

Something inside him.

"Ethan!" Selene's voice cut through the chaos, but it was distant, fading, as if the Rift was trying to erase her.