Part 22: "The Drift Reawakens: Betrayal at the Eastern Front"
— When the flame burns too bright, old shadows return to claim it —
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[Scene 1 – The Eastern Front Under Siege]
Location: Eastern Ruins, near the Rift Valley Border
Smoke curled into the skies.
Structures melted, not by fire… but by time-distorted corrosion — the unmistakable mark of a Drift Bloom.
Crimson grass grew in reverse. Trees twisted into clocks.
And at the center — a crater pulsed, leaking temporal haze.
> Scout (over comm):
"The ruins are gone, Commander Arshan… it's a Drift Bloom Zone.
Our men are aging backward. Some forgot their own names."
Arshan, armored in new Free Flame battle gear, stepped forward.
Beside him: Rayn, Ilira, and a team of elite initiates.
> Arshan:
"We end this now — before the Drift mutates again."
> Zyana (via comm):
"Warning: There's a memory anchor at the center. If it's not neutralized, the zone will start feeding on future events."
Rayn paused, his hand twitching.
> Ilira (quietly, noticing):
"You alright?"
> Rayn (faint smile):
"Never better…"
But his eyes… lingered too long on the ruins. As if remembering something he hadn't been told.
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[Scene 2 – Inside the Drift Bloom: The Hidden Memory]
As the team entered the core, time bent.
Footsteps echoed before they were taken.
Arshan's soul weapon flickered — almost as if uncertain.
> Zyana:
"The Drift here isn't just corruption…
It's an echo chamber — built from someone's personal memory."
> Arshan:
"Whose?"
Suddenly, the world twisted.
They weren't in ruins anymore… but inside an old DAO training facility.
On the walls — projections of young recruits being tested.
And among them — a younger Rayn, eyes sharp, determined.
> Ilira (horrified):
"This Bloom… it's feeding on Rayn's past.
But why?"
> Zyana:
"Because someone planted it there. And it's awakening him."
Rayn stood still.
Unmoving.
Watching a moment replay — over and over:
DAO Instructor:
"You'll never lead. Your job is to die before the chosen one does."
Rayn clenched his fists.
The Drift around him responded — growing. Feeding.
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[Scene 3 – The Betrayal Ignites]
Suddenly — the sky cracked.
And a shockwave blasted through the Drift zone.
From above — figures in Ash Spiral armor descended.
Leading them: the same female operative who spoke to Rayn earlier.
> Ash Operative:
"Phase complete. Memory anchor unlocked.
Execute Capture Protocol: ZY-02 — target: Zyana."
The ambush began.
Arshan turned — but Rayn was gone.
> Ilira (panicked):
"Where is he?!"
Rayn emerged moments later — behind Zyana.
His blade drawn.
> Zyana (softly):
"…You too?"
> Rayn (voice shaking):
"I just want to matter.
Just once — to be the first, not the second."
He stabbed — but Zyana dodged last moment.
Arshan caught the blade, flames erupting.
> Arshan (shouting):
"YOU THINK THIS MAKES YOU STRONG?!"
> Rayn (eyes wild):
"It makes me real!"
Their blades clashed.
Old trust — now torn apart by buried resentment.
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[Scene 4 – The Ash Spiral Retreats… but Leaves a Message]
With Zyana's system-pulse, she disabled the Drift anchor.
The Bloom collapsed — the ruins stabilizing.
Rayn, bloodied, stood down.
But the Ash Spiral escaped — dropping a strange device.
Zyana approached it.
It projected a holographic map — of the entire Kryonexus Drift layer.
> Zyana (shocked):
"This isn't just a single world…
It's a folded dimension — and someone is trying to collapse it inward."
On the bottom right corner… a timestamp flickered:
"Drift Collapse Countdown: 89 Days Remaining."
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[Scene 5 – Aftermath: Forgiveness or Judgment?]
Back at camp, Rayn was chained.
> Ilira:
"We should exile him.
He chose them."
> Arshan (quietly):
"No… he chose to be seen.
And we failed to see him."
> Zyana:
"I'll wipe his memory if you want."
> Arshan:
"No.
He remembers what betrayal feels like now.
Let him remember what forgiveness feels like too."
Rayn, overhearing, lowered his head — silent tears falling.
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To Be Continued…
Next Part: Part 23 – "Dream of the Founder: Truth in the Burned City"
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Coming Next:
Arshan will visit the Burned City to chase the next Crest.
Zyana will dream of the Founder's last breath — and a mysterious phrase: "Project Emberfall."
A fallen Drift God fragment will begin whispering to Ilira.
The countdown will continue — and someone else will join the Free Flame… someone from the old DAO core.