The first steps into the affected zone weren't met with explosions, monsters, or traps—just a heavy silence, mixed with a constant sense of discomfort. It felt like even the air itself resisted their presence.
Albert stopped and held out his hand toward the ground.
— Mana Pulse.
A faint blue wave spread out around them, brushing against the stones, plants, and air.
— Confirmed, he said. This region has reversed mana flows. What behaves normally elsewhere compresses or weakens here. If we cast a standard spell, it might explode... or do nothing.
Kaelya adjusted her potion belt.
— We adapt. It's not the first time reality decides to change the rules.
Leon unsheathed his sword, but didn't activate its energy core.
— So, do we use abilities or avoid all magic?
— We use them, Albert answered. But only after I scan the area first.
Albert closed his eyes. When he opened them, his irises were glowing green — activating the Green Eye Ability: environmental and soul-magic flow scan.
— The zone ahead is safe for ten meters. After that, there's a minor dimensional rift. It's invisible—but it's there.
Kaelya:
— Solution?
— Stone Blink.
Albert touched a nearby rock and spoke clearly:
— Transfer Anchor.
The stone pulsed faintly. Albert touched it again, and in the next moment, all three teleported past the rift—no flash, no sound.
— Object-bound teleport. Stable in unstable areas. Try to use the things I touch as visual cues.
Roughly 200 meters forward, the terrain shifted again. A hill that wasn't on the map. Trees growing upside down. And in the center... a ruined structure recently touched by magic.
Leon raised an eyebrow:
— That's not just a deformation. Someone's been here—recently.
Albert nodded:
— Not locals. Magic activated by someone else. We're following ourselves.
Kaelya approached a stone marked with a burned-in symbol.
— This... this symbol was on one of the cloaks worn by those who attacked us in Kardinal.
Albert narrowed his eyes.
— Then they're one step ahead already.
A sound came from the east. Not an animal. Not the wind.
Footsteps. Heavy. Either two-legged... or more.
Leon placed his hand on his sword:
— Are we walking into the first fight?
Albert gave a short nod.
— Looks like it. Let's see if they survive... the instability.
The sound of footsteps grew clearer. The ground trembled slightly, as if each step was amplified by the unstable magic in the area.
Albert stopped.
— Four of them. Not human. Summoned creatures... or relocated here.
Kaelya drew her dagger and activated a spell:
— Shadow Coil.
The blade was coated in a pulsing shadow aura, alive and steady.
Leon activated his sword with a short click:
— Edge Burst.
The edge of the blade shimmered, ready for focused strikes.
From behind a rock formation, four creatures appeared. They had the shape of wolves, but their fur was made of black mist, and their glowing blue eyes didn't blink. They looked weightless, yet left deep marks on the ground.
— Spectral Beasts, Albert said. They're unstable. Hit them wrong and they'll explode... or multiply.
One beast leapt at Leon immediately, jaws wide.
Leon sidestepped and said:
— Flash Step.
He blinked behind it and struck vertically:
— Sunder Arc!
The creature split in two... but both halves began regenerating.
Kaelya reacted fast:
— Pierce Lock.
She threw a magical dagger that hit the exact regeneration point, freezing it. The beast howled and dissolved into thick mist.
The remaining three circled in. One lunged straight at Albert.
He didn't move.
— Temporal Frame.
A glowing field surrounded him. Time slowed drastically for the creature—its movements now dreamlike and sluggish.
Albert spoke firmly:
— Null Burn.
A white, soundless flame erupted around the beast, burning it from the inside out. When the spell faded, nothing remained.
The last two moved erratically. One attacked from underground, bursting out beneath Kaelya.
She jumped back and cast:
— Veil Dodge.
Her body shimmered and shifted in two directions at once, fully avoiding the strike.
Leon turned and activated:
— Sonic Slash.
A radial shockwave spread out, slicing the third beast into unstable shards that vanished.
Albert closed his eyes and cast:
— Graviton Seal.
A heavy sigil appeared under the last beast, pinning it in place. Kaelya dashed in and struck it down cleanly.
The three stood still for a few seconds.
— Mid-level threat, Albert said. Territory-generated trial. Not something deliberately sent.
— That means we're still in the first active zone, Leon replied. What's ahead will be even more unstable.
Kaelya took a deep breath.
— And probably... a lot more interesting.
Those Who Watch from the Shadows
[Temple Beneath the Ancient Sky – Restricted Zone]
In a chamber where even light entered only with permission, seven figures sat around a round table. Each wore a black cloak, and in front of each one floated a flame—not one that burned air, but one that consumed time.
— Confirmed. The group "Alen, Karis, Vell" has entered the Instability Rift, said a deep voice.
— And survived? asked another, leaning forward slightly.
— So far, yes. Three minor engagements, controlled behavior. The leader's level remains unmeasurable. Previously deployed devices self-destructed.
— Then we have a problem, a third voice concluded. Not because they're aggressive. But because they're discreet.
A fourth member, silent until now, said:
— I will activate the Passive Observation Protocol.
— Premature, said someone else. We lack sufficient data.
— Which is exactly why we activate it. To gather more—without provoking them further.
[The Living Archive – Beneath the Roots of the Sun-World]
A nameless librarian swiftly reviewed the latest updates to reality's recorded threads.
— He has appeared again, she whispered.
— Who? asked a voice from between the shelves.
— The one who was forgotten. But not by all layers.
[Central Academy – Level of the Unrecognized]
An old professor studied a table of magical fluctuations. He placed his finger on a column where a pulsing unknown symbol blinked faintly.
— This isn't just magic. It's a signature pulled from outside the chain.
[To the North – Near the Dragon Realm]
An ancient spirit, sealed within a statue, opened its eyes for the first time in two centuries.
— I felt... the balance shifting.
After the fight with the spectral beasts, the group moved forward with even more caution. The terrain became increasingly unpredictable. In some places, the ground softened under their feet, while in others, stones floated a few centimeters above the earth.
Leon remarked:
— We're not being attacked by magic, but reality itself is trying to throw us off.
— Correct, said Albert. And it's not just instability. Someone—or something—experimented with the layers of reality here.
They reached a forested area, but the trees were incomplete. The trunks looked unfinished, and the branches extended into impossible geometric patterns.
Kaelya scanned the surroundings:
— This isn't just unstable magic. Someone tried to force a partially formed plane into existence.
Albert approached a tree and placed his palm on it:
— Memory Touch.
A glow activated, and for a few seconds, all three saw a projection: a robed figure experimenting with a levitating sphere. The spell spiraled out of control and opened a rift. The figure vanished. The area warped.
— Now we know, Albert said. A high-level mage tried a dimensional fusion. Partial failure. But what he left behind... survived.
Leon furrowed his brows:
— You think he's still here?
— Not him. But what he made. Or what he woke up.
Kaelya scanned the ground using a marked stone:
— I'm picking up another rift, 30 meters ahead. Bigger than the last one.
Albert:
— Do we go through or around?
— If we go around, we lose signal from the map beacon, Leon said. If we go through...
Albert nodded:
— Then we go through. With precautions.
He closed his eyes.
— Light Sync – Mode One.
A faint aura enveloped him, then extended to Kaelya and Leon. All three became slightly translucent.
— From now on, any environmental imbalance that affects one of us will be instantly stabilized by the others' aura.
Kaelya:
— Synchronization spell… rare. Usually used only in survival missions.
Albert:
— That's exactly what this is.
With steady steps, the group approached the transition zone.
The ground lit up around them, as if each of their movements activated a hidden mechanism.
Then... everything stopped.
The wind. The sounds. The colors.
Leon:
— Now everything changes.
Albert:
— We've crossed into the second phase of the zone. From here on… reality won't behave the same.
Hidden Responses at the Edge of the World
[Academy of Residual Time – Hall of Broken Mirrors]
In a room that reflected images from worlds that did not yet exist, a young researcher in a blue cloak snapped his pen as he stared at the fluctuations of reality.
— The flow in the Southern Rift has been touched again, he whispered.
An old professor with cracked glasses stepped closer and looked at the suspended 3D map.
— It was a controlled interaction.
— Not the first, the young man replied. But the first that... stabilizes instead of breaking.
[Unregistered Tower – Zone of Absolute Control]
In a place marked only as "restricted" on maps, a masked figure turned toward an observation mirror.
— He reached Phase II with no casualties, a metallic voice confirmed.
— Is observation still active?
— Yes. But his rate of adaptation is increasing fast. He's not following any guide. He's forging his own path.
— Then he's more dangerous than we thought.
[Black Guild Outpost – Eastern Sector]
A group of high-ranked adventurers stood around a scorched-edged map. One of them tapped the border of the Rift with a finger.
— He appeared again. We don't know who he is. But whatever he touches... can no longer stay hidden.
— Weren't unstable magic zones supposed to destroy everything?
— Apparently... not when he's there.
[Sanctuary of the Healers – Land of Smoke]
A blind child in meditation suddenly opened his eyes.
— Someone is tearing the past into pieces. But doing it without violence.
A priestess in white stopped writing.
— That hasn't happened in a thousand years.
After stepping beyond the invisible barrier, the three stopped abruptly. Not because something blocked their way—but because everything around them felt… paused.
The air was still. The light seemed frozen between day and dusk. No sound existed. Even their footsteps made no noise. When Kaelya tried to speak, no sound came from her mouth.
Albert raised his hand and closed his eyes.
— Time Field Decode.
A white aura expanded from the center of his palm, restoring faint vibrations in reality. A soft ticking sound, like an old clock, began to echo around them.
— We can speak now, Leon said.
Kaelya:
— It feels like we're in a loop. A space where time shattered, but didn't completely collapse.
Albert:
— It's a slow-time zone with memory fractures. If we stay too long, we might forget why we came here.
Leon:
— And if someone's hiding here?
Albert:
— They either lose their identity... or learn to become someone else.
As they moved forward, they saw shadows shifting at the edges of their vision. None attacked. But each looked like a distorted memory—a familiar silhouette, with wrong details.
Kaelya stopped:
— I just saw a version of myself. Younger... with a scar on her cheek.
Leon:
— Me too. It was me—but with white hair and a broken sword in hand.
Albert said calmly:
— Don't focus on the shadows. They're echoes of who you could've been—pulled from the instability of the space.
— What happens if we touch them?
Albert:
— Either we destroy them… or they consume us.
At the center of the time field stood a small stone tower—the only fixed structure in a place where nothing was stable.
Albert approached and touched the door:
— Pulse Seal – Identification Mode.
The door recognized the touch and opened silently. Inside, everything was perfectly still: a round room, a console, a table, an old map.
Kaelya looked around:
— Who built this place?
— Someone who wanted to hide their time, Albert answered.
Leon pressed a crystal on the table. A projection activated—fuzzy, incomplete, but showing a clear symbol: the same one from the cloaks of those who attacked them in the city.
Albert:
— Then it's confirmed. We're not the only ones who came here. And whoever else did… they're either looking for something—or trying to keep us from finding it.