The forest thinned as the path veered westward, leading them toward the ruins of Kareth Hold—a long-abandoned fortress said to have been built before the Rift ever tore through the world. According to the fragmented intelligence Kenji had uncovered, something beneath the ruins might be connected to the Rift's origin.
They moved in silence for hours, each lost in thought. Birds flitted through the canopy above, and the occasional rustle in the underbrush reminded them that the world was still alive, even if fractured.
"Almost there," Kenji said finally, pulling out a small, flickering device from his coat. It pulsed a dim blue light with increasing intensity. "Signal's stronger now. Whatever's down there… it's active."
Rei frowned. "Active how? We destroyed the anchor point when we defeated the Sovereign. There shouldn't be anything generating Rift energy this strong."
Kenji didn't answer right away. He was staring at the device, jaw tight. "That's the thing. It's not Rift energy. Not exactly. It's… similar, but it's being filtered through something else. A conduit."
"A person?" Axton asked.
Kenji glanced at him, hesitating. "Or a prisoner."
That word settled like a stone in Axton's gut.
They reached the edge of the ruins just as the sun dipped below the horizon, casting a dusky glow across crumbling towers and moss-choked stone. The walls of Kareth Hold had long since collapsed, but a staircase descended beneath the shattered foundation, leading into darkness.
"No one's been here for decades," Rei whispered, her voice hushed despite the stillness around them. "It feels wrong."
Axton ignited a small flame in his palm, casting it forward as they descended the stairs. The air grew colder the deeper they went, thick with the metallic tang of old magic. The stone hallway opened into a vast underground chamber, the walls inscribed with glyphs that pulsed faintly as they approached.
Then, the voice came.
"You shouldn't be here."
It was neither male nor female, echoing in a tone that was both ancient and unfamiliar. A figure emerged from the shadows, cloaked in tattered remnants of old-world armor, its face obscured by a helm of polished obsidian.
Axton stepped forward, instincts kicking in. "Who are you?"
"I was once a guardian," the figure said. "Of balance. Of the boundary between worlds. But that balance was broken when you—" it turned slightly, its gaze falling on Axton "—were born."
Axton blinked. "What are you talking about?"
The figure raised a hand, and the glyphs on the wall flared brightly. "You are the key, Axton Vale. Not just to closing the Rift—but to opening it completely. You carry both light and shadow in you, and that power was never meant to exist in a single being."
Rei stepped between them, weapon drawn. "You're lying."
The figure did not flinch. "He was made to be the bridge. Not to stop the Rift—but to merge with it."
Axton's breath caught.
The truth—if it was truth—hung between them like a blade. The mission, his powers, the Sovereign, the strange dreams he could never explain… had it all been leading to this?
Rei reached for his hand again, grounding him. "No. That's not who you are."
But the figure only whispered: "Are you sure?"