Agame woke up gasping. Cold sweat soaked his shirt. The air smelled like chemicals and steel. He looked around. White walls. Bright lights. Machines blinking. He was in some kind of lab, lying on a bed.
"Relax. You're safe. For now."
The voice came from a girl with short black hair and strange yellow eyes. She wore a gray uniform with a patch: RIFT UNIT — TECH SPECIALIST.
"Where… where am I?" Agame asked, sitting up too fast. His head spun.
"You're in one of the hidden Reaper recovery zones. Level B2. Under the city. You passed out after the Rift fight. Nice shot by the way," she said, half-smirking. "Most newbies scream and pee their pants."
Agame groaned. "Ugh. I might've done both."
She laughed. "Honesty. I like that."
He looked at his wrist. The silver band was now dark purple. Still glowing faintly.
"Is that… bad?"
She tilted her head. "It's not great. But you're still you. If it turns black, though... we run."
Agame didn't like the sound of that.
He stood slowly and looked around. Others were there—some injured, some hooked to weird machines. A guy across from him had green fire in his veins, pulsing under his skin. Another girl kept coughing black mist.
"Who are they?"
"Other Rift Touched," she said. "Like you. Some survive the first exposure. Some get powers. Some... lose themselves. You got lucky."
"I don't feel lucky."
She handed him a tablet. "You might want to check this."
On the screen was a video. Grainy. Drones filmed the Rift incident. The moment Agame fired the black blast, everything slowed. Time literally slowed. The creatures stopped. Even the wind paused.
"What… is that?" he whispered.
She looked serious now. "It's Void Energy. That's not Reaper tech. That's something older."
"Older than Reapers?"
She nodded. "There's things beneath this world. Beneath the cracks in time. The Rift didn't just give you power. It opened a door. And something stepped through."
Agame's stomach twisted.
Before he could ask more, alarms blared. Red lights flashed.
"Level One Breach. Unauthorized Rift Opening. Sector 9."
The girl cursed. "That's close. Too close."
Reapers stormed the room. Some carried weapons. Others carried strange crystals. A man barked orders. "Mobilize! Secure the Touched!"
Agame stood. "I can help."
"No, you're unstable," the girl said.
"I stopped one of those things! Let me try!"
She hesitated. Then tossed him a thin black suit. "Fine. But you listen to every word I say. Got it?"
"Got it."
Minutes later, they were in a tunnel that led to the breach site. It smelled like ozone and burning metal. Screams echoed ahead.
Agame followed the girl, heart pounding. The tunnel ended in a shattered parking garage. The roof was gone. In the center was a swirling Rift—smaller than before but more violent. Pieces of stone floated in the air. Gravity bent.
A creature stood there. Not as big as the last one. But it was weirder. Long arms. No eyes. Mouths on its chest. And it spoke.
"I remember you, Ashihi…"
Agame froze. "What? You know my name?"
"You opened the door. You let me taste this world. More will come."
The girl raised her weapon. "We don't negotiate with nightmares."
Agame stepped forward. The voice in his head returned. "Let me speak."
"No," Agame said out loud.
The creature lunged. Agame jumped sideways, landing hard. His hand glowed red. Then dimmed. His power was flickering.
The girl fired her weapon. Purple light hit the creature. It screamed, twisted, but didn't fall.
Agame stood. "Come on. Come on."
The mark on his chest burned. He closed his eyes.
Then something strange happened.
He saw… something. A white field. A sky full of cracks. A voice — not his own — whispered, "Agame Ashihi. You are the Rift's Choice."
When he opened his eyes, the creature was inches from his face.
He raised his hand.
And the world shattered.
A shockwave blasted from him. Time slowed again. But this time, he controlled it.
He walked through frozen air. Saw every drop of blood hanging. Every ripple in the sky. He touched the creature's chest.
"Go back," he whispered.
A black flame burst from his hand. The creature screamed as it was sucked back into the Rift. The portal snapped shut.
Time returned.
The girl stared. "What the hell… was that?"
"I don't know," Agame said. "But I think something bigger is coming."
In the distance, another Rift pulsed faintly.
Waiting.
Watching.
And Agame knew… he wasn't ready.