The dreams didn't wait.
They pulled him in.
Aiden stood in the crimson sky once more—but this time, he wasn't alone.
The shadows were closer.
Much closer.
They surrounded him now, their forms twisting like smoke, their glowing eyes fixed on him with unnatural intensity. The air pulsed violently, as if the world itself was reacting to his presence.
"You're late…"
The voice came from everywhere at once.
Aiden's jaw tightened. "Stop talking in riddles. What do you want from me?"
The tallest shadow stepped forward. Its form flickered, unstable, like it wasn't meant to exist.
"You don't belong to that world."
Aiden's eyes sharpened.
"…What?"
The ground beneath him cracked slightly.
"You feel it, don't you?" the voice continued. "The pull… the fracture… the truth trying to break through."
Aiden clenched his fists.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
A pause.
Then—
"You will."
The sky above him shattered.
Not slowly.
Not gently.
It exploded.
Cracks spread across the heavens like lightning, tearing through the crimson sky as a blinding light forced its way through. The shadows recoiled violently, their forms distorting as if they were being dragged away.
Aiden staggered back.
"What is happening?!"
No answer came.
Only silence.
And then—
He fell.
Aiden's eyes snapped open.
He sat upright instantly, breath sharp, heart pounding like a war drum in his chest.
But something was wrong.
The air felt… heavy.
Different.
He slowly turned his head.
His room looked the same.
But it didn't feel the same.
A faint pressure lingered—like something invisible was pressing against reality itself.
Aiden stood up.
"…It's here," he whispered.
He didn't know how he knew.
But he did.
The village was quieter than usual that morning.
Too quiet.
People moved slower, voices lower, as if everyone could feel something was off—but couldn't explain it.
Aiden walked through the streets, his eyes scanning everything. Every corner. Every shadow.
He felt it again.
That distortion.
Stronger than before.
"Aiden!"
He turned to see Mira jogging toward him, slightly out of breath.
"There you are. I've been looking for you."
"What's wrong?" he asked immediately.
She hesitated.
"…Something weird is happening."
His expression didn't change. "Where?"
Mira blinked. "You're not even going to ask what?"
"…I already know," he said quietly.
That made her pause.
"…That's not comforting."
"Just show me."
They moved quickly, heading toward the outer edge of the village.
The closer they got, the stronger Aiden felt it.
That pressure.
That pull.
Like something was trying to force its way in.
They stopped.
Mira grabbed his arm.
"…There."
Aiden followed her gaze—
And saw it.
The air.
It was… bending.
Right in front of them.
Like heat rising from fire—but darker. Sharper.
More violent.
The space itself twisted unnaturally, folding in on itself for a brief second before snapping back into place.
Aiden stepped forward slowly.
"…So it's started," he muttered.
"What is that?" Mira asked, her voice tense.
Aiden didn't answer.
Because at that moment—
The distortion didn't fade.
It grew.
A low humming sound filled the air.
The ground beneath their feet trembled slightly.
The distortion stretched—
Pulling apart like fabric under pressure.
Mira stepped back. "Aiden…"
He didn't move.
His eyes were locked on it.
Focused.
Calm.
"…Stay behind me," he said.
The air split.
A thin, jagged crack appeared—glowing faintly, pulsing like a heartbeat.
Mira gasped. "That's not normal—that's definitely not normal!"
The crack widened slightly.
And from within it—
Darkness moved.
Aiden's expression hardened.
"…I knew it."
The humming grew louder.
The crack stretched further—
And something inside it…
Moved closer.