The mana dome shimmered faintly, a fragile shield against the encroaching chaos. Aiden stood at its edge, his glowing violet eyes scanning the horizon where the rift's residual shimmer pulsed faintly—like a heartbeat threatening to explode.
Kaela's breath was ragged, but her voice was steady. "The rift closed… for now. But the energy spike wasn't natural. Someone—or something—is pushing it from the other side."
Brant flexed his cracked knuckles, eyes hard. "If they want a war, they'll get one."
Aiden clenched his jaw, feeling the weight of his new role settle heavier with every breath. Warden of the Rift. Not just a title—it was a promise. A tether binding him to this fractured world, to the fragile line between realities.
His system pinged quietly, a soft chime beneath the chaos.
[New Message Received: Undisclosed Sender]
"You're treading on thin ground, Engineer. The Rift's balance is delicate. Every move you make ripples across dimensions. Choose your alliances wisely."
Aiden frowned. Undisclosed sender? He glanced at Kaela and Brant. Neither had heard it.
"Great. Cryptic warnings now," Brant muttered, eyes narrowing. "Looks like this place has secrets bigger than those rift monsters."
Kaela stepped closer, her gaze intense. "We need intel. Fast. If the Rift's collapsing, the next Echo won't just be a wave of monsters—it could tear the whole region apart."
Aiden nodded, already forming a plan. "We head to the Veilwatch Outpost. It's the last known site monitoring dimensional activity. If anyone has data on these Echos or the Riftborne… it's them."
The three moved quickly through the alien forest, the shadows cast by the twin moons stretching long and distorted. The metallic leaves rustled quietly, as if whispering warnings only the wind could understand.
Suddenly, the ground beneath Aiden's feet trembled. The faint hum of the leyline beneath the surface surged into a roar.
[System Alert: Dimensional Instability Rising. Time to next Echo: 47 minutes.]
Aiden's heart pounded. The system's timer was a death sentence—there was no margin for error.
"We're running out of time," he said sharply.
Kaela gripped her staff tighter. "The leyline's reacting to the Rift. If it collapses, it could trigger a cascade… one Echo followed by another."
Brant spat on the ground. "Then we better be ready to fight through the storm."
As they reached the outskirts of the outpost, Aiden's eyes caught a flicker of movement in the shadows. A figure stepped forward—cloaked, face obscured by a hood that glimmered with interwoven threads of rift energy.
"Engineer Aiden Knox," the figure's voice was calm, but edged with urgency. "You're meddling with forces beyond your comprehension."
Aiden raised his Shock Pike, feeling the hum of his newly evolved powers. "And you are?"
The figure's eyes gleamed beneath the hood, a flash of violet and crimson. "Call me The Riftkeeper. I've been watching you. The System you wield… it's unstable. If you're not careful, you'll unravel everything."
Kaela stepped forward, defensive. "Why help us then? If you're so powerful, why not stop the Echoes yourself?"
The Riftkeeper's gaze pierced her. "Because even I am bound by the rules of balance. Too much interference, and the Rift will snap. We don't want destruction. We want survival."
Aiden's mind raced. Can he be trusted? Or is this another test?
The Riftkeeper extended a hand, revealing a small orb swirling with liquid light. "Inside this is the Echo Archive—data from every breach, every anomaly. Use it wisely. It's the key to understanding the Rift's true nature."
Aiden hesitated. Then, with a flicker of determination, he reached out.
The orb pulsed, syncing with his system.
[Echo Archive Download Initiated… 15%… 62%… Complete.]
Images and data flooded Aiden's vision—maps of dimensional fractures, energy signatures of the Riftborne, and a chilling warning.
"The Rift isn't just tearing open. Something is feeding it—growing stronger with every breach."
The warning echoed inside his mind.
"Then we don't just fight monsters," Aiden said, voice low. "We fight whatever is behind them."
The Riftkeeper nodded, eyes burning bright. "Prepare yourself, Engineer. The next Echo will not be like the last."
Behind them, the leyline surged again—faster, louder, more violent.
The rift was coming.