The sky above Origin Null dimmed to a deeper black, as if the heavens themselves recoiled from what was unfolding below. Riftlight shimmered across the torn horizon, bleeding like veins into the atmosphere. At the epicenter of this chaos, Aiden stood—Arcblade drawn, eyes burning with the violet glow of deep Rift attunement.
Behind him, Kaela sat cross-legged, surrounded by floating pylonic shards inscribed with cryptic sigils. Her chant was a low, harmonic resonance, syncing with the pulsing beat of the Rift's unstable core. Brant stood guard beside her, his arms coated in kinetic energy, fists wrapped in jagged armor formed from collapsed enemies. Elsira's projection hovered just above them all, monitoring interdimensional stress levels and coordinating the deployment of emergency reality anchors.
[System Notification: Prime Rift Instability – 96%][Collapse Threshold Estimated: 3 minutes, 47 seconds][Containment Protocol Alpha–Omega: Manual Override Required]
Aiden's gaze swept the battlefield. The last surge of corrupted Riftbeasts advanced, their bodies malformed with crystalline tumors and vibrating shadow matter. Their growls were like echoes from broken time.
He activated Tether Field, casting shimmering lines of light from his armor into the terrain. The field slowed incoming beasts, distorting their momentum like a temporal web. The ground trembled as his teammates engaged the frontline.
Brant moved first—barreling into a hulking behemoth covered in bone-like spines. His punch landed like a meteor strike, sending shockwaves rippling through the enemy ranks. "Come on, you freaks! Let's dance until this world tears!"
Kaela's voice lifted into a crescendo. The sigils spun faster around her, forming a lattice of light. "Two pylons locked! Beginning the Overload Pulse…"
Elsira's voice came sharp. "Reality density fluctuating. We're minutes away from spatial inversion. If the collapse goes critical, we'll be inverted into Rift matter."
Aiden didn't flinch.
[Skill Unlocked: Nexus Severance – Rank D]Description: A high-risk, high-reward technique that forcibly detaches Rift anchors from reality threads.Cost: 80% of total energy reserves. Side effect: Temporary Rift Drain (disables Rift-related abilities for 2 hours).Would you like to execute?[Yes] – [No]
His eyes narrowed. "Not yet."
Instead, he activated Pulse Breaker, driving his Arcblade into the ground. A shockwave of harmonic energy surged from his position, disrupting the coordination of the Riftbeasts, disorienting them long enough for Elsira's support drones to bombard the flanks.
"Status, Kaela?" he called, parrying a leaping horror with one smooth arc.
"Third pylon almost locked! One more to go!"
Suddenly, the earth fractured.
A new figure emerged from the collapsing Rift—a towering wraith-like entity cloaked in shattered dimensional threads. Its form radiated raw chaos, and within its hollow chest glowed a miniature singularity.
Elsira's voice trembled for the first time. "That… is a Rift Anomaly Class V. A Rift Core Manifestation. They aren't supposed to exist in this timeline!"
The entity pointed a blade of refracted light toward Aiden. "You who bear the Key—unworthy. This world shall be rewritten."
The System screamed in warning.
[WARNING: Entity 'Chronophage' Detected]Class: Temporal Rift ApexTier: ???Objective: Annihilate Anchor-BearerDefense Rating: UnknownSystem Response: Suppression Denied
Aiden's breath caught. The Rift's influence was no longer just bleeding into the world—it was now sending apex predators from forgotten timelines.
Brant turned to him. "I'll hold it. Buy Kaela time!"
"You won't last thirty seconds," Aiden barked.
"Then buy me twenty-nine. That's all I need."
Brant charged, his armor flaring bright, unleashing his Overburst Mode—his body lit up with volatile energy as he slammed into the Chronophage with a war cry.
Aiden turned to Kaela, who was now floating—completely engulfed by a swirling sphere of Riftlight.
[System Update: Containment Core at 94%][Final Anchor Initiation Required]
Aiden closed his eyes.
"…Confirm Nexus Severance."
The Arcblade shifted in his hand, its core pulsing violently as the power charged. The blade extended into a glowing spike of refined Riftlight—pure and uncontaminated.
He drove the blade into the final containment node.
The impact echoed like a gong across dimensions.
The Rift shuddered.
Kaela cried out—her chant snapping into a final note that shook the sky itself.
The pylons ignited in sequence—four beams of light ascending from the four corners of Origin Null.
The Chronophage shrieked, its body unraveling, threads flailing against the disintegration. Brant, his armor cracked and steaming, fell backward into the debris, unconscious.
Aiden's body shook as the Rift energy surged into him and burned out just as quickly.
[Nexus Severance Complete][Prime Rift: Sealed][System Status: Rift Drain – 1 hour, 59 minutes remaining]
The battlefield fell silent. The sky returned to its twilight hue. The Rift was gone.
Kaela collapsed into Aiden's arms, her skin cool and glowing faintly. Her eyes opened weakly. "We did it…?"
Aiden looked to the sky where once there had been chaos. Now, only peace remained.
"For now," he said softly.
Elsira's projection nodded. "Origin Null is no longer compromised. But whatever sent the Chronophage… it knows you now, Aiden."
He met her gaze. "Then it's time I learned who I really am."