The Second Rift

CHAPTER NINE: THE SECOND RIFT

The mark on my hand refused to disappear, I rubbed it with my thumb. Nothing happened.

It wasn't painful, but I could feel something beneath my skin. A faint pulse, almost like a second heartbeat. I pulled my sleeve over it.

"Can you walk?"

Elena pushed herself up from the floor. She winced and grabbed her side.

"I can."

"Then we need to leave."

She looked around the ruined basement.

"What about them?"

I glanced at the unconscious men.

"We can't carry everyone."

Elena stared at me for a moment before nodding. We climbed the stairs. The cathedral looked completely different from when I had entered it.

Broken stones covered the floor. Dust floated through the air, and several sections of the ceiling had collapsed.

Outside, the city had descended into chaos. Sirens screamed in the distance. Cars had crashed into one another. People were running through the streets.

Some were crying. Others were simply standing in the middle of the road, staring at the sky. The purple cracks had spread across the entire horizon.

The System had arrived.

There was no going back. I checked the time.

12:21 PM.

Twenty-one minutes.

That was all it had taken for the world to change forever. Elena walked beside me.

"Where are we going?"

"The financial district."

She stopped.

"You still want to go there?"

"Yes."

"After what just happened?"

"Especially because of what just happened."

She frowned. I understood why she was suspicious. The second rift was supposed to open inside a luxury bank vault.

The Gold-Hoarder Golem would emerge. It was slow and powerful, but its core contained something valuable.

The Infinite Ring.

In my first life, the ring had been discovered almost a month after the apocalypse. A group of survivors had spent weeks fighting over it.

The person who eventually obtained it became one of the strongest fighters in Oakhaven. This time, I could get it before anyone else.

But there was one problem. The timeline had already changed. I didn't know if the second rift would still appear. I started walking. Elena followed.

We hadn't gone far when a man ran toward us.

"Please!"

I stopped.

He was covered in blood.

"Please help me!"

Elena immediately reached for her sword.

"Stay back."

The man raised both hands.

"I'm not infected!"

"There is no infection."

His face twisted with confusion.

"What?"

"Nothing."

I looked past him..Three people were running down the street. Behind them was something huge. A creature with six legs and a mouth filled with rows of teeth.

My expression changed.

A Ravager.

In my first life, the first Ravagers didn't appear until the second day. I gripped the Widow-Maker.

"Get behind us."

The man didn't hesitate. The creature charged. Elena stepped forward. I stopped her.

"I'll take it."

She looked at me.

"You're injured."

"I'm aware."

The Ravager lunged.

I moved to the side.

Its claws tore through the pavement.

I struck its neck. The Widow-Maker cut through the flesh. The creature screamed and turned. I ducked beneath its jaws. Its teeth snapped shut inches above my head.

I rolled away and looked for the weak point.

Left eye.

That was it. I remembered. I waited for a good chance to strike. The Ravager charged again.

At the last second, I stepped forward instead of backward. Its mouth opened. I drove the knife straight into its left eye.

The creature convulsed. I pushed the blade deeper. Then it collapsed.

The System appeared.

[Monster defeated.]

[Experience acquired.]

[Level increased.]

[Level 2 to Level 3.]

I stared at the notification.

Level three.

My strength had already begun to change. But I wasn't satisfied. Not even close. I pulled the Widow-Maker free. The injured man stared at me.

"You killed it."

I wiped the blood from the blade.

"Yes as you can see."

He looked toward Elena.

"Who are you people?"

"Nobody important," I said.

Then I continued walking. Elena caught up with me.

"You knew how to kill that thing."

"I've fought worse."

She stared at me.

"You're not normal."

I almost laughed.

"Neither are you."

She didn't respond. For several minutes, we walked in silence. Then the city lights flickered.

Once.

Twice.

Every electronic screen around us suddenly turned on.Billboards. Store displays. Traffic signs.

All of them showed the same message.

[WELCOME, SURVIVORS.]

People stopped moving. I stared at the screens. A countdown appeared.

00:09:59

My heart dropped.

Ten minutes.

I knew what this meant. The second rift was coming. But something was different. In my previous life, there had been no warning.

No countdown.No announcement. The screen changed.

[SECOND RIFT DETECTED.]

[LOCATION: FINANCIAL DISTRICT.]

[RECOMMENDED LEVEL: 5.]

Elena looked at me.

"You knew."

I didn't answer. She grabbed my arm.

"You knew this was coming."

I looked at her hand.

Then at her face.

"Yes."

"How?"

I pulled my arm free.

"I'll explain later."

"You've been saying that since we met."

"And I'm still alive."

She stared at me. Then she smiled faintly.

"Fair point."

We continued toward the financial district. The closer we got, the more chaotic the streets became. People were already fighting over food.

Others were breaking into stores. Some had already realized that the old rules no longer mattered.

I saw a group of men surrounding a woman. One of them grabbed her bag. I kept walking. Elena stopped. I looked back. She was already drawing her sword.

"Elena."

"They're going to hurt her."

"They'll waste our time."

She looked at me. For a moment, neither of us spoke. Then I sighed.

"Fine."

We turned around. The fight lasted less than thirty seconds. By the time we left, the men were unconscious on the pavement. The woman thanked us repeatedly.

I ignored her. The countdown continued.

00:05:42.

We reached the financial district. The luxury bank stood at the center of the street. Its glass walls reflected the purple sky. I stopped outside.

This was it. The place where I had once dreamed of finding the Infinite Ring. The place that had never been accessible to someone like me before.

I pushed open the doors. Inside, hundreds of people were gathered. Everyone was terrified. Security guards were trying to control the crowd, some people were shouting.

Others were praying. I looked toward the vault. The countdown appeared again.

00:02:13.

My heart began pounding.I knew what was coming. I knew where the Golem would appear. I knew where the ring would be.

But then I noticed something that made my blood run cold. The vault door was already open. Someone had gotten there before us.

And standing in front of the vault was a man with golden hair and piercing blue eyes.

Julius Everton.

He turned. Our eyes met. His expression changed, for a moment, neither of us moved.

Then Julius smiled.

The same warm smile I remembered. The same smile that had hidden the knife he would one day put through my chest.

"Aeron," he said.

His eyes moved to Elena. Then back to me.

"What a surprise."

I tightened my grip around the Widow-Maker. Julius glanced at the countdown.

00:01:31.

Then he smiled again.

"I suppose we're both here for the same thing."

I said nothing.

His gaze dropped to the knife in my hand.

Then his smile disappeared.

"You've changed."

I stared at him.

"So have you."

The countdown reached zero. The vault doors slammed shut. The entire bank shook. A deep growl came from behind the steel doors.

Julius slowly stepped backward. Elena raised her sword. I prepared myself. The second rift had opened.

And Julius Everton, my killer in my last life was there.