Chapter 91: The Rift Beyond

Evryn’s pulse quickened as the ground split open beneath their feet. She barely had time to react before the force of the explosion sent shockwaves through her body, knocking her off her feet and sending her sprawling across the jagged terrain. The creature, a towering monstrosity with glowing eyes and claws like daggers, was no longer in sight—consumed by the very rift that had erupted beneath them.

Her head spun. The air felt thick, almost suffocating, and the earth beneath her groaned as though it were alive, shifting and warping with an energy she couldn’t comprehend. Her mind raced to make sense of it all. What was happening? Was this the end?

Then, through the haze of dust and confusion, she heard it—the sound of metal scraping against stone. She spun around, her heart pounding in her chest, and saw the armored figure standing tall amid the chaos. He hadn’t moved when the rift opened, his stance unshaken by the upheaval. His dark, calculating eyes met hers, and for the first time, she saw a flicker of something—perhaps regret, perhaps urgency.

“Get up, Evryn,” he commanded, his voice still as cold and unwavering as ever. “We don’t have much time.”

Evryn’s limbs felt heavy, but she forced herself to stand, her feet unsteady on the trembling ground. The sky above them had turned a strange, unsettling hue, like a swirling mix of dark purples and reds. She didn’t know how much longer the rift would last, but she knew it wasn’t something that could be ignored.

“Where are we?” she asked, her voice breathless. “What was that creature?”

The figure didn’t answer right away, his gaze flicking to the massive crack in the earth where the creature had disappeared. Then he turned back to her, his voice low and urgent. “This place is not what it seems. We have to move, now.”

Before she could ask more questions, the earth beneath them cracked again, and the sound of something large and monstrous stirring below made her blood run cold. A growl echoed from the depths, a low, guttural noise that seemed to vibrate through her very bones.

Evryn’s instincts kicked in. Without another word, she followed the figure, her mind racing as she tried to make sense of the strange, shifting world around her. The rift was still there, splitting the ground open like a wound, and from it, more growls—closer now—sounded, echoing through the air with unnatural intensity.

“What is this place?” she managed to ask again, her voice barely audible above the rising chaos. “Is this part of the experiment?”

The figure didn’t reply, his gaze fixed on the horizon ahead. It was as though he were looking for something, or someone. As they moved, Evryn’s thoughts scrambled for any clue about what was happening. But there were no answers—only more questions.

The ground continued to shake beneath them, and the temperature seemed to drop with every passing second. As they moved farther from the rift, the eerie sensation of being watched intensified, like invisible eyes were tracking their every move. She could feel it now—the presence of something just beyond her sight, something that wasn’t human.

And then, it happened.

A flash of light—bright, blinding—flared in the distance. Evryn squinted against the sudden brightness, but before she could comprehend what she was seeing, the world around them shifted again. The ground beneath their feet lurched violently, sending them both tumbling to the ground.

Evryn gasped for air, her senses overwhelmed by the sudden movement. As she struggled to regain her balance, she heard a voice—soft but clear—whispering from somewhere in the distance.

“Evryn...”

She froze.

It was her name. But it wasn’t the voice of the figure beside her. It wasn’t even human.

The voice echoed through the chaos, swirling around her like a ghostly wind, its tone deep, ancient, and filled with an eerie sense of familiarity. Her heart raced.

“Evryn… you are the key.”

A strange shiver ran down her spine.

The figure beside her seemed unperturbed by the disembodied voice. His eyes narrowed, scanning the horizon. “Keep moving,” he commanded, his voice stern.

She didn’t question him, even though every instinct within her screamed for answers. But the voice—it lingered, whispering in her mind, calling to her in a way that felt both foreign and intimate.

“You cannot escape your fate.”

The ground beneath them trembled again, but this time, the tremors were different—more intense, more purposeful. The rift, which had been slowly closing, now seemed to pulse with renewed energy, and from it, something began to emerge.

Evryn’s breath caught in her throat.

A figure—tall and regal, cloaked in shadows—slowly materialized from the depths of the rift. Its presence was overpowering, and the air around it seemed to bend and warp, as if reality itself was distorting.

The figure’s eyes—dark, swirling orbs—focused on Evryn, and the whispering voice from before intensified, now filling her thoughts.

“You have returned.”

Her heart raced, the words echoing in her mind. What was this creature? What did it mean by “you have returned”?

The figure lifted its hand, and in a single, fluid motion, the ground before them split open once more, revealing a vast expanse of nothingness. The rift was alive, its power growing stronger with each passing second.

Evryn could feel the pull, an irresistible force drawing her toward the rift. She staggered forward, her mind struggling to keep up with the surge of emotions coursing through her.

“No.” The voice of the figure beside her broke through her thoughts. “You must resist it. The rift is a gateway, but it is not your path.”

Evryn shook her head, trying to clear the fog in her mind. “I don’t understand... What do you mean?”

The figure’s gaze softened for the briefest moment. “You are the key to closing it. But you must choose. The rift cannot be sealed without a sacrifice.”

Just as Evryn opened her mouth to respond, a sudden, deafening roar split the air. The creature that had emerged from the rift lunged at them, its massive form casting a shadow over them both. The figure raised his hand, preparing to face it, but Evryn felt a cold, alien force surge through her veins.

And in that moment, she realized the terrible truth: she wasn’t just the key to closing the rift—she was also the one who could open it fully.