Under The Oak Tree Riftan Novels & Stories

*Back At The Inner Grove* Back beneath the massive, split tree, Crystal stiffened. She felt it, something wasn't right. Ryder noticed too. He stood straighter. “Something’s changed.” Veen stepped forward, her voice no longer calm. “She’s here.” Ryder’s head snapped towards her. “Elira?” The trees groaned softly. “No,” Veen said, “not her. Not fully.” A scout came bursting into the grove, blood streaking down one side of his face, his breathing ragged. “A rift—” he gasped. “It opened… on the northern edge. Smoke… burning… and something came through.”

I didn’t know how long I had stayed there, but I knew it was long enough to call it hours as the clouds were already closing up, with darkness taking charge of the night. Surprisingly, the night insects didn’t make a sound. Neither did the frogs croak or the crickets chirped. This observation sent more hurt to my heart, making every space in it break into a million pieces. I suddenly felt a tap on my shoulder. At first I thought it might be Nyx or King, but when my face lifted up, I was tongue tied. Under the dead branched tree was the exact replica image of me, the same girl I had seen in my dreams multiple times. Only what was different was that she was dressed in all white, looking like a

she whispered. “Yes,” I said. “And it’s waiting for you.” She turned toward me, the Moonfire flickering faintly in her eyes. “Then we don’t have much time.” Cael met her gaze. “No. We don’t.” The forest shifted again, as if listening. The Heart’s pulse echoed faintly in the distance, steady and alive. But beneath it, deeper and darker, another rhythm had begun. The Rift was calling. And this time, it knew her name.

Then, suddenly — ground. He hit it hard, knees buckling, air bursting from his lungs. When he lifted his head, he saw it: the Rift Realm. A vast expanse of floating stone islands, suspended over rivers of liquid moonlight. The air shimmered, thick with corrupted energy. Shadows twisted above like serpents, and far in the distance, a colossal rift split the horizon — a wound in reality itself. And at its edge… a silhouette. Killian’s breath caught. Lukas.

Past the splintered road where the last supply cart was overturned and abandoned. And finally—past the final tree line, where the Rift pulsed like a living wound in the land. It waited for us. The earth cracked with heat. Lightning illuminated the horizon in ghostly white. And in the center of the chaos, the Rift stood—sealed, yes, but far from dormant. It breathed. It hungered. And I was going to tear it open, no matter the cost.

"I have my eyes on you" I scoffed. What is it with this witch? Her eyes on me? I can't believe her gut. But then again, what does Jo's mean. "I know what happens beneath The Oak." The compound was popularly known as The Oak. We have the Lady of the oak who was Sumaya, as well as the princes of the Oak. The servants and the slaves of the Oak who were also known as the Oak's commodity. But how could anyone claim to know what happens beneath The Oak? It sounds absurd. Especially the fact that their couldn't be anything beneath the plantation or the numerous chambers.

I lived just across the creek. Then, I saw the children playing. Near them, there was a puddle that starts to recede at the edge of the river. With their snot dangling, they cheerfully played partially naked under the umbrella of the cherry tree. Indeed, the night before, the rain fell heavily. But then, it was the sun that does not want to lose to show off its power.

A small gasp escaped my lips when the musk scent of an Orion Nebula assaulted my senses. I opened my eyes to find Riftan standing in front of me, a concerned look on his face. Was I seeing things now? Or he was in front of me. “Whatever am I going to do with you.” He mumbled low, his hands shooting out to caress my naked arms and goosebumps erupted in the wake of his touch. "Riftan I’m so scared,” I confessed, wanting to fall into his arms and hide. "It doesn't have to be today, Little Wolf. You can take your time trying to find yourself." He soothed again, his minty breath washing over my face. I swallowed hard on the knot that clogged my throat, grim determination settling onto the front o

"Yeah, maybe you'll be considered stronger if someone steals your name and fights for you." Dora swallowed and pretended to have a conversation with Zuri. The walk lasted for a few minutes and soon, in an area cleared of trees, the group stopped. In front of them, the object of their alliance, a purple mass several meters in diameter and emitting energy that corroded the ground and vegetation: the rift. Kraim removed his bow from his shoulder.

I drop my head a little, pricking my ears and glancing around us—not just to make sure there was no sign of Amora, but to try to pinpoint the rift. I think it’s close, I say. Frost? He tends to be the one most in tune to the energy around rift areas. These are areas where the veil between the shadow realm and the earthly realm are thin, and where we could possibly create a tear in the fabric between worlds to bring the shadows over to this plane of existence. We came across this particular rift on the way to the Tree of Life, where we retrieved the sap we needed to complete the potion that saved Frost’s life.