The city shimmered.
Not from sunlight. Not from heat.
But from the presence of Corebinders — elite enforcers of the Celestia Council, each bound to a Law of Heaven.
Kaien watched from the edge of the fractured district, his body wrapped in the subtle folds of space. His Riftcore pulsed gently under his skin, refracting the street lights into ghost-images around him.
They wouldn't see him. Not unless he wanted them to.
But they were getting closer.
"Kaien Vale," came a voice amplified by aetheric resonance. It echoed through alleys, warped by magic and Law. "By order of the High Arbiter, you are to surrender the Riftcore and submit to celestial judgment."
Kaien smirked. "Yeah… no."
In an instant, he vanished.
Or rather — space forgot where he was supposed to be.
On the rooftops above, the Corebinder team split. Four elite users — each bearing a CelestiaCore of recognized Law.
Arden – Wielder of the Solar Mantle, a flame user whose strikes boiled the air.
Veera – Master of Tidal Vein, a liquid-core manipulator with total control over water pressure and flow.
Corin – Gravity-bound through Cometline, able to bend weight, crush objects, and suspend motion.
And Elias – the youngest, gifted with the Mirrormoon Core, reflecting energy in precise angles.
"Fan out," Arden ordered. "If he shifts space again, track the fold signature."
Kaien reappeared in a collapsed chapel on the city's edge — a quiet ruin of shattered glyphs and forgotten prayers. He exhaled sharply. "Too close…"
He reached into the riftmark glowing on his chest and pulled space apart — revealing a hidden cache he'd tucked into a fold earlier. Inside: water, ration cubes, a broken star-compass, and something he didn't remember placing there.
A small, shimmering compass-shaped crystal — ticking.
Another message from the Rift?
It pulsed once.
Then again.
Suddenly, the chapel exploded inward, crushed by an unseen force. Dust blasted out as stone caved from all sides. From the air above descended Corin, his palm glowing with compressed gravitational force.
"Found you."
Kaien dove, space warping in a ripple — and the stone block that would've crushed his spine curved upward instead, colliding with a pillar.
Corin landed hard, smirking. "So it's true. You're not bound by physical rules."
Kaien stepped backward — but stayed in place. The space moved beneath him instead.
"Can't catch what doesn't stay still," he muttered.
"You're dangerous," Corin replied. "We'll fix that."
He raised both hands. A microgravity field expanded outward — bending everything into a slow spiral, like a black hole pulling in debris. Kaien's limbs felt heavy, distorted.
But then — the Rift pulsed.
Kaien's eyes flashed silver.
He twisted space sideways.
The battlefield shattered like glass.
Corin staggered — finding himself standing in the same space, but everything was offset. His arms phased through objects. His feet slipped on an angle that shouldn't exist.
Kaien stood behind him.
"Rule one about chasing anomalies," Kaien whispered, "don't fight them on a flat plane."
And then space folded inward — not explosively, but intimately. Corin screamed as the localized space around his body tightened, trapping him in a shrinking sphere of distorted volume.
Kaien let it go after five seconds.
The compression dropped. Corin slumped, unconscious but alive.
Kaien turned to flee — but froze.
On the rooftop ahead, Arden stood, flames trailing like wings.
"You've improved," the Solar Mantle wielder said. "But you're not the only one who's broken limits."
He raised his hand. Solar glyphs spiraled. Heat bled from the air.
Kaien grit his teeth.
Two more Corebinders were inbound.
He couldn't fight all four yet.
Not without risking another rupture.
But then—
That strange ticking sound from the crystal in his pocket grew louder.
And something spoke from behind him.
"We should go. Now."
Kaien turned.
A figure cloaked in starlight stepped from a tear in space.
Another Riftborn?
But this one wore Council colors.
And a smile.
To be continued...