Lucas stood motionless, the echo of the last battle still vibrating through his bones. The air around him shimmered with faint arcs of chaotic energy, refusing to settle. Every strike, every scream, every flash of power replayed in his mind like an unwelcome specter. But now wasn't the time for reflection—something was wrong with the air itself.
The world… was breathing.
It wasn't wind. It wasn't magic. It was as if the very fabric of reality was inhaling and exhaling, and each pull tugged at Lucas's core affinity. The sensation was unsettling, like invisible fingers brushing against the threads of his soul.
From the shadows, a familiar voice emerged.
"You feel it too, don't you?"
It was Seris, her pale hair damp with sweat, eyes glowing faintly from her earlier exertions.
Lucas turned to her, gripping his weapon tighter. "That… pulse. It's not normal."
Seris approached, scanning the sky. "It's not from our world. The Veil between realms is thinning faster than the old texts predicted. Whatever we just fought… it was only the first ripple."
Lucas's jaw tightened. "So the next wave is already coming."
Before she could answer, a sudden crack split the air. A vertical seam appeared in the space ahead, glowing with unstable energy. Through it, Lucas could see flickers of a barren wasteland, scorched black and crawling with creatures that looked like twisted versions of beasts he recognized. Their forms shifted unnaturally, as if they couldn't decide what they were supposed to be.
One of them noticed the gap—and them.
The creature's head snapped toward the tear, its body convulsing before it sprinted straight into the breach. Its claws scraped against the edges of reality itself, producing an ear-splitting screech.
Lucas didn't hesitate. His chaotic aura flared, wrapping around his blade in jagged arcs. With a precise slash, he met the beast mid-leap, tearing it apart before it could fully cross. But as its body fell, its blood turned into black mist that slithered into the ground.
Seris swore under her breath. "They're marking territory. Even if we close the breach, their influence will linger."
Lucas sheathed his sword for a moment, thinking. "Then we can't just react. We need to find where these breaches are forming—and stop them at the source."
Seris smirked faintly despite the tension. "Finally thinking like a strategist."
Before Lucas could retort, a distant horn-like sound rolled across the land, deep and resonant, making his chest vibrate. Both of them froze. It wasn't just a warning—it was a summons.
And it wasn't meant for them.
From the darkness around them, faint eyes began appearing, hundreds of them. The creatures were already here, hiding in the folds of the unstable Veil. The breach they'd seen was just one of many.
Lucas's fingers twitched toward his blade again. "Looks like the next wave is here after all."
Seris's chaotic energy bloomed alongside his, the two auras mixing in a volatile swirl. "Then let's make sure we survive to see the third."
They stood side by side as the first wave of shadowed forms rushed toward them, the air splitting apart with each impact of claw and blade. Every strike they delivered sent ripples through the already fragile reality around them, threatening to tear it apart completely.
But Lucas knew one thing—if the Veil was going to break, he'd rather be the one to decide how.