Chapter 24 — The Rift's Whisper
The black flame rift lingered for a few seconds after the commander vanished, its edges writhing like molten glass. The air around it hummed, pulling at Kael's skin.
He approached slowly, sword still drawn. The temperature dropped, each step frosting the cobblestones.
—You're not touching it, right? SIDE's voice sharpened.
Kael ignored him. The rift pulsed, and a whisper bled into his mind — low, ancient, speaking in a language his body seemed to understand even if his mind didn't.
It promised strength. Power enough to crush anyone. All he had to do was… step through.
A hand twitched toward the darkness before he stopped himself. "Not today."
The rift hissed like something disappointed. Then, without warning, a shadowed claw shot from it. Kael's blade flashed up, severing the limb mid-air. It dissipated into smoke, but the wound in reality didn't close.
SIDE sounded almost… unsettled. —That wasn't pure space magic. That was something older.
Kael crouched, pressing his palm near the rift without crossing the threshold. Space twisted violently — his perception blurred between here and somewhere impossibly far. He saw jagged mountains under a dead sky… and a throne carved from obsidian, with something sitting on it.
It turned its head toward him. Two eyes like burning suns locked onto his.
Kael staggered back, the image snapping away. The rift sealed with a dull crack, leaving only scorched stone.
He breathed hard. "I saw him."
—Who?
"The thing at the top. The one behind all this."
SIDE's tone flattened. —Well. Congratulations. You've just stared into the eyes of the Demon God, and somehow didn't die. Either you're lucky, or he's amused.
The noble stumbled from behind a toppled cart, face pale. "Kael… what was that?"
"Nothing you want following you home," Kael said, already sheathing his blade. "Get your wounded together. We're leaving before the fire takes the rest."
As they walked, Kael's shadow flickered unnaturally behind him — longer, darker — as if something was still watching.
[SIDE SYSTEM ALERT]
Corruption Resistance +1% (Passive)
New Flag: "Demon God's Notice" — Status Unknown
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