Chapter 3 – The Weight of a Trigger
Duskreach never really slept. Even at night, the city vibrated with neon signs, flickering streetlights, and steam hissing from the grates. Way above the smog, the two broken moons cast their dim light on the metal city.
In the lower parts, the wet streets were tight and smelled like engine oil. Lex Veylan tightened his shoulder strap and followed the buzz in his ears – the weak static from his Trigger's last use. It stayed with him like a bad taste.
"Keep spacing out like that, and I'll leave you behind," Kira said, splashing through puddles ahead. She didn't look back, but Lex could hear her smirk.
"I'm not spacing out," he said. "I'm…thinking."
"Thinking about what? You already shot your Trigger today, right? Shouldn't you be happy?"
Lex didn't answer right away. He kept seeing the moment he pulled his trigger, the way space bent and snapped. The street fight that afternoon had been crazy, but something else happened when he fired. The books didn't say anything about it.
He watched Kira's back. "It felt different," he said. "Like the space knew what I wanted before I moved."
Kira slowed down and glanced back. "Either you're getting used to your Trigger… or you're getting a habit that'll get you killed."
---The Rusted Lattice
They were headed to the Rusted Lattice – an old steel tower, empty inside. It used to filter air in Duskreach's early days. Now, it was where freelancers, smugglers, and Trigger Arts users met to talk where no drones could hear.
Lights shone on the upper platforms, with lanterns hanging between the rusted beams. Lex had only been here twice, but it always felt like stepping into a forgotten part of the city's past like a ghost of industry turned outlaw hideout.
Kira climbed the winding stairs, like she knew the place. Lex followed, trying not to look down at the drop between the steps.
They got to a platform where people sat around oil-barrel fires. They looked up as Kira and Lex arrived. Lex saw a big guy with bronze skin and an eyepatch. Varren Skell, a merc who could break barriers from the inside.
"Didn't think I'd see you here again, Kira," Varren said. "And who's the rookie?"
"He's not a rookie," Kira said. "He's with me."
Lex raised his brow. "I'm not—"
"Shut up," Kira said. To Varren, she added, "We need info, not stories."
---A City on Edge
They joined a small group near the edge of the platform, looking out at the city – flashing ads, rails, and rooftops. The air was cleaner up here, but the sirens reminded Lex that Duskreach was never really safe.
A woman named Serra leaned forward. She was older, with short hair and a worn face. "You're looking for signs, right? Signs of a Rift."
Lex straightened. "Rifts? Like—"
"Yes," Serra said. "Dimensional cracks. Where Trigger Arts get their power. We've had three small ones in the last month, all not recorded."
Kira's jaw tightened. "Not recorded means someone's hiding them."
"Or they're opening on their own," Serra said. "If that's going on… the city's in for more than just small fights."
Lex had read about Rifts – unstable spots between realities, leaking into the real world. Trigger Arts started from the first Rifts years ago. But the books talked about them like they were controlled, studied by guilds. Uncontrolled ones were different. Dangerous.
Varren spoke up. "There's a rumor that one of the ones down in the Dockside spit out something alive."
Lex looked at him. "Alive? Like… an animal?"
"Not exactly," Varren said, narrowing his eye. "Something that moved wrong. Too many angles."
Kira cursed. "That's above guild stuff. Which means—"
"Which means," Serra said, "if you're messing around, be ready for something you can't shoot your Trigger at and win."
---Cracks in the Sky
Hours later, they left the Lattice under a fake dawn – the kind from the east when the city's panels shifted for morning light. Lex walked with Kira, thinking about what they'd heard.
"You didn't say this was Rift stuff," he said.
"Would you have come if I did?"
"…Probably," Lex said. "But I'd have liked to know."
They walked on a backstreet where the concrete was cracked, and weeds grew through. Above them, the sky had that shimmer he'd seen – like thin glass. It was the same shimmer he'd seen when using his Trigger in that fight. But this time, it stayed longer.
"Kira," he said, stopping. "Up there."
She looked. Her face changed. "That's— no. That's too weak for a Rift."
"Looks the same as before," Lex said.
She turned to him. "Before, you weren't just using your Trigger, were you? You were pulling something."
Lex's mouth went dry. "I… don't know."
"Well," Kira said, looking at the sky, "we're going to see. And you'd better hope you control that."
---The Pull of Power
By noon, they were at her workshop – a tight space above a repair place, with Trigger casings and tool racks on the walls. The air smelled like ozone and metal dust. Kira tossed him a training gauntlet.
"Put it on," she said. "If you're syncing with your Trigger this fast, I need to see how far it goes."
Lex strapped it on. The gauntlet had marks on it, and he could feel a buzz under the surface.
Kira leaned against a workbench. "Activate. Don't aim – just let it happen."
Lex focused, feeling the static in his bones. The air in the room seemed to thin, like it was bending. Then the gauntlet lit up, and space twisted – for a moment.
Kira's eyes widened. "That's not normal. You're phasing before the trigger."
"What does that mean?"
"It means you're touching the Rift, not just the energy."
Lex hesitated. "Is that… bad?"
Kira didn't answer. She looked at him, then said, "It's dangerous. And rare. And if the wrong people hear about it, you'll be locked up fast."
---Unseen Eyes
That night, Lex couldn't sleep on the cot in the workshop. The city noises came through the broken window. He felt that buzz again, but he didn't call it. Like something out there knew him.
On a roof across the street, a shadow crouched – someone in dark armor, with blue lenses. Through a scanner, they watched Lex.
"Subject 47-V confirmed," the person said into their comm. "Signature matches reports. Orders?"
A voice said, "Watch. Don't attack. Not now."