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Chapter 2 – First Step Beyond
Kael barely had time to catch his breath. The forest around him wasn't just alive—it was aware. Trees swayed though there was no wind; shadows shifted like liquid. And that creature—Tethys, as it now seemed to call itself—sat at his feet, its eyes gleaming like molten silver.
"You… you can talk?" Kael asked cautiously.
Tethys tilted its head, tail flicking. "I can. And I can do more than that. You, human, are now bound to me. Survive… or perish."
Kael's stomach dropped. "Bound? Look, I—wait—what do you mean survive? I don't even know what this place is!"
Before Tethys could answer, the air shimmered violently. A new tear appeared in reality, larger than the last, and from it poured creatures Kael could barely comprehend. Limbs bent impossibly, eyes floating in midair, forms shifting constantly—they were rifts made flesh, unstable and dangerous.
Kael froze. He had never fought anything like this in any game. His first instinct? Run. But the creatures moved faster. Faster than his legs could carry him.
"Think!" he muttered under his breath.
Tethys purred—or maybe it was laughter. "Think indeed. You have power. You just don't know it yet."
Kael's mind raced. In games, strategy always mattered. Environment, timing, exploiting weakness… Wait—he noticed the glowing moss under his feet. It reacts. He reached out, almost by instinct, and concentrated.
The moss flared into a radiant blue shield around him. The nearest rift-creature collided with it—and exploded into shards of violet energy, harmlessly dissipating.
Kael's eyes widened. "I… I can control this?"
Tethys nodded, amused. "Yes. But this is only the beginning. The multiverse tests all who enter it. Fail, and it consumes you."
Kael clenched his fists. He didn't understand how, but he could feel the rules of this world bending to him, just a little. A flick of thought and the vines overhead became barriers; a shift of focus and the air itself resisted his enemies.
He darted forward, using the environment as a weapon. Every step was a gamble, every breath a strategy. Slowly, he began to understand: this wasn't about strength—it was about adaptation.
Hours, or maybe minutes—time flowed strangely here—passed. When the last rift-creature dissolved into nothingness, Kael sank to the ground, exhausted but exhilarated.
"Tethys… I think I can… survive this," he said, still panting.
Tethys stretched, its form flickering like a living shadow. "Good. You will need that confidence. More comes—always more."
A sudden shimmer caught his attention. Across the forest, a figure appeared—a girl, tall and graceful, her hair a cascade of silver light, eyes like liquid night. She moved with ease, stepping through the broken rules of the world as if it were hers.
Kael instinctively stepped back. "Who… are you?"
She smiled, faintly, almost cruelly. "I'm Lyra. And you, Kael Ardent… are not ready for what's coming. But that won't stop you from trying, will it?"
Before Kael could respond, the sky tore again, revealing multiple eclipses overlapping, bleeding colors that made the air shimmer violently. From the darkness, a voice boomed—low, omnipresent, terrifying:
"Kael Ardent… you are mine to test. Fail, and the multiverse will fall."
Kael's heart hammered. But this time, fear mingled with something else: exhilaration. He had survived this far. And now, he was going to fight back.
Tethys growled softly, curling around his legs. "Then let us begin, human. Let us begin."
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