Morning light spilled through the Guild's east wing windows, glinting off dozens of mana-analysis devices. The air hummed with energy, half from machines and half from stress.
Kael Draven sat at the center of the lab, looking deeply unimpressed. Ember perched on a nearby mana crystal, puffing warm air at a nervous clerk. Aegros sprawled across the floor like a shiny carpet, tail thumping lazily.
Guildmaster Varin stood over a glowing rune projector, his expression tight. "You caused another disturbance, Draven."
Kael tilted his head. "Technically, the disturbance caused itself. I was an innocent bystander."
Lira pinched the bridge of her nose. "You closed a spontaneous rift using unauthorized flame compression magic."
"Unauthorized?" Kael asked. "So I should've let it eat us?"
"That's not the point," Lira said.
"It feels like the point."
Varin raised a hand, silencing both. "Enough. We're not here to assign blame. We're here to understand what happened."
The Investigation
A mana scholar adjusted the projection rune, displaying the mission site as a floating image—a charred clearing with faint blue cracks still pulsing across the earth.
"The readings are unusual," the scholar said. "Residual Rift energy typically dissipates within minutes. This has persisted for twelve hours."
"Meaning?" Kael asked.
"Meaning," Varin said, "whatever caused this wasn't a natural Rift leak. It reacted to you."
Kael frowned. "That's flattering and terrifying."
"It gets worse," Lira added. "When we analyzed the mana signature, your resonance pattern matched ninety percent of the rift's energy trace."
Kael blinked. "Are you saying I'm a walking Rift?"
"Not exactly," Varin said. "But your mana's composition may share traits with Rift energy. It could explain your synchronization abilities—and why anomalies keep occurring near you."
"Great," Kael muttered. "I'm officially a natural disaster."
Ember trilled softly, nuzzling his shoulder in quiet reassurance.
The Test
Varin gestured to the lab's center. "We're running one final test. No combat, no risk. Just a resonance check."
"Define 'no risk.'"
"Nothing will explode," Varin said.
"That's what you said last time."
Kael sighed but stepped onto the testing platform. Ember perched beside him; Aegros crouched protectively behind.
Varin activated the array. Golden light spread across the floor, forming intricate runes that climbed the walls.
At first, everything felt normal—warm mana flow, soft vibrations. Then, suddenly, the lights dimmed. The runes darkened to blue, and the air crackled with static.
"Energy spike!" Lira shouted. "The Rift frequency—it's reacting!"
The mana projector flared, showing a swirl of color in the air above Kael's hand. It wasn't fire or light—it was something else.
Kael frowned. "Okay, that's new."
A shadow flickered inside the swirl—something like a wing, then a claw. Ember hissed, feathers blazing. Aegros rose, growling.
Varin slammed his staff down, severing the connection. The light vanished instantly.
Silence.
"Did anyone else see that?" Kael asked.
Varin exhaled slowly. "We all did."
"Good. Just checking I'm not hallucinating."
Theories and Warnings
Later, Kael sat in Varin's office, sipping a mug of mana-tea while the Guildmaster paced.
"You've officially broken three containment devices," Varin said. "The scientists are both furious and fascinated."
"At least I'm contributing to science," Kael said.
Varin stopped pacing. "Draven, listen carefully. Your mana is evolving. If it continues to resonate with Rift frequencies, it could draw attention—from things on the other side."
"You mean monsters?"
"Not the kind we understand."
Kael frowned. "That's ominous. You could've just said yes."
Varin sighed. "Until we know more, keep your mana output minimal outside controlled areas. No large-scale summons, no fusion skills, no experiments."
"So basically, no fun."
"Exactly."
Lira entered with a sealed scroll. "Preliminary results, Guildmaster. His mana wavelength shows both organic and anomaly patterns—human and something… older."
Varin's brow furrowed. "Older?"
"As in pre-Rift War," she said quietly.
Kael raised an eyebrow. "You're telling me my mana is ancient?"
"Possibly descended from the energy that caused the first Rift."
"Great," Kael said. "I'm not even old enough to vote and already prehistoric."
Varin chuckled despite himself. "We'll run deeper scans later. For now, rest. The Guild can't afford to lose you to curiosity."
"Don't worry," Kael said, standing. "Curiosity's never killed me. Yet."
Back at the Dorms
That evening, the academy felt unusually quiet. Kael sat by his window, watching the glow of city lights below. Ember perched on the sill, wings folded; Aegros lay across the floor, his metallic fur reflecting moonlight.
"So apparently, I'm connected to an interdimensional hole in reality," Kael said.
Ember chirped softly.
"And they say my life's boring."
Aegros grumbled, shifting closer.
Kael smiled faintly. "Relax. I'm not planning to open any Rifts in the living room. Probably."
He looked out at the night sky. Far above the clouds, faint streaks of blue mana danced—harmless to most eyes, but Kael's pulse synced with their rhythm. Just for a heartbeat, he thought he heard something—a whisper, distant and ancient.
He blinked, and it was gone.
"…Definitely not hearing voices," he muttered. "Sleep. I need sleep."