The sun had barely dipped below the horizon when the emergency sirens rang across the academy grounds—sharp, metallic, and urgent.
Students paused mid-step.Instructors exchanged quick glances.Everyone knew what that alarm meant.
A rift fluctuation.And it was close.
Chu Tianxing was already sprinting toward the operations building when Lin Yufan caught up, panting."Hey—hey! Why are you running so fast? They didn't even announce the details yet!"
"They will," Chu Tianxing replied. His tone was calm, but his steps never slowed. "And it'll be near the B-7 perimeter again. The activity there hasn't dropped since yesterday."
Chen Feier rushed over as well, her staff glowing faintly."Did… did you sense something?"
Chu Tianxing nodded.
Ever since awakening as a Data Forger, the world had become sharper—every movement, every shift, every ripple in the air felt like lines of code he could read instinctively.
And right now, those lines were trembling.
The operations hall doors burst open.
Instructor Zhao strode out, expression grim."All combat-capable teams, assemble! Thirty minutes ago, surveillance detected an unstable spatial distortion near B-7. Estimated danger level—unknown."
A murmur rippled through the crowd.
"Unknown?""Not low, then…""Could it be a mid-level breach?"
Instructor Zhao continued, voice cutting through the noise:
"We will deploy reconnaissance teams in batches. Rookie squads will remain behind the second perimeter. This is not a full engagement."
Chu Tianxing raised an eyebrow.
Not a full engagement… yet.
His team exchanged glances.Yufan leaned closer and whispered, "Do we wait… or volunteer?"
Chen Feier tugged nervously at her sleeves. "Going too early might be dangerous, but… if Tianxing feels something—"
Before she finished, Instructor Zhao looked directly at them.
"Chu Tianxing. Lin Yufan. Chen Feier."The instructor gestured sharply."You three. With me."
The crowd stirred.
"Why them?""Are they being fast-tracked because of Chu Tianxing's class?""Isn't this too soon for first-years?"
The whispers didn't matter.
Inside the briefing room, a holo-map hovered over the table.A large, circular red zone pulsed ominously along the outskirts of B-7.
Instructor Zhao pointed at the center.
"This distortion is different from standard rifts. It's not expanding, but compressing. Collapsing inward."He paused."That means something might already be pushing from the other side."
Lin Yufan blanched."You mean… something is knocking?"
"That," the instructor said dryly, "is one way to put it."
He turned to Chu Tianxing.
"We scanned the fluctuation patterns. Your class profile makes you the most suited to read these signatures. Tell me—"His gaze sharpened."Is this breach going to open?"
Chu Tianxing closed his eyes, extending his awareness.
Data threads surged into focus.A pulse—sharp.Another—faster.Space tightening… folding… resonating…
Then—
He saw it.A crimson spark at the heart of the distortion.Like an eye.Opening.
He inhaled sharply."It's not going to open," he said.
Instructor Zhao exhaled in relief—until Chu Tianxing continued:
"It already has."
The lights flickered.
A low, distant rumble echoed through the room.
And then the academy intercom exploded with a single, chilling announcement:
"Emergency Alert: Rift breach detected at B-7! All nearby units prepare for immediate evacuation or combat!"
Instructor Zhao cursed."Damn it. You three—gear up. Now. You're with the advance unit!"
Lin Yufan's voice cracked."W-wait—advance? FIRST advance?!"
Chen Feier swallowed hard, gripping her staff.
Chu Tianxing looked out the window.
Far away, the sky split with a faint, sickening glow.
Like a wound reopening.
He whispered to himself:
"It's starting."