The sky tore open.
Not cracked.
Not thundered.
Not distorted.
**Tore.**
Like giant invisible claws were shredding the heavens into ribbons.
Jason Wu felt the pressure hit first—a suffocating weight that pressed against his bones, his breath, even his thoughts. His knees almost buckled on instinct.
Longwu Sword vibrated violently in his grip.
*["JASON—STEADY YOURSELF! THIS PRESENCE IS ON PAR WITH A REALM DEVOURER!"]*
Jason clenched his jaw.
"A Realm… what?!"
But Longwu didn't answer.
Because the rift in the sky widened with a sound like metal screaming.
From within the swirling darkness, six glowing chains shot outward, anchoring themselves into the clouds and pulling something forward.
A shape.
A silhouette.
No—
**Three silhouettes.**
Jason's pulse spiked.
"…They came in a group?"
Longwu hissed.
*["Correction—they came as a UNIT. And each one feels as dangerous as that hollow version of you."]*
Jason took two steps back before forcing his feet to stop.
He couldn't show weakness now.
Not after everything.
Not after seeing what he could become.
The rift stabilized long enough for Jason to see them clearly:
**Three figures, descending slowly from the tear in reality like emperors stepping down from a throne no mortal should touch.**
The first figure was tall, wrapped in a cloak woven from flowing runes that never stopped shifting.
The second wore a mask shaped like a broken hourglass.
The third… had no visible form at all, only a humanoid outline filled with swirling galaxies.
Jason's breath trembled.
"What… are they?"
Longwu answered grimly.
*["They are not part of the System."]*
*["They are above it."]*
*["They come from the Rift—a place where erased timelines gather."]*
Jason's heart dropped.
"These are… survivors?"
Longwu hesitated.
*["…More like remnants. The ones who escaped being erased completely—but not without cost."]*
The three beings landed on the torn ground without a sound.
The air trembled violently.
Animals across miles fled in terror.
Even the clouds dissipated.
Jason raised Longwu defensively.
"State your purpose!"
The tall cloaked figure finally spoke.
His voice was layered—like a choir whispering in harmony.
**"We are the Riftbound."**
**"We are those who refused termination."**
**"And we have come to see the anomaly that shook the threads of destiny."**
Jason frowned.
"You mean… me?"
The masked one stepped forward.
The hourglass-mask rotated slowly as he examined Jason from top to bottom.
**"Jason Wu."**
**"Defier of Threadline 77-A."**
**"Breaker of Sentinel 03."**
**"Bearer of Fragment 1."**
**"Interference level: HIGH."**
Jason's stomach sank.
"Great… another group who memorized my resume."
The formless cosmos-being pulsed.
**"You misunderstand."**
Jason tightened his grip on Longwu.
"Do I?"
The being continued:
**"We are not here to kill you."**
Jason blinked.
That was new.
Longwu whispered carefully:
*["…Keep your guard. Riftbound are unpredictable—neither friend nor foe."]*
Jason nodded subtly.
The cloaked Riftbound raised his hand—and the entire battlefield rewound for a split second, dust flying backwards, cracks repairing themselves, even Jason's hair and clothes unruffling for a heartbeat.
Jason froze.
"How did you—"
**"We manipulate a part of existence you cannot yet comprehend."**
**"But you are the first Defier in countless cycles to destabilize the Sentinel's architecture."**
Jason frowned.
"I didn't do it on purpose."
**"Precisely."**
The cloaked one nodded.
**"You did it by instinct."**
**"That is what frightens the Administrator."**
The masked Riftbound leaned closer.
Jason felt the air stretch thin.
**"Your bloodline is awakening ahead of schedule."**
Jason stiffened. "Ahead of what schedule?"
The galaxies inside the third Riftbound swirled.
**"Ahead of the Age of Convergence."**
Jason paused.
"…The what?"
Longwu inhaled sharply.
*["Jason—THAT term should not exist in this era!"]*
Jason frowned. "What does it mean?"
Longwu refused to explain.
The cloaked Riftbound continued:
**"We have seen your future paths."**
**"You could become a beacon of resistance—or a catalyst of collapse."**
**"Either way… you are an axis."**
The masked one raised two fingers.
Time froze.
Jason gasped.
Birds stopped mid-flight.
Leaves hung motionless in the air.
A cloud paused halfway across the sky.
Even the air itself halted like glass.
Jason alone could still move.
He stumbled forward. "Wh-what—"
The masked Riftbound didn't move, but his voice shifted directly into Jason's mind.
**"We are offering you a warning… and a bargain."**
Jason's eyes narrowed.
"What bargain?"
The Riftbound extended a single glowing shard—shimmering with red and silver energy.
The moment Jason saw it, his heart lurched.
"That's—"
Longwu gasped:
*["A CORE FRAGMENT OF A TERMINATION AGENT!"]*
Jason staggered.
"You're giving me a piece of… the Butcher?"
The cloaked Riftbound nodded.
**"Accept it, and you gain the right to perceive the Will of the System."**
**"Refuse it, and you remain blind but safe."**
Jason tightened his fists.
"What's the catch?"
The Riftbound answered plainly:
**"Accepting this shard will mark you permanently."**
**"The System will detect your divergence instantly. They will come with full force."**
Jason swallowed.
"And if I refuse?"
The swirling cosmos-being answered:
**"Then your path remains uncertain… but your world may die before you understand why."**
Jason's breath shakily escaped his chest.
So these were the stakes.
Take the shard—
Gain power, understanding, the ability to fight back.
But become a hunted anomaly to the highest degree.
Reject it—
Remain hidden.
Remain unprepared.
Risk losing everything before he even understands the battlefield.
Jason's mind raced.
Longwu whispered:
*["Jason… think carefully. This is not a sword or technique. This is fate-shattering essence."]*
*["Once absorbed… you can NEVER turn back."]*
Jason stared at the shard.
Its pulse resonated with him—familiar, yet terrible.
The Riftbound waited silently.
No pressure.
No threats.
Only truth.
Jason exhaled slowly.
And reached out.
His fingers brushed the shard—
The world exploded in light.
The Riftbound whispered in unison:
**"Let the next stage begin, Defier."**