CHAPTER 20 — The Heart of the Rift
The Riftborne King didn't move when Kai and Lyra charged.
He didn't flinch.
He didn't even blink.
Instead, he raised his hand—slow, deliberate—and the entire Shattered Realm tilted, as though the void itself bent toward him in obedience.
Kai braced his feet, flames and lightning spiraling through his arms. Lyra's wings flared in a burst of silver-violet aura, the feathers humming with energy.
Together, they struck first.
A twin blast of gold and violet exploded from their hands, spiraling into a beam so bright it illuminated the broken sky. The impact shook the realm, sending shards of crystal spinning into the abyss.
But when the light faded…
The Riftborne King stood exactly where he had been.
Untouched.
He tilted his head slightly, studying them like a teacher observing two talented but inexperienced students.
"Astonishing," he murmured. "Your power… has harmony. Dangerous harmony."
Kai tightened his grip on Lyra's hand. "Good. Then it's enough to beat you."
"No," the King replied. "But it may be enough to interest me."
With a flick of his fingers, the ground shattered beneath them.
Falling Through the Rift
Kai pulled Lyra into his arms as the fragment dropped. They plunged through a cascade of floating shards, the wind screaming past. Lyra wrapped her wings around both of them, slowing their descent until they landed on another drifting island far below.
Her wings folded back, shaking slightly from the strain.
"You okay?" Kai asked, steadying her.
She nodded, catching her breath. "I'm fine. You grabbed me before I even opened my wings."
Kai gave a nervous laugh. "Well… I wasn't going to let you fall."
She looked up at him, eyes bright despite the chaos. "I know."
For a moment—just a moment—the world felt steady.
But then a roar tore through the sky.
The Riftborne King descended from above, gravity bending around him like a cloak. His eyes burned brighter than before.
"Running will not save you," he said.
Kai stepped in front of Lyra again, fists clenched. "We're not running."
Lyra placed a hand on his back, power rising through her skin. "We stand together."
The King extended his arm toward Lyra.
"You carry the core of the Rift—its heart. Surrender it, and I may spare your world."
Lyra's wings snapped open, her voice sharp: "I'm not giving you anything."
The King smiled—not kindly.
"Then you will watch everything break."
The Hollow Queen Reveals the Truth
A shadow darted across the sky.
The Hollow Queen crashed down between the King and the others, coughing violently but forcing herself to stand.
"Enough!" she hissed. "You have no claim here, old tyrant."
The King's gaze sharpened.
"You survived. Impressive. But meaningless."
"It is not meaningless," the Queen spat, raising a trembling hand. "Because I know what Lyra is. I know what you never understood about the Rift."
Kai and Lyra exchanged a confused glance.
The King's voice dropped lower. "Choose your words carefully, fallen Queen."
The Hollow Queen straightened, despite her shaking legs.
"The Rift does not want a ruler," she said.
"It wants a pair."
Kai stiffened. "A pair?"
Lyra blinked. "A bond?"
The Queen nodded weakly. "The Rift was never meant to be wielded by one being. Its power is balanced by connection. Two souls aligned. Two powers entwined."
Her eyes turned to Kai and Lyra.
"You two… are its heart."
The air fell silent.
Even the Riftborne King paused.
Then his expression hardened into rage.
"No." He stepped forward, shadows swirling. "There will be no pair. No harmony. Power belongs to the strongest—alone!"
He raised his arm.
A vortex of dark Rift-energy erupted from his hand, curling like a storm of blades.
Kai grabbed Lyra's hand again. "Ready?"
She nodded, wings glowing. "Always."
The Battle Truly Begins
The vortex struck.
Kai slammed his fist into the ground, summoning a barrier of molten stone. Lyra layered her silver-violet shield over it, creating a shimmering dome that deflected the King's attack—barely. Cracks zigzagged across the shield.
Kai's muscles strained. "Lyra—can you push back?"
She stepped beside him, pressing her hand over his. The moment their fingers touched, their energy flared, merging into one swirling aura of gold and violet.
The shield thickened, steadying.
Lyra gasped. "It's responding—automatically!"
Kai nodded through gritted teeth. "That means we just need to keep going!"
Together, they pushed.
The shield surged forward, exploding outward in a wave that shattered the dark vortex.
The Riftborne King drifted back a few steps—not harmed, but no longer mocking.
His expression shifted.
Interest.
Recognition.
Annoyance.
"You two are closer than I thought."
Lyra, breathless, stared defiantly. "Our bond is our strength."
Kai glanced at her, a soft smile forming. "Yeah. It really is."
The King raised both hands.
"Then I will break it."
The sky cracked.
Four new rifts opened overhead, each one spewing a monstrous creature born of fractured dimensions—winged beasts, armored specters, and serpents made of pure Rift energy.
Kai whispered, "Oh, that's bad."
Lyra tightened her grip on his hand. "Then let's fight."
Aeri and Riven Return
Before the King's creatures could strike, a blur of feathers swooped past.
Aeri slammed into one of the Rift serpents, slicing its head clean off with a whirl of wind energy.
Riven darted between the armored beasts, his fox form glowing with blue sigils that exploded into concussive blasts.
Aeri landed beside Kai and Lyra, panting. "Miss us?"
Riven grinned. "No way you're having all the fun."
Kai laughed in relief. "Perfect timing."
Lyra nodded. "We'll do this together."
The Heart Unlocks
Suddenly Lyra gasped, clutching her chest.
A symbol glowed beneath her skin—gold and violet intertwined—the same symbol that appeared on Kai's arm seconds later.
Kai looked at her, shocked. "Lyra…"
She stared back, eyes shimmering. "I feel… something opening."
The Hollow Queen whispered from behind them.
"Yes. The Rift's Heart is awakening. The bond between you is activating its true form."
Lyra stepped closer to Kai, and their energy spiraled upward, forming a pillar of light.
Kai's breath hitched—not from fear, but from the warmth radiating from her presence.
"You ready?" he asked.
Lyra's wings shimmered. "With you? Always."
Their hands clasped.
The pillar of light erupted skyward.
Even the Riftborne King flinched as their combined aura tore through the battlefield like a new sunrise.
TO BE CONTINUED…