The city didn't sleep after the Eastbridge collapse. News drones hovered over the wreckage, broadcasting theories and panic. Kronis Dynamics issued a statement blaming "structural fatigue." STRATUM issued none.
Elias Ward sat on the edge of his bed, staring at his hands.
They glowed faintly.
He hadn't slept. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw the light beneath the river. He felt it in his bones — a hum, a pulse, a whisper. Machines still responded to his touch. His strength was growing. His senses sharpened.
He wasn't human anymore.
And he didn't know what he was becoming.
A knock shattered his thoughts.
He opened the door.
Seraphine Kade stood there, holding two coffees and a bag of donuts.
"Breakfast," she said. "Because cosmic mutation is easier on a full stomach."
Elias blinked. "You broke into my building?"
"Please. Your landlord leaves the back door open. I could've robbed you blind."
He took the coffee. "Thanks… I think."
They sat in silence for a moment. Seraphine watched him carefully.
"You're changing fast," she said. "Faster than anyone STRATUM's ever tracked."
Elias looked down. "I don't know what to do."
She leaned forward. "You fight. You learn. You survive."
He met her eyes. "Why are you helping me?"
Her smirk faded. "Because I've seen what happens when people like you are left alone."
She didn't elaborate. Elias didn't press.
Outside, the sky darkened unnaturally.
Seraphine stood. "We need to move."
Elias frowned. "Why?"
She pointed to the window.
A tear had opened in the sky — a jagged rift of swirling blue and black, pulsing with unnatural energy. From it, something emerged.
Tall. Thin. Twisted.
Its body shimmered like liquid shadow. Its eyes glowed with cold fire. It moved without sound, without weight, without mercy.
Seraphine's voice dropped.
"Riftborn."
Elias felt the Spark flare inside him.
The creature turned toward their building.
And screamed.
They met it in the street.
Elias stood beside Seraphine, heart pounding, energy crackling through his veins. The Riftborn moved like a nightmare — limbs bending wrong, mouth splitting open in a silent howl.
Seraphine fired first. Her bullets passed through it like smoke.
"Not physical," she muttered. "Figures."
Elias stepped forward. The Spark surged. He raised his hand and unleashed a wave of golden energy.
The Riftborn shrieked, recoiling.
"It's vulnerable to you," Seraphine said. "You're the key."
Elias didn't feel like a key. He felt like a man trying not to fall apart.
The creature lunged.
Elias caught it mid-air, golden tendrils wrapping around its form. He slammed it into the pavement. It writhed, screeching, trying to escape.
Seraphine ran forward, planting a device on its chest — a containment spike.
"Now!" she shouted.
Elias focused. The Spark obeyed.
A burst of light engulfed the Riftborn. It vanished in a flash of energy.
Silence returned.
Elias collapsed to one knee.
Seraphine crouched beside him.
"You okay?"
He nodded. "What was that?"
She looked at the sky. The rift was closing.
"Something from beyond," she said. "They come through when reality weakens. And you… you're a beacon."
Elias looked at her.
"Why do I feel like this is just the beginning?"
She didn't answer.
Because it was.