The first Rift did not scare the world.
The second unsettled it.
By the twelfth…
The world began to panic.
Across the globe, dimensional fractures tore open the skies without warning. Cities shook. Oceans distorted. Gravity flickered. Time itself seemed to stutter in certain zones.
This was no longer an isolated incident.
This was a global phenomenon.
Inside the academy, massive display screens streamed emergency broadcasts from around the world.
Students gathered in silence, watching.
Listening.
Trying to understand.
South America — Andes Mountain Range
A Rift opened high above the mountains, warping the air into spiraling distortions. From within emerged elongated Riftborn — faster, sharper, more stable than before.
But before they reached the ground—
The clouds above the mountains split.
A lone figure descended.
Cloaked in shifting prism-like light, her body flickering between visible and invisible states.
Hero: Prism Warden
Her power did not burn.
Did not crush.
Did not explode.
She refracted existence itself.
With a single motion, beams of distorted reality bent through the Riftborn, slicing their forms apart without impact — their bodies dissolving into fractured light before reaching the ground.
Students murmured.
"…She didn't even touch them."
Elias whispered—
"She's bending perception layers."
Kai watched quietly.
Not impressed.
Not dismissive.
Observing.
Eastern Europe — Black Sea Coast
The ocean rose violently as another Rift split open above the waterline. Waves spiraled upward unnaturally, forming towering vortex structures.
From the horizon walked a man.
Barefoot.
Silent.
The water beneath him hardened into crystalline platforms.
Hero: Tidelord Maris
He did not control water.
He controlled density and fluid structure.
The ocean itself obeyed him.
With a wave of his hand, the rising vortex compressed into a solid column, crushing the Riftborn mid-air like insects trapped in stone.
Ryo crossed his arms.
"…Okay, that's crazy."
Kai replied calmly—
"He's controlling matter state, not force."
Elias nodded slightly.
"Different energy philosophy."
North Africa — Sahara Rift Event
The desert sky tore open violently.
But something was wrong.
The Rift did not release creatures immediately.
Instead—
The sand below began to turn black.
Not burned.
Corrupted.
A figure emerged from the dunes.
Tall.
Wrapped in flowing robes marked with ancient geometric symbols.
Hero: Chronos Sentinel
His power was not energy.
Not strength.
Not matter.
He controlled localized temporal flow.
As Riftborn emerged, their movements slowed unnaturally — trapped within warped time pockets — their forms aging, collapsing, and disintegrating into dust before reaching full form.
Students whispered in awe.
"…He aged them to death."
Mira spoke quietly—
"Localized time distortion… extremely rare."
Kai's eyes remained on the Rift.
Because something felt wrong.
Then—
The feed cut.
Static.
Distortion.
The Chronos Sentinel feed returned briefly.
But he was no longer standing.
The desert behind him had collapsed inward.
Not exploded.
Not shattered.
Compressed.
His time field had frozen mid-activation.
And then—
His body turned to ash.
Without struggle.
Without resistance.
Gone.
Silence filled the academy hall.
No one spoke.
The strongest guardian of an entire region…
Erased.
Instantly.
Without explanation.
Ryo's voice was low.
"…What the hell just happened?"
Elias stared at the frozen frame.
"…That wasn't a Riftborn."
Mira whispered—
"Something bypassed his temporal control completely…"
Kai felt it.
That same presence.
Cold.
Certain.
Watching.
Research Wing — Emergency Conclave
Global research divisions assembled instantly.
Energy readings from the Sahara Rift were replayed repeatedly.
Frame by frame.
Layer by layer.
Nothing visible attacked him.
But one anomaly remained.
A faint distortion.
Outside measurable dimensions.
A researcher spoke:
"…Something interacted with him outside the time layer."
Elias replied—
"That means it exists beyond localized causality."
Mira looked at him.
"…Which means?"
Elias answered quietly—
"…Chronos Sentinel never had a chance."
A deeper projection appeared.
Space beyond Earth.
A faint pulse.
Slow.
Deliberate.
Approaching.
Kai's chest tightened again.
The memory.
The voice.
The certainty.
He survived.
Training Platform — Evening
The trio stood beneath the fading sky.
No jokes.
No smiles.
Ryo spoke first.
"…One of the strongest in the world just died."
Kai nodded.
"Yes."
Elias added—
"And it wasn't a normal Rift entity."
Ryo clenched his fists.
"…So this is real now."
Kai looked toward the horizon.
"It always was."
Silence lingered.
Then Ryo spoke quietly—
"…Then we get even stronger."
Elias nodded.
"Yes."
Kai spoke last.
"…Before it arrives."
Far beyond Earth—
The pulse grew closer.
And something ancient…
Began watching more closely.