The path ahead twisted through scorched earth and brittle underbrush, the air thick with a dry, electric tension. Kara led the way with confident strides, her hand resting lightly on the hilt of her blade. Roan trailed close behind, silent but watchful, his eyes flicking to every movement in the shadows. Ash walked beside me, stealing occasional glances, curiosity etched into the lines of his young face.
We didn't speak much. The adrenaline of the fight still lingered like a taste on my tongue, metallic and sharp. The memory of the Voidflare replayed in my mind—the sensation of power unfurling through me, hot and cold at once, wild but somehow right. I had no idea where it came from, but it felt less like learning something new and more like remembering something ancient.
"That thing back there," Ash finally said, his voice breaking the uneasy quiet. "It wasn't the first we've seen like that. But it's the first time one's been brought down so fast."
Roan grunted. "Lucky we didn't end up shredded like the last group."
Kara shot him a look. "Enough."
Ash ignored him, eyes still on me. "What was that you did? That black energy… it felt like it burned the air."
I hesitated. "I don't know. I wish I did."
"Felt like Void magic," Kara said, glancing at me from over her shoulder. "But not the kind we've seen from the Hollowborn. Yours was controlled. Precise."
"Void magic?" I asked.
Roan answered this time, tone clipped. "Old power. Dangerous. Most who tap into it lose themselves. Become like the thing you killed."
The creature had been twisted, all jagged limbs and soulless eyes. I shivered despite the heat. "And you think… I'm using that same power?"
Kara slowed, waiting for us to catch up. "You used it, but you didn't lose yourself to it. That's rare. Most don't survive their first brush with Void energy."
That same pulsing hum returned in my chest, subtle but constant, like a distant drumbeat synced to my breath. "I didn't feel out of control. It felt… like it was waiting for me."
Roan's jaw tightened. "That's not better."
We walked on, the land around us shifting from dry hills to broken stone ruins, half-swallowed by creeping vines and dust. Whatever had stood here before had long since fallen—walls crumbled, doorways sunken, strange glyphs barely visible beneath layers of grime.
Kara stopped near a jagged archway, her gaze scanning the surroundings. "We'll camp here. It's defensible, and it gives us time to talk."
Ash dropped his pack beside a cracked pillar and began setting up a small fire with practiced ease. Roan stayed near the perimeter, never putting his weapon down.
I remained standing, unsure of what to do with myself.
Kara turned to me. "You said you woke up here. No memory, nothing at all?"
I nodded. "Just… fragments. Emotions. And that name—Voidflare. It felt like a piece of something bigger."
She studied me for a long moment, then sat on a low stone ledge, motioning for me to do the same. "You said you were looking for answers. So are we."
I lowered myself onto the cool stone, the weight of exhaustion settling into my limbs. "What are you looking for?"
"Patterns," she said. "People going missing, villages swallowed by fog, creatures like that one showing up where they never have before. It started six months ago—right around the time the sky fractured."
I blinked. "The sky fractured?"
Kara nodded. "A seam appeared, just for a moment. Like something tore through reality. Most didn't notice, but those who did… haven't been the same."
Ash looked up from the fire. "We think it opened something. A door. And now things are getting through."
I felt a chill spread through me. "You think I came through it?"
Kara didn't answer at first. Then: "You don't fit here. Not just your clothes, or your magic. The world doesn't seem to know what to do with you."
As if summoned by her words, another message flickered into view before me, translucent and silent:
New Trait Unlocked: Riftborn — You are not bound by the laws of this world. Passive resistance to spatial anomalies. +10 Void Affinity.
The letters faded, but the meaning settled deep in my bones.
"I think you're right," I said, voice quiet. "I don't belong here. But maybe I'm here for a reason."
Roan stepped back into the circle of firelight, his expression unreadable. "If you're a Riftborn, you might be the key to closing whatever opened. Or the reason it's still open."
Kara met my eyes. "You want answers? Stick with us. Help us track the source. Maybe it'll lead to your memories… or something more."
The fire crackled between us, casting long shadows across the ruin walls. I felt the hum of power again, stronger now, as though the land itself was beginning to recognize me.
"Alright," I said. "I'll help you."
Another message appeared, only for me:
Quest Accepted: Trail of Echoes — Investigate the Fracture. Discover the origin of your power. Progress: 0/3 Echo Sites visited.
I looked up, firelight dancing in Kara's eyes as she gave a nod of approval.
Somewhere deep inside, I knew this was just the beginning. The world was broken. I had a feeling I was meant to fix it—or fall trying.