Chapter: The First Descent — Therym's First Mission
Two months after its formation, Therym Guild stood ready.
In the newly constructed Guild Base—a fusion of cutting-edge laboratories and reinforced tactical centers—Carl reviewed the mission report one final time.
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Rift Location: Northern forest region, Appalachia
Rift Level: A-level, unstable activity
Time Remaining Before Red Phase: 6 hours
Mission Type: Observation, Monster Recovery, Weakness Testing
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Carl closed the file. He glanced at Koji, standing beside him in his signature black and silver uniform.
"We ready?" Carl asked.
"Every team's checked in. Talia's buzzing to get her hands on something weird." Koji smirked.
Carl nodded. "Then let's move."
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Deployment
Four armored vehicles rolled into the forest under the morning mist, carrying scientists, hunters, and researchers—Therym's heart and mind together.
Carl led Team One—the combat and monster capture unit. Koji was his second. Violet Reed oversaw the mobile forge and tactical equipment testing.
Team Two was the science core, led by Talia and Dr. Liam. Their job: collect data, observe behaviors, and extract samples.
They reached the rift perimeter.
The air shimmered with unstable light—bluish-white, rippling as if underwater. Low hums echoed in the trees. Birds had fled the area. Time was ticking.
"Rift will enter Red Phase in five hours and fifty minutes," announced a tech staff member, checking the scanner.
Carl raised a hand.
"Let's begin."
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Entering the Rift
Therym had designed special containment suits and sensory equipment to test unknown energy fields. Carl and Koji moved first, followed by hunters and a line of researchers with scanners and drones.
Inside the rift—it was not what they expected.
Instead of a chaotic otherworldly terrain, they found a calm, forested realm, similar to Earth, but warped and unearthly. Trees pulsed with faint veins of blue. The sky was dark violet. The wind sounded like whispers.
"Fascinating," Dr. Liam muttered, scanning a tree that glowed with heat but emitted cold air. "This defies thermodynamics."
Suddenly, Talia pointed ahead.
"Movement—hostile, four-legged. Two targets. Appears C-level, maybe D."
Carl stepped forward, shadows curling around him like smoke.
"Don't kill. Disable only."
He dashed forward—silent, fluid—his shadows extending into claws. One swipe, and the beast—a doglike creature with crystal growths—was bound in black restraints. The second lunged but Koji's illusion flickered, sending it off-course before a tranquilizer bolt ended the struggle.
Captured alive.
"That's one objective done," Carl said, a faint smile on his face. "Let's get more."
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An Unplanned Turn
Two hours later, Team One and Team Two converged near the rift's center, where the energy pulse was strongest. The terrain changed. Strange ruins stood half-buried in the soil—angular stones and symbols in unknown language.
Dr. Liam's face paled.
"These aren't random. This architecture… someone built this."
Carl scanned the area. Something felt wrong. His shadow twitched.
Talia knelt, brushing dust away from a stone slab. "Carl… there's writing. And—it's moving."
Before she could finish, the slab cracked.
The earth rumbled.
"Everyone fall back—NOW!"
From below, a creature burst forth. Not a monster of flesh and blood—but a humanoid being, cloaked in pale energy, its face like cracked glass. No eyes. No mouth. Only a shifting silhouette of sorrow and rage.
The scanners failed to detect its power level.
"Unregistered entity—no core signature—unreadable!" shouted the tech.
Carl stepped in front of the others, his shadow rising like a black tidal wave.
"We're changing the mission," he said. "Engage."
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First Real Battle as a Guild
The being moved like light. Hunters reacted quickly—Koji created a zone of illusions to disorient it while Violet's team fired core-piercing shots. Carl clashed directly, his shadows clashing against pale light.
But it wasn't just strong—it learned. Every pattern they used, it adjusted.
Talia called out, "It's mimicking us—it's absorbing data!"
Carl realized the truth. This wasn't a monster. It was a construct—a remnant or creation of something far older, designed to test, record, and destroy.
"Don't destroy it. Trap it!" Carl ordered.
Using coordinated tactics—Violet's electric traps, Koji's illusions, Carl's shadows, and a final containment seal from their new prototype—they bound the being inside a reinforced cube, glowing dimly as it tried to break free.
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Mission Complete
They left the rift thirty minutes before Red Phase began. The rift collapsed behind them.
Casualties: None.
Injuries: Light.
Monsters: 4 captured, 1 neutralized.
Anomaly: 1 unknown intelligent entity secured.
Back at HQ, Rosalind and Roland reviewed the report silently. The core team gathered in the main chamber. Carl stood at the front.
"That wasn't just a rift," Koji said. "That was a warning."
"Or a message," Talia added, her voice quieter than usual.
Carl didn't speak for a while.
He looked at the glowing cube locked in the reinforced chamber.
Something in it stared back.
He clenched his fist.
"Therym's job isn't just to protect humanity," he said.
"It's to understand what's coming—before it's too late."
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End of Shadow of Tomorrow