🌇 Sunset – Western Outskirts
The sky was bleeding orange when Ren, Kiyomi, and Zephyr arrived at the ruins of an old forest shrine.
The trees were split, blackened at the roots. The scent of scorched earth hung thick in the air. Birds were silent. The wind was still.
Ren stepped over broken stone and whispered, "This place feels... wrong."
Kiyomi knelt by the steps of the shrine. Her fingers hovered over strange burn marks — glowing, faintly red.
"They wrote something here."
Zephyr stood silently beside a shattered offering bowl, eyes narrowed.
Etched into the stone, in jagged strokes:
> "THE GATE OPENS."
💀 The Message
Kiyomi frowned. "A warning?"
Zephyr's voice was low. "A promise."
Ren shivered. "What gate? What are they trying to open?"
Zephyr turned. "The Void Gate. If they succeed... the Rift doesn't need to leak anymore. It'll pour."
Kiyomi's flame aura sparked briefly. "We're shutting this down."
Zephyr raised a hand. "Wait. Do you feel that?"
A hum — low and bone-deep — vibrated through the earth.
Ren felt his Mark sting.
From the shadows of the inner shrine, somethin
g stepped forward.
☠ Aberrant: "Whisper Maw"
It was tall, hunched, with spindly limbs and a mouth that wrapped all the way up the side of its face. Its skin was stretched too tight over its bones, eyes pitch black — no light, no soul.
And it spoke.
> "Hello, Skyborn... You look like your father."
Ren froze. "What... did you say?"
The creature chuckled, voice like gravel dragged over glass.
> "He screamed just li
ke you will."
⚔ Fight Begins – Ren, Kiyomi & Zephyr vs. Whisper Maw
Kiyomi launched first — flames bursting forward in a streak of light.
The Aberrant sidestepped unnaturally fast, moving like a stutter in reality.
Zephyr vanished, reappearing behind it mid-air with a ring-powered strike.
Ren, heart pounding, dove in with Pulse Step, aiming a charged energy blast directly at its chest.
It twisted… but too slow.
BOOM.
The blast connected, sending it skidding back, shrieking.
Ren stood tall, breathing hard. "I don't care who you are. You don't talk a
bout my family."
🧠 Psychic Echo – A Glimpse of the Past
Suddenly — the creature's body split open, revealing a glowing sphere. It pulsed.
Ren's vision blurred — and for a second, he wasn't here anymore.
He saw a memory. His father, younger, fierce, standing over a broken Rift seal. Uncle Jin beside him, bloodied.
And a whisper.
> "The child… will inherit the lock. But if it breaks… the world falls."
Then — Ren was snapped back as Whisp
er Maw lunged.
🌀 Zephyr's Power Unleashed
Zephyr raised his hand — and his six rings spun like orbiting blades, glowing with runes.
"Time to end this."
He unleashed a Vortex Bind, locking the Aberrant in a ring of force. It shrieked as its limbs contorted and cracked.
Kiyomi ignited completely, wings of flame stretching outward.
Ren gathered his power.
Together, they unleashed a tri-strike — fire, force, and raw energy colliding into the Aberrant's core.
With a roar of fury, Whisper Maw imploded, its scream echoing through the hills.
Sil
ence.
Then—ash.
☁ Aftermath
They stood quietly, breathing heavily.
Ren looked at the ash where the creature vanished.
"Did it really know my dad?"
Jin's voice rang in his head.
> "The Rift remembers those who fought it."
Zephyr crossed his arms. "It's not the last one. It's just the first that speaks."
Kiyomi put a hand on Ren's shoulder.
"We'll find answers. Together."
Ren stared into the empty shrine.
He wasn't just a lock anymo
re.
He was a target.
🔥 Chapter 13 Teaser:
> Back at school, Ren's Mark starts reacting in public — and someone sees it. Meanwhile, the Watcher begins preparing a vessel — someone Ren knows. The city is no longer safe, and the next attack will be persona
l.