The shockwave fades slowly, like someone's pulling a dusty old curtain back. Bits of wood, twisted metal, and broken lights are falling all over the busted-up gym. The shiny floor is now covered in junk. Riko struggles to his feet, coughing and swatting bits off his jacket, checking out the mess. What the heck was that?!
Luna screams in response.
A huge shadow falls over the gym. The air vibrates with a weird, loud hum, like the world is lagging. Riko looks up slowly, and sees this THING towering above them.
It's not just big.
It's gigantic.
A giant made of glitchy static and messed-up shapes, constantly changing like reality can't figure out what it wants to be. Its arms stretch out weirdly before snapping back into a normal shape, and its chest flickers like a broken TV screen. Some parts are smooth and metal, and some parts look like they're missing, showing shifting code underneath.
It's a Rift Giant.
Riko backs away, eyes wide with fear. No way... no way...
Kaze, who didn't even flinch during the explosion, finally narrows his eyes. A Rift-class thing. This school is more messed-up than I thought. He sounds calm, but you can tell he's tense.
Luna grabs Riko's sleeve, shaking. Tell me that's not real, she whispers.
Riko can't answer because the giant isn't finished coming out. Its head busts through the ceiling, ripping through metal and panels like they're paper. Dust falls around it as it stands up straight, cracking the rest of the gym roof.
A deep, warped drone comes from its throat—if it even has one. Its face shifts constantly: blank sometimes, monstrous other times, sometimes almost looking human, each changing too fast to see clearly.
Then its eyes light up.
Two squares of red light lock onto Riko.
The temperature drops instantly.
Riko's Level Screen on his arm is flashing like crazy.
WARNING: RIFT THING DETECTED.
TYPE: GIANT.
DANGER: EXTREME.
WHAT TO DO: RUN.
Great, Riko says, his voice cracking. Good to know the system's still useless.
Kaze steps in front, blocking falling stuff with his arm. Riko, get ready.
For what?! Riko shouts. It's as big as a BUILDING!
For living, Kaze says.
The Rift Giant's arm comes down in a huge, glitchy swing. It flickers between different sizes, sometimes super long, sometimes short. When it swings, it messes up the air itself. Bleachers bend, the floor buckles, and lights break.
Riko grabs Luna and jumps aside as the giant's arm crashes down where they were standing. The floor explodes into pixel dust that turns back into broken shapes right after.
Luna coughs. Riko, this is crazy!
You think?! Riko says.
Kaze is beside them, moving fast. If we don't move it, the building will fall.
Oh, cool, great, Riko says. No pressure.
The Rift Giant lifts its messed-up head. Its face glitches really badly, cycling through weird shapes before settling for a moment into a human-like mask with an empty look. Code runs across its chest like red veins.
Then it speaks.
Its voice is distorted—digital, broken, echoing like messed-up audio files all playing at once. The sound alone shakes the broken windows.
TA–AA–AARR… GET SEE.
Luna covers her ears. It can TALK?!
Kaze's face tightens. Sort of.
Riko tries to calm down. He knows they can't outrun something this big. They can't hide. The gym is too open, too destroyed—no shadows, nowhere to hide.
The giant starts pulling itself all the way through the hole in the ground. Its bottom half comes out like a skyscraper made of broken code. The gym floor cracks under its weight. Pillars break. The bleachers splinter.
The whole building groans like it wants the monster to leave.
Riko looks around the room, trying to think of something that might help. Okay… okay… what's the plan?
We make one, Kaze says.
That is NOT a plan!
Then think of something better.
Before Riko can say anything, the giant swings again. The huge hand glitches into three positions at once before crashing down.
Riko feels the shockwave—air blows across him, sending Luna flying backward. She slides across the floor, stopping near a pile of mats.
Luna! Riko runs to her.
I'm okay, she says, even though she doesn't look like it.
The Rift Giant turns its head again. Its body pulses like it's connected to something—like something is controlling it from the other side of the digital tear.
Red data lines crawl up its arms.
Kaze sees it. It's getting orders.
From who?! Riko asks.
Kaze doesn't answer.
The giant leans down, its face a huge pixelated mask. Weird symbols scroll across its face like unreadable text. When its eyes lock on Riko again, the Level Screen on his arm spasms.
CRITICAL WARNING: TARGET LOCKED.
HOST: YOU.
STARTING SEQUENCE.
Riko's arm burns like the screen is getting hot. He backs away, holding it.
Kaze grabs his shoulder. Riko, focus. Whatever it's tracking—it's you.
I KNOW! Riko yells. Why does everything want to kill me?!
Because you're the user, Kaze says.
The gym is quiet except for the low, glitchy hum of the Rift Giant. Dust floats through the broken sunlight. The digital crack in the ceiling gets bigger, with more static dripping from the edges like liquid data.
The Rift Giant stands up straight, taller than the school. Its body stops flickering for a moment—like it finally locked onto its target.
The Level Screen flashes a final warning.
THING: FULL LINK COMPLETE.
Riko stares up, scared.
The Rift Giant lowers its head until its eyes are level with him. Its mouth splits open, jagged and glitching.
And in a voice like a broken world speaking through messed-up speakers—
It looks down at Riko and says: USER FOUND.