The wind carried a scorched scent—burned ozone, seared grass, and something older… elemental. Aiden stood at the edge of the sigil burned into the earth by the Echo, the image of the cracked eye still glowing faintly beneath his boots.
Kaela sat on a nearby stone, her eyes shut, lips moving silently as she channeled calming energy through her staff to stabilize her mana. Brant paced like a caged wolf, glancing back at the rift-torn sky, though it had long since mended.
Aiden's mind buzzed with system alerts and options, but one line refused to disappear:
[Class Evolution Opportunity: Choose one path before the next Echo appears.]
He swallowed. "Warden of the Rift… or Severed Flame."
Kaela looked up at that. "Both sound like disasters waiting to happen."
"They're not classes," Aiden said quietly. "They're warnings. The System's trying to prepare me… or change me into something that can survive what's coming."
Brant paused. "You gonna wait for a sign, or you flipping the coin?"
Aiden stared at his hand, then at the Core shard embedded in his chest. It pulsed faintly, echoing the Nexus's rhythm. Neither class was safe—but neither was standing still.
He turned his focus inward.
[Confirm Class Evolution: Warden of the Rift]
Embrace the gatekeeper's burden. You will see what others cannot and hold the line between dimensions.
[Confirm Class Evolution: Severed Flame]
Burn with the fire of lost stars. Unstable. Unbound. Unforgiving.
The Core pulsed again.
Selection Confirmed: Warden of the Rift
Initializing Evolution…
Warning: Dimensional Feedback Detected.
Brace for Internal Reconfiguration.
Aiden barely had time to exhale before the pain hit.
It wasn't physical—it was deeper. Like his soul was being pulled apart and woven into new threads. His body arched, fingers digging into the earth as arcs of energy surged around him. His vision blurred, the sky splitting into fractal shapes.
Kaela screamed his name. Brant ran to his side.
Then it stopped.
Aiden rose slowly, eyes glowing with a faint violet sheen. Lines of shimmering code traced up his arms like veins.
Class Evolution Complete
New Class: Warden of the Rift [Tier: Ascendant]
Abilities Unlocked:
— Veil Sense: Detect interdimensional activity in a wide radius.
— Phase Anchor: Lock a target or structure to this dimension for 60s.
— Fracture Step: Move between short-range rift points.
— Rift Sight (Passive): Perceive hidden entities and unstable structures.
Kaela stared, her lips parted. "You… your aura changed. It's like looking into a chasm."
Aiden exhaled, feeling the new weight settle onto his shoulders. "It's not just a class. It's a responsibility."
Before he could say more, the village's outer alarm bell rang—a single chime, short and sharp.
Brant reacted first, leaping up the nearest building for a better view. "Trouble! North tree line! Something's moving fast—big."
Kaela spun her staff. "No time to adjust. What are we facing?"
"Something I've never seen before," Brant called down. "Looks like an alpha… no, bigger. It's warping the trees as it moves."
Aiden's system pinged again.
[Entity Detected: Riftborne Alpha | Type: Dimensional Aberration]
Threat Level: Extreme
Objective: Prevent breach of the stabilized zone.
Aiden's new power flared to life.
He could see the rift this time. Just ahead of the monster, a tear in reality shimmered faintly—an unstable dimensional fracture, likely the next Echo's wake.
"This isn't just a monster," Aiden said grimly. "It's a scout. Sent ahead of the next Echo to soften us up."
Brant cracked his knuckles. "Then let's soften it back."
Kaela's staff pulsed with charged mana. "I'll focus on suppressing the rift. You two deal with the beast."
Aiden nodded. "No holding back."
The beast emerged from the tree line like a storm—twelve feet tall, hunched, with limbs that shimmered between flesh and phase-light. It roared, and the trees bent from the pressure.
Brant charged in first, his fists glowing. "Come on, ugly!"
Aiden activated Fracture Step and vanished.
He reappeared directly behind the Alpha, blade drawn, plunging it deep into a glowing fissure along its spine. The creature howled, twisting violently—but Aiden anchored it with Phase Anchor, locking its existence to this plane.
"Now, Brant!"
A burst of flame engulfed the beast's face as Brant slammed it with his full strength, cracking its jaw. It staggered, but didn't fall.
Kaela's chant reached a crescendo.
"Seal the breach, by light and stone!"
A dome of mana formed around the rift, slowing its expansion.
Aiden's blade burned with riftlight. He felt the power in his hands now—more than just strength. Purpose.
He leapt.
[Skill Activated: Rift Rend – Tear through space and target defenses. Bonus damage to interdimensional entities.]
The Alpha screeched as Aiden's blade sliced through its core, riftlight spilling out like blood.
It collapsed, limbs twitching, before vanishing into violet mist.
Silence returned.
Only the hum of Kaela's magic remained, the dome holding steady.
Aiden looked up.
"That was just the first," he said quietly. "There will be more."
Brant nodded, breathing hard. "Then we sharpen our blades. Because next time, I bet they send more than a scout."
Kaela opened her eyes, sweat running down her brow. "The Rift is thinning. We don't have long."
Aiden turned to the horizon.
"We find the next Echo. Before it finds us."