Chapter 22: The Entity's Whisper
Ryo Aelren's steel short sword rested against the wall of his inn room, its polished edge catching the flicker of a dying candle. The eighty-nine silvers in his pouch were a lifeline, enough for a masterwork blade or a month's sanctuary, but the Rift Memory's visions—a primal entity bound by the ancients, its awakening shattering the System's chains—eclipsed all else. The System's voice roared: The gate opens. The cracked mana crystal in his pouch pulsed, its rune-like glow a heartbeat tied to the Rift's prison. With Rift Memory Progress: 17/Unknown, Ryo was no longer just a catalyst—he was a harbinger, bound to the Rift's fate.
Varnholt's streets were tense, the air thick with rumors of mana storms leveling towns and Rift branches spilling horrors. The guild council's suspicion, fueled by Dren's accusations and Gav's venom, branded Ryo a danger. Calen's team—Mira, Brom, Elara, Jorik—was his shield, but Veyra's cryptic warning—The entity's time is now—haunted him. Her disappearance with the rune shard suggested a deeper agenda, one tied to the Rift Memory's truth. Ryo's scars burned, each a marker of his climb from porter to a figure the Rift itself seemed to call.
His Status Screen glowed, a testament to his evolution:
*Name: Ryo Aelren
Level: 3
Class: None
Stats:
Strength: 6
Agility: 8 (+15% in combat, Survival Instinct)
Endurance: 7
Mana: 0
Skills:
Survival Instinct (Passive): Boosts agility by 10-15% when threatened.
Basic Strike (Active): Increases single-target attack damage by 6%.
Danger Sense (Passive): Heightens awareness of imminent threats.
Weak Point Strike (Active): Increases damage to vital areas by 11%.
Rift Sense (Passive): Detects Rift-based anomalies.
Rift Pulse (Active): Emits a mana pulse to disrupt Rift-based entities.
Rift Bind (Active): Temporarily seals Rift-based entities' mana.
Experience: 300/400
Rift Memory: 17/Unknown*
Level 3 had forged his body into a blade, and Rift Bind—sealing Riftspawn mana—had turned the tide against the seraph. The Rift Memory's visions—of a godlike entity, its prison fraying—suggested the System was a failing lock. Veyra's role, Dren's pursuit, and Gav's schemes were converging, and Ryo's Rift Sense screamed of an approaching reckoning. He needed to act, to seize the Rift Memory's truth before the guild crushed him.
A sharp rap at the door jolted him, Danger Sense flaring sharp. Ryo gripped his sword, his voice low. "Who's there?"
"Syla," came the guild council leader's cold voice. "Open, or we break it down."
Ryo's Rift Sense sensed no immediate attack but a suffocating threat. He opened the door, revealing Syla, her gaunt frame flanked by Dren and three Rank A guards. Her eyes pierced him. "Ryo Aelren," she said. "Your actions fuel the surges. Join our next mission to prove your loyalty, or face execution."
Ryo's Danger Sense spiked, but defiance burned hotter. "What mission?" he asked, hand on his sword.
"Rank S," Syla said. "Core collapse, rune-etched nexus. Two hundred silvers. Veyra leads, and you'll watch her. Fail, and you're dead."
Before Ryo could respond, Calen's voice cut through. "He's mine, Syla. My team's on it." His scar was stark, his hand on his sword.
Syla's lips thinned. "Ensure he complies, Calen. Midnight, Rift Gate." She left, Dren's glare lingering.
Calen pulled Ryo aside. "They're cornering you," he said. "Rank S, core collapse, worst yet. Veyra's back, and I don't trust her. You in?"
Ryo's Rift Sense roared, the voice clear: The gate opens. The nexus could be the prison's heart. "I'm in," he said. "What's the team?"
"Usual, plus a new blade—Kael, swordsman, knows the Rift's history," Calen said. "Gear up."
Ryo spent thirty silvers on a rune-etched steel longsword, its balance perfect, leaving fifty-nine. The blade's faint mana hum synced with Rift Sense. At midnight, he joined Calen's team at the Rift Gate. Mira's bow was strung, Brom's satchel heavy, Elara's staff glowing, and Jorik's spear gleamed. Kael, a lean man with silver-streaked hair, carried a curved blade, his eyes sharp with knowledge. Veyra stood apart, her black cloak stark, the rune-etched scepter pulsing. Her smile was a blade. "The nexus is the entity's gate," she said. "Will you free it, Ryo?"
Calen's glare silenced her. "Core collapse, neutralize the nexus. Rank S Riftspawn—expect annihilation. Move as one."
The portal opened, revealing a Rift branch of fractured crystal and void-black storms. The nexus—a rune-covered spire—pulsed like a dying god. Rift Sense screamed, guiding Ryo past mana traps. The voice thundered: The gate is yours. The team advanced, but the air was a furnace, the runes searing.
Inside the spire, the core—a rune-etched orb—radiated blinding mana. Guarding it was a Rank S Riftspawn: a harbinger of shadow and crystal, its form a towering mass of rune-carved limbs, eyes blazing with primal wrath. Calen charged, his sword sparking. Jorik's spear pierced a limb, Mira's arrows bounced off, and Elara's lightning fizzled. Brom's ward shattered, and a limb grazed his arm. Kael's blade danced, severing a rune, his voice low. "It's tied to the ancients' seal."
Ryo's Survival Instinct boosted his agility, and he flanked the harbinger, Weak Point Strike targeting a glowing rune on its core. His longsword cracked it, drawing a scream. Experience gained. Level 3: 380/400. The harbinger's eyes locked onto Ryo, and Danger Sense screamed. He activated Rift Pulse, the mana wave disrupting its runes, then Rift Bind, sealing its mana. The harbinger staggered, its limbs slowing.
Veyra reached the orb, her hands tracing runes. "It's the entity's heart!" she shouted. Ryo joined her, Rift Sense locking onto a central rune. He struck with Weak Point Strike, the longsword shattering it. Rift Memory Progress: 18/Unknown. The voice roared: The gate breaks.
The harbinger swung, its limb grazing Ryo's pauldron. Pain flared, but Rift Bind held, weakening it. Veyra grabbed a glowing rune shard, her eyes blazing. "The entity rises!" she hissed. "Join me, Ryo, or be its prey."
The spire shook, runes exploding. Calen yelled, "Portal!" Ryo guarded Veyra as they fled, the harbinger's limbs tearing crystal. They dove through, emerging in Varnholt as the branch collapsed. The guild paid two hundred silvers, Ryo's share fifty, bringing his total to one hundred nine.
Veyra vanished, but her words lingered: "The entity claims you." The System chimed: Rift Memory Progress: 19/Unknown. The vision clarified: the entity was a god of chaos, bound by the System, now breaking free. Kael approached Ryo, his eyes grave. "You're tied to the ancients' seal," he said. "I've seen their runes in old texts. Find me if you seek answers."
Dren's glare met Ryo at the guild, but Calen's presence held him back. "You're rewriting fate, kid," Calen said. "What's next?"
"Destiny," Ryo said, his scars burning. The Rift Bind, the Rift Memory, Veyra's betrayal—the Rift's entity was rising, and Ryo Aelren, with Level 3 and his longsword, was its reckoning.
To be continued…