Kairo Voss's consciousness flickered.
The Riftborn Elder's starry gaze pierced through him as the crimson glow of the Voidheart faded into black. "The Voidheart claims all," it intoned—a promise, a prophecy. Kairo's body was broken: blood streamed from his nose, ears, and eyes, his chest heaving under the toll of [Vaultspace].
Lira Hale cradled him in trembling arms, her [Minor Healing] (D+) flaring with desperate light, warmth flickering against the cold grip of death. Through the unstable portal, he glimpsed Velmire—ChronoEdge Academy's wards battered by mana beasts. Elara Vyn's [Astral Blade] met the Elder's void-formed claws in a crackling clash of light and dark.
"Go!" Elara's voice cut through the chaos. "Velmire needs you!"
[Status Screen]
Name: Kairo Voss
Age: 16
Rank: C+
Class: None
Skills:
[Vaultspace] (Training Dimension, ???)
[Spatial Awareness] (D, Passive)
[Combat Reflex] (D, Passive)
[Blade Echo] (C-)
[Mana Weave] (C+)
[Mana Surge] (D)
[Shadow Sense] (D+)
[Mana Disrupt] (C-)
[Void Strike] (C-)
[Rift Break] (D+)
[Shadow Bind] (D+)
[Starlit Counter] (D)
[Rift Surge] (D)
Stats:
Strength: 12 | Agility: 16 | Intelligence: 7 | Vitality: 3 | Mana: 15 | Dexterity: 4
Titles: Vaultborn, Ember's Bane, Shadow's Bane, Sentinel's End, Knight's Bane, Core Warden
Inventory: Rift Rune (1/3), Rift Rune (2/3), Rift Rune (Core 3/3), Mana Map (Inactive), Rift Key, Starlit Core x2
Kairo had earned his C+ rank sealing the Voidheart's core—but the Riftborn Elder's A+ aura screamed death.
Lira's silver hair brushed his cheek as she shook him, voice cracking. "Kairo, please—wake up!" Her healing light flickered, fading fast.
Taryn Voss and Milo stood protectively near, Taryn's [Flame Lash] (D+) snapping like a whip, and Milo tense with [Quickstep] (D+) coiled beneath his boots.
"Elara…" Kairo rasped. He forced himself upright, gripping the Rift Key. The portal trembled, Velmire flickering through its frame—walls crumbling, sky ablaze with mana.
"She's buying us time," Taryn growled. "Don't waste it."
Milo pointed. "Velmire's burning. We move. Now."
Through [Spatial Awareness], Kairo sensed Elara weakening. The Elder's void energy was overwhelming her. Every instinct screamed to stay—but Velmire's cries shattered hesitation.
"Through the rift," Kairo commanded, voice raw. "Save the academy. Then… we come back."
Lira's eyes glistened. But she nodded. "Together."
They leapt—through the rift, away from the Voidheart's looming spire.
Velmire Under Siege
The portal hurled them onto Velmire's outskirts.
Violet lightning ripped the sky as mana storms battered the land. The academy's wards flickered above in desperate defense. Below, chaos: students and instructors clashed with Rift Beasts—spiked boars, shadow-furred wolves, winged monstrosities that tore at the barriers with feral rage.
[Quest Alert: Siege of Velmire]
Objective: Defend ChronoEdge Academy from Rift Beast onslaught
Threat Level: Tier C–B
Reward: Core Fragments | Potential Rank Up
A Rift Wolf—Tier C, glowing fangs bared—lunged at Kairo.
He surged sideways with [Rift Surge], then carved a glowing arc with [Starlit Slash], tearing into its flank. The beast yelped and dissolved into dark mist.
[Enemy Defeated]
[Core Fragment Acquired]
Taryn incinerated a charging boar with [Flame Burst], Milo zig-zagged through the horde, and Lira's [Mana Shield] held firm.
But the enemy kept coming. And Kairo's body was already failing—his wounds reopened, blood dripping again.
From atop the battlements, Master Kael bellowed, his [Mana Barrage] (B) hammering Rift Beasts in smoking bursts. "Voss! Where's the rift team?!"
"Elara's holding it!" Kairo shouted, parrying a beast's [Venom Fang] (C). "We sealed it—partially!"
Kael's eyes darkened. "Then why is the storm growing worse?"
Kairo looked skyward. The Rift Key pulsed in his hand—unstable. [Shadow Sense] spiked.
Above the spire, a new tear yawned open. Another rift. Smaller, but active—spewing fresh beasts. The Voidheart's seal was unraveling.
"We need to reforge the seal," Kairo said. "But first—we survive."
Lira pressed a hand to his side, [Minor Healing] glowing weakly. "You're bleeding out."
He grinned weakly. "Good thing I have you."
Taryn barked a laugh. "There's the cocky cousin I know."
Milo snorted. "Less flirting, more slashing!"
Then Kairo's senses flared. A beast—twice the size of the others—emerged from the fog. It was marked by glowing runes, its eyes burning with command.
[Enemy: Storm Behemoth]
Tier: C
Skills: [Rift Barrage] (B), [Dark Rush] (B), [Mana Claw] (B)
It tore through a ward with a single [Rift Barrage], sending students flying.
"That's the leader," Kairo said, sword raised. "We take it down—we break their momentum."
Taryn grinned. "Let's burn it alive."
Kairo's mind spun. Too fast. Too strong. He needed more than instinct.
"Lira, cover us with shields. Taryn, Milo—flank and draw its attention. I'll take the core."
[Activate Vaultspace?]
Kairo whispered, "Y."
White void.
Then agony.
His body collapsed inside Vaultspace—blood pouring from every orifice. But still, he trained. Hours. Days. Weeks.
He visualized the Storm Behemoth. Its core—glowing bright. He drilled [Rift Barrage], refined [Starlit Slash], merged it with [Void Slash]. Every second outside was ten days inside.
He sharpened pain into precision.
[Elapsed Vault Time: 25,000 Hours]
[Skill Enhanced: Rift Surge (D → D+)]
[New Skill: Mana Break (D)] – Disrupts void-based defenses
[Agility +1]
Kairo collapsed to the floor of the void, shaking.
He emerged, gasping, just as the Storm Behemoth charged. [Dark Rush] flashed—Lira's [Mana Shield] cracked under impact. Taryn's fire seared its flank. Milo blurred through with bladed claws.
But the Behemoth's core flared, unleashing [Rift Barrage].
Kairo answered with [Mana Break]—a wave of force that disrupted the void shield around the core. Then—
Twelve strikes.
His [Starlit Slash] exploded with combined energy: [Mana Flow], [Mana Disrupt], [Void Slash]—blades of light carving runes.
Cracks spread. The Behemoth shrieked.
"Now!" Kairo roared.
Taryn unleashed [Flame Barrage], Milo's claw slashed deep, and Lira threw her entire shield forward like a battering ram.
Kairo's [Void Slash] finished it—cleaving through the fractured core.
The beast exploded into mist.
[Enemy Defeated]
[Core Fragment Acquired]
The horde hesitated. Students rallied. For a moment—hope.
Kairo swayed. Lira caught him, healing light flickering. "Stay with me," she whispered, choking back tears.
Blood smeared her palm as he gripped it. "Not… done yet."
Then—
A flash of starlight.
Elara Vyn stumbled through the rift, her cloak soaked in blood, her blade broken.
"Vaultborn…" she gasped. "The Rift… it's coming."
Behind her, the void churned. The Rift widened—and a shadow fell across the battlefield.
A shape stepped through. Not a beast.
A lord.
Its void aura suffocated the air. Time stilled.
"Vaultborn," it intoned, voice hollow and immense. "Velmire will fall. The Voidheart… is eternal."
[Quest Updated: Lord's Dominion]
Objective: Protect Velmire from the Rift Lord
Reward: Unknown
Kairo stood, barely. His sword trembled. The Rift Lord raised a hand.
Void energy coiled around its arm as lightning split the sky.
Then:
[New Quest: Final Stand]
Objective: Rally Velmire. Survive the Lord's Assault.
Reward: Unknown
As Kairo's blood soaked the stone beneath his boots, and Lira's grip steadied him, he looked up.
Something else stirred in the Rift—watching.
And it was worse than the Lord.