The moment Shiro stepped through the rift, the world around him changed.
The suffocating darkness of the abandoned mine vanished, replaced by the warm glow of morning light.
Chirp... Chirp...
A flock of birds suddenly took flight from the treetops, their wings beating against the morning air, carrying the scent of freshly baked bread and blooming flowers. Stone-paved roads stretched between rows of well-kept houses, while merchants called out from roadside stalls. Children laughed as they chased one another through the bustling streets, their carefree voices blending with the chatter of passing townsfolk.
It looked no different from an ordinary town.
The others appeared beside him one after another, each instinctively scanning their surroundings.
"...Where are we?" Elara's eyes went wide with disorientation.
"...The rift entrance is gone."
So... we can't go back.
Daren slowly surveyed the lively, bustling streets. "No. This is the rift."
"We're inside it." Elara repeated in disbelief. She had imagined a land crawling with monsters or a ruined wasteland like what the others had often told. Instead, before her stood a peaceful town filled with people going about their daily lives.
"This isn't what I expected," Casia muttered as she stared at the bustling town.
"The only way to be free of this rift is if we eliminate the anomaly or the rift collapses."
"Are these people real?" Casia's gaze swept across the town with bewilderment.
"I'm not sure. Real or not. I've never heard of a rift having people inside."
Shiro narrowed his eyes. Deep in thought, he sighed inwardly.
'The real problem lies in finding out which scenario this rift is. And judging by what I'm seeing, finding the anomaly won't be easy.'
Daren's ring flared with dark energy as he began shaping the crimson-edged weapon, the metallic hum of condensing power cutting through the ambient noise.
"If the anomaly is hiding among them, we have no way of knowing which one is responsible. We need to force it to reveal itself before it gets another chance to strike."
He tightened his grip on the newly formed sword.
"We cut down the ones closest to us and drive the rest away. If the anomaly is among them, it'll have no choice but to react."
"I don't think that's a good idea," Elara added before Shiro could continue. "We don't even know how this rift works."
Daren turned toward Casia, his brows knitting together.
"She's right," Shiro said. "If you start killing indiscriminately, you'll only make it harder to track down the anomaly. Plus, we don't know whether the anomaly is parasitic or mutantic."
Daren let out a dry scoff, scanning Shiro from head to toe, who had come without a tool or a weapon.
"And what would someone who didn't even bring a weapon know about rifts?"
Shiro's eyes drifted to the drawn sword.
"I know enough that if the anomaly is alerted, we'll either be trapped here... or dead."
Daren stared at him for a moment before slowly lowering his sword.
"I see your point. So what do you suppose we do, Shiro?"
"For now, we just let be and watch for anything that reacts to the disturbance. If the anomaly is controlling someone, possessing someone, or hiding among them, it'll eventually make a mistake."
"What about the others?" Elara asked.
"I doubt we'll find them anytime soon," Shiro replied. "Everyone who entered the rift was scattered. We likely arrived at different locations."
His gaze swept across the town.
"Covering more ground gives us the best chance of finding the anomaly and the others."
Shiro paused, his eyes sweeping across the four of them. "You two take the east side and look for the others, while we take the western side."
Daren nodded. "Alright. We'll regroup at that manor."
He pointed at the mansion overlooking the town.
"Sure." Shiro hurriedly turned to the western side of town. Casia hesitated for a moment before following behind him, keeping a few steps between them as they made their way east.
"Don't go dying out there," Daren said.
As Shiro and Casia disappeared into the bustling streets, Daren's expression gradually darkened. His hand tightened around his injured shoulder.
Just who are you?
He had assumed Shiro was nothing more than some clueless drifter who had stumbled into the expedition by accident. Someone insignificant. Someone who could be dealt with once the confusion began. However, he knew far more about rifts than he should.
"I can't stand people like him. Always doing just enough to make everyone else look incompetent, then pretending they aren't even trying. That's what annoys me most."
If Shiro kept interfering, everything Daren had prepared would begin to unravel.
Worse still, if Casia started taking Shiro's side, his carefully laid plans could collapse entirely. She was too important to lose. She was his final trump card against Kaelen, the key to getting the ransom he had been planning all along.
F*ck. Daren cursed inwardly, as a darker possibility crossed his mind. Could he be from the Buerue? Had they already discovered the truth? Had they intentionally sent someone as unassuming as Shiro to gather evidence while the real hunters closed in?
For the first time since entering the rift, uncertainty crept into Daren's heart.
Elara caught the subtle change in his expression and stepped closer, lowering her voice.
"Don't let your emotions get the better of you. The more agitated you become, the slower your shoulder will heal."
A soft exhale escaped her lips.
"Still, I don't think he's noticed yet."
Daren remained silent.
"I understand your concern," Elara continued. "But he doesn't strike me as someone who pries into other people's affairs. His attention is somewhere else."
Daren slowly exhaled.
"For now..." he muttered.
"We'll use the time he bought us. We plan carefully... and make sure nothing slips."
The four eventually reunited in front of the mansion overlooking the town. Its towering iron gates stood slightly ajar, while the old stone manor loomed silently over the empty streets.
Daren lit his cigar and brought it to his lips. He studied the guards. The steel helmets, long spears, and even the architecture resembled nothing of the modern time he had seen.
"Those weapons." Daren's gaze narrowed. They look like the polearms the Eastern Vaelrhion Empire's noble guards used centuries ago. If weapons like these are still being used here, then the customs probably haven't changed much either.
I see. Daren lowered his hand from his chin, dropping the cigar before crushing it under his foot.
"I think I have an idea."
The others turned toward him.
"Look at their weapons and the way they dress. None of this matches what is outside the rift. Their armor, their weapons, even the way this town is built all belong to an older tradition. If they still follow those customs, then their authority probably isn't structured the same way as ours."
His gaze shifted toward the mansion overlooking the town.
"It's authority. Someone has to govern this place, and judging by the mansion and the guards, I'd wager whoever lives here is the highest authority in the town."
"For now," Daren stared at the sinking sun painting everything in shades of golden-orange, "we have to secure a shelter to rest and recover. Once we're strong again, we search for the others and track down the anomaly."
Elara frowned slightly. "Is this a safe approach? I mean, doing this any further would endanger our lives. Shouldn't we at least vote on it first?"
The group considered the suggestion.
Suddenly, Shiro sensed the feeling of being watched that made the hair on his neck stand on end. From the corner of his eye, he caught something moving behind one of the trees. A dark silhouette slipped behind the trunk and vanished.
"..!?" Shiro muttered, his gaze remained fixated on the spot.
Daren eventually glanced toward him.
"So, what do you think?"
Shiro looked back at him. He had only caught the tail of the conversation, but the idea sounded reasonable enough.
He couldn't keep wandering any longer. He didn't have the proper equipment to track anomalies, and continuing blindly would only waste more time.
Still, the day hadn't been wasted entirely. He had gradually learned the layout of the town, which would make tomorrow's search easier.
However, retreating wasn't an option either. This was the Rift, a lion's den where danger could be waiting behind every door.
It was a risk, but one worth taking.
Shiro's jaw tightened. "We don't have a choice. We go in."
Daren nodded lightly and walked toward the gate.
The guards immediately raised their weapons.
"Halt. State your business."
Daren stopped before them and began explaining their situation. Shiro watched from behind him, uncertainty settling in his mind.
'Is this even going to work?'
The broad-shouldered guard exchanged a look with the other before signaling toward the mansion. Another guard moved through the gate and disappeared inside.
After several minutes, the guard returned and motioned for the group to enter.
The group of four stood before the mansion's entrance as the massive doors slowly opened. Dim lanterns illuminated the corridors, casting their shadows across the walls as they ventured deeper into the estate.
A man with midnight blue hair and green eyes dressed in elegant robes stepped forward, his calm expression never wavering.
"You must be the guests who arrived in our town."
For a brief moment, the group exchanged glances. Shiro's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.
Guests?
He shifted his gaze toward Daren.
He actually pulled it off.
Only moments ago, Daren had been a stranger walking into an unfamiliar town inside a dimensional rift. Yet somehow, he'd convinced its ruler to welcome them as guests.
The idea sounded absurd.
Every rift recorded in his world existed for one purpose, to corrupt the natural order. Whether it was a ruined fortress, a forgotten forest, or a city swallowed by monsters, none had ever become a place where people could settle down.
Somehow, he had done it.
How?
Shiro replayed the earlier exchange with Daren in his mind, searching for the trick, but found nothing unusual. Daren had somehow steered the conversation entirely in his favor.
For the first time since being in this world and entering the rift, Shiro realized just how little he truly understood about the world beyond his own. If Daren could earn the trust of someone this important so easily, just what else was he capable of?
Shiro kept the thought to himself, though a quiet sense of unease settled in his chest.
The man stepped forward and gave a polite bow.
"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Aldrich Haleford, the patriarch of this town."
He turned slightly.
"Serika."
A woman with neatly tied midnight blue hair gathered into a low bun and sharp lilac eyes stepped forward from behind him.
"Yes, Master."
"Please show our guests to the visitor rooms."
"It will be done, Master. Please follow me."
Serika led the group to the brownish-red staircase, which groaned as the group climbed.
Shiro sized up the enclosed surroundings before stopping on Casia, who kept her head lowered, silently trailing after them.
"...Are you okay?"
Casia flinched ever so slightly, pulling down her sleeve to cover the purple bruises on her wrist.
"I'm fine... Just a little tired from walking around."
"Make sure to rest well."
"I will."
Shiro studied her for a moment but said nothing as they finished walking up the stairs, halting on the hallway.
"You may choose whichever room you wish. It will be prepared shortly."
Before leaving, Serika paused.
"However, there are rules you must follow while staying here."
The group listened carefully.
"First, you must never act against the patriarch's orders."
Her expression remained calm.
"Second, you must never harm the townspeople under any circumstances. If a situation arises, seek assistance immediately. The guards will handle it."
She looked at each of them.
"You are not permitted to take matters into your own hands."
A brief silence followed.
"Failure to follow these rules will result in severe consequences."
Shiro's eyes snapped open in the suffocating darkness of his assigned room. A strange, heavy sensation weighed on his stomach, something sticky, warm, and distinctly wet.
Frowning through the lingering stupor, he dragged himself out of the bed and stumbled across the cold expensive carpet toward the basin.
As he reached out, a pale swath of moonlight spilled across the room, catching the heavy wooden frame of the window. It was wide open, letting in the biting night draft.
Did I forget to close the window?
He pressed his palm against the basin to steady himself, but as the moonlight hit his hand, his breath hitched. The pale porcelain was instantly smeared with thick, dark crimson.
Blood.
Panic spiking, he instinctively raised his other hand to touch his face, but a blinding, agonizing tear ripped straight across his lower torso. A sharp gasp choked in his throat as his hand flew down to clutch his abdomen. His fingers sank into something wet and torn.
He glanced down. The moonlight illuminated the horrifying truth: it was his own body, split open.
Drip. Drip. Drip.
The rhythmic sound of blood hitting the basin floor echoed loudly in the silent room. Upon realizing the blood was his, his legs instantly buckled. He desperately gripped the edges of the washbasin, but his strength was bleeding out of him far too fast to hold on.
His eyelids grew heavier per passing second.
Before long, darkness claimed him.
Somewhere in the distance, a birdcall filtered through the void once, then again.
A sudden bright light pierced the darkness ahead. It grew brighter with every passing second, becoming increasingly blinding until he had to squint in a daze.
Shiro's eyes snapped open, only to immediately close again from the sudden brightness.
Chirp... Chirp...
The familiar sound reached his ears.
Slowly, he opened his eyes again, allowing them to adjust to the light.
What the...?