Morning came—
But it didn't feel like morning.
The light was there.
The sky had softened.
The snow reflected a pale glow across the forest.
Yet something was wrong.
Subtly.
Quietly.
Wrong.
Haruki noticed it first.
Not because he was looking—
But because his mind wouldn't let him ignore it.
"…Do you feel that?"
Karin stretched her arms lazily, exhaling into the cold air.
"…Feel what?"
Haruki didn't answer immediately.
Because he wasn't sure how to explain it.
It wasn't a sound.
It wasn't a presence.
It was closer to—
"…Pressure," he finally said.
Raizen, already standing, glanced toward the distant treeline.
"…You're noticing it earlier than I expected."
That wasn't reassuring.
Karin frowned.
"…Okay, now I feel like I missed something."
Haruki stood slowly, brushing snow from his clothes.
"…It's like… something is pushing against everything."
He paused.
"…Like the world is too small."
Silence followed.
Raizen didn't correct him.
Which made it worse.
"…That's not normal, right?" Karin asked.
"…No," Raizen replied.
"…It isn't."
The three of them stood still for a moment.
The forest was quiet.
Too quiet.
Even the wind seemed hesitant to move.
Haruki's eyes shifted slightly—
Not physically.
But internally.
Fragments flickered.
Not visions.
Not yet.
But something close.
"…It's getting stronger," he said.
Raizen nodded.
"…Yes."
"…Stronger how?"
Raizen looked ahead.
"…Closer."
They moved.
Not fast.
Not slow.
But with purpose.
The deeper they went into the forest—
The more the world began to change.
At first—
It was barely noticeable.
The trees seemed taller.
The shadows slightly off.
The snow—
Didn't crunch the same way beneath their feet.
Karin stopped suddenly.
"…Okay, I don't like this."
Haruki turned.
"…You feel it too?"
"…Yeah. It's like…" she hesitated.
"…Like something's watching, but not from one place."
Raizen didn't stop walking.
"…Good."
"…Good?" Karin snapped.
"…Awareness keeps you alive."
"…So does not walking into whatever this is."
Raizen paused.
Then—
"…We're already inside it."
Silence.
Heavy.
Unavoidable.
Haruki's chest tightened slightly.
"…So this is the Rift?"
"…No."
Raizen's answer was immediate.
"…This is what happens before a Rift forms."
Haruki's eyes narrowed.
"…Then how big is it?"
Raizen didn't respond right away.
Which was answer enough.
The air shifted.
Not with wind—
But with tension.
Like something stretching beyond its limit.
Then—
A sound.
Crack.
Not from the ground.
Not from the trees.
From the air.
Karin's eyes widened.
"…You heard that, right?"
"…Yeah."
Haruki's gaze lifted slowly.
The sky—
Was wrong.
A thin line had appeared.
Barely visible.
But undeniably there.
A fracture.
"…It's starting," Raizen said quietly.
The line spread.
Slowly at first.
Then—
Faster.
Like glass breaking in slow motion.
Haruki's breath caught.
Because this—
This matched what he had seen.
Not exactly.
But enough.
"…This wasn't in my dream…"
"…Then consider that a warning," Raizen replied.
The fracture widened.
Darkness leaked through it.
Not like shadow—
But like absence.
Karin stepped back slightly.
"…That's not normal darkness."
"…No," Raizen said.
"…It isn't."
The forest reacted.
Trees bent—
Not from wind—
But from distortion.
The ground shifted slightly beneath their feet.
Not enough to knock them off balance—
But enough to remind them—
Reality was no longer stable.
Haruki's head pulsed.
A sudden sharp pain—
And then—
A flash.
The fracture—
Wider.
The forest—
Gone.
Karin—
Falling.
Raizen—
Standing still.
Then—
Nothing.
Haruki staggered slightly.
"…Haruki!"
Karin grabbed his arm.
"…What did you see?!"
He clenched his teeth.
"…Not clear…"
"…But it's bad."
Raizen stepped forward.
Closer to the fracture.
Too close.
"…Raizen—"
"…Stay back," he said calmly.
The air around the fracture began to distort further.
Not violently.
But unnaturally.
Shapes moved within it.
Not clearly—
But undeniably.
Karin's voice lowered.
"…Something's inside that."
Haruki didn't respond.
Because he already knew.
Another flash hit him.
Stronger this time.
The fracture—
Breaking open.
A shape emerging—
Too large.
Too wrong.
A presence—
Heavy.
Overwhelming.
Haruki gasped.
"…It's coming."
Raizen turned slightly.
"…What did you see?"
"…Something big."
"…Stronger than anything before."
"…And it's not alone."
That last part changed everything.
Raizen's expression shifted—
Just slightly.
"…Then we leave."
Karin blinked.
"…Wait—what?"
"…We're not fighting this," Raizen said.
"…Not yet."
The ground trembled slightly.
The fracture pulsed.
As if responding.
"…Move."
This time—
They didn't hesitate.
They ran.
Through the forest.
But the forest—
Was no longer stable.
Paths shifted.
Trees warped.
Distances stretched.
Haruki's breathing grew uneven.
Not from exhaustion—
But from overload.
"…Left!" he shouted suddenly.
Karin didn't question it.
She followed instantly.
Moments later—
The path behind them—
Collapsed.
Raizen glanced at Haruki briefly.
"…Good."
Haruki didn't respond.
Another flash—
The ground ahead—
Breaking.
"…Stop!"
They halted instantly.
A second later—
The earth in front of them split open.
Karin exhaled sharply.
"…Okay, that's useful."
Haruki winced slightly.
"…Not enough."
The pressure kept building.
The air—
Heavier.
The sound—
Louder.
That same crack—
Echoing again.
They were running out of time.
Then—
A roar.
Not from behind.
From everywhere.
Karin froze for a split second.
"…What was that—"
"…Don't stop," Raizen said.
But Haruki did.
Just for a moment.
Because he felt it.
Not through his senses—
But through his eyes.
Something had crossed through.
"…It's here."
Raizen turned.
Slowly.
"…No."
A pause.
"…It's beginning."
The fracture behind them—
Expanded violently.
Not slowly anymore.
Not controlled.
It tore open.
And from within—
Something moved.
Not fully visible.
But massive.
Alive.
Watching.
Karin whispered—
"…That's not something we can fight…"
Haruki didn't answer.
Because for the first time—
He agreed.
Raizen stepped back.
But his eyes never left it.
"…This confirms it."
"…Confirms what?" Karin asked.
Raizen's voice was calm.
Too calm.
"…This isn't a normal Rift."
The creature's presence grew heavier.
"…It's a gate."
Haruki's eyes widened slightly.
"…To something much worse."
Silence.
Even the world seemed to understand the weight of those words.
Then—
Raizen turned.
"…We retreat."
No argument.
No hesitation.
This time—
They all understood.
This wasn't a battle.
It was a warning.
As they moved—
Faster now—
Haruki glanced back once more.
The fracture pulsed.
The creature remained—
Half within—
Half beyond.
Watching.
Waiting.
And for a brief moment—
Haruki felt something impossible.
Recognition.
As if—
It had seen him before.
His chest tightened.
"…What are you…"
But there was no answer.
Only silence.
And the sound—
Of something on the other side—
Trying—
To break through.