The entrance to the Rift looked like a wound carved into reality.
Gray mist twisted endlessly inside it.
Silent.
Motionless.
Waiting.
Riven stood alongside the rest of the investigation team near the Association transport gate.
His eyes scanned the group.
Then frowned.
"...Where's Ivan?"
The team leader adjusted his coat.
"Family matters."
"What?"
"He informed me this morning."
The leader shrugged.
"Said he wouldn't be participating."
Riven sighed.
Of course.
Only Ivan could disappear right before a dangerous mission and somehow make it sound normal.
Now who am I supposed to talk to?
His gaze drifted across the group.
Eventually stopping on Lyra.
She stood slightly apart from everyone else.
Quietly checking her equipment.
Alone.
As usual.
Riven walked over.
"Abandoned by your friends too?"
Lyra looked up.
"...What?"
"Good."
Riven nodded seriously.
"That means we're both equally unpopular."
A small pause followed.
Then—
"No."
"What do you mean no?"
"I don't have friends."
"..."
"..."
"That somehow made it worse."
For a moment something almost resembling amusement appeared in her eyes.
Almost.
Then it vanished.
Unknown to both of them—
Something stirred deep within Lyra.
The Heavenly Qilin Sovereign Bloodline.
Again.
The strange irritation returned.
As if the ancient bloodline disliked being near Riven.
Or perhaps...
Couldn't understand him.
Neither possibility made sense.
And that bothered it.
"Everyone."
The leader's voice interrupted them.
"Gear selection."
Several storage artifacts opened nearby.
Rows of weapons appeared.
Swords.
Spears.
Axes.
Daggers.
Bows.
Artifacts.
Armor.
The Association clearly took preparation seriously.
The leader crossed his arms.
"Choose carefully."
Riven looked around.
Then raised a hand.
"What if I don't use weapons?"
The leader looked at him.
"What do you use?"
"My fists."
Several team members stared.
One even laughed.
Unfortunately for them—
Riven wasn't joking.
The leader studied him.
Then suddenly said:
"Punch me."
"...What?"
"Full force."
Riven blinked.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
"...You seem very confident."
The leader sighed.
"Just do it."
Riven shrugged.
Then stepped forward.
Aether flowed through his body.
Muscles tightened.
The Red Moon Body Technique activated instinctively.
And—
BOOM.
His punch exploded forward.
The leader blocked it with one hand.
The impact echoed throughout the area.
Dust scattered.
Several Ascendants turned around.
Silence followed.
Riven scratched his head.
"So?"
The leader didn't answer immediately.
Because his palm hurt.
A lot.
Hidden beneath his sleeve—
A small crack had formed across the skin.
His expression remained unchanged.
But internally—
What the hell?
The leader was a 6-Star Ascendant.
The Red Moon Body Technique at his level could withstand a small tactical explosion without injury.
Yet a Three-Star Ascendant had actually damaged him.
Only slightly.
But still.
Ridiculous.
After a moment he opened his storage artifact.
Then tossed a pair of black gloves toward Riven.
"They're yours."
Riven caught them.
The material felt strangely heavy.
"What are these?"
"Sun Mountain Gloves."
The leader spoke calmly.
"They contain physical force."
"And?"
"They also enhance it."
Riven's eyes lit up instantly.
Best mission ever.
Nearby—
Lyra selected a spear.
Elegant.
Silver.
Simple.
It suited her surprisingly well.
Riven pointed.
"You look like someone who uses swords."
"Why?"
"You seem like the mysterious swordswoman type."
"I'm not."
"Fair enough."
A few minutes later—
The team entered the Rift.
The world changed instantly.
The sky turned gray.
The air felt colder.
And an unsettling silence swallowed everything.
No birds.
No insects.
No wind.
Nothing.
Only empty streets stretched before them.
The village looked normal.
Too normal.
Homes stood untouched.
Doors remained open.
Tools rested where they had been left.
It looked like the villagers had simply vanished.
Without warning.
Without reason.
The leader spoke.
"Stay alert."
"This is classified as a High-Level Small Rift."
"No unnecessary risks."
Everyone nodded.
Then they moved deeper.
Hours passed.
Yet nothing happened.
No monsters.
No creatures.
No traces of survivors.
Nothing.
The silence became more disturbing with every passing minute.
Because something should have appeared.
Anything.
Even a monster would have been comforting.
At least then they would understand what they were facing.
Eventually the team split into groups.
Leader alone.
Riven and Lyra together.
Darius Holt and Mira Voss together.
The remaining two Ascendants formed the final team.
Everyone's watches remained connected.
Allowing them to track one another's locations.
As they explored—
Something strange happened.
Very strange.
Lyra stopped walking.
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
Riven noticed immediately.
"What?"
She looked down at her watch.
Then at the map.
Then back at the watch.
"We've explored too much."
Riven blinked.
"...What?"
"The village."
She pointed.
"The report says it's approximately three point five square kilometers."
"Okay."
"We've collectively explored over five point two."
Silence.
Riven stared.
Then looked at his own display.
She was right.
The numbers didn't make sense.
Not even slightly.
The village should have ended long ago.
Yet roads continued.
Buildings continued.
Everything continued.
As if the village was somehow larger on the inside.
A cold feeling settled in Riven's stomach.
That wasn't normal.
By the time everyone regrouped—
Night had already fallen.
Darkness covered the village.
The gray sky remained unchanged.
The leader listened carefully as each team reported.
"No survivors."
"No monsters."
"No signs of battle."
The reports remained identical.
Darius rubbed the back of his neck.
"This is creepy."
Nobody disagreed.
Eventually Mira spoke.
"We should rest."
The leader thought for a moment.
Then nodded.
"We continue tomorrow."
A large house near the village center became their temporary shelter.
Everyone settled inside.
Preparing equipment.
Eating.
Trying to relax.
Trying and failing.
Because the silence outside never stopped.
Hours later.
The village slept.
Or at least pretended to.
The leader remained outside alone.
Standing watch.
The cold air drifted through empty streets.
Everything remained still.
Then—
Movement.
His eyes narrowed instantly.
A figure.
Walking slowly through the darkness.
A villager.
The leader froze.
For the first time since entering the Rift—
They had found someone.
Without hesitation he activated the team channel.
"Everyone wake up."
His voice became serious.
"I found something."
Minutes later—
The entire team followed from a distance.
Nobody spoke.
Nobody made a sound.
The villager continued walking.
Slowly.
Silently.
Toward the center of the village.
Step.
Step.
Step.
Like someone following a destination only they could see.
The deeper they followed—
The more uneasy everyone became.
Because the village should not have been this large.
Yet the roads kept going.
The houses kept appearing.
The darkness kept deepening.
Then—
The villager stopped.
Everyone froze.
Ahead of them—
An enormous crowd stood in complete silence.
Hundreds of villagers.
Men.
Women.
Children.
All standing perfectly still.
Facing the same direction.
Not moving.
Not speaking.
Not breathing.
And what they were looking at...
Made every Ascendant present feel a chill run down their spine.
Because at the center of the crowd—
Someone was sitting.
Waiting.
As if they had known the team would come.
End.