The streets of the slums were quiet, as they always were. Not peaceful never peaceful but heavy with the weight of despair. The occasional cough or murmur drifted through the air, but no one spoke louder than they had to. Noise drew attention, and in the slums, attention was rarely a good thing.
Reyn leaned against the heap of rags and scraps that made up his bed, his lean frame still aching from the day's fight. The meager meal he'd scraped together earlier in the market square still sat uneasily in his stomach. It had been barely enough to dull the hunger, and his body still felt hollow. But he'd learned to live with that too.
The damp, stale air of his decrepit home didn't bother him as he lay back, his long dark hair falling into his face. He exhaled, letting his mind drift, the faint sounds of the slums outside blending into the background. Exhaustion claimed him quickly, and for a time, he managed to forget the day, the hunger, and the weight of it all.
But the slums rarely let anyone rest for long.
A commotion outside jolted Reyn awake. At first, it was just faint shouting, muffled by the thin, splintered walls of his home. But as his senses came back into focus, the sounds became clearer angry voices, the stomping of boots, and the unmistakable tone of someone shouting his name.
Reyn pushed himself up, his sharp gray eyes narrowing as he listened. The voices were too familiar Caleb and Bree. And not just them. There were more voices, deeper ones, rough and dangerous. Reyn clenched his jaw as the weight of the situation sank in. Caleb had brought reinforcements, and from the sound of it, he was pissed.
Steeling himself, Reyn swung open the creaking door of his miserable little shelter and stepped into the street. The cold night air hit him like a slap, but he ignored it, his sharp gray eyes scanning the group that had gathered a few meters away. Caleb was at the center, his greasy hair catching the faint light of a distant lantern. Bree stood to his left, her self-made blade twirling lazily in her hand. But they weren't alone. A dozen or so others stood behind them some young, some older, but all looking like they belonged to the worst corners of the slums.
"Ashford!" Caleb called out, his voice sharp and venomous. "Took you long enough. Thought you got too scared and ran off like a little bitch."
Reyn crossed his arms, his posture tense but steady. "What the fuck do you want, Caleb? Haven't had enough of getting your ass handed to you already?"
Caleb's face twisted with rage, his fists clenching at his sides. "You fucking think this is over? Huh? You think you can embarrass me in front of everyone and walk away like it's nothing?"
"It was nothing," Reyn said coolly, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "You didn't put up much of a fight."
The group behind Caleb murmured, some of them chuckling under their breath, but Caleb's glare silenced them. "You're dead, Ashford. You hear me? Dead. This time, you're not walking away."
Bree stepped forward, her blade catching the faint light as she pointed it at Reyn. "Last time was a fluke. Let's see how smart that mouth is when you're bleeding in the dirt."
Reyn's sharp gray eyes flicked to Bree, then back to Caleb. "You brought a whole fucking army this time," he said, his tone flat. "Guess you finally figured out you can't take me on your own."
Caleb's sneer returned, though his anger still burned in his eyes. "Call it insurance. Not that it'll matter. You're done, Ashford."
Reyn's jaw tightened, but he didn't back down. He knew he couldn't take on all of them, but he wasn't about to show any fear he was planning to do a hit and run tactic anyway. "If you're gonna do something, do it. Otherwise, get the fuck out of my way."
Before anyone could move, the air shifted.
It was subtle at first a strange, heavy pressure that pressed down on Reyn's chest, making it hard to breathe. The quiet street seemed to grow even stiller, the air humming faintly with an energy that was anything but natural. Caleb froze mid-step, his sneer faltering as he glanced around, his anger replaced by unease.
A crack echoed through the street, sharp and brittle, like glass shattering. The sound seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere, and Reyn's heart leapt into his throat as he turned toward the source. A few meters away, the air itself seemed to ripple and tear, forming a jagged crack that shimmered with an eerie light. The pressure grew heavier, suffocating, as the crack widened into a rift a swirling, dark void that seemed to devour the light around it.
It was a Rift
Reyn's sharp gray eyes stayed locked on the anomaly, his chest tightening as the stories flooded back to him. No one knew where the rifts came from. Some said they were tears in the fabric of reality, others called them curses, punishments for humanity's sins. But everyone knew what they brought.
Riftborn were the twisted, nightmarish creatures that lived beyond the rifts, creatures that knew only destruction and chaos. The Riftborn were savage and merciless, their forms monstrous and unnatural. Some were said to resemble beasts twisted beyond recognition, while others defied comprehension entirely. Their only purpose was to destroy, to spread chaos and fear wherever they emerged.
Caleb stumbled back, his earlier bravado crumbling into fear. Bree froze, her sharp eyes wide as she gripped her blade tightly, the weapon trembling in her hand. The rest of the group was silent, their faces pale and their movements still.
And then, it came.
A massive claw emerged from the rift first, its jagged, obsidian-like surface gleaming in the faint light. The claw gripped the edges of the rift, pulling the rest of the creature into view. It was huge easily twice the size of a man with a twisted, sinewy body covered in dark, chitinous armor. Its glowing, violet eyes burned with malice, and rows of jagged teeth lined its gaping maw.
Reyn involuntarily stepped back, his sharp gray eyes wide with shock and fear. His chest tightened as the beast growled, a low, guttural sound that sent chills racing down his spine. For a moment, he forgot Caleb and the rest of the group entirely. There was only the Riftborn.
"Shit" Reyn muttered under his breath he was currently at a loss for words, he never seen a rift before and to be completely honest, he never wanted too but his shitty luck always did have a way of playing tricks on him
As the creature fully emerged, the oppressive air thickened, suffocating every breath. Its glowing gaze swept over the group, and its maw opened slowly, revealing even more jagged teeth as it let out an ear-shattering roar.
And then, it lunged.