The next morning felt like a distant echo, as if the world had reset after the chaos of the night. The camp was eerily quiet, the usual chirps of morning birds replaced by the oppressive hum of the Rift. It was as if everything was holding its breath.
Sam sat near the edge of the camp, his eyes distant as he watched the sky ripple like water. The Rift's distortion was still there, like a dark stain on the world. He could feel it, just beneath his skin, that pulse of something ancient and wrong. Something was coming.
"Get some rest," Rael said, dropping down beside him. "You've been on edge ever since we dealt with that thing."
"I can't stop feeling it," Sam muttered, rubbing his temples. "Like the Rift's closing in on us."
Rael chuckled dryly. "That's because it is. The Rift doesn't wait for anyone. It'll come for you when you least expect it."
"I know," Sam said, eyes narrowing as he stared into the horizon. "But it's more than that. Something's pulling at me."
Valencia, who had been quietly watching from the edge of camp, walked over with a concerned look on her face. "Sam's right," she said, her tone soft but edged with urgency. "The Rift is changing, and it's not just in the physical sense. It's warping the very fabric of reality. We need to move."
"Move?" Rael scoffed. "Where? We can't outrun the Rift."
"We don't need to outrun it," Valencia said, turning to Sam. "We need to face it. Head-on."
Sam looked up, his eyes burning with an intensity he hadn't felt before. "I'm ready," he said, standing up, his voice steady. "I'm done running."
Rael raised an eyebrow. "Done running? You've barely started fighting."
"I've had enough of waiting," Sam replied, stepping forward. "The Rift isn't going to stop until we do something about it."
Valencia nodded in agreement. "We need to find the source. We need to get to the heart of the Rift."
Rael frowned. "And how do you suggest we do that?"
"The same way we've been doing everything so far," Sam said, glancing at the group. "We summon the Heroes. We stand together. And we fight."
The team exchanged looks, their faces reflecting a mix of uncertainty and determination. They had never faced anything like the Rift before, and the looming sense of danger was undeniable.
"We'll need to move fast," Valencia said, her eyes already scanning the horizon. "There's no telling how long we have before the Rift opens another wound."
"Then let's not waste any more time," Sam said, his heart pounding with purpose. "It's time to go."
---
The Rift's Heart
The journey to the Rift's heart wasn't as easy as Sam had hoped. Every step forward was met with more disturbances in the air—the ground rippled beneath them, the trees twisted unnaturally, and the very sky seemed to bend with the pull of the Rift. It was like walking through a nightmare that never fully materialized, just distorted enough to make it feel real.
The deeper they went, the more the air around them buzzed, like static. Sam's Vein burned beneath his skin, and the power of his summoned ancestors—Lapu-Lapu, Bonifacio, Rizal, Gabriela, and Sultan Kudarat—pulsed through him, each of them there in spirit, whispering their guidance.
"Stay sharp," Rael muttered, his senses heightened as he scanned the eerie, ever-shifting landscape. "This is where the Rift's influence is strongest."
Valencia's eyes were narrowed in concentration. "The closer we get, the more the Rift tries to hide itself. It's almost like it's protecting something. Something inside it."
"What do you think it is?" Sam asked, his voice low, knowing she was the one with the answers.
"I don't know," she admitted. "But whatever it is, it's not something we can fight head-on. We'll need a way in—without triggering a collapse."
As they moved deeper into the Rift's heart, the ground began to tremble. The hum grew louder, like the thudding of a massive, unseen heartbeat. And then, they saw it.
A massive, towering structure stood in the distance—like a twisted cathedral, its spires reaching for the sky. The very air around it shimmered with raw energy, bending light in unnatural ways. It felt wrong, like the place was never meant to exist in this world. It was as though the Rift had birthed it from the abyss itself.
Sam's heart raced. "That's it," he whispered. "That's the heart of the Rift."
"Whatever it is, it's the source," Valencia said. "And we have to stop it."
But as they approached, the ground shifted beneath them, and the very atmosphere seemed to split. A dark figure emerged from the shadowed edges of the structure—a towering, monstrous shape, its eyes glowing with the same crimson light as the Rift Beast they had fought before.
This time, however, it wasn't just a beast. It was something more.
The figure's voice, when it spoke, was like the sound of a thousand whispers, each one carrying a word of despair. "You are too late."
Sam's blood ran cold.
The creature reached out a hand, and the very earth beneath them began to buckle. It was pulling the Rift's power into itself.
"Run," Rael shouted, already pulling Sam back. "Get out of here! Now!"
But Sam didn't move.
He stepped forward, his fists clenching, his veins glowing with the power of his Resonance.
"No," Sam said, voice shaking with determination. "I'm done running."
And for the first time, he felt it.
The power of all his ancestors, coursing through him, all of them standing with him, ready to fight.
He wasn't alone anymore.