CHAPTER 13 — Rift Interior
Aiden stood on trembling legs, staring into the impossible sky above him. The Rift interior stretched out in every direction—an endless void of violet and black, streaked with arcs of lightning that moved like serpents through the air. Floating debris drifted lazily across the horizon: chunks of buildings, shattered cars, entire slabs of street suspended in midair.
The ground beneath him wasn’t ground at all. It was a fractured platform of stone and metal, hovering in the void like a broken island. Smaller fragments orbited it slowly, pulled by invisible currents.
Aiden exhaled.
“…this is insane.”
The Forces inside him pulsed in response—Gravity steady, Pressure sharp, Heat simmering. The Rift’s energy resonated with all three, tugging at them like strings on an instrument.
He took a step forward.
The platform shifted beneath him, drifting slightly. Aiden froze, heart pounding. The movement wasn’t violent, but it was enough to remind him that nothing here obeyed normal rules.
He tested his weight—10% heavier.
The platform stabilized.
He tested lighter.
The platform drifted upward.
Aiden swallowed.
“Okay. Don’t do that again.”
He moved carefully across the floating island, scanning the void for threats. It didn’t take long to find them.
A snarl echoed from above.
Aiden looked up.
A Primal Forceborn clung to a floating chunk of concrete overhead, its cracked stone skin glowing faintly with Rift energy. It crawled along the underside of the debris like a spider, then dropped toward him with a screech.
Aiden reacted instantly.
He shifted lighter—dodged—then slammed the rebar upward as the creature fell past him. The blow cracked its skull. The Forceborn hit the platform hard, twitching once before going still.
A Core rose.
Aiden absorbed it without hesitation.
[AGILITY FORCE — Level 2]
This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.
Warmth spread through his limbs, sharpening his reflexes. His movements felt smoother, quicker, more precise.
Another snarl echoed from the void.
Aiden turned.
Two more Primals crawled across a nearby floating slab, their eyes glowing with unstable energy. They leapt toward him, claws extended.
Aiden dropped his weight—anchored—then unleashed a quick Pressure burst.
The shockwave hit both creatures mid?air, knocking them off course. They slammed into the platform, dazed. Aiden sprinted forward—lighter—and brought the rebar down on the first creature’s skull.
Crack.
He pivoted, swinging again.
Crack.
Two more Cores rose.
He absorbed them both.
[ENDURANCE FORCE — Level 2]
[VITALITY FORCE — Level 2]
Aiden exhaled slowly.
His body felt sturdier now. His breathing steadier. His muscles less strained. The Rift interior was dangerous, but it was also a goldmine of Basic Cores.
He looked around.
Forceborn crawled across floating debris in every direction—dozens of them. Some were small and twisted. Others were larger, more developed. All of them were drawn to the Rift’s energy.
And all of them were drawn to him.
Aiden tightened his grip on the rebar.
“Alright,” he muttered. “Let’s grind.”
He sprinted toward the nearest floating slab, shifting lighter to leap across the gap. The platform drifted slightly under his landing, but he stabilized himself with a quick weight shift.
A Primal lunged.
Aiden ducked under its swipe, slammed the rebar into its ribs, then finished it with a downward strike. A Core rose.
[STRENGTH FORCE — Level 3]
Aiden blinked.
“…already?”
He didn’t have time to think about it.
Another Forceborn crawled out from behind a chunk of twisted metal. Aiden met it head?on, dodging its claws and countering with a Gravity?boosted strike that shattered its jaw.
Another Core.
[AGILITY FORCE — Level 3]
Aiden grinned despite himself.
This place was insane.
He moved from platform to platform, leaping across gaps, dodging falling debris, fighting Forceborn in rapid succession. Each kill brought another Core. Each Core brought another level.
[ENDURANCE FORCE — Level 3]
[VITALITY FORCE — Level 3]
[STRENGTH FORCE — Level 4]
His body felt different now—stronger, faster, tougher. His movements were sharper. His strikes hit harder. His stamina lasted longer.
But the Rift wasn’t done.
A deep rumble echoed through the void.
Aiden froze.
The floating debris around him trembled. The air vibrated. The sky above him twisted violently, arcs of lightning spiraling inward toward a single point deeper in the Rift.
Aiden felt the pull again.
Stronger than before.
Stronger than anything he’d felt outside.
He pressed a hand to his chest.
The Forces inside him reacted—Gravity tightening, Pressure compressing, Heat flaring. The pull dragged at him like a tide, urging him forward.
Aiden swallowed.
“…you want me to go deeper.”
He looked around.
Forceborn were gathering now—drawn by the same pull. Dozens of them crawled across floating debris, snarling and screeching. Some leapt between platforms. Others clung to the underside of slabs, waiting to ambush.
Aiden tightened his grip on the rebar.
He wasn’t done grinding.
Not yet.
He sprinted forward, leaping across another gap. A Forceborn lunged from above. Aiden shifted heavier—dropped—then slammed a Pressure burst upward, knocking the creature off course.
He finished it with a single strike.
Another Core.
[STRENGTH FORCE — Level 5]
Aiden exhaled sharply.
His muscles felt like coiled steel now. His grip tightened around the rebar without meaning to.
He looked toward the deeper part of the Rift.
The pull intensified.
The sky twisted.
The void rumbled.
Aiden took a slow breath.
“Alright,” he whispered. “If you want me deeper…”
He stepped toward the swirling center of the Rift interior.
“…then show me what’s waiting.”
