The rift shimmered in the distance, a jagged tear in the fabric of *Chroma-Veila*. The air around it pulsed with chaotic energy, sending shockwaves that rippled across the training grounds. Zynth's heart pounded in his chest as he stared at the unstable vortex, its swirling light a stark reminder of the dangerous forces Aurelia had been experimenting with.
"That shouldn't be happening," Altair Voss muttered under his breath, his normally composed face etched with concern. The senior Hunter's eyes narrowed, his skin flickering with a darker shade of purple as he watched the rift destabilize further. "Not here."
Zynth could feel the raw, uncontained magic seeping from the rift. The pressure it exerted on the realm was palpable, making the air itself feel heavier. This wasn't like the rifts the Hunters encountered on patrol—those were small, controlled tears that occasionally allowed creatures from other realms to slip through. This… this felt like something far more dangerous.
"Zyntherius, we need to act quickly," Altair said, his tone sharp and urgent. "Rifts like this can tear apart the realm if they aren't closed fast enough."
Zynth barely heard him. His mind was racing, thoughts spiraling back to Aurelia. *She had been working on the rifts.* He had trusted her, believed that she could handle it, but now, watching the rift grow more unstable by the second, his fear turned into something sharper. *Was this her doing? Had something gone wrong?*
"I need to find her," Zynth said, his voice tight as he stepped back from the training grounds.
Altair grabbed his arm, his grip firm. "No, Zynth. We have to stabilize this rift before it grows any further. If you let it expand, it could tear the realm apart."
Zynth shook his head, his pulse racing. "If this is because of her experiment, she could be in danger. I can't just stand here and—"
Altair cut him off, his voice uncharacteristically forceful. "You're a Hunter now. You don't get to make impulsive decisions. The rift is your priority."
Zynth clenched his fists, torn between his duty as a Hunter and his fear for Aurelia. But Altair was right—the rift was already beginning to destabilize, the edges sparking with wild, uncontrollable magic. If they didn't act fast, the entire realm could be at risk.
"Fine," Zynth muttered, turning his gaze back to the rift. "What do we do?"
Altair wasted no time. "We need to contain it. I'll handle the outer perimeter—you need to use your power to stabilize the core. It's risky, but you have the raw energy needed to overpower the rift's magic. Stay focused, Zynth."
Zynth nodded, trying to push aside the worry clawing at his chest. He could deal with this first—*then* he would find Aurelia. There was still a chance she was safe, that this rift was just a coincidence.
Altair moved quickly, his hands glowing as he extended his magic toward the rift, forming a barrier around the outer edges. Zynth followed his lead, summoning the Blue Atomic Power that surged within him. His hands flared with blue fire, the cold, intense energy filling him once again. He stepped closer to the rift, feeling its pull on the air, the chaotic energy radiating from it like a force of nature.
The ground beneath his feet trembled as he approached the core of the rift, and he could feel the magic slipping from the realm into the void. He raised his hands, concentrating on containing the vortex, forcing his power to meld with the unstable magic.
The flames in his hands flared brighter as he poured more energy into the rift, fighting against the pull of the void. The raw magic tugged at him, pulling on the edges of his control, but he held firm. He had trained for this. He wouldn't let it overwhelm him.
"Keep it steady!" Altair shouted from the far side of the rift, his own magic straining to hold the barrier.
Zynth gritted his teeth, focusing every ounce of his energy on stabilizing the core. The blue flames surrounding his hands twisted and flickered, growing in intensity as he fought against the wild magic that surged through the rift. His skin flickered with the same intense blue glow, the power inside him responding to the chaotic force he was trying to control.
For a moment, the rift seemed to resist, its edges pulsing violently. But then, slowly, it began to shrink. The wild energy pulling at the realm's fabric lessened, and the tremors beneath Zynth's feet eased. The chaotic light of the rift dimmed as Zynth's power forced it into submission.
He let out a shaky breath, feeling the tension in his chest ease slightly. They were winning. The rift was stabilizing.
But just as the rift seemed to calm, a deafening crack echoed through the air.
Zynth's eyes widened as the rift's core flared violently, exploding with a burst of light. The force of the explosion threw Zynth backward, his body crashing into the ground. His vision blurred, his ears ringing as he struggled to regain his bearings.
When he finally managed to push himself up, he saw the rift had expanded again—larger than before. But something was different now. The air around the rift had shifted, the magic inside it twisting into something far darker, far more dangerous.
A figure stepped out of the rift.
Zynth's heart nearly stopped.
It was Aurelia.
She stood at the edge of the rift, her skin glowing with an intense, unnatural light, her eyes wide with a mix of fear and exhilaration. The rift pulsed behind her, the chaotic energy swirling around her like a storm. Zynth could see it now—the experiment she had been working on, the one he had feared would go wrong. She had succeeded in opening a rift. But the cost… the cost was far greater than she had realized.
"Aurelia!" Zynth shouted, scrambling to his feet. "What are you doing? You need to close the rift before it tears the realm apart!"
Aurelia's gaze snapped to Zynth, her expression conflicted. "I didn't mean for this to happen, Zynth. I—I thought I had control, but the magic—it's too powerful. I can't close it."
Zynth's heart raced. He had known this was coming, had felt it in his gut for weeks. But seeing it now, seeing Aurelia standing at the center of the chaos, his fear became real.
"Aurelia, you have to stop!" he shouted, his voice filled with desperation. "You're going to destroy everything!"
"I can fix it!" Aurelia insisted, her voice trembling. "I just need more time. I can control this."
Zynth's stomach twisted. She didn't understand. She couldn't control it. The rift had grown too unstable, and the magic it held was too volatile. If they didn't act quickly, the entire realm could be consumed.
"Aurelia, please," Zynth said, stepping closer, his hands still glowing with the remnants of the Blue Atomic Power. "Let me help you."
But before he could reach her, the rift surged again, its chaotic energy spiraling out of control. The ground beneath them trembled violently, and the sky above darkened, the colors of *Chroma-Veila* fading into a swirling mass of shadow and light.
Zynth's heart pounded as he felt the realm itself begin to tear apart.
---
**End of Chapter 8**