The ground trembled beneath Rin's feet as he stepped into the street, his gaze locked on the sky above. The new rift was massive, far larger than anything he had ever seen. Its swirling energy painted the night sky in shades of dark purple and black, crackling with lightning that illuminated the towering figure emerging from it.
The Rift Master.
It was unlike the Warden in every way. Where the Warden had been bound to the gate, its power tied to the rift's existence, the Rift Master seemed like a being of pure energy—formless, constantly shifting, and yet its malevolent presence weighed down the air. Its silhouette was vaguely humanoid, but its body flickered with dark tendrils of energy, and its glowing eyes, two burning orbs of crimson light, focused solely on Rin.
*"You are not ready,"* the voice echoed in his mind again, sending chills down his spine.
Rin swallowed hard, his mind racing. His instincts screamed at him to run, but where could he go? The Rift Master had crossed the threshold between dimensions, and it had come for him.
Suddenly, the Rift Master raised a hand, and with a flick of its wrist, the rift above it expanded, its dark tendrils reaching out across the city. Where they touched the ground, the rift energy crystallized, forming twisted spires of blackened stone. The entire city shuddered as if reacting to the presence of the Rift Master, the dimensional fabric between realities warping under its influence.
The Rift Master's cold voice filled his head again, louder this time.
*"You are marked. You will face me... or be consumed."*
Rin's heart pounded. Marked? What did it mean? He couldn't afford to think about it now. He activated **Blink Step**, moving toward the rift, skirting the crystallized structures that were spreading across the city like a plague.
He couldn't take on the Rift Master—not yet. But he needed to stop the rift from expanding before it tore Arcadia apart.
As he moved through the chaos, a familiar notification appeared in front of him.
**New Quest: Stop the Expansion of the Rift
Objective: Destroy Rift Spires (0/5)**
Rin gritted his teeth. It wasn't much, but it was something. The Rift Master might be beyond his reach, but the spires were physical—and if he could destroy them, maybe it would weaken the rift, buy him time to figure out how to stop the Rift Master.
He bolted toward the nearest spire, a jagged tower of black stone, glowing faintly with rift energy. As he approached, his skin prickled with the familiar cold sensation of rift energy. The spire pulsed as if alive, and as Rin reached it, dark shapes began to emerge from its base.
Rift Beasts. Dozens of them.
Rin cursed under his breath. He had barely any energy left after his last encounter with the Warden, but there was no turning back now. Summoning what little strength he had, he raised his hand, activating **Energy Strike**. A blast of light shot from his palm, slamming into the closest beast. It recoiled, its body flickering before disintegrating, but more were already closing in.
Rin dodged and weaved through the swarm, using **Blink Step** to stay ahead of their attacks. His body screamed in protest with every movement, but he forced himself to keep going, to keep fighting. He couldn't afford to fall here—not when the Rift Master was still watching, still waiting.
With a grunt, Rin unleashed an **Energy Burst**, the wave of light crashing into the spire and sending cracks spiderwebbing across its surface. The Rift Beasts recoiled, their forms flickering as if connected to the spire's energy.
"Come on," Rin muttered through gritted teeth, focusing all his remaining energy on the next strike. His hand glowed brightly as he channeled one final **Energy Strike**, slamming it into the heart of the spire.
The spire exploded, shards of black stone flying in all directions. The Rift Beasts let out a collective screech before vanishing into wisps of dark smoke, leaving Rin standing alone in the debris.
**Rift Spire Destroyed (1/5)**
Rin stumbled, gasping for breath. One down. Four more to go.
And the Rift Master was still watching.