The horizon stretched endlessly, painted in hues of purple and crimson. Jagged rocks jutted from the cracked earth, glowing faintly with the energy of the rift. Alex trudged forward, his legs heavy and his breath uneven. Raze padded silently beside him, its glowing eyes scanning the terrain for danger.
"How long do you think we can keep this up?" Alex muttered. The wolf huffed in response, its tail flicking once.
Alex smirked. "Yeah, I thought so."
The silence was oppressive, broken only by the distant roars of creatures and the faint hum of Enerion crystals embedded in the ground. Alex paused to examine one of the glowing shards, its light pulsating like a heartbeat.
"What is this stuff?" he murmured, reaching out.
The moment his fingers brushed the crystal, a jolt of energy surged through his body. He gasped, pulling his hand back, but the sensation lingered. His heart raced, his muscles felt lighter, stronger.
Raze growled, sniffing the air.
"What now?" Alex asked, turning.
A low rumble echoed across the landscape, growing louder with each passing second. The ground beneath Alex's feet trembled, and a shadow fell over him.
"Raze, move!" he shouted, diving to the side as a massive, insect-like creature erupted from the ground. Its segmented body glistened with black, chitinous armor, and its mandibles clicked menacingly.
The creature lunged, its clawed legs slicing through the air. Alex rolled to his feet, grabbing a jagged piece of Enerion crystal from the ground.
The fight was on.
The creature's movements were unnervingly fast for its size. It reared back, its glowing red eyes locking onto Alex before it lunged again. Alex barely dodged, the creature's claws carving deep gouges into the earth where he'd stood.
"Alright, big guy," Alex muttered, circling the beast. "Let's see what you've got."
He darted forward, aiming the crystal shard for the creature's jointed leg. The makeshift weapon struck true, cracking the chitin and eliciting a screech from the beast.
The victory was short-lived. The creature retaliated, its massive tail whipping around and catching Alex in the side. He flew backward, hitting the ground hard. Pain exploded in his ribs, but he forced himself to stand.
Raze leapt into the fray, its silver fur streaking like a comet as it clamped its jaws around the creature's leg. The beast thrashed, trying to shake the wolf loose, but Raze held on.
"Good girl!" Alex shouted, charging again.
This time, he aimed for the creature's head, driving the glowing shard into its eye. The beast screeched, its movements growing frantic as Alex twisted the shard deeper.
The creature collapsed, its body convulsing before it went still. Alex staggered back, breathing heavily, his body aching from the effort.
Raze trotted over, licking a cut on his arm.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," Alex said, scratching behind the wolf's ears. He glanced at the fallen creature, its body already beginning to dissolve into motes of light. "What the hell was that thing?"
He didn't have time to ponder. The sound of distant screeches echoed across the plain, drawing closer.
"Looks like it had friends," Alex muttered, grabbing the shard. "Let's go."
The rift didn't relent.
Hours turned into days, though Alex couldn't be sure. The rift's sky never changed, the swirling light offering no sense of time. He scavenged what he could—berries from alien plants, water from glowing pools that Raze seemed to trust—but hunger gnawed at him constantly.
The creatures were relentless. Every step seemed to bring a new challenge: a flock of bat-like monsters that attacked from above, a serpentine beast that emerged from a glowing river, and a hulking creature that looked like a mix of a bear and a crocodile.
Each fight tested Alex in new ways. He learned to use the terrain to his advantage, setting traps with Enerion crystals and leading enemies into natural choke points. Raze became his closest ally, their bond deepening as they fought side by side.
But the toll was heavy.
One night, as Alex and Raze sheltered in the hollow of a dead tree, Alex stared at his trembling hands. The blue energy that had once felt like a gift now seemed like a curse, its flickering glow a constant reminder of the rift's corruption.
"How long can we keep this up?" he whispered, his voice barely audible.
Raze nudged his hand, its glowing eyes steady and unyielding.
Alex sighed, leaning back against the rough bark. "You're right. No point giving up now."
The real challenge came three days later.
Alex had been tracking a herd of smaller creatures, hoping to find food, when the air grew heavy. The familiar hum of Enerion filled his ears, and the ground beneath him cracked and split.
From the fissure emerged a beast unlike anything he'd seen before. It was massive, easily the size of a bus, with sleek, black scales that shimmered with an oily sheen. Its eyes burned with an intense orange light, and its tail ended in a wicked, serrated blade.
Raze growled, stepping in front of Alex.
"Yeah, I don't like it either," Alex said, gripping his shard tightly.
The creature roared, a sound so powerful it shook the air. It charged, its claws tearing through the earth as it barreled toward them.
Alex dove to the side, narrowly avoiding the beast's massive paw. Raze leapt onto its back, snapping at its neck, but the creature twisted, throwing the wolf off with alarming strength.
"Raze!" Alex shouted, his heart racing.
The beast turned its glowing eyes on him, and Alex knew he was outmatched. But running wasn't an option.
He took a deep breath, letting the blue energy flow through him. His body felt lighter, his reflexes sharper. As the beast lunged, Alex met its attack head-on, sliding under its claws and driving his shard into its exposed belly.
The beast roared, swiping at him with its tail. Alex ducked, the blade missing him by inches. He rolled to his feet, aiming for the creature's glowing eyes.
Raze rejoined the fight, distracting the beast long enough for Alex to climb onto its back. He drove the shard into the base of its neck, channeling all his energy into the strike.
The beast convulsed, its roars fading into a low growl before it collapsed.
Alex slid off its back, breathing heavily. He looked at Raze, who was panting but unharmed.
"Guess we're tougher than we thought," Alex said, collapsing onto the ground beside the wolf.
The beast dissolved into light, leaving behind a faintly glowing crystal. Alex picked it up, feeling its warmth seep into his skin.
"Whatever this is," he said, pocketing the crystal, "it's gotta be worth something."
He looked at the horizon, where another rift shimmered in the distance.
"Let's keep moving," he said. "We're not done yet."
The crystal Alex pocketed pulsed faintly, its warmth an almost comforting contrast to the brutal environment. As he walked, the glow seemed to grow stronger, its light faintly illuminating the jagged path ahead. The land around him had grown stranger, the air heavier. Floating rocks hovered precariously above pools of glowing liquid, and the distant roars of creatures seemed to echo endlessly.
Raze walked silently beside him, her fur dimly glowing in sync with the crystal. Alex glanced down at her. "You feel it too, don't you? This place… it's alive."
The wolf growled low, her ears flattening as the ground ahead shifted. Alex froze, his body tense. A crack formed beneath his feet, glowing lines spreading like veins. Then, with a deafening roar, the ground collapsed, dragging Alex and Raze into darkness.
Alex landed hard, his breath knocked out as dust and rubble rained down around him. He groaned, rolling to his side. His fingers scraped across the crystal shard he still carried, its glow reassuring him he hadn't lost it in the fall.
"Raze?" he called, his voice echoing through the cavern.
A soft whimper came from the shadows. He scrambled toward it, finding Raze pinned beneath a slab of stone. Her glowing eyes met his, and Alex felt a pang of guilt. "Hang on, girl. I've got you."
He wedged the shard beneath the stone, leveraging it with all his strength. Enerion sparked along his arms, the blue glow surging as he strained. The stone shifted, and Raze slipped free, shaking herself before nuzzling Alex's shoulder.
"Yeah, yeah," he muttered, patting her head. "Don't mention it."
The cavern they'd fallen into was vast, its walls lined with faintly glowing runes. The air hummed with energy, and the crystal in Alex's pocket pulsed in response. He held it up, watching as its glow intensified, illuminating a set of stairs leading deeper into the ruin.
"Looks like we don't have a choice," he said, gripping the shard tightly. "Let's see what's down there."
The stairs spiraled downward, the air growing colder with every step. The faint light of Alex's crystal revealed murals carved into the walls—scenes of massive beasts clashing with humanoid figures who wielded glowing weapons.
"This isn't just some random rift," Alex muttered. "Someone built this."
As they reached the bottom of the stairs, the cavern opened into a massive chamber. At its center stood a pedestal, on which rested a larger, pulsating crystal. Surrounding it were skeletal remains, their armor and weapons decayed but faintly glowing with residual Enerion.
Raze growled, her body tense as she sniffed the air. Alex stepped cautiously forward, his grip on his shard tightening. The moment his foot touched the pedestal's base, the chamber shook violently. The runes on the walls flared to life, and a deafening roar filled the space.
From the shadows emerged a massive creature, larger than anything Alex had faced. It resembled a rift dragon—sleek and serpentine, with wings that shimmered like liquid metal. Its eyes burned with the same orange glow as the beast he had fought days before, but its presence was far more menacing.
Alex barely had time to react as it lunged, its claws raking across the stone where he'd stood. He rolled to the side, coming to his feet with his shard raised. "Raze, keep it busy!" he shouted.
The wolf darted forward, snapping at the dragon's legs and forcing it to rear back. Alex charged, aiming for the exposed underbelly, but the creature swatted him away with a flick of its tail. He hit the ground hard, his vision swimming.
"Okay, new plan," he muttered, staggering to his feet.
Raze continued to harry the dragon, her movements quick and relentless. Alex focused, feeling the Enerion surging through his body. The crystal in his pocket pulsed in rhythm with his heartbeat, and he let the energy flow into his hands.
The dragon roared again, its eyes locking onto Alex. It lunged, jaws wide, but this time Alex was ready. He dodged to the side, driving his glowing fist into its neck. The impact sent a shockwave rippling through the chamber, and the dragon recoiled, snarling.
Alex pressed the advantage, leaping onto its back. He drove the shard into the base of its skull, channeling all his energy into the strike. The dragon thrashed, its roars deafening, but Alex held on, gritting his teeth as the energy coursed through him.
Finally, with a shuddering groan, the dragon collapsed. Its body dissolved into motes of light, leaving behind a single massive crystal that pulsed faintly.
Alex slid off its back, collapsing to his knees beside Raze. The wolf nudged him, her glowing eyes filled with concern.
"We did it," Alex said, his voice hoarse. He reached out and touched the crystal. A surge of energy flowed through him, and the runes on the walls dimmed.
The chamber fell silent.