Chapter 2: A Shadow in the Crowd
The Rift Syndicate compound was loud and oppressive, the kind of place where shadows clung to the walls and whispers traveled faster than footsteps. It was a sprawling mess of steel barricades, makeshift tents, and towering floodlights that barely held back the encroaching darkness of the Riftwastes.
Kael sat near the edge of the camp, his back against a cracked concrete pillar. His shirt was torn, his back still burning from the beast's claws earlier, but he ignored the pain. Around him, other servants milled about—ragged, exhausted, and careful not to draw attention.
They all knew the rules: keep your head down, do your job, and pray the overseers didn't notice you.
Kael glanced at the boy sitting a few feet away. His leg was crudely bandaged with a strip of Kael's own shirt, and his face was pale but alive. The boy's name was Ji-Hoon, though Kael hadn't learned it until earlier when the overseers had yelled at him to hurry.
"Thanks," Ji-Hoon muttered, his voice barely audible.
Kael didn't respond immediately. He wasn't used to gratitude—it wasn't a currency anyone traded here. "Don't thank me. You'll probably be dead by next week anyway."
The boy flinched, but Kael didn't care. Better to cut through the delusions now than let him think survival meant safety.
"You should've left me," Ji-Hoon said after a moment. "The beast would've got you too."
Kael's eyes narrowed. "I didn't do it for you."
Ji-Hoon looked confused. Kael didn't elaborate.
---
The overseers moved through the camp, shouting orders. Most of them were well-fed and armed, their faces smug with the kind of power that came from controlling people with nothing to lose. One of them, a wiry man with a scar down his cheek, stopped near Kael and Ji-Hoon.
"Valen!" the overseer barked. "Boss wants to see you."
Kael's stomach sank, but his face betrayed nothing. He stood slowly, ignoring the wary glances from the other servants. Being called to see the boss usually meant one of two things: punishment or an assignment that would probably kill you.
"Don't keep him waiting," the overseer sneered, motioning for Kael to follow.
---
The boss's tent was a fortress compared to the rest of the camp, its steel walls reinforced with Rift metal. Inside, the air smelled of cigar smoke and blood, and the low hum of Rift energy crackled faintly in the background.
The boss sat behind a crude desk made of scavenged Riftsteel, his massive frame almost too large for the chair he occupied. His name was Jarek, and he was everything Kael hated about this world—greedy, cruel, and utterly devoid of humanity.
"You've been busy," Jarek said, his voice like gravel. He gestured to a small pile of glowing shards on the desk. The Ethereal Crystals Kael had collected earlier.
"I did my job," Kael replied flatly.
Jarek chuckled, but there was no humor in it. "You did more than that. I heard about the Rift Beast. That thing killed three overseers and a dozen servants, yet here you are, not even a scratch."
Kael resisted the urge to touch his back, where the faint burn of the wound lingered. "Lucky, I guess."
Jarek's eyes narrowed, and for a moment, Kael thought he might press the issue. But then the boss leaned back in his chair, lighting a cigar.
"Luck doesn't keep you alive in the Riftwastes," he said, exhaling a plume of smoke. "But I don't care how you did it. What matters is you're useful. And I need useful people."
Kael said nothing, waiting.
"I've got a job for you," Jarek continued. "A Riftstorm's brewing near the Scar, bigger than anything we've seen in months. It's dangerous as hell, but the payout…" He gestured to the glowing shards on the desk. "Let's just say it's worth the risk."
"And if I say no?" Kael asked, his voice carefully neutral.
Jarek grinned, revealing yellowed teeth. "Then I sell you to the Eclipsed Order. They're always looking for fresh bodies for their experiments. Either way, you'll be useful to me."
Kael's fists clenched at his sides, but he forced himself to remain calm. "Fine. I'll do it."
"Good." Jarek leaned forward, his grin widening. "But you're not going alone. You'll be working with one of my top climbers—Lira Thorne."
At the mention of the name, Kael's stomach tightened.
---
Kael found Lira waiting outside the boss's tent, her arms crossed as she leaned against a Riftsteel barricade. She was tall and wiry, with sharp features and a perpetual smirk that made her look like she was in on a joke no one else understood.
"So you're the famous Kael," she said as he approached. "The one who walked out of the Rift Beast's lair without a scratch."
Kael didn't respond, and Lira's smirk widened. "Not much of a talker, huh? That's fine. I prefer actions to words anyway."
She straightened, motioning for him to follow. "Come on. We've got a lot to prepare before the storm hits."
As they walked through the camp, Kael couldn't shake the feeling that Lira was watching him, studying him like a puzzle she couldn't quite figure out.
"You've got a Nexus, don't you?" she asked suddenly.
Kael stopped, his heart skipping a beat. "What makes you think that?"
Lira shrugged, her smirk returning. "Call it a hunch. I've been around climbers long enough to know when someone's hiding something."
Kael's mind raced. He had no idea what the Null Nexus was, but he knew enough to understand that if Jarek or the others found out, he'd become a commodity—a tool to be used and discarded.
"You're wrong," he said finally. "I'm just lucky."
Lira raised an eyebrow but didn't press the issue. "If you say so. But luck won't save you in the Scar. You'll need more than that to survive."
---
As night fell over the camp, Kael found himself staring out at the Riftwastes, the faint hum of the Tower's presence lingering in the air. He clenched his fists, feeling the faint stir of the shadow within him.
The Null Nexus was quiet, but he could feel its presence, cold and empty, like a void that could never be filled. He didn't understand it, didn't know what it wanted, but he knew one thing: it was power.
And in this world, power was the only thing that mattered.