The moon was high in the sky, its pale, cold light casting down upon the shattered remains of the world. Adria sat at the edge of the ruins, her eyes scanning across the horizon. She could feel the darkness growing, like a cancer spreading through the land. It was Kaelen. It had to be. The Rift had taken root inside him, and she could see the changes in him-the coldness, the way he no longer seemed like the man she had fought beside.
The whispers of the Rift weren't just in his mind anymore. They'd worked their way into his soul. She could feel them too, gnawing at her thoughts and whispering their lies, twisting her doubts. It was the power that coursed through the Rift, yet it wasn't that power that made her afraid. It was what that power had made him become. A tyrant. A monster.
Adria's fists clenched. She had seen the signs, the small cracks in Kaelen's resolve, the moments when he looked at her with empty eyes, as if she no longer mattered. It was like he was slipping away from her, and she had no idea how to stop it.
Her fingers grazed over the torn map she had found, which accidentally fell into her hands: marked, scratched with symbols and jotted scribbles-a signal the Regime was getting ready to strike back. They were gathering forces, marshaling themselves for a counteroffensive. They knew Kaelen wasn't the man any longer whom they feared; his power was growing, and with that knowledge of power came knowledge of a weakness-his mind. The Rift had broken him, and unless she could put a stop to it, the Regime would finish what was started.
What if she was already too late? What if Kaelen was too far gone even to save?
The faintest sound broke her thoughts. She turned, her heart tightening in her chest. Kaelen stood at the entrance of the ruins, his silhouette bathed in a faint glow. His eyes, once full of warmth, were now cold and distant, reflecting the unyielding power of the Rift that pulsed through his veins.
"You're still here," he said, his voice devoid of the emotion she had once known.
Adria stumbled to her feet, her breath trembling as she faced him. "Kaelen, we have to talk."
He moved closer, the air around him seeming to ripple with the dark energy he'd claimed. "There's nothing left to say. You've seen the power I have now. This is how we win. This is how we take control.
Her heart was racing. This wasn't the Kaelen she fought for. This was something else. "Kaelen, listen to me. This power is corrupting you. I can see it. The man I knew is slipping away, and I-
"Enough," he cut in, his eyes ablaze. "You don't understand. I don't need your doubts. I need your support. The Regime will strike. We don't have time for weakness. Only power can win this."
His words only echoed in the hollow of her chest, each a dagger twisting deeper. Adria's hand reached for him, shaking, her voice soft, desperate. "Kaelen, this isn't the way. The power. it's consuming you. You don't have to do this.
He stepped back, the shadows swirling around him as if alive. "You're wrong," he growled. "You've always been wrong. It's the only way-power. We'll tear them down, rebuild everything, and you'll see, Adria. You'll see that I was right all along.".
Her eyes welled with tears as her heart broke at the sight of reality: he was gone, lost to it-the Rift had him in its grasp, and she had no idea how to return him from such a place.
"I won't stand by and watch you destroy everything," she whispered, her voice cracking.
Kaelen's eyes flashed harder, his face contorted with irritation. "Then go. If you can't understand, if you can't accept what I am becoming, then go.
Adria's breath hitched at the weight of his words crushing her. She had never imagined this-never thought the day would come that Kaelen would ask her to leave. But here it was. The Rift had stolen not only his humanity, but it had torn asunder the very bond they once shared.
"You don't mean that," she said, her voice threatening to break, while deep down, she knew it to be true. He did.
She didn't say another word, just turned and walked away, with every step the weight of her heart smashing it further. The Rift had won. It had taken Kaelen from her, and no matter how hard she fought, she knew she couldn't get him back. Not now.
Kaelen watched her fade to black, an acid hollowness creeping into his chest. He should have felt triumphant. He should have felt like a victor, someone who has just fulfilled a quest that has defined his very being for so long. Instead, coldness: A hollow ache where once had beat the warmth of her love.
The power within him pulsed, eager, demanding. He could feel it growing stronger with every passing second, the energy from the Rift flooding his veins. He was stronger than ever. He was unstoppable.
But at what cost?
His mind reeled as the darkness closed in around him. Adria's face swam before his eyes, filled with doubt. Her disappointment. Her rejection. Was it worth it? Was this what he had wanted?
Power. Control. Victory. The Rift whispered to him, its voice seductive, urging him to give in to destruction. It promised him everything he had ever wanted: to rise above all, to make the world bow at his feet.
But even as the power devoured him whole, there was a small, fragile part of Kaelen that felt something. A crack in the armor, a shred of humanity that screamed against the cold darkness wrapping around him.
He could not look away from it, for the truth buried inside of him would smother him to death, but neither could he stand still. He needed to move on, and most importantly, to win.
Even if it meant everything she had ever known was lost.
Adria walked desolate streets. Her tears mingled with the night as, really, she had nowhere to go, and she didn't care. All that mattered now was that she couldn't stay, not in this world, not with him. Kaelen had chosen the Rift, and in doing so, he had lost her.
One more thing remained that she had to do.
The Regime was gathering, and they were planning to strike back. Yet, as frightening as Kaelen's power was, she knew it wasn't enough to stop them, knew it deep down, and now was the time to fight back, fight for the world they once dreamt of, even if Kaelen no longer remembered it.
She wiped her eyes and drew a deep breath, her resolve hardening. The war was far from over. The only question now was whether Kaelen would be the enemy they needed to defeat.
She walked in the coldness of the night, her footsteps the only sound to be heard amidst the silence. The darkness just swallowed her in, as if even the world itself was mourning the death of a man she once loved. She had left him, left Kaelen behind, and in doing so, she had sealed her own fate.
She couldn't deny the weight of this decision. Every step felt heavier, each one dragging her deeper into a world of uncertainty. But she couldn't stay in that twisted place anymore. She couldn't watch Kaelen lose himself completely to the Rift.
Power.
The word mocked her with repetition, like some kind of evil mantra. All Kaelen had ever wanted, all he'd ever believed that could save them, proved to be his demise. The Rift took him, and she hadn't saved him; she hadn't been able to get through to him.
The Regime was all that was left. The only hope to restore the balance Kaelen had once fought for. Adria had no illusions. The battle ahead would be brutal, and there would be no turning back. But she had to try.
Far behind her, deep within the heart of the Rift, Kaelen stood at the edge of his own dark thoughts. He had spurned Adria, and the bright pain of that spurning still lingered, twisting inside him like a festering wound. But the pain was nothing compared to the power that coursed through him.
And thus, the Rift called deeper into its grasp. Whispers now churned within him—no longer just voices, but visions, faces, desires. You will be the king. You will rule all. Nothing can stand against you.
Kaelen's hands shook from the surge of power through him. It was good. It was right. The world buckled to his will, and every movement carried the weight of that dominance. But there was still something wrong-the nagging hollow emptiness at his center would not subside no matter how much power he drew from the Rift.
His mind turned to Adria. Her face, full of pain and betrayal, lingered in his thoughts. She had left him. She had walked away. And yet, a part of him still ached for her, for what they had once shared.
But it didn't matter now. She had chosen weakness, and he had chosen strength.
Adria gained the outskirts of the camp, where the last remnants of the Regime's forces were gathering. Hitherto in hiding and disguise, they have awaited an opportune hour for their recrudescence; and such an hour now presents itself.
She approached the leader of the Regime-a man whose name was whispered in fear across the land, Draegon. His face was hard, his eyes calculating, but there was no warmth in his gaze. He was a man driven by one thing: power.
"You've come," Draegon said, his voice low, the flicker of recognition in his eyes betraying his surprise. "I didn't think you would.
Adria met his gaze, her heart steeled. "I've seen enough. The time to fight back is now. We cannot let Kaelen continue down this path. He's gone too far."
Draegon nodded, his expression darkening. "We know. We've been tracking him. The Rift is a force we cannot ignore. But you. You were close to him. What do you propose?
The weight of the question settled heavy on Adria. Her hands clenched into fists, and she steadied her breath. "We strike before the Rift claims more of him. We attack with everything we have. We end this, before Kaelen becomes a tyrant we can't stop.
The Regime's leader studied her for a long moment, weighing her words. Then he spoke, and in his voice, coldness and determination merged. "You know this isn't going to be easy. If Kaelen is as far gone as you say, he won't surrender. He's not going to suddenly stop destroying anyone that stands in his way."
"I know," Adria replied, her voice hardening. "But if we don't do something now, we lose everything.
Back at the Rift, Kaelen stood at the heart of the dark power that now thrummed through his very being. His eyes were closed, but the images within his mind were vivid-flashes of Adria's face, of their time together. And then, a vision of the battlefield ahead, a sea of blood and death.
The Regime is coming.
His eyes snapped open, the light of the Rift ablaze in them. The fist he held closed on air bit deeper, drawing the world around him, bending to his whim. He could feel their presence out there-Adria's, Draegon's, all of them, sidestepping like shadows to him.
Let them come.
He had become something more than any of them. Beyond the petty games of men-the Rift had simply made him so powerful. And now he was going to show them. Now he would really show them the meaning of the word power.
In a snap, he clicked his fingers: the earth around him quivered. It was a reaction from the Rift, curling shadows around him, compacting the air with unnatural pressurization. The time for hesitation had come to a close.
Adria and the Regime forces stood on the brink of battle. Their numbers were few, but their resolve was strong. She felt the weight of her decision pressing on her chest. She had chosen this path—had chosen to fight for the world they had once dreamed of, even if Kaelen would no longer walk that path with her.
"Are you ready?" Draegon asked, his voice cold and commanding.
Adria squared her shoulders. "I have to be."
With a final look sideways into the darkness, toward where Kaelen's silent form waited patiently, she launched herself forward to take the lead in the charge. The last battle for their world had begun.
The Rift watched, and in Kaelen's chest, his heart stirred in anticipation. This was it. This was the point at which everything would change. The world would break for him-or it would break.
And in that instant, he knew it-there was no going back now.