The rift crackled and roared, casting flickering shadows against the uneven terrain. It pulsed with an energy so primal that it felt alive, a force untethered and ravenous. The light spilling from it twisted as if straining to hold its shape, sending ripples of heat and sound through the clearing.
Yin Yue stood at its epicenter, her body rigid as the shard in her hand burned like a miniature sun. Ribbons of energy lashed out, tearing at the ground and flaring with each pulse. Her breaths came quick, panic lighting her eyes as she clutched the shard tighter, trying to wrest control from it—or perhaps from herself.
"Yin Yue!" Li Tian's voice cut sharply over the chaos as he forced his way forward, his system shuddering under the strain of trying to analyze the inexplicable. "You have to listen to me! The shard's overwhelming you—put it down now!"
"I can't!" she shouted back, her voice trembling as sparks erupted around her. The energy tugged at her like invisible threads, weaving through her limbs and rooting her in place. Her knees seemed ready to buckle, but she held her ground, defiant even when the power threatened to break her. "It's pulling me—I don't know how to stop it!"
Li Tian cursed under his breath. The system displayed flashing alerts in his vision, cold and clinical as always.
System Notification:
Stabilization probability decreasing. User and Subject Yin Yue within critical range. Tactical retreat advised.
"Tactical retreat—you think I can just leave her here?!" Li Tian snapped under his breath, more to himself than to the system. His cloak whipped around him as another surge of energy erupted from the rift, forcing him to shield his face with an arm.
He had prepared for many things—calculations, contingencies, power plays—but this was something else. The anomaly defied logic, a raw wound in reality itself, and Yin Yue was too close. Too caught in its orbit.
The shard gleamed brighter. Another hum rumbled through the clearing, the sound low and guttural, as if the rift had developed a voice of its own.
Yin Yue gasped as the shard tugged her forward, her feet sliding against the trembling ground. "It—it's trying to take me!" she cried, alarm breaking through her usual composure.
"Not if I have anything to say about it," Li Tian growled. He surged forward, his arm outstretched toward her. The shard's energy sparked dangerously as he approached, sharp as razors, but he didn't stop.
He reached her just as the ground shifted again, and the energy flared around them in a blinding arc. Grabbing her wrist, he yanked her back with every ounce of strength he had, forcing her away from the rift's core.
"Li Tian—stop, you'll—!"
The shard screamed between them, a sound that tore through the air like nails raking across steel. It burned against their skin, the light intensifying as Yin Yue fought to wrest control of it.
"I won't lose you!" he shouted, his voice raw with desperation.
Her wide eyes met his, something unspoken passing between them before another blast of energy ripped them apart. Li Tian staggered back, just managing to stay upright, while Yin Yue collapsed to her knees, her hand still clutching the shard like her life depended on it.
But then, new movement.
Out of the corner of his eye, Li Tian caught a flicker of black and silver—hidden figures emerging silently from the perimeter of the clearing. Operatives. He recognized their uniforms immediately—regulators from the council.
"Damn it," he hissed. Of course, the moment the anomaly's energy rose beyond control, the council's watchdogs would catch the scent.
The system flagged their presence instantly.
System Notification:
Elder Meng-regulated task force identified. Risk level escalating.
The operatives moved with an unnerving precision, fanning out to surround the area. Each carried a dampening rod crackling faintly with binding energy, designed to suppress entities like the shard—or its holder.
"Stand down, Li Tian!" one of them called out, their voice amplified by a projection device. "You've interfered with council operations long enough."
A growl rose in his throat. "You don't understand what's happening here—pull back before you make it worse!"
But they didn't listen. Of course, they wouldn't.
The lead operative signaled the others, their focus shifting toward Yin Yue, still kneeling near the rift. The glow of her shard marked her as the target, the unknown they intended to neutralize. Li Tian felt his chest tighten.
"Yin Yue—get up!" he barked, already pivoting toward her as the operatives closed in.
She struggled to her feet, her hand trembling as the shard flared erratically. "What are they doing?" she demanded, eyes darting toward the advancing figures.
"They think they're here to help," he said bitterly. "But they'll just make things worse."
The air shuddered violently as the rift's energy surged again, casting the surrounding trees and rocks in unnatural hues. Whatever lay on the other side grew more tangible, flickering and shifting as though waiting to emerge.
Li Tian squared his shoulders and stepped closer to Yin Yue. "Stay behind me," he said firmly, his voice low so only she could hear.
"Why? You think you can—"
"Just do it!"
Before she could argue, the operatives moved. Several lunged forward, rods sparking as they struck the ground, sending arcs of suppressive energy toward the rift. The beams meeting its edges caused chaos—the energy twisted in retaliation, clawing at the atmosphere and howling in resistance.
"Idiots," Li Tian muttered under his breath. "The rift doesn't need more pressure!"
The ground beneath them shifted violently. The shard in Yin Yue's hand responded to the interference with a keening note, its light reaching a crescendo that drowned out everything else.
And then—silence.
For one breathless moment, the storm stilled. The rift stopped its violent thrashing, its chaos condensing into something far more focused. Instead of raw energy, its shape began to shift, resolve, crystallize.
Yin Yue gasped as the shard's glow dimmed suddenly, its light flowing toward the rift instead. Li Tian grabbed her arm, steadying her, even as his own focus locked on the rift's center.
Finally, the raw brilliance faded, revealing a figure—a silhouette etched into the fabric of the rift. It wasn't solid, not yet. But its features gleamed faintly in the dim light, humanoid but alien, with a gaze that felt far older and sharper than anything mortal.
Both Li Tian and Yin Yue stood frozen, their breaths caught in their throats.
The figure lifted an arm toward them, gestures slow but deliberate. And though no words passed its lips, a single thought erupted in their minds, clear and sharp.
"One cannot take balance without consequence."
The rift pulsed violently before the silhouette faded, disappearing as if drawn back into whatever dimension it belonged to. The light of the shard dimmed completely, and the clearing fell into an unnatural stillness.
Only the faint sounds of rustling leaves and heavy breaths broke the silence.
Li Tian exchanged a glance with Yin Yue, her expression a storm of confusion and unease.
"What… what was that?" she whispered.
"I don't know," Li Tian admitted quietly, his voice steadying though his mind spun uncontrollably. "But the council won't wait long to figure it out."
And neither could they.