Kai's breath was uneven as he followed Aiden deeper into the warehouse. The old industrial building stretched into darkness, dust swirling in the beams of light filtering through the high, cracked windows. Rusted machinery and abandoned crates lined the walls, remnants of a time before the Rift Authority seized control.
Outside, the enforcers barked orders. The metallic clang of boots against pavement echoed in the night. "Sweep the perimeter! He couldn't have gone far."
Kai pressed his back against a cold steel column, his mind racing. His body still felt off—as if reality itself was shifting around him. He flexed his fingers, watching the way the dim light caught his skin. His veins pulsed with something unnatural, something that hadn't been there before.
"You good?" Aiden whispered, his eyes darting toward the exit.
Kai shook his head. "No."
Aiden hesitated, then grabbed his wrist, pulling him forward. "Then keep moving. We're not dying in this shithole."
They slipped between stacks of old crates, Kai barely registering his own steps as his mind swirled with unanswered questions. What was happening to him? He had felt something inside him break open when the rift engulfed him. Now, the world around him felt unstable, as if he no longer fully belonged to it.
A faint hum filled the air. Not from the soldiers outside—this was inside his head.
Then it happened again.
A flicker.
The world around him glitched, the air itself fracturing for a split second. The warehouse shifted into something else—
He saw towering structures, sleek and alien, their surfaces rippling like liquid metal. The sky was wrong, swirling with deep reds and electric blues. Figures moved through the haze, their bodies flickering in and out of existence.
Then—
Snap.
The warehouse returned. The flicker was gone, but the sensation remained—a deep, sinking feeling in his gut that something was unraveling.
Aiden's hand grabbed his shoulder. "Kai, what the hell was that?"
"You… you saw that?" Kai's voice was hoarse.
Aiden nodded slowly. "Dude, you just— you weren't here for a second. The air around you, it— it looked like static. Like you were—"
Before he could finish, a spotlight from a Rift Authority drone flooded the warehouse in white light.
"Shit!" Aiden cursed. "They found us!"
"Move!" Kai snapped, forcing his legs into action.
A klaxon blared, the sharp tone cutting through the air as soldiers rushed toward the warehouse. Kai and Aiden sprinted toward the back exit, but the metal doors slammed shut, locking them in.
Trapped.
Kai's mind spun. His breath came fast, his body still buzzing with whatever the rift had done to him. The enforcers were closing in. Their weapons hummed, energy surging through their barrels.
Fight or die.
A deep part of him, something instinctual, took over.
Another flicker.
Time stuttered.
For a split second, the world slowed. The soldiers' movements lagged, their forms blurring as if caught in a skipping video frame. Kai could feel himself moving faster than them, his mind suddenly clear, his muscles lighter.
Without thinking, he moved.
He grabbed Aiden's arm and yanked him to the side, just as an energy blast tore through the air where they had stood. The shot struck a metal support beam, sending sparks cascading down around them.
Aiden stared at him, wide-eyed. "How the hell did you—?"
"I don't know!" Kai gasped. "I just—"
The flicker ended. Time snapped back into place.
Aiden didn't hesitate. "We need to get upstairs. If we can make it to the roof, we can lose them!"
Kai forced himself to move, following Aiden up a rusted metal staircase as gunfire erupted behind them. Bullets sparked against the railings, the soldiers shouting orders.
"Target confirmed! Engage!"
Aiden reached the top first, throwing his weight against a rusted hatch that led to the rooftop. It groaned, refusing to budge. "Help me out!"
Kai planted his feet, bracing himself against the railing. He pushed—
Another flicker.
Power surged through his body.
With an unnatural burst of strength, Kai shoved the hatch open with one hand, the metal door ripping off its hinges and clattering onto the roof.
Aiden gaped at him. "What the actual hell?!"
Kai had no answer. His breath was ragged, his body still tingling from whatever force had just coursed through him.
No time.
The soldiers were already on the stairs.
"Go!" Kai yelled.
They scrambled onto the rooftop. The cold night air hit Kai's face as he looked around for an escape route. Too far to jump. Nowhere to hide.
Drones buzzed overhead. The Rift Authority was closing in.
Then—
The air in front of him ripped open.
Another rift. Smaller than the first, but just as unstable. Its edges crackled with energy, warping the space around it. It had appeared on its own.
Aiden took a step back. "Oh, hell no. You're not thinking what I think you are."
Kai's heart pounded. The Rift Authority was already here. The only way out was through.
"We have no choice," Kai said. "We jump."
Aiden stared at him, then at the rift. The enforcers were almost on the rooftop.
"You better not get us killed," Aiden muttered.
Kai didn't answer. He took a deep breath—
And jumped.