The remnants of Zealand lay in ruin beneath a sky bruised by violet energy. Nathan moved swiftly through the wreckage, shadows coiling around him to stabilize unstable surfaces, forming makeshift bridges over collapsed streets and rivers of molten debris. Selena followed closely, her eyes scanning the chaos, absorbing the full scale of the catastrophe.
Every step felt heavier than the last. Buildings groaned as if mourning their destruction, shards of crystal and stone floating unnaturally, tethered by residual portal energy. The Abyssal Rift still pulsed above the city, though its hunger was partially subdued by Nathan's intervention. Its tendrils lingered in the streets, reaching like spectral fingers for anything that moved.
"I never imagined…" Selena whispered, voice trembling. "Zealand… it's… gone."
Nathan didn't respond immediately. His mind was focused, calculating the safest path through the collapsing metropolis. This is only the beginning. One city lost… the world next.
He extended his hand, shadows rising like an undulating storm, forming a protective dome over both of them. "Stay close," he said quietly. "We have to get out before the Rift recalibrates and devours the remaining sectors."
Below them, survivors crawled from beneath rubble, terrified faces turning toward the duo. Many stumbled into the Rift's lingering tendrils, only to be consumed or flung aside by the chaotic energy. Nathan's shadows acted with precision, shielding as many as they could, but the scale was overwhelming.
Selena's eyes followed him closely. "You're controlling it… but how long can you keep this up?"
Nathan's gaze hardened. "As long as I have to. Every second I hold it, the city survives. Every second I hesitate… and it dies."
The distant sound of sirens and alarms echoed across the ruined streets. The Zealand Guild's remnants were attempting to mount a containment operation, but Nathan knew it was futile. Their S-rank hunters had been decimated or were scattered; Lucan was alive, and somewhere plotting.
"I saw him," Nathan muttered, shadows tightening around his legs. "Lucan… he survived. And he'll be coming for us."
Selena swallowed hard. "We can't stay here. We need to leave Zealand… now."
Nathan nodded. The shadows formed wings behind his back, stretching and coiling, creating a dark silhouette against the burning horizon. With a single leap, they rose above the wreckage, gliding over the city as the Rift pulsed behind them like a heartbeat gone mad.
The outskirts of Zealand were a landscape of shattered streets and crumbling buildings, now almost unrecognizable beneath the lingering glow of portal energy. Nathan guided Selena through the ruins, their movement precise and silent. The shadows beneath them stretched and shifted, shielding them from unstable debris and rogue energy bursts.
"Where are we going?" Selena asked.
"North," Nathan replied, scanning the horizon. "There's a temporary mana nexus outside the city. We can use it to travel beyond Zealand before Lucan consolidates his forces."
The wind carried ash and fragments of stone as they moved. Nathan's senses were heightened; the Core pulsed in rhythm with the Abyssal Rift's energy, feeding him constant updates of danger. Every shadow around him was alert, snapping toward threats like living entities.
Suddenly, a tremor hit beneath their feet. The ground split, sending a wave of violet energy through the nearby streets. Nathan leaped, pulling Selena with him as the rupture expanded. He realized with a sinking feeling: the Rift was still unstable, and its hunger had not diminished.
"They're chasing us," Selena whispered, eyes wide.
Nathan glanced back briefly. Figures emerged from the chaos—elite Hunters loyal to Lucan, their movements precise, their corrupted fragments glowing faintly. "Not just Lucan," he muttered. "He's already building an army."
The first of them lunged, striking with precision at the shadows protecting them. Nathan reacted instinctively, extending black tendrils that intercepted the blows, snapping the Hunters' weapons aside. The air shimmered with dark energy, distorting everything in their path.
One of the attackers—a female S-rank with a corrupted fragment similar to Lucan's—smirked. "We were told you'd come alone. Surprised to see the Core bonded so completely."
Nathan's voice was calm, but edged with steel. "I don't need to fight all of you at once. Step aside."
Her eyes narrowed. "You won't escape. Not while Lucan has prepared the world for you."
Shadows surged, lashing out like coiling serpents. The attackers were forced back, some thrown across streets, others scattered into rubble. Nathan glanced at Selena. "We don't have time for this. We keep moving."
They reached the temporary mana nexus, an ancient structure designed for instantaneous travel. It glowed faintly, pulsing in sync with residual Rift energy. Nathan extended his hand, shadows interfacing with the structure to stabilize the portal's activation.
Selena hesitated. "Nathan… where will it take us?"
"Somewhere safe… for now," he replied. "Somewhere we can regroup and prepare. Lucan won't wait, and neither will the Abyss."
The portal flared, purple and black energy spiraling outward like a living storm. Nathan's shadows wrapped around him and Selena, anchoring them as the nexus activated. The world around them blurred, streets and ruins melting into streams of energy, and for a moment, Nathan felt the full pulse of the Abyssal Core within him—its hunger, its power, its boundless potential.
As they emerged on the other side, the skyline shifted. They were no longer above Zealand but hovering over a vast, unfamiliar terrain. Mountains stretched toward the horizon, rivers glimmered with mana-infused waters, and distant cities glowed faintly under the unnatural twilight caused by portal activity.
Nathan looked down. "This… this is only the beginning. The portals… they're spreading faster than we anticipated. Zealand was just a spark. The world is next."
Selena's hand gripped his. "And Lucan?"
Nathan's eyes darkened. "He's already planning. He won't just hunt us—he'll take the Core itself. We have to be ready… or the world ends with Zealand."
The Abyss pulsed within him, shadows rippling across the terrain below. Nathan realized the magnitude of what lay ahead: every portal, every guild, every human settlement was now a battleground waiting to happen.
And somewhere, beyond the horizon, Lucan's corrupted energy flared—preparing, scheming, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
Nathan clenched his fists. "Then we move first."
Above the new world, the shadows coiled, alive and patient, carrying him and Selena toward their next fight, toward their next chance—and toward the war that would define humanity's survival.