The Rift swallowed them.
For a moment, Thanex felt nothing.
No weight.
No air.
No sense of direction.
It was as if his body had been pulled apart into fragments of light and scattered through an endless void.
Colors stretched around him—violent streaks of violet, silver, and deep crimson twisting together like a storm inside glass. Sound vanished entirely, replaced by a strange ringing that pulsed inside his skull.
Then the world snapped back together.
The ground slammed beneath his boots.
Cold air rushed violently into his lungs.
Thanex staggered forward and caught himself before he could fall.
Around him, the rest of the expedition emerged from the Rift one by one, their bodies appearing from the swirling portal behind them like figures stepping out of liquid light.
The portal itself shimmered briefly before stabilizing into a circular gateway suspended in the air.
Beyond it lay the world they had just left.
But the world around them now was entirely different.
They stood inside the ruins of a massive structure.
Broken pillars towered above them, leaning at impossible angles like the ribs of some colossal skeleton.
Jagged cracks ran through the marble floor beneath their feet, splitting the once-perfect stone into fractured pieces.
Dust hung thick in the air.
Ancient statues lay scattered across the ground, their once-detailed faces worn smooth by time.
Some had lost their heads entirely. Others had collapsed into piles of broken stone.
A temple.
Old.
Older than anything Thanex had ever seen.
Even the Resonants seemed mildly surprised.
One of them removed his helmet and looked around slowly.
"Strange," he muttered.
Low-level Rifts rarely contained structures like this.
Most of them were simple environments—forests, caves, or barren plains filled with monsters.
But ruins like these usually appeared in far more dangerous gates.
Thanex adjusted the heavy crate of supplies strapped to his back and scanned the area carefully.
His instincts immediately told him something wasn't right.
The air inside the Rift felt heavy.
Not oppressive like the forgotten outskirts of the city.
This weight felt different.
Older.
Like standing inside the shadow of something ancient.
And watching.
He couldn't explain why.
But the feeling crawled across his skin like invisible fingers.
The sound of armored boots echoed sharply across the cracked marble floor.
Thanex looked up.
Legate Valerius had stepped forward.
The tall Resonant moved through the ruins with calm confidence, his dark armor reflecting the dim violet glow filtering through the shattered ceiling above.
Every step he took carried quiet authority.
Even in this alien world, the other Resonants instinctively shifted their attention toward him.
Valerius stopped near the center of the chamber and surveyed the surroundings.
His expression remained unreadable.
"Spread out," he ordered calmly.
His voice carried easily through the empty temple.
"Search the structure."
A brief pause.
"There may be relics."
That single word immediately changed the atmosphere.
Relics.
Ancient objects infused with Rift energy.
Artifacts capable of enhancing Resonant abilities or selling for enormous fortunes in the outside world.
Even the lowest-grade relics could fetch enough money to change someone's life.
Excitement rippled through the group.
One of the Resonants grinned.
"Finally."
Another cracked his knuckles eagerly.
"Let's see what this place is hiding."
Without wasting time, they began spreading through the temple ruins.
Some climbed over fallen pillars.
Others disappeared into dark corridors branching from the main hall.
The canaries moved as well, though far less confidently.
Their job was simple.
Carry equipment.
Provide light.
And follow orders.
Thanex moved carefully across the uneven floor, balancing the crate on his back as he stepped over fractured stone.
His eyes constantly scanned the environment.
He wasn't looking for treasure.
He was looking for danger.
Years of surviving in rough places had taught him one important rule.
Danger rarely announced itself.
It waited.
Hidden.
Silent.
Watching for the right moment to strike.
The temple stretched far larger than it first appeared.
Collapsed archways led to smaller chambers.
Half-buried staircases descended into darkness.
Broken mosaics still clung to parts of the floor, their faded colors forming patterns that might once have depicted gods or ancient battles.
But time had erased most of their meaning.
A sudden voice echoed from deeper inside the temple.
"Over here!"
The shout came from one of the Resonants.
Several others immediately turned and hurried toward the sound.
Thanex followed at a slower pace, keeping his distance as he moved through the debris.
They gathered near the center of the temple.
There, standing alone beneath a shattered dome ceiling, was a large stone altar.
The structure was ancient and cracked down the middle, its once-smooth surface now split by deep fractures.
Dust coated every inch of it.
But that wasn't what caught everyone's attention.
Around the base of the altar sat several metal containers.
Half-buried in dirt and rubble.
Relic crates.
Even beneath the layers of dust, faint glowing symbols were still visible across their surfaces.
The kind used to seal valuable artifacts.
A wave of excitement spread through the group.
One of the Resonants let out a low whistle.
"Well now."
Another laughed.
"Looks like this mission just got profitable."
Even the canaries exchanged quiet glances.
Though they wouldn't receive relics themselves, missions that recovered valuable items usually meant larger payments.
The Resonants quickly approached the containers.
One crouched down and brushed dirt away from the nearest crate.
"Still sealed," he said.
"Untouched."
Another grinned.
"Jackpot."
Thanex remained near the edge of the group, watching quietly.
Something felt wrong.
Not obviously dangerous.
Just…
Off.
The air around the altar felt colder.
Still.
Too still.
He glanced toward the tall figure approaching slowly through the chamber.
Legate Valerius.
Unlike the others, the Legate showed no excitement.
His armored steps were slow and deliberate as he approached the altar.
The other Resonants instinctively stepped aside to give him space.
Valerius stopped in front of the cracked stone structure and studied it silently.
Thanex noticed something strange.
The Legate wasn't looking at the relic crates.
His attention was focused somewhere else.
On the ground.
Specifically—
The stone floor beneath the altar.
Thanex frowned slightly and shifted his gaze downward.
At first, he didn't see anything unusual.
Then he noticed it.
The marble there was darker than the surrounding stone.
Not by much.
Just enough to be noticeable if someone was paying attention.
Thin lines ran through the floor in strange patterns.
Hairline fractures.
Like cracks spreading across glass.
But they weren't random.
They formed shapes.
Circular patterns branching outward from the base of the altar.
Thanex felt a quiet chill creep up his spine.
One of the Resonants grabbed a crowbar from a nearby supply crate.
"Well," he said with a grin.
"Let's see what's inside."
He wedged the tool beneath the lid of one of the relic containers.
Metal scraped loudly against metal.
Thanex's stomach tightened.
Something about that sound felt wrong in the unnatural silence of the temple.
Valerius suddenly spoke.
"Stop."
The single word cut through the chamber like a blade.
The Resonant froze.
Everyone turned toward the Legate.
Valerius crouched slowly near the base of the altar.
His gloved fingers brushed across the cracked stone floor.
Then he lifted his hand and studied the faint dust coating his fingertips.
For the first time since entering the Rift, something changed in his expression.
Not fear.
But recognition.
"Interesting," he murmured quietly.
The Resonants exchanged confused looks.
"Legate?" one asked.
Valerius rose slowly.
His gaze swept across the altar, the crates, and the surrounding temple ruins.
Then his eyes moved toward the shattered ceiling far above.
Where faint purple light bled through the broken dome.
"The gate report listed this as a low-level Rift," Valerius said calmly.
A few Resonants nodded.
"That's what command said," one replied.
Valerius looked back at the cracked floor beneath the altar.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"I believe," he said slowly,
"That report was wrong."
The moment the words left his mouth—
The ground trembled.
At first it was subtle.
Just a faint vibration beneath their feet.
Thanex felt it immediately.
The cracks beneath the altar began to glow faintly.
Thin veins of pale light spreading through the fractured marble.
Like something waking beneath the temple floor.
One of the Resonants frowned.
"Uh… Legate?"
Then the entire chamber shook violently.
Stone groaned.
Dust rained from the ceiling.
The glowing cracks spread rapidly across the floor in widening circles.
And somewhere deep beneath the altar—
Something moved.
Thanex's heartbeat spiked.
His instincts screamed one thing.
Run.
But it was already too late.