"All civilians, evacuate the rift zone immediately. All civilians, evacuate the rift zone immediately."
The announcement blared over and over, echoing across the streets, cutting through the rising panic.
People moved fast.
Guides and lower-rank Espers, those cleared for evacuation support only, were pushing civilians back, directing them away from the danger zone, their voices strained, movements urgent.
Ahead, the sky had split.
A jagged tear hung suspended in midair, unstable, flickering at the edges like reality itself was struggling to hold together.
And from it, crawlers poured out.
Dozens of them, dropping, scrambling, spilling into the streets in erratic, twitching movements.
A group of A- and B-class Espers held the front line, but their numbers were barely enough to be effective.
