Silence pressed against Quinn's ears—thick, buzzing, suffocating.
It felt like the whole world had inhaled and was waiting to see what happened next.
The silhouette in the doorway didn't move.
Didn't blink.
Just stood there, framed by the crooked compound gate and the violet-stained sky. Dust drifted lazily through the ruined room like ghost-mist around him.
Riley swallowed, loud enough to echo.
"Uh… that's not Grandma… right?"
Quinn didn't answer.
He couldn't.
The voice came again—calm, cold, and clinical.
"I said don't move."
The man stepped fully into the wrecked living room.
He wore a black tactical coat reinforced with armor plates lined in faint electric-blue circuitry. A sleek visor covered his eyes, its surface shifting with unreadable data streams.
And stamped across his chest:
NEXUS FOUNDATION.
Quinn's stomach dropped.
The agent scanned the room—wreckage, scorch marks, shattered shelves, the creature Quinn had fought. His visor hummed softly, analyzing.
Then it fixed on Quinn.
"You."
The voice didn't rise or fall; it just cut.
"Identify yourself."
Quinn's mouth felt dry. "I—I live here."
"Correction," the agent replied. "You lived here. This zone was compromised. Citizens were ordered to evacuate."
Riley muttered, "Well, yeah, maybe because your cosmic spaghetti portal exploded—"
The agent raised a hand. Instant silence.
Quinn stepped subtly in front of Riley. "We're not causing trouble."
"That remains to be determined."
The agent approached, each step measured. Quinn felt tension coil in his spine—like a reflex, like something deep inside him braced for another fight.
The visor swept over Quinn from head to toe.
A soft beep.
Then another.
The agent stopped.
"…What did you interact with?"
Quinn blinked. "What does that mean?"
"Your bio-signature is unstable. Elevated. You're radiating non-human energy traces."
A beat.
"You're resonating with the Rift."
Riley pointed shakily. "Bro… you're literally glowing. Look."
Quinn stared at his hands.
A faint blue light pulsed under his skin—like neon veins flickering just beneath the surface.
He hadn't even noticed it.
The agent's hand drifted toward his sidearm. "Step away from the creature."
Quinn stiffened. "Why?"
"To determine if you've been altered. If Rift contamination reached your system, protocol requires containment."
Riley snapped, "Containment?! He just saved my life!"
"Exactly," the agent said flatly. "Which makes him unpredictable."
Tension thickened the room.
Quinn swallowed. "Something happened when that thing attacked. A… screen appeared. I don't know what's wrong with me."
The agent paused.
"A screen?"
He angled his head, interest replacing hostility.
"Explain."
Before Quinn could speak, the blue system flickered alive again.
[WARNING: HIGH-LEVEL ENTITY DETECTED]
[Distance: 42 meters]
Quinn's breath hitched.
"What entity—?"
At the same moment, the agent's visor beeped sharply.
He stiffened. "No. Not this soon."
A low vibration rippled through the floorboards—like thunder crawling underground.
Outside, birds scattered violently. The sky pulsed, purple streaks widening like an open wound.
Riley pressed himself against the wall. "Nahhh… this is giving demon-time vibes."
The agent moved to the doorway, tapping his communicator. "Central, Unit 11. Large distortion detected near Sector 4B. Request immediate—"
The ground BOOMED.
The house lurched.
A cabinet toppled.
Dust rained from the ceiling.
Quinn grabbed Riley, pulling him away from falling debris. The agent stumbled but regained balance quickly.
Something massive moved outside—shadows stretching across the neighboring buildings. A hulking form lumbered into partial view.
The agent cursed under his breath.
"What is that?" Quinn whispered.
"A Class B Rift Beast," the agent answered, voice grim. "You two need to leave. Now."
Riley threw his hands up. "Leave to WHERE, sir?! The whole world is glitching!"
But the agent didn't look back.
He drew a compact rifle, its barrel glowing with condensed blue energy.
"You don't understand," he said. "These things are scouts. If a B-Class appeared this soon after the Wave, then—"
A bone-shaking ROAR rattled the street, windows, and Quinn's ribs.
The agent finished quietly:
"—the real invasion has already begun."
Quinn felt something stir inside him.
Not just fear.
Not just panic.
Something sharper. Something focused. Something protective.
His vision flickered blue.
[Combat Readiness Detected]
[Overdrive Cooldown: Complete]
The agent turned slightly.
"You. Quinn."
He said the name like he had read it off a screen hovering around Quinn's body.
"You stay behind me and do exactly what I say."
Quinn hesitated. "Why should I trust you?"
The agent didn't turn around.
"Because if you don't, that thing will kill all three of us in under sixty seconds."
Another roar tore through the street—closer now.
Louder.
Hungrier.
Riley gripped Quinn's arm. "Bro… please. Don't freeze this time."
Quinn inhaled shakily.
The fear didn't vanish.
But it sharpened.
And when the Rift Beast finally stepped into full view—
Covered in shifting violet plates.
Massive horns curving like broken crescents.
Eyes burning hot and amethyst-bright.
A presence that made the air itself vibrate—
Quinn made his decision.
He stepped forward.
The system reacted instantly:
[User Decision Logged]
[Adaptive Sync: Increasing…]
[Skill Evolution Threshold Approaching]
The Rift Beast snarled.
The agent raised his rifle.
Riley whispered the fastest prayer of his life.
And Quinn's eyes lit with fierce, electric blue.
---
The battle for this new world had officially begun.