Silence.
For the first time since everything began—
It felt… normal.
Too normal.
The street had been cleared.
The damage covered.
The cracks in reality—
Gone.
Like nothing ever happened.
Danny stood near the school gate, staring at the sky.
Blue.
Clear.
Peaceful.
"…It's weird," he said quietly.
Abby stood beside him, arms crossed.
"You expected explosions?"
Danny shook his head slightly.
"…No."
A pause.
"…I expected something."
Ren leaned against the wall nearby, hands in his pockets.
"…That's because something is coming."
Danny sighed.
"…You're not helping."
Ren smirked.
"I'm not supposed to."
Abby's eyes narrowed slightly.
"He's right."
Danny looked at her.
"…Don't start too."
She didn't look away.
"You disrupted the system."
A pause.
"Something like that doesn't just… go quiet."
Danny looked back at the sky.
"…Yeah."
He clenched his fist slightly.
"…I figured."
A faint breeze passed through.
But this time—
Danny felt it.
That same subtle shift.
Not from above.
From around them.
"…It's starting," he muttered.
Abby felt it too.
Her expression sharpened instantly.
"…This isn't the same."
Ren pushed himself off the wall.
"…No."
A pause.
"It's different."
The air warped—
But not like a Rift.
Not like a tear.
It spread.
Like cracks forming across glass.
Except—
They weren't in the sky.
They were everywhere.
Danny's eyes widened.
"…What is that…?"
The world around them—
Flickered.
For a split second—
The street changed.
Different buildings.
Different layout.
Different… reality.
Then—
It snapped back.
Abby took a step back.
"…No way…"
Ren's expression turned serious.
"…He really broke it."
Danny frowned.
"…Broke what?"
Ren looked at him.
"…The separation."
Silence.
Another flicker.
Longer this time.
The sky—
Turned red.
Buildings—
Collapsed.
Voices—
Screamed.
Then—
Back to normal.
Danny's breathing slowed.
"…That wasn't an illusion…"
Abby shook her head slowly.
"No."
A pause.
"That was another reality."
Danny's heart dropped.
"…You're saying…"
Ren finished it.
"…The worlds are overlapping now."
Silence.
Danny looked around.
At the street.
At the people walking by—
Completely unaware.
"…They don't see it…"
Abby nodded.
"Not yet."
A pause.
"But they will."
Another flicker.
Stronger.
This time—
Something remained.
A crack.
Floating in the air.
Not disappearing.
Staying.
Danny stepped closer.
"…This is new…"
The crack pulsed slightly.
And from within it—
Something moved.
Abby's voice dropped.
"…Don't touch it."
Danny stopped.
"…Wasn't planning to."
The crack widened slightly.
Then—
A hand—
Reached through.
Not distorted.
Not monstrous.
Human.
Danny's eyes widened.
"…Wait…"
The hand grabbed the edge—
And pulled—
A figure stepped out.
A boy.
Same age.
Same uniform.
Same…
Face.
Danny froze.
"…No way…"
The boy looked at him.
Equally shocked.
"…You…"
A pause.
"…Why do you look like me?"
Silence.
Abby's eyes widened.
Ren exhaled slowly.
"…Yeah."
A pause.
"Volume 2 just started."
The crack behind the other Danny—
Didn't close.
It expanded.
And from within it—
More shapes moved.
Different worlds.
Different versions.
Different outcomes.
All—
Colliding.
Danny clenched his fists.
"…What did I just start…?"
No one answered.
Because the answer—
Was already unfolding.
To Be Continued.