On an old wooden bench, surrounded by grass growing at its own pace, sat a boy with hair black as night and eyes the color of gold—dim, like extinguished suns. He held a cup of coffee in his cold hands while gazing up at the sky.
Up there… toward that immense rift with golden edges, slicing through the blue sky like an ancient wound that never truly closed.
People passed by without paying him any mind, as if the rift didn't exist, as if it no longer meant anything. And maybe that was true… after all, it had always been there. How could one fear what's already part of the scenery?
I looked down at my left wrist, where a cracked watch—relic from another time—read 7:46 a.m. The moment I saw the time, a chill ran down my spine, and suddenly the world felt heavier.
"I'm way too late!"
I'd lost myself staring at the rift, like so many times before. That wound in the sky seemed to have the power to absorb time, and like a fool, I had fallen under its spell again. I had forgotten that today was the admission exam for the Academy of Professionals.
In a desperate gesture, I tossed the coffee cup into the nearest trash can, sprang to my feet, and took off running through the narrow city streets. I dodged faces and bodies like a ghost that didn't want to be touched.
As I ran, without noticing, I almost knocked over an old man's coffee tray.
"Watch it!" he shouted with a firm voice.
It was Mr. Doss, with his thick gray beard and imposing figure. He ran a coffee stand near my house. As an old friend of my father, he always offered me a kind smile and warm bread at a laughable price.
I turned back to look at him."Sorry, Mr. Doss! I'm late!""Good luck, Bill!" he called out, raising his arm with a warm smile that, in that moment, felt painfully familiar."Thanks!" I replied without stopping, flashing a half-smile drenched in guilt.
I ran like I could outrun the anxiety, the fear of failure… and maybe something else.
Just before turning a corner, a small shadow appeared on the ground. I looked up, and a cat—with claws like blades—leapt straight at my face. I felt the sting of its claws tearing at my skin and hair.
"Ouch! Damn it! Let go, you ugly cat!"
For a moment, it seemed to pause, staring at me with mocking calm, then attacked again with even more fury. I managed to pull it off with effort, leaving behind scratches and a nearly comical humiliation. I kept running, furious and wounded, mumbling:
"What did I do, steal its kittens or something?"
With a scratched face, messy hair, and drenched in sweat, I finally reached the academy. I tried to catch my breath, but before I could, I heard my name.
"Bill Rusel," called the assistant, with round glasses and a formal outfit."Here!" I replied, trying to look as presentable as possible.
I walked to my seat like an exhausted ghost, feeling eyes fixed on me. Some looked surprised, others amused… and some were simply indifferent.
I sat down, ignoring everything except the sheet in front of me. I took a deep breath. I had to focus. I couldn't fail. Not after everything my mother had done to give me this chance.
"Focus," I told myself, like a desperate mantra.
[What are the main cities and who are their respective rulers?]
"Heh... this one's easy," I thought, faking confidence.
"Daemon... Krorlan... and Sky... The City in the Sky..."
…
"…I hope I passed." I left the classroom with a sunken heart and a downcast expression.
"Sometimes I wonder if this is really the right path. Everything at home gets heavier each day… and my mom carries it all alone."
I walked home with slumped shoulders and a lost gaze.
My father... He was a pilot for Daemon City's forces. When I was ten, he flew into the sky as we watched him disappear. That sky that seemed so vast... and so cruel.
The three cities—Daemon, Krorlan, and Sky—waged absurd wars. For power, for fear, for the Rift. My father died in the last great war, crashing his ship against the edge of that celestial abyss, as if he wanted to break through… or simply escape.
They say his body disintegrated with the ship, in an explosion of metal and flesh. My mother never told me that, of course. She wrapped the tragedy in a merciful lie.
Back then, bodies fell from the sky so often that the sea turned red. An image that never fades.
The Rift is still there, suspended in the sky like a reminder of all that's been lost. Many have tried to understand it. Some fear it. Others believe it's a promise. But the truth is no one knows what it is. A punishment. A miracle. An omen.
And still… people have learned to ignore it.
Like we learn to ignore pain that never goes away.
…
When I saw the white door with plants climbing up its sides, I felt a jolt of relief. The walk from the academy to home, after a marathon exam, had left me nauseous and exhausted.
I could've taken the bus, sure. But that's a luxury for a few—and I'm not one of them.
With all the expenses, university, my siblings' schooling, and the never-ending emergencies, saving every coin is a must.
The money my father left lasted for a while, used carefully… but during wartime, education becomes a luxury when you're missing food on the table.
Still, I crossed the threshold with a slight smile on my lips.
The smell of freshly made food welcomed me the moment I stepped inside. I walked to the kitchen, and there she was: my mother. Liz.
A woman with a tired but serene face, black hair streaked with subtle strands of white. Her pale skin was marked by the dark circles beneath her calm blue eyes.
She was serving plates with what looked like a piece of chicken and a generous portion of rice.
"How was your exam?" she asked, without fully looking at me.
"Way too easy," I replied, crossing my arms and lifting my chin, faking confidence.
She raised an eyebrow."Are you sure?"
I gulped."Ahh... you caught me," I sighed, lowering my gaze.
"No… it started well, but got tricky near the end..."
She paused and looked at me in silence. Her eyes weren't just calm anymore: they held worry, but also strength.
"Mom, I… I did what I could."
She came over and lifted my chin with two fingers, making me look straight at her. My pale face, scratched and chapped, contrasted with the calm firmness in her gaze.
"I don't care if you didn't pass. If you gave it your all, then there's nothing more to do—except try again. But don't trip over the same stone twice. Do it until you make it. Understand?"
I stayed still for a second, not knowing what to say. Her voice wasn't harsh, but firm—one of those voices that echo in your chest.
"Yes, Mom," I finally replied, in a low but determined voice.
She smiled with the kind of peace only tired mothers know how to project.
"Besides, it's not like you've failed yet. Sit down—before the food gets cold. Ana and Lucas will be home any minute."
I let myself fall into the chair, finally feeling my body begin to relax. That small moment was enough to ease the weight of the day.
Just as I settled into the chair, we heard the front door creak.
A soft laugh and quick footsteps filled the air.
"We're home!" a high-pitched voice called from the entrance.
Ana walked into the kitchen, full of that boundless energy she always had. She was thirteen, with big blue eyes and a smile so contagious it made you forget all your worries.
Her reddish-brown hair was tied in a high ponytail that bounced with each step.
Behind her, moving slower but with just as much enthusiasm, was Lucas, eleven. His black hair fell messily over his forehead, and his golden eyes carried a rare mix of sweetness and mischief. A fresh bruise marked his left cheek, but he smiled like it was nothing.
They both burst into the kitchen like little hurricanes. As soon as they smelled the food, their faces lit up even more.
"Smells amazing!" Ana said, practically drooling.
Lucas dove into his seat while I watched them with a smile that barely masked my exhaustion.
Ana shot me a mischievous look."So? How was the exam, big brother?"
I straightened up, trying to regain some pride."Excellent, if I'm being honest," I said with a cocky smirk.
They both stared at me for a moment, squinting suspiciously.
"Seriously!?" they asked in unison, wearing the same skeptical look.
I sighed, remembering the talk with Mom, and lowered my gaze."…No."
There was a brief silence.
Then they both burst out laughing.
"We knew it!" Ana said between giggles."Your 'I'm fine' face always gives you away!" Lucas added, covering his mouth.
I joined the laughter, though with a hint of indignation.
But that moment, that brief instant of jokes and smiles, felt like a warm breath in the chaos of daily life.
"And you two?" I asked, curious. "How was the fight?"
Ana and Lucas exchanged glances with that silent sibling complicity, then looked back at me with mischievous smiles.
Lucas nodded proudly while Ana replied:
"Let's just say… that other kid won't recognize himself in the mirror for a few days."
More laughter followed. Mom, now serving the plates at the table, gave us a sharp look.
"Oh, come on!" she exclaimed, giving each of us a light smack on the head. It didn't hurt—more symbolic than anything. A loving warning.
She raised an eyebrow."Eat, before I regret cooking for you!"
We all went quiet for a second... then burst out laughing again as we started serving ourselves.
In that instant, the world outside those walls felt very far away.
…
Later that night, after dinner, I lay down on my bed.
My room was dim, lit only by the pale glow of the Rift through the window.
I closed my eyes, replaying the day:
Getting hypnotized by the Rift, the coffee mishap with Mr. Doss, the ugly cat attack, the exam… and finally, dinner full of laughter with Mom, Ana, and Lucas.
It had definitely been a strange day… but also a good one.
With that thought, I let sleep embrace me.
…
"My body feels strange," I thought, within the warmth of sleep.
It was like my soul was slowly detaching from my body. I tried to open my eyes, move my arms… but nothing responded.
My body was paralyzed.
I floated.
In a black space, with no ground or sky. Just emptiness.
Panic grew inside me. I began writhing in the air, desperate to understand what was happening.
Then suddenly, I managed to open my eyes.
Gasping, sweating, heart pounding as if trying to break free from my chest, I looked around.
White clouds surrounded me and… piercing through them was something I'd only seen from the ground.
It was there.
The Rift.
But this time, not high above in the sky.
It was right in front of me.
Just meters away, its golden edges crackling like contained lightning.
"What… what is this…?" I whispered, my voice trembling.
Without warning, a searing pain shot through my stomach.
Bluaaahg.
I vomited blood and viscera. Like my insides were falling apart.
Pain took over my body like an uncontrollable storm.
I curled up, clutching my abdomen, unsure if I was floating or grounded on some invisible floor.
Then I looked up—and I saw it.
A shadow.
Human-shaped, tall, broad. Standing right in the center of the Rift.Motionless. Watching me.
I crawled toward it. I don't know why. Maybe for help. Maybe trying to cross the Rift, to escape the pain, the agony of being here.
Each meter I advanced, the pain worsened.
Blood dripped from my mouth.
But I was so close…
Then came a tremor.
At first gentle, like a soft breath.
Then another.
Stronger.
I froze.
The world—if I was still in one—stood still.
There was no more sound. Just the rumbling of that invisible quake.
The sky, the void—everything trembled.
The silhouette was no longer a shadow.
It didn't even look human.
A chill ran down my spine as I realized what I was seeing.
It wasn't a person.
It was a colossal giant.
Over a hundred meters tall.
Gray, cracked skin covered in blisters like it had been boiled alive.
Arms like tree trunks, legs that shook the void with every step.
On its forehead, a single black eye. Deep as an abyss, staring at me with monstrous indifference.
Below it, two eyes sewn shut with thread.
And in its hand, a massive spiked club.
Broken shackles hung from its wrists, as if it had escaped some impossible prison.
I couldn't move.
I couldn't breathe.
I was frozen in that sky without a floor, reduced to an insect before an ancient, forgotten god.
The giant took a step.
Then another.
It walked straight toward me.
Its gaze pierced me. I could feel it reading every one of my thoughts.
Nothing was hidden.
Then, it raised its left foot.
A titanic foot descending… straight toward my head.
I shut my eyes, bracing for the end.
And then…
I opened my eyes with a jolt.
My bed.
My room.
The familiar darkness.
My face was drenched in sweat.
My chest ached, my body trembled, as if I truly had been crushed.
I sat up, panting.
I looked around, afraid I'd find the giant lurking somewhere.
But there was no one. Just the silence of night.
I walked to the window.
And there it was.
The Rift.
Still suspended in the sky.
But this time…
Something was different.
It was opening.
More and more.
Slowly, like the world itself was tearing apart.
The earth trembled.
The same tremor I felt in the dream.
I clenched my teeth, eyes locked on the sky.
The Rift kept growing.
And with it, a white and golden light began to filter through, as if the sun itself had shattered. It blinded my eyes, forcing me to cover them with one hand.
That was when I heard it.
A female voice—robotic, flawless.
"[Congratulations! You have successfully survived the... [error]]"
I froze.
"What...?" I whispered, unable to understand.
The voice continued, unfazed.
"[Subject eligible to enter the rift. Good luck!]"