The wind howled as Steven emerged from the Oracle's realm.
No portal. No fanfare.
Just presence.
His feet touched solid ground—an obsidian cliff overlooking a shattered ocean of stars. Below him, a chasm stretched endlessly, glowing with veins of violet and crimson energy that pulsed like a heartbeat.
The Rift.
The place where reality wore thin.
Steven could feel it already—the futures she'd shown him. Flickers of lives he hadn't lived. Paths he hadn't taken. Faces he hadn't yet met… or had already lost.
"Focus."
He spoke aloud to anchor himself.
The Codex trembled again, reacting to the rift's raw magic. It wasn't pain this time—it was awareness.
Something… else was here.
A shadow moved through the rift.
Tall. Armored in jagged plates. Its eyes were burning cracks of violet flame. It carried no weapon—because it was the weapon.
"Rift-Touched," Steven whispered.
The creature stepped forward, its form flickering with unstable energy.
It spoke with a voice like a chorus of distorted echoes.
"You walk paths not meant for mortals. You wear the Codex… and the curse."
Steven raised his staff, voice steady. "And you're guarding something."
"I am what remains of those who tried to rewrite the end. Those who failed."
Steven frowned. "You're not here to stop me."
The creature paused.
"No. I'm here to test you."
Without warning—it charged.
A sonic boom tore across the cliffside.
Steven barely raised a barrier in time—the force slammed into him like a meteor, hurling him backward into the jagged rock. Pain lanced through his ribs.
"Fast—!" he hissed.
He blinked—and the Rift-Touched was behind him.
Too late.
Its claw raked across his side, tearing cloth and flesh.
Steven screamed, rolling away. Blood smeared the rock.
The Codex lit up again—automatically casting a stasis bubble around him.
"Don't rely on me," a voice echoed from the book.
His future self?
No time to think.
Steven stood, blood dripping down his arm, and raised his staff.
"Codex Protocol: Stellar Bind!"
Chains of light erupted from the air, snaking around the Rift-Touched—but they froze mid-motion.
"No—!"
"We are born of broken time," the Rift-Touched growled. "Your spells are too stable."
The creature slammed both fists into the ground—reality fractured.
Chunks of existence tore upward like shattered glass.
Steven ducked, leapt from floating debris, and fired a barrage of arcane missiles—half phased through the Rift-Touched, the others deflected by its shifting aura.
He landed, panting.
"He's not invincible…" he muttered. "But he's unstuck. Like… probability incarnate."
He glanced at the Codex.
A page turned on its own.
A spell he hadn't written.
"Chrono-Anchor…?"
A rush of intuition filled him.
"Of course."
He slammed his hand on the page.
Magic erupted.
Blue runes encased the Rift-Touched, forming a beacon beneath its feet.
The creature froze—just slightly.
"What… is this?"
"Your tether," Steven said. "I'm making you choose a moment."
The creature shrieked—not in pain, but in clarity.
Its form began to stabilize.
Steven didn't hesitate.
"Codex Protocol: Starbrand Detonation!"
He launched forward, golden energy spiraling around him like a comet, and struck the Rift-Touched dead center.
A brilliant explosion tore through the Rift, sending shockwaves across dimensions.
When the light faded, the creature was kneeling.
Burned. Stable. Dying.
Steven approached cautiously.
The Rift-Touched looked up.
And smiled.
"You… passed."
Steven stared, wary. "What was the test?"
"To see… if you could bring order to chaos. Like the one before you."
Steven's breath caught. "Who?"
The Rift-Touched crumbled into ash—but not before whispering:
"The First Starcaster."
Steven stood in silence as the ashes scattered into the rift.
The Codex glowed again.
A new page appeared.
Title:
"The Starforge."
His next destination was set.
---
(To be continued)