The air around the Rift of Lost Souls crackled with dark energy, a jagged scar in reality itself. Mist curled around the edges of the twisted entrance, whispering secrets and sorrows of the countless souls lost within. As the group stood at its threshold—Renzo, Jinsei, Maiya, Ryuu, and Tetsu—the weight of their mission pressed down like a storm cloud overhead.
"We go in together," Ryuu said, his tone sharp and focused. "No one splits off. Watch each other's backs. The Rift doesn't play fair."
Renzo cracked his knuckles, his newly healed arm pulsing with readiness. "We're bringing him back. No matter what's in there."
With a nod, they stepped forward—and were immediately swallowed by the darkness.
Inside, the Rift twisted around them like a labyrinth of nightmares. Jagged stone spires jutted from the ground, glowing faintly with corrupted energy. The oppressive silence shattered when the first wave of beasts surged forward—monstrous amalgamations of bone, smoke, and shadow. Fifteen in total, one greater than the rest—its eyes a burning crimson, watching from the far end like a sentient death sentence.
The battle began.
Maiya darted forward without hesitation. "For Daddy!" she yelled, forming twin blades of radiant blue energy in her small hands. She was fast—unnaturally so. With a blur of motion, she slipped between two creatures, slicing clean through their warped necks. They crumbled into ash before they even realized they were dead.
"That's two!" Jinsei shouted, awe and urgency in his voice.
Renzo followed with raw power. His fists blazed with Will energy, smashing into three beasts that lunged toward him. The first shattered under his knuckles, the second screeched before being flung into a wall of spikes, and the third tried to escape—but Renzo leapt forward, bringing his foot down with crushing force. "Three down."
Jinsei tapped into his speed, his body a blur as he danced between claws and jaws. His blade spun, clean and precise—one strike to the spine, another to the throat. Two more fell, twitching violently before dissolving into mist.
Ryuu focused his Will into a single devastating sword slash, wind and flame converging as he bisected a hulking beast mid-roar. "One," he muttered, breathing heavily. "Still got it."
By the time the eighth beast disintegrated, the battlefield was still swarming. The remaining monsters hissed and shrieked in frustration—smarter now, more coordinated. The red-eyed boss hadn't moved yet, but its looming presence made the air heavier with each passing second.
Tetsu narrowed his eyes. "They're adapting. This place… it's alive. We need to finish them before the Rift messes with our minds."
Maiya gritted her teeth, her aura flaring. "Then let's hurry. We're not leaving without Daddy."
As they regrouped, standing over the remains of the eight fallen beasts, the boss stirred in the distance, rising to its full height—a towering amalgam of steel and black mist, crowned with horns and eyes of burning hate.
Renzo clenched his fists, sweat rolling down his brow. "Seven more… and one monster bigger than the rest."
Jinsei readied his blade again. "Good. We're just getting started."
And in the background, as if responding to their determination, a faint flicker of golden light pulsed from the center of the Rift—the Cleansing Elixir, still waiting, still possible.