The energy in the Hollow Rift was suffocating.
Ethan stood amidst the shattered remains of the marionette-like construct, the glow of its Rift core fading into embers. Zeila's daggers dripped with black ichor, and Kael's pulse rifle hissed with steam. The three of them stood in a loose triangle, surrounded by a dead silence that somehow felt more dangerous than the screech of the puppet.
At the center of the Hollow stood a ruin that didn't belong.
A monolith made of pale stone, engraved with ancient glyphs and sealed by a pulsing mark—the sigil of Evelyn Aster's final expedition team, the one that disappeared fifteen years ago.
Kael scanned it. "This place isn't just a rift-blasted zone. It's some kind of archive."
Zeila crouched by the base of the monolith, brushing ash and grime away to reveal a set of carved symbols. "These aren't beast runes. These are human."
Ethan stepped closer, drawn to the mark on the stone. His Beastmark pulsed. It didn't hurt—it resonated. The same frequency he'd felt when he discovered his mother's sealed journal back in Zone 7. That couldn't be a coincidence.
He placed his hand on the symbol.
A pulse of light flickered—and the monolith began to shift, splitting open with a low mechanical groan. Inside was a sealed vault. Dust-covered. Ancient. But intact.
Kael whistled. "Looks like your mother didn't die in vain."
Inside the vault was a small satchel—sealed with a fingerprint scanner and an old biometric lock. Ethan's heart skipped. It bore the initials E.A. Burned in carefully. His mother's.
He placed his hand on it.
Click.
The bag opened slowly, revealing:
A worn leather journal with the same glyphs from the stone engraved on its cover.
A vial of swirling, dark red Rift essence.
A folded letter. Addressed to Ethan.
Zeila gave him space.
Hands shaking, Ethan unfolded the letter. The ink was faded, but still legible.
Ethan,
If this has reached you, then you've found what they wanted. I hope you never had to, but knowing your father... I had to leave this behind.
The Beastmark was never just a curse. It was born from something older—something the Bonebound now seek to control. If they awaken it, the Rifts won't just bleed. They'll consume.
This vial holds a seed. It's alive. And dangerous. Protect it.
And Ethan… I'm so sorry. For everything.
Love,
—Mom.
He stared at the letter until the ink blurred through his tears. The Rift wind howled softly behind him, as if echoing her voice from the past.
Kael looked over his shoulder. "You okay?"
"No," Ethan muttered. "But I know what we're fighting now."
Suddenly, the scanner beeped again. Hard.
"Something's coming," Zeila warned. "And it's not another puppet."
Out of the mist rose a figure—tall, plated in bone-black armor, its face hidden behind a twisted mask. The Bonebound lieutenant.
He spoke with a voice like rusted chains.
"You found the vault. That was not meant for you, Beastmarked."
Ethan stood tall, sword in hand, the vial sealed inside his coat. "She didn't leave it for you."
The Bonebound raised a hand, and Rift energy crackled to life. "She tampered with forces beyond your kind. Her son will die for her sins."
Zeila was already moving. "Ethan, go!"
But Ethan didn't run.
This wasn't just about survival anymore. It was about finishing what Evelyn Aster started.