This was a strange situation.

Nox could clearly see that Skye was not human...at least, not anymore.

Her skin was visibly falling off and she was getting paler by the second, but unlike what he expected, she didn't seem to be putting on an act.

It seemed she truly believed that she was human and her dread seemed so real, which caused him to believe one of two things.

Either there was an Eclipsed in this rift capable of erasing memories or one capable of reanimating humans.

Or maybe one capable of both.

"I...I remember now," Skye raised her eyes to meet his and he noticed that they had gone blank.

Her skin had also peeled off in a couple of places, which Nox guessed was because she left the barrier.

Though, he still kept his distance and was ready to teleport away just in case this trap, but he still let her speak.

***

[7 years Ago, Solara Prime Center.]

It was a day like any other.

People went about their day, as usual, completely assured of their safety under the barrier which blanketed the entire city.

Unlike those in the slums who needed to be on edge every second, the people of Solara Prime could live freely without worrying about rifts or Eclipsed..

Until today.

No one expected it, but they all felt it seconds before it happened. A massive pressure suddenly fell on those around the central plaza.

And with it, what sounded as if glass was shattering was heard, before they actually had the chance to see what was happening.

A fracture appeared in space and it got larger by the second, leaking both cold air and a dark miasma.

It was a rift, and it had appeared right inside Solara Prime, something which shouldn't have been possible thanks to the barrier.

Alarms blared across the entire city and it immediately entered lockdown, civilians being ushered underground while drones swarmed the sky.

Skye, who was doing some shopping nearby was the first to respond.

Her boots were activated with SE as she vaulted off a railing, landing hard beside a dozen others clad in Solar Knight gear.

Thirteen of them.

"How the hell had that thing appeared right in the middle of the city?" Flint, who was the one leading the other solar knights, said.

With a frown, he turned to the newly arrived Skye, wanting to say something, but he just sighed and asked, "do you have all your gear on you?'

Skye didn't answer just yet, instead, she was staring at the rift which, for some reason, was giving her a sense of dread.

She then turned back to Flint and showed her watch, "I do."

"Great," he nodded before turning to the rest, "the military ordered us to check it out and clear it if needed."

They nodded in understanding before turning to look back at the rift, though it wasn't big, maybe tier 2 at most, but they still felt something wrong with it.

Flint grinned, trying to lighten the mood. "At least this one's in the city. Means it can't be that bad."

She glanced at him. "You just jinxed us."

"Alright then," Flint stepped forward, "let's clear this place and head back to our vacation."

The others stepped in after him, but what they didn't realize was, the moment the walked it, the space folded on itself and the rift soon disappeared.

***

The other side was a forest.

They were so tall that the team thought it was the reason the forest was dark...that is, until they looked up at the sky and realized that they were blanketed by endless darkness hanging above.

"Keep your guard up," Flint said, "watch each other's back and do not fucking run off into the forest on your own."

The team slowly moved forward into the forest, in aims of finding the boss Eclipsed and getting the hell out of here.

****

"Is that all there is?" Flint muttered, after one of the other solar knights took down yet another Nightling.

They were only tier 1s, their use of umbra energy pushed them to tier 2, but that was it.

For radiant knights, these Eclipsed were barely a challenge for them. But Skye just had a frown on her face.

One that got darker the deeper they went.

Rifts always had a variety of Eclipsed since this was basically their realm, but the lack of it either meant that this rift was weaker than they expected,

Or there was an even bigger danger waiting ahead.

"I think we should try and call for backup," She turned to Flint and said, "I think something's wrong with this rift."

Flint placed a hand on his chin, looked at the other solar knights, before sighing. It was true that there was something wrong here, after all, a rift wasn't supposed to only have a single type of Eclipsed.

But then again, he was sure that they wouldn't encounter something that they couldn't handle.

After all, they were each at Radiant rank. They would be good as long as the Eclipsed they encountered wasn't above tier 4.

Flint shook his head. "We'll clear a bit more. If we don't find the boss Eclipsed soon, then we pull back and request support."

Skye didn't like it, but she nodded anyway. Orders were orders, and Flint had led them through worse situations before.

They continued deeper into the forest and the trees just got denser but they still didn't encounter an Eclipsed that wasn't a Nightling.

Well, until they came upon something strange.

It was when they saw a clearing and at its center stood a small wooden structure, crooked and weathered, it was a hut.

A faint orange glow could be seen from within, probably coming from a lamp

"A cabin?" one of the knights muttered.

"In a rift?" another said, his confusion evident on his face. "That's new."

Skye immediately felt her stomach drop.

"Don't go near it," she said immediately. "That's not right."

Before Flint could respond, the door of the hut creaked open and an old woman stepped out.

"Oh my," the woman said gently, her voice trembling like a grandmother's. "Visitors? It's been so long."

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