The Riftborn Hunter

The Rift yawned open before them, a gaping wound in reality, its swirling core a deep, pulsing crimson. The temperature dropped the moment they crossed the threshold.

The shift was instant.

One moment, they were standing on cracked pavement under the city's dull skyline. The next, the air was thick with the scent of damp stone and something old

A cavern.

Not a simple underground structure, but an expanse. The walls stretched high, jagged rock formations twisting like the ribs of some ancient beast. Pillars of natural stone jutted from the ground, casting looming shadows under the flickering Riftlight. Pools of dark water shimmered between the paths, their depths unknown.

The space pulsed with unseen life.

Aiden's golden eyes flickered.

His vision adjusted instantly, drinking in the details beyond what should have been possible. The subtle shifts in the rock—places where something had moved recently. The faint scratches lining the cavern floor—claw marks.

They weren't alone.

Jenna took point, gun raised, her every movement deliberate. Behind her, the rest of the squad fanned out.

Kade was last to enter, grinning as he rolled his shoulders.

"Creepy little place," he mused. "Almost cozy."

No one responded.

Aiden kept his focus ahead.

His gut told him Kade wasn't interested in the Rift itself.

He was interested in what would happen inside it.

The first attack came fast.

A guttural snarl echoed through the cavern's depths—low, rumbling, predatory.

Aiden didn't hesitate.

His golden sight flared—just for a fraction of a second, enough to catch the shifting air, the ripple of motion in the darkness before the creature even emerged.

He moved—body tilting to the side just as something massive slashed through the space where he had been standing.

A clawed limb, jagged and stone-plated, crashed into the ground with a deafening crack.

Then the beast landed.

It was monstrous—easily the size of a full-grown tiger but built for subterranean warfare. Thick black stone armored its body, jagged along the spine like natural plating. Its glowing red eyes burned in the dark, tracking movement like a predator locked onto its prey. Its throat vibrated, a deep, guttural growl rolling out, sending vibrations through the cavern walls.

Then came the second.

The third.

They dropped from the cavern ceiling, their talons scraping against the rock as they landed in formation, their bodies shifting in a way that wasn't random. They were intelligent.

Aiden's grip on his dagger tightened.

The squad moved.

Bang! Bang!

Jenna's pistol fired twice—the gunfire ricocheting sharply off the cavern walls. Her rounds slammed against the lead beast's skull—only to flatten on impact.

"Armor's too thick!" she snapped.

Kellan and Royce surged forward, flanking the creatures from both sides.

Kellan swung first, his axe carving through the air—only to scrape off the beast's plating with a high-pitched screech. The creature barely reacted, twisting its body in retaliation.

Royce's spear lunged forward next, aimed at the underbelly—but the monster jerked back, avoiding the strike.

Aiden was already moving.

He vanished.

A single step—and then he was gone.

One moment, he was standing at the squad's edge.

The next—

He reappeared behind the lead beast, his dagger flashing in the dim light.

Not the armored plating.

Not the reinforced bone.

The throat. The weak point.

His blade sliced cleanly across the narrow gap between jaw and chest.

Golden sparks crackled along the edge of the wound.

The creature convulsed, a strangled snarl dying in its throat. Its limbs locked up as if some unseen force had just severed its control over its body.

It collapsed.

Aiden landed lightly, his breath even.

Silence.

The others stared.

That wasn't a normal attack.

That was precision. Instinct. Foresight.

Even among experienced Hunters, nobody moved like that.

Jenna's brow furrowed.

Kade's grin widened.

Aiden ignored him.

This wasn't over.

They pushed deeper into the cavern, cutting through more of the stone-plated creatures that lurked within the tunnels. The fights were vicious, but efficient. The squad adapted, learning how to target the gaps in the creatures' armor.

Even Kade finally started fighting.

And that was where the problem started.

He was too aggressive.

Aiden noticed it immediately.

Kade wasn't just fighting to clear a path. He was directing the battle.

Each time they engaged, Kade maneuvered the fights in a single direction.

At first, it wasn't obvious.

It looked natural—like he was simply adjusting his position in the fight.

But Aiden saw it.

He was herding them.

Trying to create distance between them and Jenna.

Trying to separate him.

Kade didn't just want to fight him.

He wanted to fight him alone.

Aiden exhaled slowly.

Alright, then.

If that was how Kade wanted to play this…

Then Aiden would let him think he was winning.

It happened in an instant.

A fresh wave of creatures descended from the cavern ceiling, dropping like shadowed nightmares.

Jenna reacted immediately.

Bang. Bang. Bang.

Gunfire lit up the cavern as she pivoted, cutting through the ambush. The others held formation, engaging without hesitation.

And then—

Kade moved.

Aiden felt it before it happened.

A sharp, deliberate shift—Kade breaking formation, surging ahead.

Right toward him.

Aiden dodged, skirting back just in time—only to see Jenna blocked by another beast.

She had no line of sight.

The others were locked in their own fights.

And just like that—

It was just him and Kade.

Aiden turned—too late.

Kade's blade was already moving.

A flash of steel.

A split-second decision—

Aiden twisted, ducking just before the dagger carved toward his throat.

The blade missed—but barely.

The air shook with the force of the attack, a near-silent whisper of steel slicing through the space where his neck had been.

Aiden landed lightly, exhaling.

Kade smiled.

"Looks like we're on our own, huh?"

Aiden rolled his shoulders.

The fight had already started.