Home / Fantasy / STELLAR RIFT / Chapter 10: Echoes Beyond the Rift
Chapter 10: Echoes Beyond the Rift
Author: Kofo
last update2025-04-19 02:07:10

One month later.

The town had returned to normal—at least, on the outside.

Jett sat at the edge of the school rooftop, his feet dangling over the edge. The wind blew gently, rustling his hoodie. He watched the sunset paint the sky in orange and purple.

It should’ve felt like peace.

But part of him still felt empty.

Zane joined him, carrying two sodas. “You keep sneaking up here like a moody superhero.”

Jett chuckled softly. “Just thinking.”

Zane handed him a drink. “About Kael?”

Jett nodded. “I keep hoping… maybe he’s still out there. Somewhere.”

Orin climbed up next, holding a bag of chips. “The world almost ended, and you’re still emotional.”

“I’m allowed to miss someone,” Jett said.

“Yeah,” Orin said. “I miss him too.”

Kade showed up a few minutes later, quieter than the others. He had been different since the Rift collapsed. Calmer, wiser. He said he remembered lifetimes of echoes—shards of lost worlds that lived in his head now.

“Something strange is happening,” Kade said, sitting down.

“What now?” Zane asked.

Kade pulled out a small device—the broken remains of the Rift blade. It pulsed faintly with light.

“I thought everything was sealed,” Orin said.

“It is,” Kade replied. “But… something is calling me. Not like before. It’s gentle. Familiar.”

Jett looked at the pulsing light. “You think it’s him?”

Kade didn’t answer. He placed the device on the rooftop, and it started to float. A ring of energy formed around it.

Zane stepped back. “Okay, that’s not normal.”

A flicker of light shot out of the device—and formed a blurry shape.

At first, it was just a silhouette.

Then it sharpened.

Kael.

Not exactly the same.

His clothes were different. His eyes glowed with a softer light.

But it was him.

Jett froze. “Is that—?”

Kael smiled. “Hey, guys.”

Zane shouted, “NO WAY!”

Orin dropped his chips.

Kael laughed. “Miss me?”

Jett stepped forward. “How… how are you here?”

Kael pointed to his chest. “Turns out, keys don’t break. They just change. When I shut the Rift down, I didn’t vanish. I shifted. Became something else. A guide. An echo between worlds.”

“But the Rift is gone,” Kade said. “There are no more cracks.”

“Yeah,” Kael said. “But that doesn’t mean there aren’t new ones. A balance like that doesn’t disappear. It just moves.”

“What do you mean?” Orin asked.

Kael grew serious. “The shadow we fought was only one piece. The original Rift was designed to protect against many like it. You didn’t just shut it down. You inherited its job.”

They all stared at him.

Jett blinked. “You mean… we’re the new Rift guardians?”

Kael nodded. “You have the bond, the power, the heart. And now, the responsibility.”

Zane grinned. “Well, that’s way cooler than going back to class.”

Kael smiled. “I can’t stay. I’m not really ‘alive’ like you anymore. But I’ll be watching. And when you need me—I’ll be there.”

He stepped back, his form already fading.

“Wait,” Jett said. “Will we ever talk again?”

Kael winked. “Every time you dream.”

Then he was gone.

The light faded.

Silence returned.

But none of them felt sad.

Because they knew he wasn’t gone.

He had become something more.

A Week Later

They stood together on a hill at night, staring at the stars.

Above them, a faint crack shimmered in the sky.

Not dangerous.

Not evil.

Just… new.

Another world waiting.

Jett turned to the others.

“You guys ready?”

Zane cracked his knuckles. “Born ready.”

Orin adjusted his gear. “Let’s not mess it up this time.”

Kade opened a glowing portal with a smile. “Let’s see what’s out there.”

They stepped forward.

Into the unknown.

Together.

Because their story wasn’t over.

It was just the beginning

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  • Chapter 3: The Bioluminescent Forest

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  • Chapter 2: Into the Rift

    The night fell quickly on Velora, as it always did, with the sky deepening into an endless curtain of violet dotted with stars. The wind had died down, leaving the desert unnaturally still. The four boys sat in silence around the glowing shard, their minds buzzing with the strange, unexplainable events that had just unfolded.Kade kept his eyes fixed on the shard. It pulsed faintly, a slow and steady rhythm, like a heartbeat from a distant world. The blue light was no longer blinding, but it still carried an eerie energy that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. He could feel it in his bones—the rift in the sky above them, the crack in the fabric of their reality. It felt wrong, but also... inevitable.“We can’t leave it like this,” Kade said quietly, breaking the silence. He glanced at his companions.Jett, who had been pacing around the crater, his mind whirring with ideas, stopped and nodded. “I agree,” he said, rubbing his chin as he considered the situation. “This

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