[10:40 a.m. — Times Square]
The taxi arrived at their place. They got out and went up to the floor where they were living—not in a rush, but rather slowly. They reached the door; Leyra opened it and walked in with Micah. As usual, her parents weren't home, since both of them worked during the day, and they were no longer little kids who needed supervision like when they were younger.
"Are you going to shower first, or should I?" Leyra asked.
"You go ahead, then I'll go. I'll keep myself busy in the meantime."
"Hmm, alright. Then I'll go to my room and get undressed. Don't you dare peek, okay?" she said playfully.
"Relax ~" he replied calmly.
Meanwhile, Micah was still thinking about the carvings on the walls of that tunnel on the Island. Not out of trauma, but curiosity: if there was a way to bring or give life to something, even if it was imperfect according to those drawings.
And so, he kept thinking in his room, letting about ten minutes pass, until Leyra called out from outside in a loud voice:
"Bathroom's free, Micah!"
"Ah… yeah, sure. Coming ~" he answered.
He took off his clothes, staying in just his underwear. He wrapped a towel around his lower body, stepped out, and went to shower.
After a few more minutes, he came out, freshly showered, and went back to his room to put on clean clothes. By then, Leyra was already in her room, absorbed in her phone. Micah didn't think much of it. In fact, it comforted him—despite everything they'd gone through out there, she still seemed mentally stable… and so did he.
While Leyra stayed distracted in her room, Micah ended up falling asleep. About an hour passed and, in the middle of his sleep, he started having a nightmare: he saw the tunnel drawings move as if they were alive, while multiple voices whispered like distant echoes of memories.
He woke up with a start, body tense.
It wasn't the first time he'd had strange dreams, but this one was different. Clearer. More real.
He needed to go out for a bit. He walked to Leyra's room and, seeing her asleep, decided not to wake her. Then he returned to his room, wrote a brief note, and went back to leave it on her desk:
Went out for a bit. I'll be back soon. Don't worry.
He only took his jacket, a hoodie, and a cap. He left the apartment bundled up, though not entirely sure what he was going to do. Once outside, he decided to visit the director… maybe for personal reasons. He didn't remember the name of the street where the building was, but he did remember the name of the place.
He stood at the curb and raised his hand to hail a taxi.
"Good afternoon, please take me to the Activation Registration Center."
He got into the taxi, which headed straight to the building. With no traffic, they arrived in about 20 minutes.
Micah got out of the vehicle and closed the door behind him. As he climbed the stairs, the security guards eyed him with curiosity until he walked up and asked:
"Sorry to bother you… is the director still in his office?"
One of the guards narrowed his eyes, trying to place him, until he exclaimed:
"You're the kid who came a few hours ago with a girl! Right behind the director, weren't you?"
"Yeah. That's me~" Micah answered with a faint smile.
"The director is curren..." he started to say, but just then the same car that had brought the director the first time pulled up.
Out of the vehicle stepped none other than Director Claude Venner himself, who recognized Micah immediately upon seeing him.
"Well, looks like I've got a visitor ~" he said in a calm tone.
"I'd like to speak with you, Director. Tell you something… though I don't know if it's a good idea to do it here, in public."
Claude glanced at him sideways, trying to gauge if he was joking, but Micah's face was completely serious.
"Alright ~" he nodded firmly. "Let's talk inside the car."
He signaled to the driver to step out, which he did, without haste. Then both of them got into the vehicle.
Once inside, with the doors closed, Claude settled in and looked at him with interest.
"You can speak freely. No one will hear us in here. What's going on?"
Micah lowered his head a little, thoughtful, and said:
"I don't know where I should start..."
"I'm all ears," the director replied. "Take your time."
Micah stared at the back of the seat in front of him for a few seconds, took a deep breath, and then began to speak, eyes fixed ahead.
"It's about the Island… the one we crossed during the incursion."
Claude tilted his head slightly, attentive.
During the mission... in one of the tunnels," Micah continued, "I saw some carvings on the walls. They weren't normal marks. They were... figures. Like diagrams. They almost looked like rituals, or something similar to... a way of creating life. Although incomplete. Blurry. They caught my attention, but I didn't say anything at the time. I thought maybe I was imagining things.
Claude didn't interrupt him. He just looked at him in silence.
"I slept for a bit today, just after I got back. And I dreamed of them. Of the drawings. But this time... they were moving. Like they were trying to form something in front of me. There were many voices, Director. Whispers, like they came from deep inside my head. They weren't screams, they weren't clear. Just... echoes, without a body."
Claude frowned slightly.
"Do you think it was a hallucination?"
Micah shook his head.
"I don't know. But there's more. When we faced the Vigarth, and then looked back at that same tunnel... the drawings were gone. Not a single mark on the wall. As if they'd never existed."
A short silence followed. Micah lowered his voice a little.
"I'm not sure if the others noticed... I mean, Chief Rowan or Aeris. But I know they were there. I saw them. I don't know if they were real, or if... if they were only there to be seen for a moment and then disappear. As if they wanted to be seen. As if someone had to see them."
Claude crossed his arms, thoughtful. He didn't look scared, but completely focused.
"You say the voices didn't belong to anyone in particular. Do you think they could've been memories? Or something deeper?"
"I couldn't say," Micah replied, looking at his hands. "But I know it wasn't just any dream. This one... it was different from the others I've had. Clearer. More vivid."
Claude nodded, even more serious. He remained silent a few more seconds. He watched Micah as if evaluating not just his words, but also what lay behind them. Then, in a lower tone, he spoke:
"You know… there's something I've never said out loud. Ever since you came out of that rift for the first time, I knew you weren't a regular Riftwalker. Not even a standard one."
He paused briefly, lowering his gaze slightly.
"When I read your report a few hours ago, I was just trying to confirm what I was already thinking."
Micah looked up, saying nothing.
"You don't have a screen. You don't have a registered ability. And yet, you have physical endurance and strength that simply shouldn't be there. Your case... doesn't fit any pattern we've seen. And now this... the drawings, the voices. Micah, I have no reason not to believe you. Not after everything you've shown."
Silence returned for a moment. Claude sighed, then leaned back against the chair and crossed his arms.
"I'm going to make you a proposal. Maybe I'm giving you more attention than I usually give others. Maybe because, as I said, you're an exception."
Micah stared at him. Claude continued:
"Would you like to go back to that Island? This time, you wouldn't go with the same team. I'll send five Class E soldiers to ensure you're safer than you were with the Class F ones."
Micah took a few seconds to answer. He exhaled slowly and then spoke, keeping his eyes forward.
"Honestly… I don't know yet. Leyra usually follows me everywhere, but this time it was the other way around. I followed her, that's why we ended up crossing that rift for the first time. I'm not sure she'd agree to go back to that Island… after what we faced there, how close we came to not making it out."
He lowered his voice, more serious.
"Maybe, if I could talk to her first... explain everything properly. If she agrees, then we'll go back. And if you keep your word and assign us Class E soldiers, I suppose we'll be better prepared. I don't say it out of fear," he paused briefly, "I say it because I worry about her, even if I don't always show it."
Claude watched him in silence a few more seconds, expressionless but attentive. Finally, he nodded firmly.
"Alright. No pressure to decide now. Talk to her. Think it through."
He reached into his inner pocket and took out a small folded piece of paper. He also pulled out a silver pen and quickly wrote down a series of numbers. Then he handed it to Micah.
"This is my number, so don't worry, she won't be caught off guard. If she agrees, come back. And I'll make the necessary arrangements to send you with a more capable squad. Class E soldiers, as I said. I don't want you to be unprotected again against something like that Vigarth."
Micah took the paper with a grateful look, though he said nothing at first. He looked at the digits: (646) 372-9841
Claude leaned back again, more relaxed, as if closing a chapter.
"Maybe I'm being too generous. Maybe I'm just stubborn. But I don't usually follow my instincts this often… and this time, something tells me you're worth it."
Micah lowered his gaze for a moment, took a deep breath, and nodded once, almost imperceptibly.
"Thank you… Director."
Claude gave a faint smile.
"Take care."
Micah left in silence, closing the door gently behind him. The city remained calm, as if it didn't know everything that was at stake with each rift.
He took another taxi back home. Another twenty minutes to arrive.
When he finally got there, he got out and walked calmly toward the apartment. He climbed the stairs, took out his keys as he approached the door, inserted one and turned it quickly. When he opened it, he was surprised: inside, he saw Leyra with another girl.
"Ohh, you're back!" Leyra said, laughing, while the other girl, who had been jumping and joking with her, immediately looked over at him with a bit of embarrassment when she noticed him.
"Uh... and who's she?" Micah asked, slightly confused.
"Oh, hehe, I didn't introduce her," Leyra replied with a smile. "This is Micaela, my friend. I didn't tell you, but we've been friends for about three months now."
Leyra brought them closer naturally, guiding Micaela toward Micah.
"Micaela, this is Micah."
Micah extended his hand in greeting. Micaela shook it shyly, but with a slight smile.
"Uhh, hi Micah, nice to meet you~" she said nervously, then went back to joking with Leyra.
After a few minutes of casual chat, Micaela said goodbye with a smile, saying she had to get back home. Leyra walked her to the door, and when she returned, she found Micah sitting at the edge of the couch, elbows on his knees, eyes downcast.
"Are you okay?" Leyra asked gently as she sat next to him.
"Do you want to go back to the same rift tomorrow? To the Dimensional Island?" Micah asked, his tone mixing seriousness and calm.
Leyra looked at him, slightly confused.
"Why the question? You didn't see drawings on the tunnel walls when we split up, did you?"
"Mmm... no, not at all," she replied casually.
"I went to see the Director again. I talked to him about it."
"Ahh, so that's where you went," she said, not surprised, crossing her arms.
"Yeah," he nodded.
"The thing is... if we agree to go back, the Director will assign us five Class E soldiers to keep us safer. But we can also refuse. The question is... do you want to go? Because I will."
Leyra stared at him in silence for a second.
"You're not scared?"
"No. It's not that I want to go back there... but the Director made that proposal, and like I said, we're not obligated."
Micah exhaled softly before asking the real question.
"Will you go back there with me, Leyra?"
She lowered her gaze a bit, thoughtful.
"Do you think my parents will allow it? You know they're going to receive our report from this morning's first excursion."
"Well, but I think even so... you could still come with me. I wouldn't leave you alone. Especially going back to a place that almost killed us..."
Then she smiled slightly.
"But since you told me we'll be assigned higher-class soldiers... I feel calmer. And of course, I'll go with you."
Micah nodded, his shoulders relaxing.
"Don't worry about your parents, Leyra. The Director himself will contact them if I confirm we're going."
"Okay," she replied cheerfully.
Then, without hesitation, she hugged him—as she always did.
Micah responded with a one-armed hug using his right arm.
Once they had agreed, Micah took his phone and called Director Venner to confirm that both he and Leyra would return to the same Dimensional Island.
True to his word, Claude quickly contacted Leyra's parents directly. He clearly explained the conditions: this time, they would be accompanied by five Class E soldiers, considerably more capable than the previous Class F ones, and they would not be left alone at any point during the expedition. After several minutes of conversation, and sensing the seriousness in Venner's tone, Leyra's parents finally agreed. The terms were reasonable, and the Director's direct involvement offered a level of security they couldn't ignore.
Forty minutes later, Zeshia and Magnus arrived at the apartment. Micah and Leyra greeted them at the door, and after settling in, they all sat down to calmly talk about everything that had happened.
The two adults listened attentively to what the kids had to say, and they didn't show the slightest doubt. Zeshia and Magnus trusted that Venner would look after them—not just because of his position as Director, but because he genuinely seemed to care about their well-being. Besides, if there was any advantage to be gained from all this, they hoped the kids would be able to seize it.
And so, the rest of the day passed—between conversations and quiet preparations—until, finally, the next dawn arrived.
[ 8:30 a.m. – The following day ]
Micah and Leyra were already getting ready to return to that place. They grabbed everything they needed and quickly ran out of the apartment.
Outside, they found the Director's vehicle already waiting for them. One of the windows rolled down...
"Are you two ready?" asked the Director, catching them off guard.
"Come on, hop in. I'll take you there myself."
They quickly got into the car.
"You're very kind to come in person, Director Venner," said Leyra from the back seat.
"Hahaha, it's nothing, young lady," the Director replied with a cheerful laugh.
As the car moved forward, Micah had a brief conversation with Director Venner.
Until finally, they arrived at the center of Central Park, where the rift was located.
Waiting ahead of them were five soldiers. When Micah saw them, he immediately assumed they were the ones who would accompany him and Leyra on this return expedition inside the rift.
The five soldiers, already standing in formation, snapped to attention as soon as the Director's vehicle came to a stop. One of them stepped forward and offered a formal salute, hand to temple.
"Good morning, Director Venner!"
The rest immediately followed suit.
Claude stepped out of the vehicle with his usual relaxed demeanor, returning the salute with a subtle nod and a calm smile.
"Good morning, soldiers. I'm glad to see you're punctual," he said in a firm but kind tone. "It's reassuring to know I have reliable people on this mission."
At that moment, the back doors of the car opened, and Micah and Leyra stepped out. Both were dressed in their expedition gear—light, but prepared.
Claude turned to the soldiers and gestured softly toward the two young ones.
"As you were told ahead of time, these are the two kids who will accompany you on this expedition. Treat them well."
He adopted a more direct tone, though still calm and measured.
"If you run into that Vigarth the previous team faced with these two on the last expedition... just kill it. No hesitation. I trust you."
The soldiers all nodded in unison, no words needed.
Claude then glanced sideways at Micah, and with a slight smile, added in a quieter voice:
"Everything will go well this time. You'll be with a more advanced team."
Micah and Leyra both replied with a simple "Alright," almost in unison.
One of the soldiers stepped forward with a firm gait and looked at Micah and Leyra with a slight, respectful smile.
"It'll be a pleasure to have you with us," he said. "My name is Auren... Auren Richter," he added with a voice that was both confident and kind.
Leyra returned the smile, a bit nervous but resolute. Micah nodded as well, his jaw slightly tense.
Claude gave the group one final glance before stepping back into the vehicle.
"See you when you return. I'll be waiting for news," he said from the open door, then looked directly at Micah. "I trust you."
Micah didn't reply with words, but his gaze said enough. He understood.
The engine hummed softly as the car pulled away, leaving behind a light breeze and the feeling that time had paused for just a moment.
The seven of them stood silently in front of the rift, which pulsed faintly at the center of the park—as if waiting for them.
"Well then…" one of the soldiers murmured. "On the count of three."
Micah and Leyra looked at each other, and without saying a word, walked side by side toward the unknown—just like last time.
But this time… they weren't alone.
And with that, they vanished into the rift's core, swallowed by the violet light that patiently awaited them on the other side.