The last two months had passed in a blur of training sessions, late nights in Vale’s lab, and constant reminders that I was the new kid with everything to prove. But through it all, one thought burned brighter than the rest: Rio.

I’d replayed her words in my head so many times they felt like a part of me now. If I can, I’ll find you.

So when word came that an entity was predicted to appear in the area, I couldn’t ignore the flicker of hope that it might be her. I’d kept my promise to Mia and Dr. Odium—I hadn’t breathed a word about Anchor Theory to anyone. But that knowledge had stayed with me, growing like a seed, an idea I couldn’t shake. If Rio came back, I could find a way to anchor her.

I just needed her to show up.

The storm arrived. I stood in the Operations Center with Vale and Harris as the monitors lit up with weather patterns, energy readings, and maps dotted with glowing markers.

“Localized disturbance forming just south of the village,” one of the analysts called out, her voice crisp over the hum of machinery.

“Right on time,” Harris muttered, adjusting the strap of his gear bag. “Exactly where we predicted it would be.”

Vale shot him a sharp look. “Stay focused.”

I shifted on my feet, glancing at the monitor that displayed the live feed from a nearby drone. The sky on the screen was dark, swirling with clouds that churned unnaturally.

“Ben,” Vale said, snapping me out of my thoughts. “You’re with us this time. Don’t wander off.”

“Got it,” I said quickly, though my heart wasn’t in the words.

We left the Operations Center and headed out into the storm, the air heavy with that strange, metallic tang that always seemed to precede an entity’s arrival. Vale led the way, her steps brisk and confident, while Harris hung back, his sharp eyes scanning the horizon.

The plan was simple: find the entity, and kill it. I was supposed to observe, stay out of the way, and learn.

But I couldn’t focus. My mind was elsewhere, replaying every detail of the last time I’d seen Rio. The storm shelter.

I needed to know if it was her.

The closer we got to the predicted manifestation site, the harder my heart pounded. I lagged behind, waiting for the right moment to slip away.

Vale glanced over her shoulder. “Ben, keep up,” she called, her voice cutting through the wind.

I nodded, quickening my pace just enough to look like I was following. But as soon as her attention shifted back to the path ahead, I stopped.

The storm howled around me as I turned and headed in the opposite direction, my jacket whipping in the wind. The shelter wasn’t far.

The streets were deserted, the village eerily quiet under the weight of the storm. I rounded a corner and spotted the squat, reinforced structure of the shelter up ahead.

I made it to the storm shelter. People were still pouring into it, and a faint light spilled out onto the wet cobblestones from inside.

I scanned the area around the shelter, my pulse racing.

And then I saw her.

She was leaning against a wall, right next to the door, her fiery red hair impossible to miss even in the dim light.

“Rio!” I shouted, barely believing my eyes.

Her head snapped up, and her eyes met mine.

“Ben?” she said, her voice a mix of surprise and disbelief.

I crossed the room quickly, ignoring the curious glances from those entering the shelter.

“I’m so glad it’s you,” I said, my voice trembling with relief.

The noise of those rushing into the shelter and the storm raging faded into the background as we stared at each other. For the first time in months, the swirling thoughts in my head stilled.

She was here.

“Ben!” Vale’s voice suddenly cut through the storm.

I turned to see her and Harris running toward us, their dark suits drenched from the storm. Vale’s expression was a mix of anger and disbelief, while Harris’s sharp green eyes locked onto Rio with a predator’s intensity.

“Move,” Harris growled, his hand already on the strange weapon strapped to his side.

“No,” I said, my voice steady despite the panic rising in my chest.

Harris took a step forward, his broad shoulders cutting an imposing figure in the cramped space. “Kid, I’m not asking.”

“I’m not moving,” I said again, planting myself firmly between him and Rio.

“Ben, think about what you’re doing,” Vale said, her tone tight with warning. “This isn’t the time for heroics.”

“I’m not trying to be a hero,” I said, glancing back at Rio. She hadn’t moved, but her hands were clenched into fists, and her eyes darted between me and Harris like she was bracing for the worst. “You don’t have to do this.”

“She’s dangerous,” Harris snapped, pulling the weapon free from its holster. “Move. Now.”

“Stop!” Rio’s voice rang out, sharp and desperate.

I turned to her, and the look on her face stopped me cold.

“Ben, don’t,” she said, her voice trembling. “This isn’t your fight.”

“Of course it is,” I said. “I’m the reason they found you, and I’m not letting them—”

“Ben,” she interrupted, her tone pleading. “You don’t understand. You can’t save me.”

“Yes, I can,” I said firmly. “Just let me—”

“No!” she said, her voice breaking. “Stop trying to play the hero! Listen to them. I’m not worth this.”

Her words hit me like a blow, and for a moment, I hesitated.

“You heard her,” Harris said, stepping closer. “Now move.”

I didn’t budge.

Harris’s expression darkened, and he reached for me, his hand clamping down on my shoulder as he prepared to shove me aside.

“Enough,” he said.

But before he could move me, something shifted.

The rain stopped falling, the wind stopped howling, and the clouds cleared, making way for the sun.

And then everyone froze.

Harris’s hand fell away from my shoulder as his sharp eyes darted toward the sky. Vale’s expression, usually so composed, was wide with shock as she glanced around the room.

“What just happened?” Harris said, his voice low.

I turned to Rio, my heart hammering in my chest. She looked just as confused as the rest of us, her blue eyes wide with uncertainty.

“The storm,” Vale said, her voice barely above a whisper. “It stopped.”

“That’s not possible,” Harris muttered, shaking his head.

Vale’s gaze snapped to Rio, suspicion flashing in her eyes. “What did you do?”

“Nothing,” Rio said quickly, holding up her hands. “I didn’t do anything.”

“Dr. Odium has a theory,” I interjected. “He calls it Anchor Theory. He thinks that if something in this world creates a strong enough bond with an entity, it can stabilize them—bring them fully into our reality.”

“What are you talking about?” Harris said, his tone dripping with disbelief.

“I mean that entities don’t always have to be killed,” I said, my voice rising slightly. “There’s other ways to stop the storms.”

Vale’s expression hardened. “And Odium told you this?”

“Yes,” I admitted, glancing at Rio, who was watching the exchange with wary curiosity. “I also saw it with my own eyes. Mia—your stepmother—she’s a rift entity. But she doesn’t cause storms, and she doesn’t fade. Odium says it’s because she’s anchored to this world—because of her bond with General Appalachia.”

Vale’s breath caught, her calm facade cracking for a split second.

“That’s insane,” Harris said, shaking his head. “Entities don’t belong here. They destabilize reality, no matter what you—”

“Think about it!” I interrupted. “The storm just stopped. Isn’t that proof? Even if Odium’s theory isn’t completely correct, there is at least something capable of stopping the storms besides killing the entities.”

Vale’s jaw tightened, but she didn’t respond immediately. Instead, she pulled out her communicator, her fingers steady as she punched in a code.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

“Calling Odium,” she said, her tone clipped.

The communicator crackled to life, and Odium’s familiar, gravelly voice filled the air. “Vale. This is unexpected.”

“Odium,” Vale said, her words measured. “The storm dissipated before we neutralized the entity.”

There was a pause on the other end of the line, and then Odium’s voice came through, cold and calculating. “That’s... highly unusual. What’s the status of the entity?”

“Still here,” Vale said. “And Ben is telling us about a theory of yours called… Anchor Theory, I think it was?”

Another pause, longer this time.

“Interesting,” Odium said finally. “Bring them back to HQ immediately. We’ll debrief there.”

Vale hesitated, clearly waiting for more of an explanation, but Odium ended the call before she could press him.

She lowered the communicator slowly, her gaze flicking back to me. “This changes things,” she said quietly.

Meanwhile, Dr. Odium leaned back in his chair, the faint buzz of the communicator still echoing in his ears. His lab was quiet now, the hum of machinery fading into the background as he processed Vale’s words.

Anchor Theory. The very idea of it being discussed outside his carefully controlled circle made his jaw clench. He was stupid to trust Ben.

And now the secret was out.

Odium stood and began pacing the room, his mind racing.

Anchor Theory was a key part of his plan, but for his plan to work it also needed to be kept relatively secret.

Ben’s little revelation was a threat to that plan. A threat to him.

He stopped pacing and reached for the secure line on his desk. His fingers moved with practiced ease, dialing a number he hadn’t used in months.

“Agent Gulf,” he said when the line connected.

“Sir,” came the curt reply.

“We have a situation,” Odium said, his voice as calm as ever. “Agents Vale, Harris, and a civilian assistant are returning to HQ with a rift entity in tow. They’ve been compromised.”

“I understand,” Gulf said. “What are your orders?”

“Intercept them before they reach base,” Odium said, his tone leaving no room for argument. “Eliminate them all—the agents, the assistant, and the entity.”

There was a brief pause on the other end of the line. Then, “Understood.”

Odium ended the call and exhaled slowly, his expression hardening.

Meanwhile, the storm’s eerie stillness weighed on us as we moved through the forest path back toward the Rift Control Agency’s headquarters. The heavy canopy above muffled the world, leaving only the faint crunch of our footsteps on the damp ground.

Vale led the way, her communicator gripped tightly in her hand. Harris walked a few steps behind her, his sharp green eyes scanning our surroundings with every step. Rio and I brought up the rear, my heart still racing from the events in the shelter.

“This doesn’t feel right,” Harris muttered, his voice low.

“You’re always saying that,” Vale said, not looking back.

“Because it’s true,” Harris shot back, his hand resting on the weapon at his side.

I glanced at Rio, who was walking silently beside me. She seemed calm, but there was a tension in her movements, like she was holding herself back.

A deafening crack shattered the silence, and the ground erupted around us as something heavy hit the dirt path just ahead. Vale barely had time to react before another explosion shook the forest, sending us diving for cover behind the nearest trees.

“I told you,” Harris snarled, drawing his weapon.

Vale cursed under her breath, her communicator already in her hand. “Ambush. Multiple hostiles. We’re pinned down,” she said into the device.

“Who’s ambushing us?!?” I shouted, pressing my back against a tree as more gunfire erupted around us.

“Stay down!” Harris barked, his eyes narrowing as he scanned the treeline.

Figures in black tactical gear emerged from the shadows, their faces obscured by helmets and masks. They moved with precision, their weapons trained on our group as they closed in.

“That’s the Agency,” Vale said, her voice grim. “Why are they attacking us?”

“Rio, can you—?” I started, but she cut me off.

“Yeah, yeah,” she muttered, stepping out from behind the tree with fire already curling around her hands.

The air around her seemed to shimmer with heat as she launched a wave of flame toward the attackers, forcing them to scatter. Harris didn’t waste the opportunity, firing off quick, precise shots that sent two of the figures crumpling to the ground.

“Go!” Harris shouted over the chaos. “Get to one of our hideouts! Rio and I can hold them off.”

Vale hesitated, glancing between Harris and me. “We can’t just—”

“Go!” Harris barked again, his voice leaving no room for argument.

Vale grabbed my arm, pulling me to my feet. “Come on,” she said, her tone urgent.

I wanted to argue, wanted to stay and fight, but the look in her eyes stopped me. She wasn’t asking.

We ran.

The forest seemed endless as we sprinted through the trees, the sound of gunfire and explosions fading behind us. My lungs burned, and my legs felt like they might give out, but Vale didn’t slow down.

“This way,” she said, veering off the path and into a dense thicket of underbrush.

We stumbled through the undergrowth until we reached a small clearing. At its center was a weathered wooden cabin, half-hidden by moss and vines.

“This is it?” I asked, panting.

“Secret hideout,” Vale said curtly, already moving toward the door. “Only Harris and I are aware of it. We’ll be safe here—for now.”

She unlocked the door with a key from her pocket, and we stepped inside. The interior was sparse but functional, with a few chairs, a table, and a shelf stocked with supplies. Vale went straight to the table, spreading out a map and muttering to herself as she traced our path with her finger.

I collapsed into one of the chairs, my chest heaving. “Do you think they’ll make it?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

“They have to,” Vale said, not looking up.

Time stretched on, every second feeling like an eternity. The cabin was eerily quiet, save for the occasional rustle of leaves outside. I couldn’t sit still, pacing the room as my mind raced with worst-case scenarios.

Finally, after what felt like hours, the door creaked open, and Harris stepped inside, his suit torn and his face streaked with dirt.

“Miss me?” he said, his voice rough but steady.

“Barely,” Vale said, though the relief in her voice was obvious.

Rio appeared in the doorway behind him, her fiery red hair a mess and her movements sluggish. She gave me a faint smile, and I felt my chest loosen for the first time since we’d started running.

“You made it,” I said, my voice tight with emotion.

“Of course we did,” she said lightly, though her eyes were heavy with exhaustion.

Meanwhile, General Jackson Appalachia stood at the head of the Operations Center, his arms crossed as he stared at the live feed on the central monitor. The storm had ended, but no one had called in to confirm whether the entity was dead, or if it had simply faded away again. Now, the room buzzed with activity as agents scrambled to piece together what had happened.

A voice crackled through the comms, and the General turned to face the operator at the console.

“Report,” he barked, his tone sharp.

The operator hesitated, her fingers trembling as she adjusted the headset. “Sir, multiple agents confirmed KIA. It would seem that the entity attacked. We haven’t found her body yet… but judging from her last report and the fact that she’s no longer responding to us, we believe Agent Vale is among those dead.”

The words hung heavy in the air, and the room fell silent.