The three of them moved fast.
Faster than the land expected.
Eris led with the map in hand, its surface shifting constantly as the hollow circle drifted east. Lysa kept pace beside him, alert, sharp-eyed. And behind them—
Ohlyrs walked like speed didn't matter.
Yet somehow…
He was never behind.
Something Off About Him
Lysa glanced sideways at him for the fifth time.
"You're not even breathing hard."
Ohlyrs shrugged. "I don't waste energy."
"You've been walking for hours."
"I've been moving," he corrected.
Eris noticed it too.
Ohlyrs didn't step around obstacles.
The world just seemed to… not put them in his way.
The First Crack
By evening, they reached a broken ridge.
Below it—
The land was wrong.
Grass faded into pale grey patches. Trees stood—but their leaves were gone, like they'd been edited halfway out of existence.
And in the center…
The tear.
Bigger now.
Wider.
Breathing.
Lysa whispered, "That thing grew."
Eris nodded slowly. "It's feeding."
Ohlyrs stepped forward slightly.
For the first time—
He looked serious.
The Pressure Returns
The moment they stepped into the area—
Reality pushed back.
Hard.
The air thickened. Sound dulled. Movement felt delayed.
Eris clenched his jaw. "It's stronger here."
"Of course it is," Lysa muttered.
Ohlyrs rolled his neck once.
Then said quietly:
"Stay behind me for a second."
Eris frowned. "Why—"
Ohlyrs stepped forward.
Ohlyrs' Power (First Reveal)
The tear pulsed—
Trying to erase the space around him.
But something strange happened.
Nothing disappeared.
Instead—
The distortion… bent.
Not pushed.
Not destroyed.
Ignored.
The tear tried again.
The ground under Ohlyrs flickered—
Then snapped back into place like reality refused to process him.
Lysa's eyes widened.
"…Okay WHAT is that?"
Eris stared.
Ohlyrs didn't glow.
Didn't transform.
Didn't shout.
He just stood there—
And the rules didn't apply.
The Truth Drops
Ohlyrs spoke without turning:
"I told you. I don't move inside their system."
The tear pulsed violently now.
Agitated.
Confused.
Eris stepped beside him. "You're not resisting it…"
Ohlyrs smirked slightly.
"It can't read me.
So it can't erase me."
Silence.
Lysa blinked. "That is… extremely unfair."
Eris vs The Tear (Round 2)
Eris stepped forward.
Golden light slowly returned to his skin.
"This time… we don't just push it back," he said.
Ohlyrs nodded.
"Good. Because it's not here by accident."
Eris looked at him. "What do you mean?"
Ohlyrs's eyes locked onto the center of the tear.
For the first time—
There was tension in his voice.
"Something is coming through."
The tear expanded.
Wider than before.
Deeper.
The blank space inside it no longer felt empty.
It felt…
occupied.
Lysa Steps Up
Lysa exhaled sharply.
"Alright. No running. No hiding."
She pulled out the small wooden bird she carved earlier.
Held it tight.
"I don't know what I'm supposed to do here…"
She looked at Eris.
"…but I'm not standing behind you this time."
Eris gave a small nod.
"Then stay close."
The Shift
The world skipped.
Once.
Twice.
Then—
Something moved inside the tear.
Not a shape.
Not a creature.
A presence pushing forward.
Stronger than before.
More aware.
More… intentional.
The air dropped to absolute silence.
Even Eris's glow dimmed slightly.
Ohlyrs's smirk faded completely.
"Yeah…" he muttered.
"That's new."
The Beginning of the Real Fight
Eris stepped forward.
Lysa beside him.
Ohlyrs slightly ahead.
Three different forces.
One reality.
Facing something that was no longer just testing the world—
But trying to enter it properly.
The tear widened one final time—
And for the first time…
A form began to emerge.