CHAPTER 164 :The wind tore through the hidden rift site, rattling the trees and whipping sand against their faces. Even with the coordinates locked, the area was far from safe. The hidden chamber where the gateway lay shimmered faintly in the distance, its energy signature pulsing like a heartbeat. Billy felt it in his bones before he saw it—an intense, chaotic resonance in the relic-bond that throbbed in sync with the rift. Every pulse of energy carried both promise and peril. He couldn’t ignore it, couldn’t underestimate it, and yet… he felt a gnawing uncertainty he had never experienced before.Tyla kept pace beside him, her expression taut, jaw tight, eyes scanning every shadow. “Billy,” she said, her voice carrying a sharp edge. “We need to gather the relic energy before we even think about opening that rift. If we go in unprepared, there’s no telling what could happen.”Billy nodded, feeling the weight of her warning. He knew she was right—but her concern felt closer to fear th

CHAPTER 166 :Billy’s fingers hovered over the glowing surface of the rift, the energy humming against his skin like a living pulse, threatening to consume him if he faltered. Every instinct screamed at him to pull back, to obey his father’s warning. But the part of him that had always chased the unknown—the fire that refused to be tethered—blazed stronger than the fear. He could feel the relic bond inside him thrumming in response, resonating with the chaotic currents of the rift, as if recognizing a kindred hunger.Tyla’s voice broke through the hum, sharp and urgent. “Billy, stop! You’re not thinking! Every second you hesitate, the rift shifts. If you cross this threshold without preparation, you won’t just risk yourself—you’ll destabilize the entire area! You don’t know what could come through!”Billy inhaled, steadying himself against the maelstrom of energy that seemed intent on pulling him in both directions. He could feel the weight of her words, the gravity of her fear. She h

CHAPTER 168 :The camp was silent, but the tension between Tyla and Owen was almost tangible, coiling in the air like a living thing. Billy’s decision to open the rift still reverberated through their minds, each heartbeat echoing the weight of what might come. Tyla’s hands trembled slightly as she paced, fingers brushing over the relic shard she kept close, a tether to Billy’s energy that pulsed faintly in response.Owen stood a few paces behind, arms crossed, jaw tight. His normally calm, measured demeanor was fraying. “We can’t just follow him blindly,” he said finally, voice low but firm. “He’s not the same as before. That relic bond—whatever it’s doing to him—it’s changing him faster than we realized.”Tyla stopped pacing and turned sharply, eyes blazing. “Owen, we don’t have the luxury of hesitation. He’s already gone. And you know Billy—he doesn’t wait for permission. If we don’t move now, we lose him to whatever is waiting inside that rift. I won’t let that happen.”Owen shook

CHAPTER 170 :The instant the gateway flared open, the world seemed to hold its breath. Energy erupted like a living storm, a searing aurora of colors Billy had no names for. The rift trembled beneath their feet, and even the relics embedded in his hands pulsed violently, as if they were trying to warn him—or maybe guide him.Billy stepped forward, each movement deliberate despite the instability. Tyla’s grip on his arm was firm, tethering him to what little grounding the real world still offered. Owen’s eyes scanned the chaotic energy streams around them, every instrument at his disposal trying to measure what was effectively unmeasurable.“Billy,” Tyla shouted, her voice almost drowned by the rift’s roaring pulse, “watch it! The gateway—don’t let it consume—”But he didn’t hear her fully. The surge of power in his veins, amplified by the relic-bond, demanded action, demanded assertion. He focused on the core of the gateway, where the dimensional fabric twisted into a funnel, the thr

CHAPTER 172 :Billy’s chest heaved as the echo of the shadow’s hiss faded into the still-throbbing air. His pulse slammed against his ribs like a drum warning of war. Every instinct in his body screamed to chase the fragment, to obliterate it before it had the chance to strike again—but he knew better. Tyla was still trembling beside him, her hands barely steady on his arm. He had promised himself he wouldn’t let her face this alone, yet the relic-bond pulsed with unpredictable energy, forcing him to restrain his own impulses.“Billy… you okay?” Tyla’s voice cracked through the tension, high and shaky. The words were simple, but the weight behind them cut through him. He knew she wasn’t just asking about his body. She meant his mind, his control, his stability—the thing that had been fraying since the rift incident.He swallowed hard. “I’m… I’m fine,” he lied, though even to himself it sounded hollow. Every cell in him throbbed with raw energy, the bond’s pulse pushing him toward thre