Apocalypse Ascension: Rift Walkers

An 18th-century philosopher once posed a question: if a tree fell in the woods and no one was around to hear it, would it make a sound? It was meant to challenge perception—to ask whether existence relied on observation. But the real question was never about absence. It was about ignorance. What if the tree fell, not in isolation, but in the heart of a crowd too preoccupied to notice?

The world had never been empty. It had been bursting at the seams, teeming with billions of people moving through their lives, their eyes fixed forward, their ears filled with the noise of routine. The problem wasn't that no one was there. It was that no one was listening. The cries of the suffering were swallowed by indifference, their pleas lost beneath the hum of self-interest. And for those who screamed the loudest, their voices didn't bring justice. They brought hate—hate for the world that had abandoned them, for the systems that failed them, for the comfort of others who would never know their pain. Even those who tried to help were powerless in the face of a world that had long since learned to turn away.

For every life crushed under the weight of misfortune, there was another basking in comfort, untouched by the chaos. In warm, well-lit rooms, laughter echoed, while just outside, others carried burdens too heavy to bear. Some were born to suffer, to be ground down by the cruel indifference of fate. Others, blessed by chance or circumstance, thrived without ever having to look down.

Justice had long been an illusion, a whispered promise meant to soothe the desperate. When it failed, people cried out—to governments, to gods, to anything that would listen. But no one came. Some raged against the heavens, demanding fairness in a world that had none. Others resigned themselves to the truth: that no one was coming, that suffering simply was. And yet, in the depths of despair, a new idea took root—not of fairness, not of salvation, but of something more primal. That suffering was not just a curse, but a test. That in destruction, there was opportunity. That when everything was stripped away, all that remained was the choice: adapt, or die.

But life's suffering was a cruel teacher, who would take them willingly? And when the world finally tore itself apart, its people were left with a question far more terrifying than the sound of a falling tree—when the ground crumbles beneath you, do you climb? Or do you let yourself be buried?

The warning signs had been there, whispering at the edges of everyone's day-to-day life. The hum of something unnatural beneath the surface. The flickering streetlights, the erratic storms, the animals who sensed what humans were too distracted to see. Summers stretched too long, winters cut too short, nature itself seeming to recoil. Different factions pointed fingers, standing on their soapboxes, convinced their version of the truth was the only one that mattered, their policies were the most equitable. Some clung to their illusions, others ignored the unease gnawing at their bones. It was easier that way. But ignorance, like injustice, always comes with a price.

And humanity was about to pay it in full.

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Kade first noticed the changes a few weeks ago ,something felt.. off, but frankly, he had bigger problems. Scaling the side of an alley wall, fingers gripping the chipped brick like it was second nature, he cast a glance over his shoulder at the men below. "Can you bastards stop chasing me? You know you're not going to catch me! Look, give me a week, and I'll pay you back—I swear." His voice was laced with amusement, the promise empty. He even had the audacity to throw them a lazy salute before vaulting over the ledge and disappearing onto the adjacent rooftop.

The Westside 23rd Street gang had been after him for a while now—he'd stolen from them one too many times. It wasn't just the money; it was the humiliation. No one took kindly to being made a fool of, least of all street thugs trying to maintain their fragile reputation. Kade hadn't just stolen from them; he'd mocked them, evaded them, and worst of all—laughed in their faces. That alone had been enough to put a price on his head. One of them, clearly fed up with the chase, fired off a few rounds in broad daylight, but Kade was already gone. It wasn't the first time someone had tried to kill him. Wouldn't be the last.

He'd always hated the world. Life had never gone his way—not once, not ever. Taking stupid risks for cheap thrills and quick cash had never felt like a choice, more like the natural state of things. He wasn't bad, not in the way people liked to throw that word around. He just didn't have the fortune—or the luxury—to be anything else. The world had a way of chewing people up and spitting them out, and Kade had been gnawed on more than most. Survival wasn't about making good choices; it was about making the choices that let you wake up the next morning.

He moved through the labyrinth of alleyways like a ghost, slipping past dumpsters and graffiti-covered walls. The familiar rhythm of the city pulsed around him—car horns blaring in the distance, the hum of traffic, the occasional burst of sirens. But tonight, something felt… off. The air was thick, charged with an unsettling energy, like the moments before a storm when the whole world seems to hold its breath.

Electronics flickered erratically—radios sputtered into static, streetlights buzzed and dimmed like dying embers. Kade didn't think much of it at first. The city's infrastructure was a joke, always had been. "Well, we know where all the money's going," he muttered to himself with a dry chuckle, shaking his head. The absurdity of it all barely even registered anymore.

He gave his waist a quick pat, checking for the package tucked securely under his jacket. Still there. Good. He adjusted his stride, cutting through another alley with the kind of practiced ease that came from years of knowing exactly where not to be. He had a delivery to make—one that, for once, had nothing to do with pissing off the wrong people.

He didn't know it yet, but this would be the last normal night of his life.

As Kade approached the road, when observing the people who crossed his path he felt an eerie aura. He saw several individuals seemingly wandering with glassy eyes, their gazes distant. This brought his mind back to the rumors circulating at the clubhouse, his target destination, a place for scum like himself. Mostly people looking to sell items of ill-gotten means. He had heard about strange phenomena from the insane owner, Griggs. It had been something about shadows moving without a source, people vanishing without a trace, others waking up with vivid, impossible memories. It was the kind of crazy talk that he usually dismissed, but something about it lingered in his mind. The city had always been chaotic, and Griggs had always been crazy, but this was different.

Across the city in the upper end of the financial district, Zeke's life, in contrast, had remained disciplined. A creature of routine, he thrived on structure—jogging every morning, and working his tail off. He had recently been promoted as the youngest partner at his law firm, working from dusk till dawn in one of the tallest buildings in the upper east side business district. Of course, It would be hard to say he didn't earn what he had, but that was not to say he had to deal with a lack of talent, let alone opportunity. Zeke always seemed to be in fortunes good graces when it mattered most. Yet even with his picturesque life, he couldn't ignore the creeping wrongness in the world, though it never seemed to cast a shadow his way.

He first felt it during a jog through the park. The air seemed heavier, and his skin prickled with an unnatural heat. People passed him looking just as uneasy, glancing up at the sky as if searching for answers. He dismissed it, focusing instead on the rhythm of his breathing, the pounding of his feet on the pavement. But the feeling lingered, gnawing at the edges of his thoughts.

Kade and Zeke hadn't spoken in years. Once, they'd been inseparable, two kids who grew up navigating the rough edges of the city together, Kade out of necessity and Zeke to satiate his curiosity of how the other side lived. Kade, always the risk-taker, had a knack for trouble that Zeke's steady presence often tempered. They'd shared everything—childhood dreams, teenage rebellions, even heartbreak.

But something had happened, something neither of them liked to talk about. A girl, Zeke's girlfriend at the time, had complicated their friendship. Words had been exchanged, fists thrown. Neither had handled it well, and the bond that once felt unbreakable had been left behind... This misunderstanding had simply been the excuse they needed to face the reality, that they weren't children anymore. It was as if the two had long acknowledged that their lives would always lead them in different directions.

They'd gone their separate ways after high school, their lives diverging like two branches of the same tree. Apart but always connected. Zeke found stability, carving out a life built on hard work and discipline. Kade... well, Kade survived, scraping by with odd jobs and sheer determination, until that wasn't enough anymore. He had the skills to survive one way or another, the injustice of the world simply gave him a justification.

And now coincidentally, here they were, each feeling the same pull toward something they couldn't explain.

The city grew quieter in the days leading up to the event. Streets that were once teeming with life now seemed subdued as if the entire city had paused to listen. People whispered about a growing tension, though few dared to say it out loud.

Zeke finished his jog, standing at the edge of the park with his hands on his hips. He watched the horizon, feeling that same, unshakable weight pressing down on him.

Then, it happened.

The first tremor was faint, barely enough to stir the loose gravel beneath Zeke's feet. But the second one came like a thunderclap, shaking the ground hard enough to send cracks spidering through the pavement.

Kade felt it too, leaning up against the brick wall as the entire building groaned beside him. Alarms blared in the distance, joined by the panicked cries of people spilling into the streets. He scrambled around the street corner, heart pounding.

Both men felt it at the same time: a pull.

It wasn't physical, but it was undeniable, an instinctive tug deep in their chests. The feeling grew stronger with every step they took, leading them toward the heart of the city.

The epicenter was the financial district, a place of towering glass skyscrapers that now seemed to pulse with an unnatural energy. Kade arrived first, weaving through the panicked crowd. He couldn't explain what he was feeling—a mix of dread and fascination, like standing too close to the edge of a cliff.

Zeke wasn't far behind, his broad frame cutting through the chaos. He saw Kade almost immediately, and for a moment, the world seemed to stop.

"Kade?"

Kade turned, his eyes widening. "Zeke? You've got to be kidding me."

Before they could say more, the sky split open.

A blinding burst of light erupted from the tallest skyscraper, tearing through the atmosphere with a deafening roar. The shockwave hit like a freight train, sending people flying.

Some disintegrated instantly, their bodies reduced to glowing particles that shimmered before vanishing. Others were thrown to the ground, their bodies broken by the force. And then there were those who collapsed, unconscious but twitching violently as their flesh began to bubble and twist. 

Zeke and Kade were thrown backward, the impact knocking the air from their lungs. Kade groaned, clutching his ribs, while Zeke forced himself to sit up, his vision swimming.

the silence was absolute. Kade stirred from the jagged concrete where he'd landed, the pulse of Resonance Energy still thrumming faintly in his skull. The city was unrecognizable, warped and broken, as if some celestial hand had crushed it in a fit of rage. Towering skyscrapers leaned precariously or lay in ruins, their glass facades shattered into glittering heaps. The streets were crisscrossed with glowing fissures, as though the earth itself had been split open and poured molten light into the cracks.

He groaned, rubbing the back of his head. The air tasted metallic, like copper and ash, and a low hum reverberated just at the edge of his consciousness. Something had changed. But what? And more importantly, why? Kade pushed himself to his feet, his senses still reeling. The shockwave that had hit earlier—was it only an earthquake? No, it felt different. Almost… alive.

The ground trembled again, this time not from natural forces but from something else entirely. His fingers twitched, a strange tingling running through them as if they were awakening to a power he couldn't yet understand. Zeke, he thought, shaking his head. He hadn't seen his old friend in years, but something in the back of his mind told him their paths were about to cross again. No, not just cross. Collide. 

"What... what's happening?" Zeke stammered, scanning the chaos of the area, his eyes stopped at a woman shaking violently, her limbs were elongating, her bones cracking audibly as they shifted. She had been one of the people whose eyes were glazed over previously.

Kade shook his head, his voice barely a whisper. "I don't know, but we need to move. Now!" Thoughts streamed through Kade's head for answers, was it some sort of attack from a foreign nation? Kade instinctively knew to flee.

At that moment, a growl echoed through the air, inhuman and terrifying.

The first of the mutated rose, historians would later call this day, the world break.