#MBTACChapter35 — The Rift was unlike anything I had imagined. A jagged, pulsating tear in the fabric of reality, it radiated a sickly, otherworldly glow that painted the landscape in hues of crimson and black. The ground around it seemed to writhe and twist, as though the land itself were alive and in agony. Nimbus let out a low growl, his tail lashing as he perched on a nearby boulder, his golden eyes fixed on the unnatural phenomenon. I didn’t blame him; the Rift seemed to hum with a malevolence that made my skin crawl. “We’re here,” Lyra said, her voice quiet but steady. She raised her staff, the soft glow at its tip pushing back the oppressive darkness. “The heart of the curse.” “It’s bigger than I thought,” Calder muttered, his usually brash tone subdued. Timothy stepped forw

