The silence of New Horizons was finally broken by the sound of bells.
Not the kind of harsh, digital alarms we were used to. These were real—tower bells, ringing out through the plains, echoing off the sky like a chorus of old chimes. We stopped in our tracks, eyes lifted.
"There," Rose whispered, pointing.
Rising beyond the shimmering grass and distant hills, stood stone towers bathed in amber light. Flags fluttered from spires. A wall circled the kingdom like something out of a fantasy novel—sturdy, impossibly large, and lined with torchlight despite the sunlight still hanging overhead.
"...We found a kingdom," Sofia said slowly, disbelief in every word.
"Just like in an isekai," muttered Riku, eyes wide behind his glasses. "This can't be real."
But it was. Even I couldn't deny it. The closer we got, the more real it became. We passed tall wooden signposts carved in runes none of us could read, grazing animals that looked like deer—but weren't—and villagers in robes and armor who paused to stare at us like we were spirits.
A group of guards met us near the outer gates. Their armor gleamed silver, embossed with a winged emblem. They didn't raise their weapons, but they didn't look happy to see us either.
"Foreigners," one of them muttered. "From the Rift."
"Rift?" Jack echoed. "Hey, hey, we're not dangerous—well, some of us, maybe." He laughed nervously.
The captain stepped forward, eyeing us. "You fell from the sky, didn't you?"
No one answered. Our silence was the only confirmation they needed.
Inside the city walls, everything was a rush of color and sound—marketplaces with floating fruit, horses with feathers instead of manes, carts pulled by crystal-armored boars. Magic lights floated above windows, and people walked in long coats and robes like they belonged in an RPG cutscene. Everything was alien and vivid, but strangely welcoming.
"This place feels... alive," Hana whispered, clutching her bag close.
"It's beautiful," Ayaka admitted, though she never stopped scanning the rooftops.
"This is too perfect," Ivy said flatly. "Too quiet. Where's the catch?"
We were led to a stone building near the center plaza—a large hall with pointed arches and glass mosaics depicting ancient battles. Inside, a council awaited us: humans, elves, beastfolk. They regarded us with interest, caution… and maybe a little fear.
An older woman, clearly a noble of some sort, addressed us first.
"You are not the first to arrive through the Fracture," she said. "But you are the first to arrive in such numbers… and all at once."
Rose stepped forward, her voice steady. "We're not from this world. We don't even know why we're here. We just—something happened. The sky cracked. And then... this."
The nobles exchanged uneasy glances. One of them—an elf with gold-trimmed armor—spoke in a whisper. "The Fracture grows stronger. Perhaps… it's begun again."
Daichi clenched his fists. "We need answers. Not riddles."
They gave us rooms to stay in. Food that shimmered. Baths that sang. The kingdom was kind… but not free. We were guests, but we weren't free to leave just yet.
Later that night, the group gathered on a balcony overlooking the kingdom's glowing streets.
"We should be happy," Ethan said, mouth full of glowing fruit. "This beats sleeping in the grass."
"Don't get comfortable," Ivy warned. "This place… it's like a save point before a boss battle."
Rose sat beside the balcony edge, arms folded. "This kingdom knows something. About us. About the Fracture. Maybe even about Jerry."
The name hung in the air.
He hadn't appeared again since the betrayal. Since he stood before us and let the world break around us like glass.
"We trusted him," Mei Ling whispered. "We let him walk beside us. And now…"
"He's still out there," Olivia said. "Watching."
Kenji slammed his fist into the stone. "Next time we see him, I don't care if he's our classmate. I'm ending it."
But I wasn't so sure it'd be that easy.
I looked out at the kingdom—shining, majestic, and so clearly hiding something beneath the surface. This place had survived the Fracture once before. Now it was preparing for it again.
And somehow, we were the ones being called to fight.
Not heroes. Not warriors.
Just broken kids from different worlds, trying to survive in a land that didn't make sense.
And somewhere out there, Jerry was waiting—still smiling.
Still one step ahead.