The rift's edge shimmered like a blade slicing through reality, its hum thrumming in Han Minwoo's chest as he stepped onto Omega Earth. The air hit him first, acrid and heavy with ash, tinged with the metallic tang of radianite, a stark contrast to Alpha's cleaner winds. Behind him, Jett's boots scuffed the ground, her knives glinting in the dim light. Sage followed, her orb pulsing faintly, while Phoenix cracked his knuckles, flames flickering at his fingertips. They were here for the second rift stabilizer, a device Minwoo's parents had died chasing—a legacy he couldn't escape.
"Stay sharp," Jett whispered, her voice taut. "Cypher's intel says it's close."
Minwoo nodded, his rift sense pulsating intensely like a live wire. The industrial sector sprawled before them: rusted smokestacks piercing a bruised sky, warehouses veined with glowing radianite conduits. Omega's technology was advanced, a ruthless mirror of Alpha's ingenuity turned cold. He led the team through shadows, their steps muffled by the hiss of distant machinery. Every corner felt like a trap, every echo a threat.
Then it hit him: his rift sense flared, sharp and urgent. "Ambush!" he barked, but it was too late.
A gust sliced the air as Ω-Jett dropped from a rooftop, her kunai flashing. "Predictable, Alpha," she taunted, her voice a twisted echo of Jett's. Shadows coiled nearby, and Ω-Omen materialized with a rasp, his teleport splitting their focus. Then, Minwoo appeared. His mirror strode forward, wind swirling around him, eyes glinting with a malice Minwoo didn't recognize in himself.
Jett's knives met Ω-Jett's in a blur of steel. Phoenix hurled a fireball, countered by Ω-Omen's dark shroud. Sage raised a barrier, her voice cutting through: "Minwoo, focus!" But Ω-Minwoo was on him, wind clashing against wind, a storm in miniature. Minwoo ducked a gust, his gaming instincts screaming, "Dodge, counter, flank." He felt like he was back, rift senses guiding him, but this was personal.
"You're a glitch," Ω-Minwoo sneered, slamming a wind-laced fist. Minwoo stumbled, his back against a warehouse wall. Pain flared, but something else sparked a memory. The memory was not of heroic matches but of a boxing ring. Alex Han, his gloves on, his footwork precise, pierces through perspiration and applause. His past life surged, raw and real.
The air thrummed, tied to his radiant core. Minwoo's fists clenched, wind curling around them like a second skin. He swung a boxer's hook, fast and precise, laced with a gale that roared. Gale Fist. The blow caught Ω-Minwoo off guard, sending him reeling into a crate with a crash. For a moment, Minwoo stood, his chest heaving, the power pulsing through him, his wind, his fight, his own.
"Minwoo, flank left!" Jett yelled, pulling him back. She darted between Ω-Jett's strikes, shielding him as Phoenix's flames held Ω-Omen at bay. Sage's barrier cracked under pressure, her eyes narrowing. "We're outmatched; retreat!"
Minwoo's rift sense honed in on their entry point. He thrust his hands forward, splitting the air open to create a jagged portal back to Alpha Earth. "Go!" he shouted. Phoenix dove through, followed by Sage. Jett grabbed his arm, dragging him as Ω-Jett's kunai grazed his shoulder. Ω-Minwoo recovered, wind howling around him, while Ω-Omen's shadows lunged toward them.
They tumbled through the rift, which snapped shut behind them, but not before Ω-Minwoo's voice pierced the silence: "Run all you want, twin. We're coming."
Minwoo hit the ground on Alpha's side, breath ragged and blood dripping. Jett knelt beside him, her hand gripping his shoulder tightly. "You good?" she asked, her voice a mix of softness and determination.
He nodded, his fists still tingling with the remnants of wind. Gale Fist. It wasn't enough, not yet. Omega was rapidly approaching, and the battle had only just commenced.
The VALORANT Protocol headquarters in Seoul loomed like a fortress, its radianite-powered walls shimmering under the city's neon glow. Yet, as Han Minwoo stood in the command center, surrounded by holographic displays pulsing with chaotic data, a sense of dread coiled tightly in his gut. The pursuit by Omega Earth, sparked by the failed mission, was far from over; it was escalating, and HQ had become the target.
"Radianite spikes converging on our perimeter," Cypher's voice crackled over the comms, his masked lenses reflecting frantic lines of code. "They're opening multiple, massive rifts. Invasion imminent."
Minwoo felt his rift sense flare, a searing pulse resembling a warning shot. The air throbbed, reality eroding at its edges. "How long?" he asked, his voice taut.
"Minutes," Brimstone growled, his weathered face set in grim determination. "They want the stabilizer. We are in control of the situation.
Jett's knives glinted as she checked her gear, her white hair contrasting sharply with the dim light. "Let's hit 'em hard, Wonder Twins style," she said, her grin fierce, though her eyes searched Minwoo's for assurance.
Sage's orb pulsed faintly, her gaze keen with caution. "Minwoo, your rift manipulation is our strongest defense. But it's taxing; don't lose control."
Minwoo nodded, Sage's warning echoing doubts. His "Gale Fist," forged in the clash of Chapter 9, was a weapon of precision, but its strain lingered in his aching muscles. Could he wield it against an army?
Phoenix cracked his knuckles, flames dancing playfully. "No pressure, mate. Just another clutch moment."
Minwoo's lips twitched, yet doubt gnawed at him. The boxing ring flashed in his mind. He was captivated by Alex Han's gloves, the rhythmic jabs, and the thunderous roar of the crowd. That past life fueled his wind, but this was no game. Omega was coming for everything.
Jett's hand brushed against his arm. "You're not alone, brother. We've got this."
Her words steadied him, recalling the hologram moment. "Together," he said, clenching his fists, the wind curling around him like a promise.
Alarms screamed, a shrill wail shattering the calm. The courtyard erupted in chaos as rifts tore open, jagged wounds in the sky spilling forth Omega agents. Ω-Jett led the charge, her wind slicing through the air like a guillotine, her smirk a cruel reflection of Jett's fiery spirit. Ω-Omen's shadows writhed, teleporting drones into flanking positions. At the rear, Ω-Minwoo stood, his dark wind swirling ominously, eyes locked on Minwoo with predatory intent.
The battle exploded. Jett surged forward, Tailwind propelling her into Ω-Jett's path as knives clashed in a storm of steel and gusts. Phoenix's flames roared, creating a fiery wall that funneled enemies into kill zones. Sage's orb pulsed, healing minor injuries as her barrier blocked a barrage of drones. Minwoo concentrated on the rifts, his wind weaving through their chaotic energy, knitting them shut one by one.
But they kept coming. Each rift that closed birthed another, Omega's forces relentless. Minwoo's hands shook, the strain clawing at his core. His vision blurred, the wind resisting him like a stubborn opponent. "Too many," he gasped, sweat stinging his eyes.
"Minwoo, behind!" Jett shouted, her voice cutting through the chaos.
Ω-Minwoo lunged, his wind-laced fist a dark blur. Minwoo ducked, muscle memory from the ring kicking in. He countered with a Gale Fist wind, wrapping his knuckles like a gauntlet and slamming into Ω-Minwoo's chest with hurricane force. The mirror staggered, but his wind roared back, a chaotic vortex forcing Minwoo to dodge.
"You're breaking," Ω-Minwoo taunted, his voice a distorted echo. "You can't hold this power."
Minwoo clenched his teeth, guided by Alex Han's precise guidance. He feinted left and then struck right, his Gale Fist cracking against Ω-Minwoo's jaw. The blow landed, but the strain burned. His arms trembled, his breath ragged. Until now, he wasn't prepared for this.
Phoenix's flames faltered under the weight of Ω-Omen's shadows, his shout strained. "Mate, we're getting smoked!"
Sage's barrier crumbled, her orb dimming. "Minwoo, we need those rifts closed!" she urged, her earlier suspicion buried under urgency.
A massive rift split the sky above HQ, its energy a maelstrom threatening to swallow the fortress in its entirety. Minwoo's heart sank; this was the endgame, Omega's trump card. "Minwoo, it'll tear us apart; close it now!" Brimstone's voice boomed over comms.
He reached out, wind surging, but it felt as if he were wrestling a tsunami. His vision darkened, the rift's pull draining him. Doubt whispered he was just a gamer, not a hero. Then Jett's hand gripped his shoulder, her wind merging with his. "You're more than that," she said, her voice fierce. "You're my brother."
Their winds intertwined, creating a powerful duet that wove through the chaos of the rift, knitting reality back together. With one final, desperate push, it collapsed, sending sparks showering down like dying stars.
Minwoo staggered, his body screaming in protest and his vision swimming. From the shadows, Ω-Minwoo watched with a chilling smirk. "This is only the start of your nightmare," he taunted, vanishing into a rift.
The battle raged on, with Omega's forces regrouping. Minwoo's fists glowed with fading wind energy, his strength dwindling. The war had reached Alpha Earth, and they were barely managing to hold on.
The sky above the VALORANT Protocol headquarters in Seoul was a fractured abyss, a colossal rift clawing through reality with a roar that drowned the world. Radianite energy crackled fiercely, creating jagged shadows on the shattered pavement of the courtyard. Han Minwoo stood at its edge, wind whipping through his hair, his heart hammering in sync with the rift's chaotic pulse. Below, the battlefield churned with flames from Phoenix's fire walls, Sage's barriers flickering under Omega's relentless assault, and Jett's knives flashing as she clashed with her mirror, Ω-Jett.
"Minwoo, it's now or never," Brimstone's voice crackled over comms, strained with urgency. "That rift's tearing us apart; close it."
Minwoo clenched his fists, wind curling around them like a boxer's gloves, his past life as Alex Han whispering strength. "I'm on it," he said, his voice steady despite the dread coiling in his gut. Closing rifts burdened him, but this one was a beast, a maelstrom threatening to merge Alpha and Omega Earths.
Jett sprinted to his side, her white hair streaked with soot, her eyes fierce. "I'm with you, brother."
"No," Sage cut in, her orb pulsing as she healed a fallen agent. "Jett, we need you here to hold the line." "Minwoo must face this alone."
Jett's jaw tightened, but she gripped Minwoo's shoulder, her trust a lifeline. "Don't you dare lose, Wonder Twin."
He forced a half-smile, her words echoing the hologram moment. "I won't."
Minwoo turned, wind surging beneath him, lifting him toward the rift's heart. The battlefield shrank below, a mosaic of chaos: Phoenix's flames faltering, Sage's barriers cracking, and Jett's gusts clashing with Ω-Jett's. The air grew heavy, radianite static prickling his skin as he reached the edge of the rift, where reality frayed into a kaleidoscope of light and shadow.
Ω-Minwoo waited, his dark wind swirling like a vortex of malice, his eyes glinting like cold steel. "The glitch arrives," he sneered, his voice a distorted echo of Minwoo's own. "You really think you can fix what your parents broke?"
Minwoo landed, his feet steady on the unstable ground, the wind coiling around him like a boxer preparing for a fight. "I'm no glitch," he shot back, his fists glowing with the power of Gale Fist, born from Chapter 9's desperate clash. "I'm here to end you."
Ω-Minwoo's laughter rang out, sharp like shattering glass. "You're merely a semblance of myself, weighed down by uncertainty and that pitiful existence."
The taunt struck deep, but Minwoo lunged forward, swinging Gale Fist with a hook infused with hurricane force. Ω-Minwoo countered, his volatile wind slicing like razors, pushing him back. Their clash sent shockwaves rippling through the rift, each blow testing their will. Minwoo's arms burned, the strain of his powers clawing at his core, his vision blurring as Ω-Minwoo pressed his advantage.
"You're breaking," Ω-Minwoo hissed, his fist slamming into Minwoo's side and sending him sprawling across the rift's edge. Pain seared like a missed clutch shot, but something else sparked within him, a vivid and raw memory.
He was a child in his parents' lab, Han Jisoo's hand resting on his shoulder, Yasmine Belkacem's voice soft yet resolute. "Minwoo," she said, adjusting a stabilizer prototype, "you're our bridge. Born of First Light, you carry both worlds within you. If we fail, you'll balance the rifts we created—we made sure of it."
Jisoo's eyes met his, steady and proud. "Your soul's tied to them, son. You'll return, stronger, to finish what we started."
The memory snapped back, and Minwoo understood. His reincarnation wasn't just chance—it was his parents' design, a failsafe to stabilize the rifts their experiments had torn open. He was their legacy, the key to balancing Alpha and Omega.
Wind surged from his core, not just from his fists but from his very being, a force untamed. Minwoo rose, his eyes blazing as he met Ω-Minwoo's charge head-on. Their winds collided—a cataclysm of light and shadow, Minwoo's Gale Fist striking with precision honed by gaming instincts and boxing grit. Ω-Minwoo faltered, his dark gusts fraying under Minwoo's relentless assault.
"You can't!" Ω-Minwoo roared, his form flickering as the rift's energy destabilized.
Minwoo didn't flinch. He channeled his rift sense, feeling the maelstrom above as an extension of himself. Wind wove through its chaos, knitting reality's threads with a boxer's rhythm—jab, hook, uppercut. Below, Jett's voice cut through: "Minwoo, you've got this!"
Minwoo made a final, monumental push that closed the rift, causing its energy to collapse in a stunning flash. Ω-Minwoo screamed, caught in the backlash, his form dissolving into shadow as he was hurled back to Omega Earth. The sky cleared, stars piercing the darkness once more.
Minwoo collapsed, his knees hitting the ground, his breath ragged. Even though every muscle in his body ached, he felt a burning sense of triumph in his chest. He had done it—saved Alpha Earth.
Below, the battlefield stilled, Omega's forces retreating through fading rifts. Jett sprinted to him, dropping to her knees, her hand tight on his. "You're insane," she said, her voice thick with relief. "But you did it."
Sage approached, her orb dim but steady, her earlier suspicion softened by a sense of awe. Phoenix clapped Minwoo on the shoulder, his flames flickering down. "Clutch play, mate."
Brimstone's voice boomed through the comms: "Well done, Minwoo. We held."
Yet, Ω-Minwoo's parting words echoed ominously in Minwoo's mind: "This is only the start of your nightmare." The war wasn't over; Omega would inevitably return. For now, though, Minwoo had won, carrying his parents' legacy within him.
He leaned against Jett, exhaustion overtaking him, but his wind stirred faintly, a promise of battles yet to come.
The medical bay at VALORANT Protocol headquarters in Seoul hummed with a sterile calm, the radianite-powered monitors casting a faint green glow across the room. Han Minwoo lay on a cot, his body a map of exhaustion. His lungs burned, his muscles ached, and his wind powers felt like a storm imprisoned inside him. Closing the colossal rift had pushed him to his limits, but triumph pulsed in his chest: Alpha Earth was safe, for now.
Jett perched on a stool beside him, her white hair catching the dim light, her usual bravado softened by concern. "You look as if you got hit by a truck, brother," she said, her voice a mix of teasing and tenderness. "But you pulled it off. What happened to that 'Gale Fist' of yours? Insane."
Minwoo's lips twitched into a weak grin, his throat raw. "Couldn't have done it without you, Wonder Twins, right?"
She squeezed his hand, her grip fierce and familiar, echoing their bond from when they'd faced the holo-recordings of his parents together. "Always."
The door slid open with a hiss, and Sage stepped in, her healing orb hovering at her side, its gentle light a stark contrast to the tension in her eyes. She had been a pillar during the fight, stabilizing the team as Minwoo battled Ω-Minwoo. Now, her gaze lingered on him, assessing. "Your vitals are improving," she said, her tone clinical yet warm. "The rift manipulation took more than just your strength; it tapped into something deeper."
Minwoo nodded, feeling the weight of her words. The revelation replayed in his mind: his parents, radiant scientists, had engineered his reincarnation, tying his soul to the rifts. He wasn't just a Radiant born of First Light; he was a failsafe, a bridge between Alpha and Omega Earths. The thought sank into his stomach, weighing heavily with both purpose and loss.
Sage's orb pulsed as she adjusted its energy, her eyes narrowing. "Minwoo, we need to talk. About who you are."
He tensed, his breath catching. He had avoided this conversation ever since Sage first sensed something unusual about his dual nature, noting that his wind powers were sharper and his instincts too precise. "You mean my reincarnation?" he asked, meeting her gaze.
Her expression tightened, suspicion cutting through her calm. "You've been hiding it. Your powers, your connection to the rifts—they're not just Radiant. They're… deliberate."
Minwoo swallowed, the secret he had carried since waking in this body spilling out. "I'm Han Minwoo, Jett's brother. But I was someone else before Alex Han, a gamer from another life. I died, and my parents brought me back to life. For this."
Sage's orb dimmed, her silence stretching as she processed his words. "Your parents designed you as a weapon?"
"No," he replied quickly, his voice firm. "A bridge. They understood the rifts would destabilize after First Light. If they failed, I'd return to fix it."
Jett tightened her grip on his hand, her voice fierce. "He's not a tool, Sage. He's family."
Sage's gaze softened, revealing a rare moment of vulnerability. "I don't doubt that, Jett. But Minwoo, your powers come with a cost: radianite strain, rift echoes. Your connection to something much larger than us is evident.
Minwoo exhaled, feeling a slight relief from the weight of his confession. "I know. But I choose this. For Alpha Earth. For all of you."
Sage studied him for a moment, then nodded, a small smile breaking through her reserve. "Then we'll help you carry it. But be cautious; Omega won't stop, and neither can we."
As she departed, Jett nudged him, a grin returning to her face. "See? I told you we'd figure it out."
Minwoo chuckled, the sound easing some of the tension in his chest. "Yeah. Together."
The command center buzzed with activity, its screens illuminated with data from the rift stabilizer, a sleek, radianite-fueled device recovered from the battlefield. Standing at the helm, Brimstone's gravelly voice cut through the noise. "Omega's forces pulled back after Minwoo shut the rift, but they're not finished. We need to secure that stabilizer and determine their next move."
Cypher leaned over his terminal, his masked lenses glinting as he sifted through intercepted signals. "I'm picking up radianite anomalies from Omega's industrial sector. They're fortifying their stabilizer, likely the second of the pair your parents built, Minwoo."
Minwoo's stomach twisted as he thought about the stabilizers, his parents' legacy, designed to balance the rifts after First Light fractured reality. Omega's theft of radianite and mirror agents, like Ω-Jett and Ω-Omen, had transformed that legacy into a weapon. His confrontation with Ω-Minwoo had been deeply personal, a twisted reflection of himself, and losing the second stabilizer was simply not an option.
Phoenix clenched his knuckles, with flames flickering at his fingertips. "So we hit 'em again, yeah?" Take the fight to Omega Earth and burn their plans down."
Brimstone's jaw tightened. "Not yet. The last operation has left us exhausted. Minwoo's rift trick saved us, but we need to understand what he's capable of before we move forward."
All eyes turned to Minwoo, who stood at the edge of the room, still weary but steady. He felt the stabilizer's hum resonate in his bones, a faint echo of the rift's energy. "I'm ready," he said, his voice carrying newfound resolve. "I'm a bridge between worlds, between us and Omega. I'll use that to keep Alpha safe."
Jett's grin was fierce, her wind stirring faintly around her. "And I've got your back, Wonder Twin."
Sage crossed her arms, her tone cautious yet supportive. "Your rift manipulation is powerful, Minwoo, but it's unstable. We need to train the system to control the strain and harness the echoes.
Brimstone nodded. "Good. Cypher, please monitor Omega's movements. Phoenix, you're on standby. We secure the stabilizer here, and then we plan our counterstrike."
Cypher's fingers danced over his console. "We've already reached it." Omega's not subtle; they'll come for this one soon."
Minwoo's gaze drifted to the stabilizer, its radianite core pulsing like a heartbeat. It wasn't just a machine; it was his purpose, a tether to his parents' dream. He'd protect it, no matter the cost.
Hours later, Minwoo stood on the observation deck, the sprawling skyline of Seoul below him a glittering tapestry of lights against the night. The city symbolized Alpha Earth, resilient despite the chaos of First Light and Omega's greed. Jett joined him, her presence a quiet comfort, the wind she commanded brushing against him.
"You okay?" she asked, her voice soft, stripped of its usual edge.
He glanced at her, his wind stirring faintly, a reflex of their shared Radiant nature. "Yeah. Just… processing. I am thinking about my parents, the rifts, and Omega. It's a lot."
She leaned against the railing, her eyes tracing the horizon. "You're not alone in this, you know. We've got Brim, Sage, the whole crew. And me."
Minwoo smiled, the nickname warming him. "Wonder Twins."
"Damn right," she replied, her grin flashing. "Omega has no chance."
A faint hum rippled through the air, a shadow flickering in the distance too subtle for most, but Minwoo felt it deep within. The echo of a rift revealed a whisper of Omega's persistent threat. He straightened, his exhaustion giving way to determination. "They're not done." "Neither are we."
Jett's eyes gleamed, her wind kicking up. "Bring it on."
They stood together, gazing out over Seoul, the city's pulse syncing with their own. Alpha Earth was safe for now, but the war with Omega loomed—a battle Minwoo was destined to fight. His reincarnation wasn't just a burden; it was a gift, a chance to honor his parents and protect the world he'd come to call home. With Jett at his side and the team behind him, he was ready.