Henry stumbled through the warped forest, following behind Veyra as she carved a path with her blade. The trees groaned like they were alive, and the sky overhead pulsed with streaks of green lightning.
He wanted answers. She didn't slow down.
> "So… you're just going to ignore the fact that I killed a glitchy death-wolf ten minutes ago?"
"Congrats," she said dryly. "You survived. That's better than most."
"What is this place?"
"It's called a Rift. A pocket world created when the multiverse fractures. Chaos spills through. Beasts crawl in. We get thrown in to clean it up. Or die trying."
Henry's chest burned. The mark was still glowing faintly through his shirt.
> "And this mark? The voice? That system screen—"
"Ah. You heard it, didn't you? 'Let the Madness in.'"
"Yeah. Creepy voice, very helpful."
Veyra finally stopped beside a fallen stone pillar. She knelt, tapped a device on her wrist, and a translucent interface expanded mid-air.
> "That's your Madness System. You unlocked it the second the Rift chose you."
She gestured toward the space in front of him.
And just like that—his own interface flickered to life.
---
MADNESS SYSTEM INTERFACE
> Traveler: Henry Carter
• Sanity: 99%
• Madness Points: 20
• Rank: Tier 1 – "Waking Mind"
Core Ability: Fracture Blink
➤ Phase-dash short distances to evade death.
Cooldown: 30 sec
ABILITY TREE UNLOCKED: [Tier 1 – Chaos Root]
---
[CHAOS ROOT] – Tier 1 Ability Tree
🔹 Ability Name Type Description
Fracture Blink Movement Instantly dodge by phasing through space.
Echo Vision (Locked) Perception See 3 seconds into the future. (Unlock for 30 MP)
Bone Grasp (Locked) Combat Summon skeletal hands to trap one enemy. (Unlock for 25 MP)
Wild Surge (Locked) Utility Channel raw chaos energy for a short strength boost. (Unlock for 35 MP)
Mind Anchor (Locked) Defense Temporarily boost Sanity resistance. (Unlock for 15 MP)
---
Henry stared at the glowing abilities.
> "So… I level up by killing monsters?"
"Killing. Surviving. Solving riddles. Escaping traps. Each Rift has rules. Break them, you earn Madness Points. Spend them wisely, or you'll snap."
> "Snap?"
She looked at him with a rare seriousness.
> "This system gives you power... but it's chaos-based. Use it too much, and it starts eating your mind. That's what the Sanity stat tracks. Go too low, and you'll lose yourself."
Henry frowned. "What happens if my Sanity hits zero?"
Veyra didn't blink.
> "You become one of them."
She pointed to the trees.
Dozens of shapes stood just beyond the fog. Pale silhouettes. Watchers. Twisted echoes of people, their faces blank and smiling.
Henry shivered.
> "So how do I not go insane?"
> "Control. Discipline. You need to rest between Rifts. Meditate. Anchor your thoughts. Some Travelers take memory pills to stabilize. Others carry keepsakes from home."
Henry looked down at his hands.
They were still trembling.
> "This is insane…"
"No," she said. "It's Madness."
Suddenly, a loud pulse rang through the sky like a sonar wave.
The forest groaned. The ground cracked.
A countdown appeared in front of them.
---
Rift Collapse in 00:03:00
> Exfiltration Gate Activating…
---
> "Gate's opening," Veyra said. "Let's get out before the Rift eats itself."
> "What happens if we don't make it?"
She looked back and smiled faintly.
> "Then you'll learn what true Madness looks like."
They ran.
Behind them, the trees began to melt. The sky shattered like glass. The upside-down city above burst into fire.
And Henry, with blood on his shirt and a system in his chest, ran toward the light.
Henry didn't remember exiting the Rift.
He only remembered the light—blinding and hot—and the screaming, not just from outside, but inside his skull.
Now, he stood barefoot on a metallic floor, breathing hard as the world settled. It looked like some kind of checkpoint—a long glass hallway stretching between floating chunks of broken land. The stars around them shifted and twisted unnaturally.
> "Welcome to the Inter-Void Gate," said a voice.
He turned.
It was a man with grey dreadlocks, a tablet in his hand, a glowing Madness mark etched across half his face. His eyes shimmered like cracked glass.
> "You're Henry Carter. First Rift cleared. One beast kill. System engaged."
"Yeah… that sounds about right," Henry said weakly. "Am I dead?"
"Worse," the man chuckled. "You're a Traveler now. And your mind is on the clock."
---
SYSTEM WARNING
[Your Sanity has dropped by 4%]
Current: 95%
---
The words flashed in front of him again.
Henry groaned. "Why is it dropping? I'm not even fighting."
The man raised a brow.
> "Let me show you something."
He tapped the air. A hologram unfolded.
---
SANITY SYSTEM: Core Mechanics
Sanity Meter Description
100% – 80% Stable. Clear mind. Normal ability use.
79% – 60% Minor distortions: whispers, delayed thoughts, twitching visuals.
59% – 40% Emotional spikes: paranoia, fear surges, hallucinations.
39% – 20% Reality fracture: voices become real, nightmares leak into daylight.
19% – 1% Mental collapse: loss of ability control, hostile behavior, memory loss.
0% You become a Riftborn. Your mind is lost to Chaos.
---
> "The Madness System is chaos-based," the man explained. "Power comes at the cost of mental stability. Every ability you use—every Rift you survive—chips away at your core."
> "And how do I fix it?" Henry asked, swallowing.
---
Restoration Methods
Method Effect
Meditation Chambers Passive regeneration of +10% Sanity/hour.
Memory Anchors Personal items from Earth slow sanity drain and restore +5% when focused.
White Serums Crafted from Rift flora; restore 15–30% but rare.
Dream Stabilizers Dream pods simulate safe memories; expensive but effective.
---
Henry touched his temple.
> "I… feel fine right now."
"You won't, if you keep using that Blink skill every two minutes like a rookie."
"So what if I ignore it?"
"You'll start seeing things that aren't there. Hearing voices. And then, your System will start unlocking corrupted abilities—Madness-tier powers that are stronger, yes, but they burn your Sanity like fire."
The man narrowed his eyes.
> "Some Travelers like it. They chase the high. They burn their minds for strength. But in the end, they all fall."
---
[Sanity Drop: 94%]
A whisper brushes your ear. It says your name.
---
Henry flinched. "Did you hear that?"
The man didn't answer. Just turned and walked away.
> "Get to the Hub. Meet the others. You'll need a team soon."
"Why?" Henry asked.
"Because the next Rift won't wait for you to rest. And when it comes—"
He paused, smiled grimly.
"—the Madness knows your name now."
---
Madness Tip:
> Warning: If Henry's Sanity reaches 70%, minor effects begin.
Players can trigger Madness Events—random hallucinations, temporary debuffs, or psychic attacks.
These events scale with Sanity loss.