Rifted ~ A Fortnite Oneshot

Rifted

"The border?

"Uh, yeah, you're gonna meet me at the Washington-Oregon border because one, I'm gonna see my little brother if it kills me, but two, I'm not driving four hours just for this coffee."

"Hey, it's no big deal," Fade reassured, "I can just leave now and get back tonight-"

"Fade, I know you," she cut him off, "you like your adventures, so we'll just see each other and then you can be on your way. Go to New York, even."

Fade laughed. "If you say so, but New York might just be a little too far for now."

"Alright," he heard the smile in her voice, "well, I'll see you tomorrow, then. See you."

"Bye."

Fade walked closer to the shore upon hanging up. As he stopped to stare at the peaceful stream, a glow in the corner of his eyes caught his attention. He glanced at his reflection in the water, seeing something shiny take form behind him. Fade turned abruptly, almost falling backwards into the water at the sight of the anomaly floating in front of his nose.

It was a strange being, a butterfly that had been crystallized, swaying delicately in the breeze as if it had no weight. "What are you...?" Fade muttered, holding his breath as it inched forward, until it suddenly sped off down the sidewalk.

"H-Hey!" Fade stuttered out, caught by surprise. He found his pace picking up as his legs carried him after it. Fade ignored the strange stares of the people around him as he sprinted—could they not see it? Surely, they see a giant glowing butterfly flying around.

He chased it until his breaths ran out, stopping to catch a new wind. The insect wouldn't stop, however, so he followed it further into the trees.

It led him eventually to a bush, settling on the leaves. Fade glanced around—they were definitely way off the path, away from the roads. He scoffed and turned back to it. "Really? Why are we all the way out here?"

A purple glow caught his eyes from beside the bush. Upon further inspection, Fade found what seemed to be a mask. A white mask with a scary face and long horns.

"What's this?" He asked, not sure who exactly he was asking. He picked it up, running his fingers over the intricate design. As he held it within his hands, it pulsed with a strange magic, emitting faint lavender fog. It resembled that of an oni, one of the folklore beings his sister had always been fascinated with. As Fade looked it over, the butterfly perched onto one of the long, purple horns that jutted out from the top.

"For me?" Fade asked, almost as if he understood the creature. The butterfly responded by flying up and landing on his head, so he slid on the mask, feeling it fit just perfectly over his face.

Immediately, Fade could feel the energy radiating off, more intensely than when it had lied between his hands. It almost strained him, and he felt his knees go weak. He fought off the exhaustion for as long as he could, until he found himself falling.

Then, he wasn't falling.

He wasn't falling, but Fade couldn't quite say he was standing, either. It was as if were suspended in the air; he flailed, looking downwards at his legs failed to reach solid ground.

His surroundings—all he saw was white. Was this a hallucination? A dream?

He noticed a crack somewhere in the distance, glowing translucent blues and purples and pulsing with strange energy. Energy just as strange as the mask he donned. Fade reached around for the corners of the mask, hoping to take it off and get a clearer look. The crack in the sky started to shrink, however, and his attempts halted as it took form of the butterfly again.