The drive to Nagano took six hours, and Hana spent most of it curled up on my lap, purring as she watched the city streets give way to rolling hills and snow-capped mountains. Aiko drove, her eyes focused on the road as she explained what we'd be facing.
"We call this one the Realm of Falling Stars," she said, glancing at the monitor mounted on the dashboard – it showed a map with a glowing red dot marking our destination. "The rift opens once every twenty years, and only for a few days. According to our records, it's filled with crystalline forests and rivers of liquid starlight. No guardian beasts have been documented there – but that doesn't mean it's safe."
I had my portable camera set up on the dashboard, streaming live to my channel. The viewer count was already at 12,000 and climbing – word had spread fast after my announcement the day before. I'd renamed my stream from Rizu's Midnight Kitchen to Rizu's Rifted Journeys, and the new banner showed a silhouette of me standing in front of a glowing rift.
"Minna-san," I said into the lapel mic, adjusting the camera so it framed both the road and my face. "We're about an hour away now. The mountains are getting closer – you can see the snow on the peaks even though it's spring. Aiko-san says this realm is one of the most beautiful they've found, but we're not taking any chances. I've got emergency gear, communication tools, and… well, Hana-chan is our official morale officer."
The chat exploded with messages:
[NekoChef]: HANA-CHAN IS THE REAL STAR!
[RiftExplorer]: CAN'T WAIT TO SEE THE CRYSTAL FORESTS!
[TechSakura]: BE CAREFUL UP THERE – THE MOUNTAIN AIR CAN BE TRICKY!
I smiled and scratched Hana behind her ears, making her purr louder. "She's already been practicing her 'danger alert' meow. Though honestly, I think she just wants to chase whatever glowing things are in there."
Aiko reached into the glove compartment and pulled out a small device – similar to the one she'd shown me in Ueno Park, but smaller and lighter. "This is your Pathfinder compass. It'll help you sense the rift's location, even if it's hidden by terrain or weather. It'll also warn you if the energy levels get too high – that's when we need to pull back."
I clipped the compass to my jacket, feeling its familiar hum against my chest. Since meeting Aiko, I'd noticed the sensation getting stronger – like the device was responding to something inside me. "How did you become a Pathfinder?" I asked.
She laughed softly. "I wasn't born one – I was exposed to realm energy when I was a kid, after a rift opened near my hometown. It changed me, gave me the ability to see the pathways between worlds. The Collective found me when I was sixteen and took me in. Now I help find and train new Pathfinders like you."
As we climbed higher into the mountains, the air grew colder and thinner. Snow started to fall lightly, dusting the pine trees with white. The compass on my jacket began to glow brighter, its blue light pulsing faster.
"We're close," Aiko said, pulling off the main road onto a dirt path that wound through the trees. "Park here – we'll have to walk the rest of the way."
We got out of the car, and I grabbed my gear bag while Aiko loaded up with supplies. Hana jumped onto my shoulder, her claws digging gently into my jacket to stay steady. The compass was glowing so bright now I could see it even in the falling snow.
"This way," I said, following the direction it was pointing. Aiko raised an eyebrow in surprise but followed behind me.
"You're already getting better at this," she said. "Most new Pathfinders take weeks to follow the compass properly."
I smiled, even as the wind picked up, whipping snow around us. "Maybe the realms are just excited to show me around."
We walked for about twenty minutes, the compass leading us deeper into the forest until we reached a small clearing surrounded by ancient pines. In the center of the clearing, the air was shimmering – just like my bedroom wall had been, but bigger, wider, stretching from the ground up to the treetops. The snow was melting before it could touch the shimmering barrier, and the air around it smelled like pine needles and something else – like ozone and sugar, sharp and sweet.
The camera was still rolling, and I could hear the alerts going wild as my viewers saw the rift come into frame. I set up my tripod in a safe spot just outside the clearing, making sure the camera had a clear view of everything.
"Okay, minna-san," I said, my voice steady despite the excitement building in my chest. "This is it – the Realm of Falling Stars. We're going in. Stay with me."
I took a deep breath, adjusted my gear, and stepped forward into the light.