Location from Crescent City by Sarah J. Maas
The tear between Midgard and Hel — a wound in reality that the Asteri sealed but never fully closed, because some doors refuse to stay shut.
The Rift is the primary crossing point between Midgard and Hel, and it is the single most heavily guarded location on the continent. The Asteri maintain a permanent military garrison here because they know that if the Rift opens fully, the Princes of Hel will march through with an army. The air near the Rift tastes metallic and wrong. Electronics malfunction. Firstlight behaves erratically. Soldiers stationed here rotate frequently because prolonged exposure causes hallucinations, nightmares, and an unsettling certainty that something on the other side is watching you specifically.
A jagged fissure in the landscape, visible as a shimmering distortion in the air that stretches for miles. The ground around it is scorched and nothing grows within a hundred yards of the boundary. On clear days, you can see through to the other side — dark shapes moving in an alien landscape. On bad days, the Rift pulses and things press against the barrier.
Also known as: The Northern Rift, The Rift