Night had fallen. Riven pushed open the rusty door of the Nail Guild. Darkness filled the space, shadows of old beams stretching across the walls; dust particles danced in the candlelight. "Ah, nothing has changed here," he said, his voice echoing in the empty room, a faint smile on his lips.
Darel stood behind him, eyes scanning the room. "What do we do now?" he asked.
Riven shrugged. "I said Nail Guild. There's a spot nearby. Let's go."
They moved through narrow back alleys. Riven passed through tight doors and finally found a rusty gate, pushing it open. Inside, whispers and footsteps of new students filled the air. Riven peeked in, murmuring involuntarily, "New students… Lex isn't here, is he…"
Harven stood at the doorway, hand on his sword, startled. "Who are you? How do you know about this place?" he demanded.
Riven smiled faintly. "Hello, teacher. I'm Riven. Do you remember me?"
Harven's eyes welled up, and his sword slipped from his hands. "Riven?… You're really alive? Your hair… it's grown… and your eyes have changed," he said, a mixture of astonishment and old affection in his voice.
Riven laughed. "That's right, teacher. But I have a question for you: where is Kael?"
Harven's expression darkened. "Kael… has become a priest," he said, avoiding Riven's gaze.
Riven raised an eyebrow. "A priest? Where? Can I see him?"
Harven hesitated. "Go out from here, turn left ahead, the church… he's there."
Riven nodded and glanced at Darel. "Let's go."
As they approached the church, the door was open, a few candles burning inside. Riven entered, his voice echoing: "Hey! Is anyone here?"
Kael stepped out, his face tired but shocked. "Hello… welcome," he said.
Riven walked toward him, a triumphant smile on his face. "Kael — you're alive."
Kael looked away, a tear sliding down his cheek. "Riven… why have you come? I must stay here."
Riven stepped closer, his voice dark and determined. "I'm calling you to my village. I need you as my sword. You will stand by me."
Kael stepped back, hands pressed together in a prayer gesture. "I can't. This is my place of work, I've taken my vows."
Riven's eyes flared. His third eye briefly opened, candles flickering violently. His shadow spread across the walls, a dark wave crashing over Kael. "Whether you believe it or not… you will come with me," he said, his smile cold and unwavering.
Kael fell to his knees, his resistance broken. His eyes locked on Riven's; there was no escape. Riven reached out, grabbed Kael's arm, and led him out. Darel watched silently from behind, eyes shining with awe and fear.
Silence reigned along the corridor. Kael still walked beside Riven, kneeling and holding his breath. Riven let out a faint grin, murmuring to himself, "Things will get much more interesting in the village now."
Once outside, the night wind hit their faces. Kael's inner defiance, though physically broken, still flickered in his eyes. Riven noticed, but paid it no mind. "The game has begun," he whispered to himself.
Darel leaned closer, whispering: "This… is serious. There's still defiance in Kael's eyes."
Riven nodded slightly. "Yes. But he's mine now. And this resistance will only make him stronger — as well as my village."
After a brief pause, Riven's dark laughter echoed through the corridor. "Those who oppose us… will suffer," he said, and they left the night behind, leading Kael toward the village.
---
The night sky shattered. Vel raised his hands to the heavens, and the air around crackled; light and shadow intertwined. Divine beings were summoned; the sky split open, and the earth trembled. Dragons descended from above, their roars merging with the chaos of battle, stones and flames dancing in the air. For a moment, the world forgot its own existence.
Riven stood amidst the chaos of battle, his sword in hand, yet every strike was swallowed by a tide of chaos. The divine beings Vel had summoned surged toward him. Riven's body shook with every blow, blood dripping from within, his eyes a mixture of fatigue and rage. Finally, a strike sent him crashing to the ground. The fragments of the world spun around him; everything blurred, sounds echoed, and time seemed to freeze. Riven closed his eyes, and all went dark.
Then he dreamt.
His family, faces long unseen, greeted him warmly. Yet their faces were mixed with anguish, silent screams, fear in their eyes. Riven took his sword in hand and began cutting down the ghosts of his past, one by one. Every strike a cry, every scream a reckoning. "Ahhh!" he screamed, his voice echoing through the darkness of the dream. Blood, tears, and fury mingled. Riven's heart was a battlefield ablaze with fire.
Suddenly, he opened his eyes.
His body was still covered in blood; he brought his hands to his face, and the crimson substance glowed, turning into a deep black. His eyes were now completely black, absorbing the surrounding light, embracing the shadows. Riven rose to his feet, unshaken, letting out a roar:
"AHHHH!"
The sound tore through crumbling mountains and the fragmented sky. Fury and triumph intertwined. Riven pressed his bloodied hands against his face, carving marks as his scream rose to the heavens. The world trembled with his presence.
"I AM RIVEN!" he bellowed. "ON EARTH AND IN THE HEAVENS… I AM THE GOD OF THIS WORLD! REMEMBER THIS NAME!"
In that moment, all chaos froze. Even the divine beings Vel summoned trembled. Dragons halted mid-flight; the wind stilled. Riven's black eyes glowed as if drawing the entire world into himself.
Darel watched silently from afar, eyes wide, holding his breath. "Damn… Riven… he's fully… finished the job," he whispered.
Riven took a step forward, each footfall shaking the world slightly. A dark aura curled around him as he pressed his bloody hands to his chest. "Everything… is under my control now," he said, his voice both mesmerizing and terrifying.
A ripple echoed across the sky. The world, after chaos and death, fell into silence; but everyone knew that Riven was no longer mortal. Neither Vel nor any divine being nor the war itself could stand against him.
Riven planted his foot firmly on the ground. Pressing his bloody hands to his chest again, he roared once more:
"I AM RIVEN! THE GOD OF THIS WORLD! NEVER FORGET ME!"
Shadows and darkness rose behind him, the world trembling once more. Riven was no longer a mortal man — he was the embodiment of chaos and power. And no one, neither Vel nor any other divine force, could stand in his way.
---