Riven's eyes snapped open.
For a single, weightless moment—
Nothing existed.
Then—
Something surged.
Not from outside.
From within.
A violent force erupted through his body—raw, ancient, uncontrollable.
His breath hitched.
His muscles locked.
Deep inside—
Crack.
The sound echoed through him.
Then again.
> Crack. Crack.
It didn't stop.
It spread.
His bones trembled as if something within them was awakening… or breaking.
The space around him responded.
Not metaphorically.
Reality itself—
Fractured.
Thin lines spread through the air like cracks in glass. The ground beneath his feet warped, distorting under an invisible pressure.
The wolf froze.
Its instincts screamed.
Danger.
Not from above.
Not from an enemy—
But from the human in front of it.
"What… is this…?"
The cracks widened.
A pulse expanded outward—
Silent.
Yet undeniable.
Far beyond.
Unseen.
Unreachable.
Something turned.
No forms.
No faces.
Only presence.
Watching.
Interested.
Back within the fractured space—
The wolf felt it.
Those gazes.
Beings far beyond itself.
Its blood ran cold.
Fear took root.
Then—
Greed followed.
If it killed the human now—
Took the pendant—
Offered it to something greater—
It might survive.
No.
It might rise.
Its claws tightened.
Decision made.
It lunged.
Before it reached—
Something else stood there.
No arrival.
No sound.
Just—
Presence.
Another wolf[1].
Still.
Calm.
Unmoving.
Yet everything about it felt wrong.
Ancient.
Heavy.
Its very existence pressed against the space.
The first wolf halted instantly.
Its instincts howled louder than before.
That bloodline—
It wasn't just superior.
It was… origin.
As if this being existed when wolves first came into existence.
For a brief second—
It hesitated.
Then greed drowned reason.
With a snarl, it attacked.
It never reached.
The second wolf moved.
Effortlessly.
The attack was brushed aside as if it never existed.
Not skill.
Not speed.
Difference in existence.
The second wolf looked at it.
Disappointed.
"Wrong object."
A step forward.
"Wrong target."
Another.
The first wolf trembled.
Its instincts begged it to stop.
But it attacked again.
Desperate.
Blind.
The second wolf sighed.
"And the worst…"
A pause.
Cold.
"Wrong decision."
Darkness answered.
Not from above.
Not from below.
From nowhere.
Countless tendrils—hands—shapes without form—emerged.
They didn't strike.
They consumed.
The wolf didn't scream.
It couldn't.
Its flesh—
Gone.
Its bones—
Shattered.
Its soul—
Torn apart.
Its very existence—
Erased.
As if it had never been.
Silence.
The second wolf stood still.
Watching the empty space.
"…A fitting end."
Another[2] presence appeared beside him.
Humanoid.
Calm.
Observing.
"Don't you think that was excessive?"
The wolf didn't turn.
"Excessive?"
A faint pause.
"If permitted, I would erase its entire lineage."
The second figure's gaze sharpened.
The space itself seemed to tighten.
"Have you forgotten?"
A pause.
Colder.
"This world cannot endure us."
Silence.
Then—
"Or do you wish to return to that prison?"
The wolf stiffened.
For the first time—
Hesitation.
"…I will be careful."
His gaze shifted.
Toward Riven.
Still standing.
Unaware.
Unfinished.
A faint smile appeared.
> "Looks like…"
A pause.
"You'll take after your mother."
A snap.
Everything vanished.
Riven stood still.
Breathing.
The cracks—
Gone.
The space—
Normal.
The wolf—
Gone.
As if nothing had happened.
His fingers tightened.
"…what was that?"
The memory surfaced.
The woman.
The technique.
The voice.
Breakthevessel...awakenthe foundation.
His gaze lowered.
"That technique…"
Structured.
Ancient.
Not random.
"…Primordial Body Refinement Scripture…"
The name settled within him.
Not learned.
Remembered.
>"First stage…"
A pause.
"…first phase."
A faint pressure lingered deep within his bones.
Not gone.
Waiting.
Then—
Another thought.
The wolf.
That being.
"…how many are there like him?"
If that creature wasn't unique—
Then this world—
Was far more dangerous than he had believed.
His breathing steadied.
"…and this is just the beginning?"
First phase.
First step.
Already overwhelming.
Then—
A colder realization.
"If this is only the beginning…"
His eyes sharpened.
"…what lies beyond nine stages?"
"Riven?"
The voice broke through.
Warm.
Familiar.
Real.
He turned.
Home.
Everything untouched.
His mother stood at the doorway.
"How was your walk?"
Riven paused.
Just for a moment.
Then—
"It was good."
A faint exhale.
"I feel… better."
She smiled.
Unaware.
He walked inside.
His steps slowed.
His father.
His sister.
Their faces.
Then—
The photo on the wall.
A simple moment.
Frozen in time.
Riven's gaze lingered.
"…I don't know what I am."
A pause.
"…maybe just someone chosen by chance."
His hand tightened slightly.
"But I've stepped into something dangerous."
His eyes steadied.
"…and if it threatens them—"
Silence.
Then—
"I'll stop it."
That night—
Riven lay on his bed.
Eyes open.
Mind quiet.
Body… not.
Something within him had awakened.
And it wasn't done.
Far away.
Beyond distance.
Beyond measure.
A figure stood.
Watching.
Not through power.
Not through technique.
Just—
Sight.
Clear.
Absolute.
Aarion
His gaze rested on Riven.
Calm.
Unshaken.
Behind him—
Darkness shifted.
Not forming.
Not arriving.
Simply… revealed.
Two figures[3] stood there.
One—silent, composed.
The other—faint traces of something ancient lingering around him.
They lowered their heads.
"Master."
A brief pause.
"The young master is safe."
Aarion didn't turn.
His eyes remained on Riven.
A faint smile appeared.
"So…"
Soft.
Measured.
"This is what you've chosen."
A pause.
"Your father would be disappointed."
Silence lingered.
Then—
"But…"
A subtle shift.
"It's your path."
Another pause.
Then—
"Looks like…"
Faint.
"I'll have to support you."
The world remained quiet.
But something far beyond it—
Had begun to move.
END
[1] Aarion's servent 1
[2] Aarion's servent
[3] same servents who saved Riven