As the beast closed in, Riven finally grasped the sheer size of it—it had to be at least six feet tall, even on all fours. Its massive frame loomed, a mountain of muscle and menace. When it drew close enough, it spun with startling agility, bringing its tail to bear in a sweeping arc aimed to cleave him in half.
Riven was ready. He ducked low, feeling the rush of air above his head as the deadly tail sailed past. Boosting forward with a surge of mana, he focused on the creature's feet, careful to avoid being trampled. Weaving through the shifting limbs, he unleashed a barrage of punches to its underside, each strike imbued with increasing mana. Cracks began to spiderweb across the beast's armored belly, faint but promising.
The creature wasn't foolish. It released the tension in its legs, its massive body dropping in an attempt to crush him with its raw weight. The move caught Riven off guard, but the pink mana coursing through him made his reflexes sharper, his body stronger. With a burst of energy, he leapt back just in time as the monster slammed into the ground, sending a tremor that echoed through the arena.
The impact kicked up a dense cloud of dust, obscuring the beast entirely. Riven took a cautious step back, narrowing his eyes as he waited for another charge. I'll just have to keep wearing it down. The underside's my best bet; anywhere else will take too long.
Before the dust could settle, the beast lunged forward, the cloud erupting around it as it launched itself with terrifying speed. Surprised Riven stopped channeling more mana and scrambled to dodge, rolling hard to his right, narrowly avoiding the outstretched claws that raked the air where he'd been standing. The ground shuddered as the beast landed, its glowing eyes now burning with an unnatural intensity.
Riven's heart clenched as he saw the suppression collar on its left hind leg crack and the runes dim. He spun, trying to shout a warning to the invigilators as he was in no delusion he could beat it now, but his voice was drowned out by a deafening rumble. The earth buckled and split, jagged spikes erupting in a chaotic frenzy. Instinctively, Riven channeled his mana, solidifying it into a protective barrier. The spikes lost some of their deadly momentum, but the force of the eruption sent him hurtling backward, crashing onto the uneven ground.
Pain seared through his body as he lay there, ribs cracked, skin punctured. Sand hung thick in the air, blurring his vision and clogging his throat. Struggling to regain his footing, his hand brushed against something smooth and oval. Squinting, he saw it—a polished stone radiating a soft, orange light. It seemed to call to him, its glow mesmerizing. Despite his daze, Riven grasped it—and the world around him went black.
The agony and chaos disappeared. Riven found himself enveloped in darkness so complete it felt suffocating. Then, twelve figures emerged, their forms cloaked in shadow darker than the void itself. Their outlines shimmered with rhythmic, otherworldly lights. Their collective gaze fell upon him, and the weight of their scrutiny was overwhelming. The very air seemed to compress, pressing down on him with the force of an entire world.
Just as his mind threatened to fracture under the strain, the figures vanished, leaving only one behind. Its immense form defied comprehension, an amalgamation of shadow and light. Eight kaleidoscopic eyes arranged in a hexagonal pattern fixed on him, unblinking. Cracks began to spread across its form, and shards of concentrated energy fragmented away, each dissolving into the void but one remained.
It shot toward Riven, growing brighter as it condensed. It pierced his chest, driving straight into his heart. A scream tore from his lips as pain rippled through his body, but the void consumed it, leaving only silence. The shard dissolved into his bloodstream, melding with his mana, its amber glow pulsating as it spread through him. Riven doubled over, wracked with agony, as the alien energy embedded itself deep within him.
When the transformation ended, his once-pink mana was no longer recognizable. It had condensed, its color now a deep, radiant amber, pulsing with strength. The void brightened, cracking apart, and the world rushed back into focus.
R
Riven opened his eyes, his body trembling with unfamiliar energy. A muted orange glow rippled across his skin, coating every inch of him in light that pulsed like a living flame. It wasn't mana—not the kind he knew. It felt heavier, denser, and far more potent, yet undeniably connected to his core. Power thrummed through his veins, alive and volatile.
Before he could make sense of it, the towering beast before him let out a guttural roar, its molten eyes narrowing on him as though mocking his survival. Something inside Riven snapped. A searing rage overtook reason—a primal fury that drowned out pain and thought alike. How dare a mere creature look down on him as though it were the stronger one.
Before he realized it, his body was already moving. The strange energy surged, propelling him forward in a blur. He ducked low beneath the beast's claws, his body moving with unnatural precision, and drove his fist—now sheathed in burning orange light—straight into the creature's underbelly in a brutal uppercut.
The impact was cataclysmic. The beast's massive frame lifted clean off the ground, suspended midair for an instant. Heat and dust erupted outward, the shockwave rattling the arena walls. But Riven didn't stop. His entire body burned as he twisted sharply, channeling the blazing energy into his leg. In one fluid motion, he spun—a full, blazing 360-degree kick—and struck the beast across its side.
The blow landed with bone-shattering force. The creature was sent hurtling through the air, crashing into the remains of its steel cage, splitting it apart in a screech of tearing metal and splintered stone.
For a heartbeat, silence reigned. Then came the faint rumble of shifting earth—the beast still moved.
Riven's vision blurred. His instincts screamed at him to finish it, to strike once more and end the fight. He took a step forward—only for his entire body to seize. The orange glow flickered violently, then vanished. All at once, the strange energy drained from him, leaving nothing but emptiness. His limbs went numb, his strength evaporating as darkness crept into his vision.
He barely saw the next moment—the white, winged horse-like creature charging across the arena toward the fallen beast, its horn glowing an ethereal blue. And just before the void swallowed him completely, a familiar voice reached him through the chaos.
"It's alright… I've got you," his father said.
Then everything went black.
As Riven's vision faded, fragments of strange memories surfaced. A creature of immense power wielding amber mana. A powerful soul forged by fusing others. The images were fleeting but vivid, leaving him with questions he couldn't yet answer.
When he opened his eyes again, his mother was kneeling beside him, her face etched with worry. "You've pushed yourself too far," she said softly, her fingers brushing against his forehead. A woman in healing robes approached, her face familiar to Riven. Ah the healer from yesterday. She knelt beside him, her tone half-wry, half-concerned. "Looks like you've been through another war. One of these days, you're not going to bounce back so easily." Her hands, glowing with a soothing warmth, hovered over his battered body, probing his injuries with practiced care.
Her brows drew together, deep furrows creasing her forehead as her expression shifted from concern to bewilderment. "Broken ribs, torn muscles, and fried mana channels," she muttered, her voice tinged with disbelief. Her eyes widened as she continued her assessment. "But what's strange is… they're already repairing themselves."
Riven drifted into an uneasy silence, his thoughts a chaotic storm of unanswered questions. What had happened to him? What was this amber mana? And why did it feel as though his soul carried an unfamiliar weight? With no immediate answers, he turned inward to his soul space, bracing himself for what he might find.
As he delved into his soul space, his mana core loomed before him, a familiar beacon of spectral energy. It pulsed with the rhythmic glow of pink light, its varying density creating a calming ebb and flow—just as it always had. But then, another presence caught his attention. A second sphere of spectral energy emerged, glowing with an intense amber hue that seemed to radiate power. Bewildered, Riven reached out to manipulate it, expecting resistance, yet it responded with uncanny swiftness, bending to his will more readily than his usual mana.
Experimenting with it, he quickly deduced two things: this new mana was leagues more potent than his own, carrying an overwhelming force that made his core pale in comparison. Yet there was something else—a faint, almost imperceptible stream of consciousness interwoven with the energy, brushing against his mind with an alien intent. The realization sent a chill through him, and he recoiled instinctively, releasing his hold as the amber energy drifted back to join the core. What is this? he thought, his confusion only deepening. Nothing like this has ever been discussed in class.
Just as he began to pull back, another anomaly drew his attention—a third sphere of energy, smaller and set apart from the cores. Riven froze. What? That space... it's only supposed to house soul bonds. Wary yet curious, he willed the sphere closer, his heart pounding with anticipation. As it neared, recognition struck him like a thunderclap. It's a soul bond. But how?
Probing its essence, he felt its origin as clearly as if it were etched into his very being. Well, it's here now. Might as well see what it has to offer. Steeling himself, he focused on the bond, and the sphere unraveled, revealing two fragments of pulsing energy within. He reached out hesitantly, brushing his fingers against the fragments, and was immediately overwhelmed.
A torrent of information flooded his mind, crashing into him with relentless force. Doubling over from the strain, Riven grit his teeth and waited, his breath coming in ragged bursts as the deluge subsided. When it finally did, he straightened, the echoes of the new knowledge lingering in his mind. Tentatively, he spoke the names of the two abilities gifted through the bond.
"Soul Fragment Fusion... and Primordial Mana."
The moment the latter left his lips, the amber core flared to life, its oppressive light blazing through his soul space like a vengeful sun. The intensity sent a shiver through him, and for the first time, Riven truly felt the weight of what he had uncovered.