The Price of Godslaughter
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The Aftermath
The hall was empty.
The kings had been dismissed. Cory stood at the far end, silent.
Only Riven remained.
The obsidian throne no longer felt heavy beneath him. In fact—
He felt lighter.
Too light.
The Void inside him stirred again.
Not violently. Not rebelliously.
Hungrily.
Riven's fingers twitched.
A single drop of black blood fell from his palm and struck the floor.
Tick.
The sound echoed far too loudly.
Riven looked down.
For the first time—
He was bleeding.
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The Price
Cory's breath caught.
> "Lord…"
Riven didn't answer.
The shadows around him twisted unnaturally, bending toward his body. Not obeying.
Claiming.
Cory stepped forward despite the pressure crushing his soul.
> "The Void… it's no longer just a weapon."
Riven's reflection appeared faintly on the polished floor.
But the reflection did not move with him.
It smiled.
> Reflection:
"How much of you is still yours?"
Riven's eye twitched.
He closed his fist.
The reflection shattered like glass.
> Riven:
"I decide the price."
But the Void did not respond.
It never did.
---
Seeds of Betrayal
Far away—
In lands that still believed themselves free—
Whispers spread.
The Beast King knelt before a hidden altar, his claws digging into stone.
> "We will all die if we follow him."
The Elf King burned a sealed letter without reading it twice.
> "If the gods truly come…"
The Human King prayed until his voice broke.
> "Any god… please…"
And in a place without space or time—
A white mask tilted slightly.
> White Mask God:
"Good."
> "Despair ripens faster than loyalty."
---
The First Descent
The sky screamed.
Not thunder. Not lightning.
It screamed.
A裂裂裂—
Reality tore open above a border city.
A lesser god descended.
Its form was radiant. Its presence absolute.
Mortals fell to their knees instantly.
> False God:
"Kneel. I am salvation."
Before the word kneel finished echoing—
Darkness arrived.
Not falling.
Appearing.
Riven stood in the air before it, Void wings burning like black suns.
> Riven:
"You're late."
The god recoiled.
> "You— you are not written—"
Riven raised his hand.
The Void obeyed.
Just this once.
---
Godslaughter
There was no battle.
No clash.
Riven stepped forward and erased the space where the god existed.
Light collapsed inward. Divinity screamed.
Then—
Nothing.
The sky healed itself.
The world remained.
The god did not.
Far away, something ancient noticed.
The White Mask God's fingers tightened.
> "So it begins."
---
The Cost Grows
Riven landed slowly.
His knees buckled for half a second.
Only Cory saw it.
Black veins spread briefly across Riven's neck before fading.
> Cory (whispering):
"Lord… the Void took something."
Riven wiped blood from his mouth and smiled.
Not weak.
Not afraid.
> Riven:
"Good."
> "Let it take."
> "As long as I'm still the one walking forward."
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Final Scene
Back in the hall, Riven sat once more upon the obsidian throne.
Dark symbols ignited across the walls.
He spoke softly—but the world listened.
> "Gods can bleed."
> "Kings can lie."
> "And the Void… demands payment."
His gaze sharpened.
> "Prepare the armies."
> "The next god won't die so quietly."
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Final Line
High above existence—
The White Mask God finally smiled.
> "Come then, Void Child."
> "Let us see who remains… unfinished."
---
— The Price of Godslaughter
—
— The God Who Watches
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The Place Beyond Time
(White Mask God POV)
There was no throne.
No hall.
No shape.
Only Observation.
The White Mask God did not stand—
standing implied position,
and position implied limitation.
Below Him—
worlds turned.
Above Him—
nothing existed.
He lifted a finger.
A thread of fate unraveled, revealing a single name.
Riven.
The Void Child.
> "Interesting…"
The mask showed no expression, yet amusement rippled through existence.
> "You erased a god."
> "You bled."
> "And still… you walk."
The White Mask God traced another thread.
It trembled.
That thread was not fate.
It was Void.
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The Truth of the Void
> "So you've chosen him…"
The White Mask God tilted His head.
> "Not as a vessel."
> "Not as a servant."
> "But as a lie."
He watched deeper.
Past Riven's memories.
Past his will.
Past his rage.
Into the first moment the Void touched him.
And He smiled.
---
What Riven Does Not Know
The Void was never meant to be controlled.
It was never meant to be mastered.
And most importantly—
> It was never meant to tell the truth.
The Void did not consume randomly.
It chose what to take.
Not strength.
Not life.
But—
Identity.
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The Lie
Far below, Riven stood alone in the dark hall.
The Void whispered softly, like it always had.
> Void:
"You are still you."
> "You are winning."
> "I am only power."
Riven closed his eyes.
He believed it.
That was the lie.
---
What the Void Is Really Doing
Each time Riven used it—
It took a memory
It dulled an emotion
It rewrote a reaction
Not enough to notice.
Not enough to resist.
Just enough to prepare.
> White Mask God (softly):
"You are not being consumed, Void Child."
> "You are being replaced."
---
The Future the God Sees
The White Mask God looked forward.
Thousands of branching outcomes appeared.
In most—
Riven killed gods.
In many—
Riven won.
But in every single one—
There came a moment where Riven stood victorious…
And did not recognize himself.
In some futures—
The Void spoke with Riven's voice.
In others—
Riven stopped speaking at all.
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The God's Decision
The White Mask God extended His hand.
Not to strike.
Not yet.
> "If I kill him now… the Void escapes."
> "If I let him continue… the Void finishes its work."
A pause.
Then—
> "Good."
> "Let him walk."
> "Let him kill."
> "Let him believe."
The mask turned toward a new thread.
One labeled:
Cory.
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Final Scene — The Whisper Changes
Back in the mortal hall—
Riven opened his eyes.
The Void whispered again.
But Cory heard it too.
Just for a moment.
> Void (different tone):
"Soon… you won't have to decide."
Cory froze.
Riven did not react.
He smiled.
> Riven:
"I'm still in control."
Above all existence—
The White Mask God watched.
And for the first time—
He did not smile.
> White Mask God:
"Liar."
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FINAL LINE
> "The war between gods has begun."
> "But the war for Riven's soul…"
> "Has already been decided."
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END OF CHAPTER — The God Who Watches
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