In that moment, time itself seemed to slow.
The world blurred into a haze of darkness, and everything around him dissolved into fragments of light, suspended in a void. His perception shifted entirely. For a heartbeat, there was nothing ,only the fragments, drifting like stars in an eternal night.
"I've felt too much," he thought. "And for that, this emotion will continue to punish me."
His body felt light, almost weightless as though he was floating in the vastness of space. A strange sensation took over him, as if the world itself was bending to his will. And yet, not long ago, he had given up on this world, lost in confusion and despair.
Within that unknown, dream-like consciousness, something stirred , a deep, buried resentment. It had always been there, festering in silence, unnoticed or perhaps deliberately ignored.
Then, the world began to return to its natural state but time remained slowed. He raised his gaze to the sky… and saw them.
Eyes. Countless, watching. Some stared in confusion, others in fear, and some in horrified awe.
He laughed in a broken, dangerous way that teetered on the edge of madness. Then, with a voice sharp and challenging, he stared into the heavens and shouted:
"If it's war you want, then war you shall have"
The eyes vanished instantly, retreating into the void.
He moved. Swift as wind, he rushed to Alice and the children, pulling them out of the path of the incoming attack, all while time still crawled. As the world began to regain its flow, he positioned himself in front of the beast, adopting a defensive stance.
The beast's attack missed , barely.
Alice and Cid stared in disbelief, struggling to comprehend what had just happened. The beast, undeterred, retaliated immediately, swinging its massive right hand toward him.
He noticed something.
Unlike the other creatures he had encountered in the past, this one didn't fear him. No, this one was stronger far stronger. It looked at him not as prey, but as a threat worth eliminating.
He had no room to dodge , not with Alice and Cid behind him. If he moved, they would die.
Only one option remained.
He turned his back to the blow and shielded them with his body. He didn't want to die. Not now
,not after understanding the true root of his suffering.
His will hardened.
The attack landed. His vision darkened. In that void, he saw his spiritual body and a golden thread connecting him to something far above. Too far to see. The abyss too deep to comprehend.
Then ,snap.
He returned to reality. The beast's strike hit near the nape of his neck, tearing through cloth… but not flesh. He was unhurt.
The beast, confused, struck again. Again. Blow after blow, yet none landed true. His body was light. His mind — clear. That strange feeling returned.
In one instinctive motion, he struck back.
His fist collided with the creature's head, and blood exploded from its skull. The beast fell, lifeless.
He turned to Alice and Cid.
"Run. Now."
They didn't hesitate. Together, they bolted toward the car. Once they arrived, Riven tossed Alice the keys.
"Go."
Cid glanced back, fear and worry written all over his face.
Alice drove off without another word.
Riven remained behind. His body trembled — not from fear, but from power. He felt lightheaded… invincible. It was as if he could destroy the world if he wanted to.
He picked up two iron rods from a shattered window nearby and slammed them together, sending a sharp metallic echo through the air.
It was a provoking signal
Beasts from every direction turned toward the sound, hungry and furious. To them, he was a prize a fleeting delicacy.
They rushed.
The first one lunged. Without hesitation, he stabbed one rod into its eye, tore through its abdomen with the other, climbed onto its back, and impaled its skull. Blood sprayed over him in a red mist, but his face remained cold, unreadable.
The night dragged on.
By morning, 124 beasts had emerged from the gate. Riven killed had 56 of them alone. The remaining 68 were handled by the Ascenders who later arrived.
The surviving Ascenders scoured the battlefield, collecting beast corpses. Their bodies held immense energy, and their blood could be used for potent medicine or deadly poison. The stronger the beast, the more valuable the corpse.
Eventually, they found it , a mountain of dead creatures, stacked atop one another… and at the peak, a man.
Torn clothes. Drenched in blood. Standing still, eyes hollow and cold.
They approached cautiously. The moment they touched him, they realized — he wasn't conscious. He was standing, but he was dead asleep
They transported him to the GMA — the Gate Management Agency.
When he woke, he was strapped to a metal table. Arms and legs bound. A woman stood in front of him, watching carefully.
Interrogation room.
Her voice was firm, yet careful.
"What's your name?"
It was standard protocol to ensure the person wasn't from the other worlds or someone mentally corrupted by gate energy.
He replied calmly, without emotion.
"Riven Graves."
She froze.
Immediately, she ordered the restraints removed. The guards hesitated, confused, but obeyed.
After they left, she leaned forward, her voice quieter now.
"Were you the one who killed all those beasts?"
He stared at her.
"And what if I was?"
She blinked, visibly shaken.
Who wouldn't be? Covered in blood, having single-handedly slain 56 gate-class beasts… he was, at the very least, a high Ascender.
Then, he spoke again this time with certainty.
"Yes. I was the one who killed them."
They offered him compensation for the beasts, but he refused. He was too tired. Too drained. He didn't care.
He left the room without another word.
As the door closed behind him, her team swarmed her with questions.
She said only one thing:
"He's one of the Graves"