She floated beside him, delicate as starlight, her skin glowing like pale moonlight kissed by magic. Golden hair flowed behind her in soft waves, weightless and alive, like spun light.
Her eyes sparkled with an otherworldly glow—warm amber, deep and endless. Pointed ears peeked through her hair, and faint symbols shimmered along her collarbone.
She looked like a fairy from legend—graceful, enchanting, and impossibly flawless.
A being carved from divinity itself.
It was none other then Kaira.
He blinked. Disbelief flickered in his ember-blue eyes."You...?"
Her arms were crossed. She glared at him like a betrayed lover catching him red-handed.
Riven didn't flinch. But he lowered his mask, exposing the cool sharpness of his features. His eyes held that same calm storm as always—until his voice cracked softly.
"You… you shouldn't be able to manifest like this."
Kaira scoffed. "Oh, so you do remember me. I was beginning to think I'd been replaced."
Her voice turned mocking."I finally recover some of my power. Drag myself out of your sea of coincness after days of silence… and what do I find?"
She stepped closer, narrowing her eyes. "You. Moon-eyed. Staring at some cute mortal girl like you've forgotten I exist."
Riven sighed, rubbing his temple. "You were asleep."
"I was recovering," she snapped. "Big difference."
"And you said nothing before appearing out of nowhere to spy on me?"
"I was planning to surprise you. Be sweet. Be nice." Her tone turned acidic. "But then I find you getting sentimental over some clumsy little mortal."
Riven's expression didn't change.
"She reminds me of someone," he said quietly. "From before."
Kaira tilted her head. "A girl you loved?"
"No." His answer came too quickly. Too sharp. "I respected her. She had nothing. But she kept moving forward… even as the world broke her."
Kaira's eyes softened for a moment. Just a moment.
But she covered it with a scoff. "How touching."
Riven ignored the jab. His gaze returned to the battlefield.
"Lucien is this body's brother. And as much as I hate getting involved... this isn't about them."
Kaira raised an eyebrow. "Then what's it about?"
He turned to her fully and said,"These three trees. The center of the valley. There's something there… something tied to me."
Kaira's playful demeanor shifted.
The air grew colder.
Riven's voice dropped again. "Do you remember that yellow orb? Back when you were asleep… something emerged from it. A green flame. It was feeding power to your soul."
Kaira blinked.
The memory struck like lightning.
"That's right…" she whispered. "I thought it was just a dream. But…"
Her eyes turned distant and said, "That man appeared. Just for a moment. And before he vanished… he told me a name."
She placed her hand on her chest.
"Flame Princess of the Flame Clan Bloodline. Daughter of the Eternal Flame Lord." Her voice trembled.
"I… I'm not just the Voidless Flame. I was someone before that. Someone more powerful."
Riven stared at her, something unreadable stirring in his chest.
"Then that makes two of us… doesn't it?"
Kaira met his gaze. "You're changing," she said, more to herself than him. "And that scares me."
"So are you."
The moment lingered.
Mist swirled around them like ghosts watching in silence.
Below, another explosion shook the valley.
Screams rang out.
Kaira looked toward the battlefield. "You're still not going?"
Riven's mask slid back on.
His voice returned to its usual cold, measured tone. "I'll move… when it matters."
Riven's eyes narrowed. He asked quietly, "Could you kill that thing? The panther?"
Kaira shrugged with divine indifference. "It would take just one strike of my true flame. Voidless Fire. It'd reduce that beast and every insect around it to ash."
She looked at him meaningfully. "But it would drain your entire core. No more spiritual energy. You'd be defenseless for days."
Riven turned back toward the battlefield, silent.
Below, the valley was bleeding. The battle had devolved into chaos.
After Jordan's brutal death, despair poisoned the air. But no one surrendered. They fought—because that was all they could do.
Lucien's robes were torn, soaked in sweat and blood. His arms trembled as he clashed again and again with the stone-skinned monkey. Each strike of his blade sparked against the creature's armored flesh like steel against granite.
"Why… won't you fall?" he growled.
He ducked under a brutal swing and countered with a talismanic slash that left a glowing mark—but the beast barely flinched.
His thoughts were fraying.
"My aura's nearly dry. My left arm's broken. And still it's not enough…"
Nearby, Mira staggered across the cracked terrain, barely dodging a venom-laced swipe from the serpent. Her skin was pale, and blood trailed from her lips. Her protective barriers flickered erratically as her spiritual energy drained with every spell.
"I can't fall. Not yet. I promised I'd return with them… all of them…"
She thrust a trembling hand forward. "Icebind Seal—!"
But the spell cracked before it fully formed.
The serpent surged forward, its eyes glinting with lethal hunger.
Jessica was faring no better. Her arrows blurred through the air, glowing with wind spirit energy. Her every shot was a masterpiece of technique—but the hawk beast was relentless, its movements blindingly fast.
She spun and leapt from a rock, loosing three arrows midair. WHISH—WHISH—WHISH!
Two hit feathers. One grazed flesh. Still not enough.
"Damn you!" she shouted.
But then the worst happened. The Panther King moved again.
After slaughtering Jordan, it turned its golden gaze upon the rest of the group. Its eyes locked on Jessica—cold, calculating.
In a heartbeat, it vanished.
Fshhhhh—
Jessica spun, instincts screaming. Her fingers reached for her next arrow—
But it was already too late.
The panther reappeared behind her like a demon of smoke and shadows. She didn't hesitate. She yanked a red token from her pouch and flung it back over her shoulder.
It ignited in mid-air, glowing with a devastating crimson aura. This was her final trump card.
BOOM!
The explosion rocked the battlefield. Trees shook. Rocks split. A shockwave knocked Mira off her feet and scattered the serpent backward.
Jessica panted, falling to one knee, tears pricking her eyes.
"Got you…" she whispered. "Rest in peace, Jordan…"
But then—Steps came.
A shadow emerged from the smoke.
The panther walked forward. Unharmed. Its fur still sleek. Its golden eyes locked onto hers with quiet finality.
"No…" Jessica whispered, backing away.
She reached for her bow.
SLASH!
A flash of claws.
Her throat opened in a crimson spray.
Time slowed.
She didn't even cry out. Her eyes widened in horror. Her lips moved—silent.
"Too strong…"
Her body fell limp, lifeless. Her blood soaked into the roots.
"JESSICA!" Lucien roared.
Mira screamed. "No—NO!!"
A second later, another scream split the air.
One of the younger cultivators—a boy barely older than sixteen—cried out as a flying beast plunged talons through his chest, tearing out his heart.
His body crumpled beside Jessica's.
The group's formation shattered.
Riven watched it all unfold. He was emotionless and silent.
But his hand had clenched around his dagger's hilt. So tight his knuckles whitened.
"That's three…" he said, voice like a whisper of ash in the wind.
His heart beat slowly—coldly—but not without weight.
Kaira watched him from the corner of her glowing eyes.
"You're going," she said.
He didn't respond.
She nodded to herself. "So be it. Just don't die."
Riven stood on the branch, the cloak behind him billowing in the mist.
Once a sacred land, now a scorched grave of broken hopes.
Riven's ember-blue eyes locked with Kaira's burning amber gaze. The weight of the battlefield below pressed against them like a distant drumbeat—but in this moment, there was only silence.
"I need you," he said, voice low but firm. "No more watching. Become the flame."
Kaira stared at him, unreadable. Then, a sly smile tugged at the corner of her lips. "Took you long enough to say it."
She stepped forward, lips curled upward, as her form unraveled into fire.
In the blink of an eye, her form dissolved into golden fire—no longer a girl, but a searing celestial flame. She spiraled into his chest, merging with him in a smooth surge of heat and memory.
A sudden pulse ignited through Riven's veins. Golden flames curled around his arms, licking at his fingertips, responding not as borrowed power… but as his own.
His eyes narrowed. "So I can control it now…"
Without another word he stepped forward and vanished.
Below.
Lucien's breath came in ragged bursts. Blood ran down his side from a deep gash. His stance wavered, arms heavy, vision blurred. The monkey lunged again, knuckles like granite smashing toward his ribs.
Lucien raised his blade weakly—too slow.
But the blow never landed.
A dark blur split the mist like a falling star. Something gleamed. A flash.
SLICK—
The monkey froze mid-strike, confusion flickering in its glowing eyes.
Then—its head slid clean off its shoulders and hit the ground with a wet thud.
Lucien stumbled back in shocked.
A figure cloaked in black stood before him, face hidden by a half-mask, dagger still humming with golden flame.
"You…" Lucien whispered. "It's you again…"
Before he could speak another word, the figure disappeared.
A few metres away, Mira was locked in battle with the serpent. Its fangs glistened with venom, its body coiled to strike again. Her limbs felt heavy—her talismans had dimmed, her spirit energy nearly spent.
With the last of her strength, she threw up a half-formed water barrier.
The serpent tore through it like paper.
She braced for the end.
But instead a sound came: WHOOSH—!
A flash passed in front of her.
The serpent stopped. One heartbeat later, it fell apart—neatly sliced into five clean sections. Blood steamed into the earth, sizzling against the golden flames still licking at the edges of the cuts.
Mira stood still, stunned. Her mouth opened, but no words came. She was extremely shocked.
The figure was already gone.
Her lips trembled.
"You… why didn't you move earlier?" she whispered. Her voice cracked with exhaustion and quiet rage. "Why did you let them die…?"
But there was no answer. Only wind and flame.
—
The panther's ears twitched. Because it sensed something—different.
A growl rumbled deep in its chest. It turned, golden eyes scanning the field. Then it moved—lightning-fast, a shadow streaking through mist and ruin, claws glowing with sinister black energy.
It lunged.
And the black-cloaked figure—Riven—met it head-on.
There was no hesitation. No fear.
Just a calm smirk. "So… you're finally coming to me."
His dagger pulsed with flame—not red, not black—but a pale gold, elegant and devastating.
Two blurs clashed mid-air.
BANG—!
The collision cracked the earth beneath them.
Golden sparks burst into the mist as dagger met claw, a flash like two stars colliding. The shockwave tore through the valley, uprooting stones and trees alike. Beasts scattered in fear.
Lucien was thrown back, barely shielding himself. Mira shielded her eyes, tears burning from the heat.
Above them, panther and man stood locked, blades grinding against claws.
The black panther's eyes narrowed as if asking. "Who… are you?"
Riven's smirk widened. "Someone you should've feared long before this fight began."
Riven didn't unleash the full wrath of the Voidless Flame.
Not yet.
He wasn't arrogant—he was calculating.
There was no need to scorch the battlefield unless absolutely necessary.
He wanted to test himself.
To fight not as a vessel of divine flame, but as Riven—the boy with a forbidden Veinroot, born from ruin.
Just how far could he go with nothing but his own hands?
The Panther King—regal and monstrous—let out a deafening roar. Its body surged with dark energy, drawing spiritual force into its maw. The gathered essence pulsed, compressed into a pitch-black orb glowing with chaos.
Then it fired.
A direct, annihilating beam of Soulspark-level might.
And Riven, two meters away, did not dodge.
His smirk faded.
His expression hardened.
He raised his flaming dagger—
BOOM!
The collision cracked the valley floor, sending tremors through the earth. Rocks exploded. Trees snapped. Riven staggered backward from the sheer force, his boots dragging trenches in the dirt.
Blood trailed from the corner of his mouth.
And yet, he smiled.
"You're strong... now take my attack."
He vanished—his presence erased by a concealment technique so seamless it left no ripple behind.
The Panther tensed, but it was too late.
Riven reappeared behind it. His blade danced in a swift, precise arc—fast enough to blur, sharp enough to slice gods. A trace of golden flame glimmered faintly along the edge, not enough to ignite, but enough to sting.
But the beast dodged. Reflexes honed by countless battles saved it by a hair's breadth.
Riven wasn't disappointed.
Instead, he raised a thumb. "Good instincts. Now let's try again."
From the sidelines, Lucien and Mira stared in disbelief.
Their own strugglesso desperate, so bloody felt dwarfed by the clash happening before them.
Lucien's thoughts spiraled.
"That beast… not even his Father—King Alaric could defeat it alone. But this masked figure… he's matching it blow for blow. Who is he?"
Beside him, Mira pressed a hand to her heart, her gaze locked on the black figure.
"He saved me before… from that ghoul in the forest. And now again. But why didn't he help when Jessica and the others died? Why now? What is his goal?"
She clenched her fists, staring harder.
Unaware that the Panther and Riven had already clashed again.
Every beast in the area had gone still.
All backed away. They knew. This wasn't a battle between cultivators.
It was something more.
Riven flashed forward again—this time with no concealment, only speed.
He appeared directly in front of the Panther King, dagger aimed at its vulnerable underbelly.
The beast reacted. Both claws slashed downward, heavy with spiritual force. They struck Riven's right shoulder with bone-shattering force.
But Riven didn't retreat.
Even through the searing pain, he leaned forward.
And drove his dagger straight into the Panther's jaw.
A shriek echoed across the valley as blood exploded into the air, hissing from contact with golden flame.
Both figures were blasted apart from the force of impact.
They landed ten meters away, bruised, bloodied, but still standing.
They stared at each other.
Predator versus predator.
Neither blinking.
Riven's breath came heavy, but his stance remained sharp.
He hadn't used a single high-tier technique from his past life.
Not because he didn't want to.
But because he couldn't.
His low Veinroot cultivation chained him down. Even now, every movement burned through limited energy.
But that didn't matter.
Because he wasn't like the others.
His forbidden Veinroot—unstable, unnatural let him punch above his weight. With just a 1st-stage Veinroot, he could match someone at 9th-stage Veinroot.
That was his terrifying truth.
But even so. "I'm not invincible," he muttered, eyes narrowing. "Everything has its limit."
And the moment he crossed it… He knew what would happen.
Just then, a memory from his past life flashed through his mind.