The sword pulled free from its stone prison with a sound like breaking thunder. It flew through the air toward Riven, who instinctively reached out to catch it. The moment his fingers closed around the worn leather grip, pain beyond description shot through his entire body.
It felt like being struck by lightning from the inside out. Every nerve screamed in agony as foreign magic invaded his system, rewriting the very foundations of his magical abilities. He tried to scream but found he had no breath. His vision went white, then black, then filled with images that weren't his own - ancient battles, kingdoms rising and falling, storms that could level mountains.
Through it all, he heard Baal's voice growing stronger in his mind.
"Do not fight it, young king. Accept my power and become something greater than either of us could be alone."
The pain reached a crescendo and then suddenly stopped. Riven found himself standing in the center of the chamber, but everything had changed. His simple traveling clothes had been replaced by ornate golden armor that seemed to be made of crystallized lightning. A crown-like circlet floated above his head, crackling with electrical energy. In his hands was no longer the rough black sword, but a magnificent spear wreathed in storm clouds.
He looked down at his transformed body in amazement. Power flowed through him like a river of liquid fire, more magical energy than he had ever dreamed of possessing. When he breathed out, small sparks danced in the air before his lips.
"This is... incredible," he whispered, and was surprised to hear his voice echo with otherworldly power.
"This is only the beginning," Baal's voice replied, now seeming to come from everywhere at once. "You are no longer merely a wielder of weapons, Riven. You have become the weapon itself. This is Djinn Equip - the ultimate fusion of human will and Djinn power."
Riven raised his spear and watched lightning dance along its length. "What happens now?"
"Now you learn to master what you have become. But be warned - others seek the power of the Djinn. Some wish to collect all seventy-two for noble purposes. Others seek to use them to reshape the world according to their own dark desires. Your awakening will not go unnoticed."
As if summoned by Baal's words, a tremor ran through the temple. Cracks appeared in the walls, and dust rained from the ceiling.
"The temple has served its purpose," Baal explained. "It will not survive our bonding. You must leave, and quickly."
Riven nodded and focused on returning to his normal state. The transformation reversed itself, the golden armor fading away until he stood once again in his simple clothes. But he could still feel Baal's presence in his mind, a warm golden glow that promised incredible power when needed.
He ran through the crumbling corridors as the ancient temple collapsed behind him, finally emerging into the desert evening just as the last stones fell. Where the Temple of the Storm King had stood for thousands of years, now there was only a pile of rubble and settling dust.
But Riven barely noticed. His mind was already racing ahead to what this meant for him, for Fairy Tail, for everyone he cared about. He had the power to protect them now. He had the power to make a difference.
What he didn't know was that far above in the desert cliffs, two figures had been watching the light show from his transformation.
"So someone finally awakened Baal," the first figure said, lowering a pair of magical binoculars. "I didn't think it would happen so soon."
"That makes three Djinn awakened in the past five years," replied the second figure, a woman with long silver hair. "The prophecy is beginning to fulfill itself."
"Should we approach him?"
The woman shook her head. "Not yet. Let him grow into his power first. But keep watching. If he truly is the one the prophecy speaks of, then everything is about to change."
They melted back into the shadows of the cliff, leaving only the wind and the settling ruins behind.
Meanwhile, hundreds of miles away in the Fairy Tail guild hall, Master Makarov suddenly stopped in the middle of his conversation with Mirajane. His weathered face turned toward the distant desert, and his eyes narrowed with concern.
"Master?" Mirajane asked. "What's wrong?"
"I felt something," the old man said quietly. "A surge of ancient magic, unlike anything I've sensed in decades." He was quiet for a moment, then shook his head. "Perhaps I'm just getting old and imagining things."
But deep in his heart, Makarov knew that wasn't true. Something had awakened in the world, something that would bring both great power and great danger to those he loved. He could only hope that whoever had found this ancient magic would use it wisely.
In the desert, Riven began his long journey home, unaware that his life - and the lives of everyone at Fairy Tail - would never be the same again.
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