The past five minutes were probably the longest minutes of Riven's life.
He didn't know why, but it was the mama orc that genuinely terrified him. The moment he made eye contact—even for a few seconds—his entire body screamed at him to look away.
Maybe it was the creature's level.
Maybe higher-level beings carried pressure—an invisible presence that low-level players simply couldn't withstand. The mama orc was Level 300, over two hundred levels above even the regular high orcs.
That had to be it.
⸻
[System: Examination complete.]
[Would you like to teleport to the Land of the Fey?]
[Y / N]
Riven didn't know what came over him.
His finger moved on its own.
Y.
A green light burst from his body, forming a translucent bubble that wrapped around him completely. The glow intensified—then, in the next instant, Riven was gone, as if there had never been anything there at all.
⸻
[System: Teleportation process complete.]
[User is now en route to the Land of the Fey.]
[Charges remaining: 1]
⸻
Riven felt like he was free-falling through an endless void.
There was nothing. No ground. No sky. Just darkness stretching for miles. He twisted his head, trying to find anything—any point of reference—but the emptiness swallowed his vision whole.
"Great," he muttered. "Now where am I?"
Then—something appeared.
Far off in the distance, a faint green circle began to form. As it solidified, a hollow wave erupted outward, slamming into Riven with enough force to knock the air from his lungs. His body jerked backward for a moment before gravity reclaimed him, dragging him straight into the glowing circle.
The instant he crossed through, the falling stopped.
But not because he landed.
No.
Riven was suspended in midair.
He could move his hands, his arms, his legs—his entire body—but no matter how hard he struggled, he couldn't break free from whatever invisible force held him in place.
"Who's there?" a deep, echoing voice called out.
"Hello? Is someone there?"
From Riven's perspective, everything around him looked like clouds—massive, swirling clouds folding into one another to form something enormous. As the voice spoke again, the clouds shifted, moving with intent.
There was someone here.
…Or something.
"The system did say something about a king being in these lands," Riven thought.
"Could this be one of them?"
"Ah," the voice said. "There you are."
Riven looked up.
Two massive, glowing eyes stared down at him from within the clouds. His throat went dry.
"H-hey," he stuttered.
"Hello to you as well," the voice replied calmly.
"It's been a long time since I've had a human visitor. Usually, I just kill them."
Riven's heart skipped.
"They break into my domain for a so-called raid," the voice continued, irritation threading through every word.
"Always shouting things like, 'We have to kill the NPC!' or 'After this, we'll be leveling gods!' Apparently, my head gives a 'ridiculous amount of EXP.' It's exhausting."
"I'm so dead," Riven thought.
"Probably," the creature said casually. "Depends on how I'm feeling about you."
Riven froze.
"…You can read my mind?"
"Yes," the voice replied. "Your thoughts are incredibly loud. Why wouldn't I hear them?"
Riven swallowed hard.
"So," the creature continued, "since you're not mute like I first assumed—here's my question. How did you get here? Most of them enter through that."
A small opening appeared in the clouds—a hole Riven instinctively recognized as some kind of entrance.
"But you came here through other means," the voice said. "How?"
"I—"
Riven was cut off.
A small, pale hand—smooth, well-kept—reached out from the clouds and gently covered his mouth.
"Before you answer," the creature said softly, "please—please—do not say anything stupid."
The hand tightened slightly, warning.
"Nothing like 'It's my destiny to defeat you' or 'I'm here for your EXP' or any of that nonsense. If those words leave your mouth, I'll kill you immediately."
The hand faded back into the clouds.
"I'm here because I was in danger," Riven said quickly.
"I used a spear-ball item—it took my blood and teleported me to a mythical region where a king would be. The destination is based on blood compatibility. That's why I'm here."
He hesitated, then added, "If you want proof… I can show you."
Riven opened his system, reaching for the item tab.
Before he could select anything, the same pale hand shot out again—this time grabbing the system itself.
It was yanked straight into the clouds.
"What the—?!"
Riven stared in shock.
No one—no one—should be able to see another person's system unless permission was given. Not players. Not NPCs. NPCs didn't even have the option.
Yet this being handled it like it was paper.
"What is this?" the voice asked curiously.
The screen floated between the clouds.
⸻
[Riven Harlow — Level 1]
Evolved Ability: None
HP: 100 / 100
Energy: 100 / 100
[Please select an ability:]
• Lightning
• Earth
• Fire
• Ice
• Air
• Water
⸻
"Harlow…" the voice repeated slowly.
When Riven first joined the game, the system already knew his name—but it usually didn't display it until much later. He'd forgotten about that entirely.
"Yes," Riven said carefully. "My last name is Harlow."
His thoughts raced.
What the hell is going on?
An NPC shouldn't be able to see my system.
And judging by its reaction… this is the first time it's ever seen one.
It couldn't see the systems of the players it killed before—but it can see mine?
Before the creature could catch those thoughts, the voice spoke again.
"This has been bothering me for a long time," it said.
"And since you don't seem to have any killing intent… I suppose I can ask."
The clouds shifted closer, swallowing the space between them.
"What," the creature asked, "is an NPC?"
Riven had never been asked that question before.
He'd always assumed it was common knowledge. Even he knew what an NPC was. But the fact that an NPC—no, something that supposedly wasn't one—was asking what an NPC even meant made his stomach twist.
"Um… an NPC is short for non-playable character," Riven said hesitantly.
"It usually refers to things like robots or AI. Basically… something that isn't real."
As Riven spoke, the clouds moved.
The thing inside them reached into his item slot and pulled out the spear.
"What are you trying to say?" the voice asked, calm as a knife.
"That I'm not real?"
The clouds shifted again.
"If I wasn't real," it continued, "could you feel this?"
A flash of light erupted from the clouds.
Pain detonated in Riven's abdomen.
He screamed.
Riven had turned his pain receptors off a long time ago—yet this pain tore through him like white-hot fire, raw and undeniable. It wasn't dulled. It wasn't muted.
It was real.
He heard the cloud chuckle.
"Is that real enough for you?"
The pain lingered. The voice let him suffer for several agonizing seconds longer. As Riven gasped, he noticed the spear in its hand. Something about it felt… wrong.
The being sniffed it.
Then the pale hand shot out again.
Just as suddenly as the pain had come—it vanished.
The wound sealed. The agony disappeared.
"What— you healed me?" Riven gasped, a shaky smile spreading across his face as relief flooded his body.
That smile died instantly.
The clouds darkened.
White twisted into deep, violent black, like a storm forming in a blink.
"I'm going to do something," the voice said evenly,
"and if this doesn't work… you will experience the most unimaginable pain of your entire lifetime."
Fear crushed Riven's chest.
A fear deeper than anything he'd ever felt before.
This is just a game.
It's just a game.
It's just a game.
He repeated it over and over in his head like a prayer.
"Akashin."
The word echoed.
Riven's eyes burst into a bright green glow as he clutched his head, his body locking up as if something had seized control of him.
"What—how?" the voice said sharply, genuine confusion breaking through.
"This wasn't supposed to happen."
Riven tried to resist.
He couldn't.
His mouth moved on its own.
"My name is Riven Harlow."
"Where are you from?"
"I'm from the Dawn Walls."
"The Dawn Walls?" the voice repeated. "I've never heard of that. What is it?"
Riven felt the words being dragged out of him—pulled from someplace deeper than thought, like his mind had been turned inside out.
"When people are too weak to handle beasts—because of how frequent attacks and hordes are—they take refuge inside the walls," he said flatly.
"They build homes within them. They pay extreme taxes just to stay. If they can't pay, they're kicked out and left to survive on their own."
His throat tightened as he spoke.
"Food and clothing prices are inflated beyond reason. Almost no one has any kind of luxury in there."
"…Including me."
The clouds stilled.
"Hm," the voice murmured. "I'm sorry to hear that."
"One final question," it said. "What is your race?"
"White."
"No," the voice corrected sharply. "Not your color. Your legitimate race."
"…Human."
The green glow in Riven's eyes faded instantly. His body went limp, exhaustion crashing over him like a wave. He wanted to collapse—but the invisible force still held him upright, refusing to let him fall.
"The influence only reveals what the subject knows," the voice muttered to itself.
"So either it's true… or he simply doesn't know."
A pause.
"I won't risk creating a crisis over this," it concluded. "I'll leave it alone for now."
The storm clouds softened, returning to white as they drifted closer to Riven once again.
He tensed.
What had just happened felt violating—like something had pried open his skull and ripped answers straight out of him.
The hand emerged again—gentler this time—and tapped Riven's shoulder.
Slowly, the invisible hold released.
Riven dropped.
His knees slammed into solid ground as he finally felt a surface beneath him. He doubled over immediately, breathing hard, his body shaking from pain and shock unlike anything he'd ever experienced.
"Now," the voice began, "I want to—"
"No!" Riven shouted.
"Get away from me, you fucking creep!"
His stomach lurched. He barely had time to turn before vomiting onto the ground. He didn't even know that was possible here.
"I just want to leave," he gasped, wiping his mouth with the back of his sleeve.
Riven summoned his system again. It snapped back into view in front of him.
Before he could hit Logout, it vanished—snatched away once more.
"Wait," the voice said. "Please. Look, my son—"
"Don't call me that!" Riven snapped.
"I have one father and—"
He stopped.
The clouds shifted again.
Instinct took over.
Riven yanked the starter sword from his waist, gripping it tightly as he prepared for whatever horror was about to emerge.
But nothing attacked him.
Instead… the clouds began to part.
A hand emerged.
Then an arm.
A leg.
A torso.
Finally—eyes.
And a face.
Standing before him was a green-haired figure. A man—or maybe a boy. He didn't look much older than Riven himself.
"Does seeing this make you more comfortable?" the green-haired figure asked.
Riven stared.
"…Uh, no," he said. "You're not wearing clothes."
Then he realized where he was looking.
"Oh—shit—sorry!"
He blinked.
There was… nothing there.
"…It's okay," the green-haired being said calmly.
"I'm not a boy."
"Oh. So I just stared at a girl?" Riven panicked.
"Oh man, I'm so going to jail—"
"I'm not a girl either, Riven."
The figure smiled faintly.
"I'm a god."
Riven froze.
"…A god?"
"Yes," the being replied.
"The God of the fairies."
When the green-haired figure said it, he fully expected Riven to take his words seriously.
"A god of the fairies?" Riven said flatly. "Sorry, but I don't believe it."
The supposed god's face twisted into something close to disgust.
"What do you mean you don't believe me?" he snapped.
"After everything I just did, you're telling me you don't believe I'm a god?"
"Well… yes," Riven replied honestly.
"You're strong, sure—but a god? I need to see it to believe it."
The green-haired being exhaled slowly, his shoulders sinking.
"I can't," he admitted.
"I'm bound to this area. The restriction nerfs my power by a heavy margin."
"What are you bound by?" Riven asked.
"The safety of my people," the god answered quietly.
"If I leave, they will be slaughtered. I have no choice but to remain here and protect my children."
"Oh…" Riven said softly.
"I'm sorry."
"No," the god replied, shaking his head.
"I should be the one apologizing. I made you suffer when you truly did nothing wrong."
The green-haired god bowed.
Riven glanced down at his battery display.
⸻
[Time Remaining: 5 hours, 20 minutes]
⸻
More time had passed than he realized.
He'd wanted to give Jordan a chance to play, but after everything that had just happened… he wasn't sure he wanted his brother anywhere near this place.
"You want to leave," the god said, finishing Riven's thought before he could speak.
"Yes," Riven answered.
"But before I go… I want to know something. Your name."
"Eryndor."
He paused.
"Eryndor Null."
"Well, Eryndor," Riven said honestly, "it wasn't nice meeting you. But I hope one day you find closure—and freedom for your people."
He raised his hand toward the logout button.
"Wait," Eryndor called out.
Riven froze.
"…Great," he muttered. "What now?"
"One wish," Eryndor said.
"I'll grant you one wish—for the suffering I caused you."
"One wish…" Riven repeated.
His parents flashed through his mind—but he knew Eryndor couldn't fix their financial situation.
Then he thought about the hours he'd spent here.
Some of the best hours of his life.
"I wish…" Riven began slowly, "…that the system never ended. I mean—"
He corrected himself.
"I wish something like this would stick with me forever."
He didn't expect it to work.
Part of him still believed Eryndor was just an NPC—powerful, sure—but not capable of affecting the real world.
Then his system was grabbed again.
"Oh, come on! Not again!" Riven yelled.
When he looked up, Eryndor was much closer than before. A glowing green aura swirled around one of his hands.
Eryndor clasped both hands together.
The green light flowed straight into the system interface.
Then—slowly—he pressed the system against Riven's chest.
It felt like someone placing a tablet over his heart.
But then… it went deeper.
Riven gasped as he watched the interface sink into his chest, fading layer by layer until it vanished completely.
"Your wish has been granted," Eryndor said calmly.
"What did you do?" Riven demanded.
His body collapsed to the ground, shaking violently. It felt like something was tearing through him from the inside.
"What did you do?" Riven repeated, his voice harsher now.
Pain erupted in his chest.
It felt like his heart was being attacked directly.
"Shh," Eryndor said softly, kneeling beside him.
"It's okay, my son. It will hurt for a while."
Riven screamed.
"But afterward," Eryndor continued, "you'll be better than before. In your world's terms…"
He watched as Riven's body began to flicker—appearing, disappearing.
"…you will have evolved."
The flickering intensified.
Riven was being pulled back and forth—between the game and reality.
Until, at last—
He was gone.
Eryndor stood alone in the clouds, thinking back to Riven's words about closure.
A faint smile crossed his face.
"Oh, my son," he whispered,
"I've already found closure in you."