As the beast closed in, Riven finally grasped the sheer size of it—it had to be at least eight feet tall, even on all fours. Its massive frame loomed, a mountain of muscle and menace. When it drew close enough, it spun with startling agility, bringing its tail to bear in a sweeping arc aimed to cleave him in half.
Riven was ready. He ducked low, feeling the rush of air above his head as the deadly tail sailed past. Boosting forward with a surge of mana, he focused on the creature's feet, careful to avoid being trampled. Weaving through the shifting limbs, he unleashed a barrage of punches to its underside, each strike imbued with increasing mana. Cracks began to spiderweb across the beast's armored belly, faint but promising.
The creature wasn't foolish. It released the tension in its legs, its massive body dropping in an attempt to crush him with its raw weight. The move caught Riven off guard, but the pink mana coursing through him made his reflexes sharper, his body stronger. With a burst of energy, he leapt back just in time as the monster slammed into the ground, sending a tremor that echoed through the arena.
The impact kicked up a dense cloud of dust, obscuring the beast entirely. Riven took a cautious step back, narrowing his eyes as he waited for another charge. I'll just have to keep wearing it down. The underside's my best bet; anywhere else will take too long.
Before the dust could settle, the beast lunged forward, the cloud erupting around it as it launched itself with terrifying speed. Surprised Riven stopped channeling mana to his hands and scrambled to dodge, rolling hard to his right, narrowly avoiding the outstretched claws that raked the air where he'd been standing. The ground shuddered as the beast landed, its glowing eyes now burning with an unnatural intensity.
Riven's heart clenched as he saw the suppression collar on its left hind leg crack and the runes dim. He spun, trying to shout a warning to the invigilators as he was in no delusion he could beat it now, but his voice was drowned out by a deafening rumble. The earth buckled and split, jagged spikes erupting in a chaotic frenzy. Instinctively, Riven channeled his mana, solidifying it into a protective barrier. The spikes lost some of their deadly momentum, but the force of the eruption sent him hurtling backward, crashing onto the uneven ground.
Pain seared through his body as he lay there, ribs cracked, skin punctured. Sand hung thick in the air, blurring his vision and clogging his throat. Struggling to regain his footing, his hand brushed against something smooth and oval. Squinting, he saw it—a polished stone radiating a soft, orange light. It seemed to call to him, its glow mesmerizing. Despite his daze, Riven grasped it—and the world around him went black.
The agony and chaos disappeared. Riven found himself enveloped in darkness so complete it felt suffocating. Then, twelve figures emerged, their forms cloaked in shadow darker than the void itself. Their outlines shimmered with rhythmic, otherworldly lights. Their collective gaze fell upon him, and the weight of their scrutiny was overwhelming. The very air seemed to compress, pressing down on him with the force of an entire world.
Just as his mind threatened to fracture under the strain, the figures vanished, leaving only one behind. Its immense form defied comprehension, an amalgamation of shadow and light. Eight kaleidoscopic eyes arranged in a hexagonal pattern fixed on him, unblinking. Cracks began to spread across its form, and shards of concentrated energy fragmented away, each dissolving into the void but one remained.
It shot toward Riven, growing brighter as it condensed. It pierced his chest, driving straight into his heart. A scream tore from his lips as pain rippled through his body, but the void consumed it, leaving only silence. The shard dissolved into his bloodstream, melding with his mana, its amber glow pulsating as it spread through him. Riven doubled over, wracked with agony, as the alien energy embedded itself deep within him.
When the transformation ended, his once-pink mana was no longer recognizable. It had condensed, its color now a deep, radiant amber, pulsing with strength. The void brightened, cracking apart, and the world rushed back into focus.
Riven opened his eyes, his body brimming with unfamiliar power. He scanned the battlefield. The dust cloud was still thick, unchanged—as though all he'd experienced had transpired in the blink of an eye. Gasps echoed from the audience, their shock palpable as Corvax and the knight moved to intercept the unleashed beast.
Rage bubbled within Riven, fierce and unrelenting. His fists clenched, knuckles whitening as orange mana surged through him. His legs moved of their own accord, propelling him toward the beast. The creature froze, startled to see him still alive. It began to channel mana, likely to summon another wave of spikes, but Riven was faster. He ducked low, driving an orange-coated fist upward in a devastating uppercut.
The impact was immense. The beast was lifted off the ground, sent hurtling into the air a good few meters. Riven didn't pause. Channeling mana to his leg, he pivoted and unleashed a powerful diagonal kick as the creature plummeted back down. The force of the blow cracked its armored hide, a shockwave rippling through the arena as the beast was sent crashing into its shattered cage. Metal twisted and broke beneath its weight.
Riven's body faltered, the toll of his actions catching up to him. The feelings in his legs disappeared and collapsed, but strong hands caught him. "It's alright, I've got you," a familiar voice said. Using his remaining energy he craned his neck, blinking up to see his father and let himself relax, his strength finally spent.
The knight stood over the beast's battered form, inspecting the shattered dampener with a scowl. As Riven's vision blurred, fragments of strange memories surfaced. A creature of immense power wielding amber mana. A powerful soul forged by fusing others. The images were fleeting but vivid, leaving him with questions he couldn't yet answer.
When he opened his eyes again, his mother was kneeling beside him, her face etched with worry. "You've pushed yourself too far," she said softly, her fingers brushing against his forehead. A woman in healing robes approached, her face familiar to Riven. Ah the healer from yesterday. She knelt beside him, her tone half-wry, half-concerned. "Looks like you've been through another war. One of these days, you're not going to bounce back so easily." Her hands, glowing with a soothing warmth, hovered over his battered body, probing his injuries with practiced care.
Her brows drew together, deep furrows creasing her forehead as her expression shifted from concern to bewilderment. "Broken ribs, torn muscles, and fried mana channels," she muttered, her voice tinged with disbelief. Her eyes widened as she continued her assessment. "But what's strange is… they're already repairing themselves."
Riven drifted into an uneasy silence, his thoughts a chaotic storm of unanswered questions. What had happened to him? What was this amber mana? And why did it feel as though his soul carried an unfamiliar weight? With no immediate answers, he turned inward, bracing himself for what he might find.
As he delved into his mind, his mana core loomed before him, a familiar beacon of spectral energy. It pulsed with the rhythmic glow of pink light, its varying density creating a calming ebb and flow—just as it always had. But then, another presence caught his attention. A second sphere of spectral energy emerged, glowing with an intense amber hue that seemed to radiate power. Bewildered, Riven reached out to manipulate it, expecting resistance, yet it responded with uncanny swiftness, bending to his will more readily than his usual mana.
Experimenting with it, he quickly deduced two things: this new mana was leagues more potent than his own, carrying an overwhelming force that made his core pale in comparison. Yet there was something else—a faint, almost imperceptible stream of consciousness interwoven with the energy, brushing against his mind with an alien intent. The realization sent a chill through him, and he recoiled instinctively, releasing his hold as the amber energy drifted back to join the core. What is this? he thought, his confusion only deepening. Nothing like this has ever been discussed in class.
Just as he began to pull back, another anomaly drew his attention—a third sphere of energy, smaller and set apart from the cores. Riven froze. What? That space... it's only supposed to house soul bonds. Wary yet curious, he willed the sphere closer, his heart pounding with anticipation. As it neared, recognition struck him like a thunderclap. It's a soul bond. But how?
Probing its essence, he felt its origin as clearly as if it were etched into his very being. Well, it's here now. Might as well see what it has to offer. Steeling himself, he focused on the bond, and the sphere unraveled, revealing two fragments of pulsing energy within. He reached out hesitantly, brushing his fingers against the fragments, and was immediately overwhelmed.
A torrent of information flooded his mind, crashing into him with relentless force. Doubling over from the strain, Riven grit his teeth and waited, his breath coming in ragged bursts as the deluge subsided. When it finally did, he straightened, the echoes of the new knowledge lingering in his mind. Tentatively, he spoke the names of the two abilities gifted through the bond.
"Soul Fusion... and Primordial Mana."
The moment the latter left his lips, the amber core flared to life, its oppressive light blazing through his soul space like a vengeful sun. The intensity sent a shiver through him, and for the first time, Riven truly felt the weight of what he had uncovered.