The shards of light floated above the beast's corpse, rotating in a slow, mesmerizing circle. Riven's gaze darted to the others, searching their faces for any sign that they saw what he did. But their expressions remained unbothered, as if the scene before him were perfectly ordinary—or invisible to them. Riven had neither seen nor heard of anything like this before, and his curiosity outweighed his caution. He reached out instinctively, his fingers trembling as they neared the mysterious fragments.
The moment his fingertip grazed one, the shards flared brighter, their light piercing and almost alive. Then, like a whisper dissolving in the wind, they fragmented into a cascade of shimmering particles. These luminous motes spiraled through the air, drawn inexorably toward him, sinking into his outstretched hand.
Riven recoiled, his hand jerking back as though burned. "What's going on?" he muttered, his eyes narrowing as he inspected his finger. Despite the strange encounter, his skin bore no marks, no signs of the shards' touch. He rubbed his eyes, half-expecting the vision to dissolve like a mirage. Am I imagining things?
A sudden tug at his consciousness made him freeze. His soul space—it felt different. His brow furrowed as concern tightened his chest. Closing his eyes, he focused inward, retreating into the boundless void of his soul.
There, in the infinite expanse of darkness, floated the two familiar cores and the two luminous bonds, stretching out like spires into the endless dark. At first glance, everything appeared as it should, but a closer inspection revealed an anomaly.
Hovering around the amber core were the very same shards of light, orbiting like satellites around a planet. Streams of essence from the slain beast wove through the shards, pulsing faintly.
Riven frowned, confusion gnawing at him. This doesn't make sense. Aren't the cores supposed to absorb essence to grow stronger?
His concern deepened as he floated toward the pink core. A sigh of relief escaped his lips when he saw no lingering essence surrounding it. The core itself had grown stronger—an imperceptible change, yet one he could feel. No surprise there, he thought, nodding to himself. The essence probably split evenly among the five of us.
Turning his attention back to the amber core, Riven scrutinized the shards. He willed them closer, and they obeyed, gliding into position before him.
Three shards in total.
Up close, they resembled crystalline marbles, each infused with swirling patterns of color. Two of the shards were predominantly white, though hues of every imaginable color danced within them, varying in magnitude and intensity. The third shard was a vibrant green, brighter than the others but similarly flecked with an array of shades.
When Riven reached out to touch one, his vision erupted into chaos.
Fragments of memory flooded his mind—disjointed images viewed through another's eyes. The creature, hulking and monstrous, collected shards from its victims, arranging them into intricate patterns. Slowly, painstakingly, the shards were combined into a massive, glowing orb, crackling with volatile energy. Mana and essence were poured into this creation, and from its core emerged a new beast, manifesting with terrifying vitality.
The vision shattered, leaving Riven gasping for breath. His hands clutched his head as he struggled to steady himself. "What in the world was that?" he whispered, his voice trembling.
The soul shards resumed their rotation in front of him, their faint glow an almost mocking reminder of the knowledge he couldn't yet comprehend. Following the fragmented instructions from the vision, Riven willed the shards into formation.
They aligned, each piece connecting with arcs of energy and runes that spread outward like spiderwebs, forming a complex array. Twenty points illuminated the formation, but only three were filled by the shards.
So, I need twenty to complete this, Riven thought, a mix of awe and frustration stirring within him.
As if responding to the incomplete state, the formation collapsed, and the shards drifted back into their orbit around the amber core.
"Does this mean I can bond with powerful creatures in the future?" Riven murmured. His question lingered in the air, unanswered, as always.
Riven opened his eyes and flinched, startled to see the other three staring at him curiously.
"What's wrong?" he asked, his voice tinged with concern. "Another attack?"
Jack quickly waved the idea away, his hands flailing comically. "No, no! You were just standing there, stock still, for like... minutes. You good?"
Riven exhaled and tried to mask his unease with a sheepish smile. "I was just marveling at the essence we got from the beast."
Jack's grin widened into a toothy, exaggerated smile as he clapped a hand on Riven's back. "That's nothing, dude. Wait till we cash this prize in."
But as the words left his mouth, Jack hesitated, turning to look at the slain beast. He winced. "Uh… do you think we accidentally destroyed its core with that last attack?"
Tim, usually composed and unreadable, frowned for the first time. The subtle shift in his expression was enough to make the air feel heavier.
"No point in guessing," Wendy chimed in, her voice steady and practical. "Let's check."
Jack nodded, pulling a blade from his belt as he approached the Zeltrick's massive, lifeless form. Riven took a step back to give him space, watching as Jack knelt by the creature's underbelly and began slicing into it with practiced precision.
Moments later, Jack let out a triumphant yell. "Got it!"
From the carcass, he extracted a marble-sized orb of pulsing blue light. The glow bathed his face as he held it up like a trophy.
"Would you look at that," Jack said, beaming. "A rank 2 core."
Riven's eyes widened in awe as he took in the shimmering gem, its light refracting in delicate patterns. It seemed impossibly small for something that had powered such a monstrous creature.
Jack chuckled heartily, slipping the core into a small metallic box. To Riven's surprise, he tossed the box toward him. Instinctively, Riven caught it, his expression shifting to confusion.
Jack noticed and grinned. "Do you know the most dangerous part of adventuring?"
Riven shook his head, clutching the box tightly.
"It's other adventurers," Jack said, his tone turning grim. "The unsavory types who wait for the fight to be over and then swoop in to take the loot."
Riven nodded thoughtfully. That does make sense. Father warned me about people like that.
"With your short-distance teleport ability," Jack continued, "I can rest easy knowing it won't get stolen from right under our noses."
Riven tilted his head, a flicker of mischief in his eyes. "But what if I just ran off with it? You're really trusting me that much?"
Before Jack could respond, Nyla spoke from where she leaned against a tree, her arm clutching her left shoulder. "You were ready to keep me safe, even when you could've blinked away and saved yourself." A small, knowing smile curved her lips. "You're not the type to run away with it."
Riven's face flushed red at her words, and he quickly looked away, flustered. Fortunately, no one seemed to notice—except maybe Luna, who blinked into existence on his shoulder, her gaze as curious as ever.
Jack broke the moment with another hearty clap on Riven's shoulder. "You take care of the core," he said, grinning. "I'll handle skinning the fur."
Jack and Tim set to work, carefully peeling away the beast's pelt—a task that required both patience and precision. The pelt, after all, was the primary item requested for the mission.
Luna purred softly, rubbing her head against Riven's cheek. Her large amber and sapphire eyes sparkled as she looked up at him, her innocent expression a stark contrast to the ferocity of their recent battle.
Riven chuckled, scratching behind her ears. "It's okay," he murmured. "You're not built for fighting like that. You've got other talents."
As if understanding his words, Luna meowed, her spirits seemingly lifted. She blinked away moments later, reappearing on a nearby tree branch to survey the area. Her movements were graceful, and Riven couldn't help but smile as he watched her. Cute—and useful, he thought, his mind wandering back to the visions and what they might mean for his future.
"Rive! We're done here—let's head out!" Jack's voice snapped him out of his reverie.
Riven jumped down from the tree he'd perched on and rejoined the group. Nyla, though still recovering, moved with only a slight stiffness now. Jack stowed the pelt in a large leather bag, strapping it securely to his back.
Surveying the group with a satisfied nod, Jack declared, "Time to get home and celebrate!"
With that, they fell in line behind him. Jack pulled out a strange circular orb, its surface glowing faintly, to guide them back to the city. Luna blinked back onto Riven's shoulder and curled up, a small, purring bundle of fur.
"Guess all that surveillance wore you out," Riven murmured, stroking her gently as he followed behind the others, keeping a wary eye on their surroundings.