Floating… or falling. At this point, Riven couldn't really tell if he was doing both, or neither.
All that he knew was that it was comfortable and quiet.
How long had he been here in this overwhelming darkness? Days? Months? Years?
Atleast here in the darkness I'm away from those who hurt me, Riven thought to himself.
The thoughts and memories in his head of that fateful night first filled him with sadness and betrayal, but as time moved on those thoughts turned to anger and fury.
The darkness seemed to seep into his body and thoughts from the void around him, feeding his intense emotions.
He wasn't sad anymore. He was pissed.
Suddenly, a flicker of light in the void.
All conditions met…
System Awakening…
Welcome Player Riven.
Riven blinked as he squinted against the flickering digital lights of the floating screen in front of him.
Congratulations! You have absorbed some mana!
Mana type: Dark (1%)
Congratulations! You have absorbed your first mana!
Awakening mana heart…
Riven flinched against the onslaught of digital screen that kept popping up in front of him. He tried to raise a hand to swipe at the screen but he froze when he noticed that his limb had now turned grey and translucent.
Error. Mana Heart Awakening failed. Trying again…
A sudden red light filling his surroundings snapped him out of his shock. What the hell was this screen doing? Where was he?
Error. Mana Heart Awakening failed. Trying again…
Riven began to panic as he looked around him, trying to remember where he was and what was happening.
Oh… that's right.
He was dead.
Error. Mana Heart Awakening failed. Trying again…
The memories of what happened in the bakery came flooding back to him, making his floating, translucent body begin tremble and flicker. Rage and fury began to build inside of him again, so pure and powerful that the digital screen in front of him began to also flicker and tremble.
The darkness around Riven began to move, like ink in water, spreading out and caressing his skin.
Congratulations! You have absorbed some mana!
Mana Type: Dark (2%)
Awakening Mana Heart…
Error. Error. Mana Heart Awakening failed. Trying again…
Riven seethed, revealing in the fury that filled his body, seeming as if it was the very blood pumping through his spectral body.
Congratulations! You have absorbed some mana!
Mana Type: Dark (9%)
Error. Error. Mana Heart Awakening failed.
Trying again…
As Riven began absorbing the darkness around him, the flurry of red warning screens kept filling up the space in front of him.
The Dark mana was becoming one with the fury inside of him, filling him to the point where he thought he might explode. But he didn't care.
ERROR. ERROR. ERROR.
Mana overload without a mana heart. System failed. System failed. System failed.
The digital screens in front of him began to crack and tremble, spilling bright red light across whatever void he was currently floating in.
As his spectral body began to tear and fade into the darkness around him, he began to lose consciousness. His vision blurred and he revelled in the way it felt to be taken by such pure darkness.
Suddenly, the torrent of screens disappeared, leaving one single bright blue screen in front of him.
Riven tried to focus against the dark mana flooding around him and could barely make out the letters on the screen.
System administrator override. The administrator admires your perseverance. Rewarding…
Congratulations! You have received a gift from the administrator!
Reward: Abyss Mana Heart. Rank: ???
Just as Riven was completely absorbed into the darkness, a sudden stabbing pain radiated from his chest. He screamed as he felt flesh tearing and bones breaking.
As the pain began to subside, a sudden heat began to build… and build… and build until it felt as if someone had poured molten lava in the cavity in his chest.
Then it began.
The darkness that had been absorbing him into the void stopped and began to move backwards. It began to be sucked into his chest at an alarming rate, swirling in a small tornado shape in front of him, feeding the heat inside him until it was unbearable.
Congratulations! You are now absorbing mana into your mana heart!
Mana Type: Dark (20%)
Mana Heart: Abyss Mana Heart. (+0 circles)
Congratulations! You are now…
The torrent of blue screens began to fill the background behind the dark tornado that was funnelling into his chest and Riven began to lose consciousness again. Exhausted, overwhelmed and tired.
He was so, so tired.
He closed his eyes and gave into whatever was happening. He could have sworn as he drifted out of consciousness, a dark rumble of a laughter echoed through the void around him.