Some truths are buried because the world isn't ready to face them.
But sometimes, it's not the world that's unprepared—
It's the person carrying the truth.
Riven Kael woke up to someone pounding on his door.
Not knocking.
Pounding.
BAM. BAM. BAM.
He rolled out of bed, shirtless, still sore from the encounter with Crimson Mask the night before. His system hadn't stopped flashing fragments of the memories she'd forced into his mind.
Kaela in chains.
Seria's voice breaking.
His own eyes… dark and crowned.
But the knocking wouldn't stop.
He opened the door, ready to snap—
Only to freeze.
Kaela Drayne stood there.
Panting.
Sweaty.
Covered in dirt and dried blood—not fresh, but hours old.
And in her hand?
A torn fragment of parchment glowing with faint red runes.
"Get in," Riven said immediately.
She didn't argue.
She stormed past him, tossed the paper on his desk, and dropped into his chair like she owned the place.
He shut the door behind her and picked up the page.
It crackled with energy the moment his fingers touched it.
A system alert flared in his mind.
Artifact Identified:
Origin: "Tyrant Cycle – Version 2"
Note Fragment: "Riven must never reach Intimacy Level 5. The loop resets if Seria breaks."
Security Level: Forbidden
Source: Archivist's Emergency Reset Command
Riven's breath caught.
This wasn't just a relic.
This was a manual from a past iteration of this world.
Kaela was watching him closely.
"I found that while training in the Flame Tunnels," she said. "Buried in a chest behind an illusion ward. Took three mana blades to cut it out."
"You know what it means?"
"I know someone thinks you're a threat to reality."
Riven set the page down carefully.
"And what do you think?"
Kaela stood.
Walked to him slowly.
Her eyes—usually full of fire and challenge—were now guarded. Searching.
"I think," she said quietly, "you're not just dangerous."
"I think you're cursed."
She was close now.
Close enough for her heat to reach him. Close enough to smell the iron and sweat on her skin from the long training session.
"But you know what scares me more than that?" she said.
He raised an eyebrow.
"What?"
"That I'm not scared enough to walk away."
Bond Update: Kaela Drayne – Conflict State Reached
New Status: Attraction / Doubt
Optional Path: Claim or Confess
Riven stepped forward.
"I won't lie to you," he said. "I'm not who this world thinks I am. I never was."
Kaela's hand rose—to slap, maybe.
But it didn't fall.
Instead, she touched his chest.
Not softly. Not seductively.
Demanding.
"Then stop pretending you're a hero," she said.
"I never did."
"Good."
She leaned in.
"This world doesn't need a hero."
Then, without warning—
She kissed him.
It wasn't sweet.
It was war.
Tongues clashed. Hands gripped. She shoved him back against the wall. He pulled her closer.
They didn't ask permission.
They didn't need it.
It was raw tension boiling over, released in the only way their bodies understood.
Riven's coat hit the floor.
Kaela's shirt ripped halfway down the back.
And for the first time—
They both let go.
Milestone Reached: Kaela Drayne – Intimacy Level 1
Skill Unlocked: Battle Bond (C) – When fighting beside Kaela, strength and agility increase by 10%.
Emotional Layer: Trust = [Mixed] / Lust = [High]
Afterward, they lay tangled on his bed, both breathing hard, sweat cooling between them.
Kaela turned her head slightly.
"No one can know," she whispered.
"Because of the Council?"
"Because I don't want you to be a weakness."
He chuckled. "You really think I'd let you be mine?"
She smirked faintly. "You already are."
Then she got up, dressed in silence, and left without another word.
Ten minutes later—
A knock.
Softer this time.
He opened the door again, expecting another surprise.
And got one.
Seria Vale.
She wore her uniform. Hair perfect. Not a single button out of place.
But her hands were trembling.
"I need to talk to you," she said.
He nodded, letting her in.
She didn't sit.
Didn't pace.
Just stared at him with haunted eyes.
"You know that dream you forced into my head?" she said. "The one I denied happened?"
Riven tensed. "Yeah."
"I had it again.
But this time, I wasn't the one chained."
She took a shaky breath.
"It was you."
Hidden Link Triggered: Shared Dream Channel – Seria Vale
Emotional Entanglement Intensifying
Possible Narrative Fork Approaching…
"I don't understand what's happening to me," she whispered. "But every time I try to walk away from you… I dream of you dying."
"And what if you stop trying to walk away?"
"I'm afraid I'll lose who I am."
Riven took a step toward her.
"You won't."
"How do you know?"
"Because I'll remember who you are… even if you forget."
She stared at him.
Then nodded.
One single, silent nod.
And walked out.
Alone again, Riven stood in his room, surrounded by echoes of touch, temptation, and truth.
The world was pulling at him from all sides.
And now?
Even the dreams were waking up.
System Update:
World Stability: [62%]
Archivist Activity: Escalating
Next Threat: Entity #3 Approaching
Codename: "The Mirror Saint"
Countdown: 48 hours
Riven cracked his knuckles and smiled.
"Let them come."
There are monsters that crawl in the dark.
But the most dangerous ones…
Are those who smile in the light.
The chapel bells of Valkyrion rarely rang.
But today, they did.
Loud. Clear. Strange.
They weren't alarms.
They weren't ceremonial.
They were a welcome.
And Riven Kael already didn't like it.
He stood atop the north balcony overlooking the courtyard as the new arrival approached through the main gates.
A group of silver-armored escorts parted, revealing a tall figure dressed in holy white robes trimmed with gold. Short blond hair shimmered in the sun. Eyes gleamed like liquid sapphire. And a golden cross-shaped emblem floated behind his back like a divine halo made of light.
Students whispered from every direction.
"Who is that?"
"A priest? Here?"
"No… he's not clergy. Look at that sigil. He's marked."
Marked.
Chosen.
Blessed by one of the world's ancient spiritual systems.
System Alert:
New Entity Detected:
Name: Elion Verrian
Title: The Mirror Saint
Classification: Purifier-Class Judge
Status: Divine Proxy
Threat Level: High
Warning: Elion's abilities adapt to a person's sins.
Primary Objective: Identify Narrative Distortions.
You are a Class-A distortion.
Riven smiled to himself.
"Oh, they're really sending the heavy hitters now."
Later that day, an announcement echoed through the academy halls.
"All students in the A and B tower ranks will attend an emergency sermon in the chapel courtyard this evening at dusk. Attendance is mandatory."
Riven raised an eyebrow.
A sermon?
At Valkyrion?
This place taught magic and murder, not morals.
And yet… the halls buzzed with excitement and unease.
As dusk fell, the courtyard filled with over two hundred students.
At the center, a raised glass platform formed the stage. Elion stood above it, hands folded over a holy blade embedded in the ground like a ceremonial anchor.
He didn't speak at first.
Just watched the crowd.
When his eyes passed over Riven, they paused.
Locked.
Held.
And a strange pressure filled Riven's chest.
Skill Attempted: Holy Sense
Target: Riven Kael
Result: Partial Scan
Outcome: [Narrative Anomaly Detected]
Verdict: Observe Before Judgment
Then Elion smiled.
Warm. Beautiful.
Deadly.
"Children of Valkyrion," he began, "I come not to lecture, but to remind you: the world is watching."
His voice was like a melody carved into stone.
"Every act of cruelty ripples outward. Every twist of fate echoes into others' destinies."
He paced slowly across the stage.
"There are some among you… who wear new faces. Who speak new truths. Who pretend to be born of this world…"
He paused.
Then smiled directly at Riven.
"…but carry the scent of invasion."
Students shifted uncomfortably.
Seria, seated nearby, shot a glance at Riven—half-sharp, half-worried.
Kaela leaned forward slightly, eyes narrowed.
Riven, for his part, simply leaned back in his chair, fingers interlaced.
This was a game.
A public one.
And Elion wasn't ready to make a move—yet.
That night, Riven received a letter.
Tucked under his pillow.
Riven,
You are the fire they sent me to extinguish.
But I am not your enemy—yet.
When the moon rises to its peak in three nights, meet me in the Garden of Still Mirrors. Come alone. Come honest.
— Elion Verrian
Side Quest Unlocked: "Trial by Reflection"
Objective: Meet Elion in secret
Outcome: Unknown
Risk: Memory Exposure
Reward: Divine Trait Fragment
Optional Bonus: Convert or Corrupt the Saint
The system buzzed again.
Warning: Elion's Judgment is adaptive.
If he deems you unredeemable, he may trigger a purge event.
Riven stared at the paper in silence.
Then folded it carefully and burned it in his palm.
That night, he walked through the halls, passing other students still shaken by the Saint's speech.
Some admired him.
Some feared him.
But one girl waited quietly near the tower stairs.
Seria.
She didn't say anything.
Just looked at Riven as he passed.
Their eyes met for a moment too long.
And in that moment… she looked like someone who had seen his reflection in her dreams again.
He kept walking.
Riven reached the balcony.
Looked out over the flickering campus lights.
And smiled.
"They think holiness can fix this story?"
He turned, shadows cloaking half his face.
"Then let's show them what happens… when gods meet authors."