The next morning came quiet, but the sky was unnaturally red. Aether stood alone at the edge of their camp, watching clouds twist like smoke across the horizon. There was something in the air—a pull, like a storm building. Not in the sky, but inside him.
Selene joined him, wrapping her cloak tighter. "You're feeling it too, huh?"
"Yeah," Aether said. "Like the world's holding its breath."
Lena approached with a map. "We found something last night while scouting the southern ridge. Old ruins—not like the city. More… untouched. There's a gate sealed with Essence. It's reacting to your aura."
"Another relic?" Aether asked.
"Maybe," Lena said. "But there was more. Someone left markings—fresh ones. Someone's been there recently."
Viktor stepped out from the tent, rubbing his eyes. "I don't like the timing. Another Eye shows itself, and suddenly there's signs of other searchers? Either we're not the only ones hunting them… or someone's tracking you."
Aether narrowed his eyes. "Then we check it out. Now."
---
Southern Ridge – Ancient Pass
The path was choked with roots and collapsed stone. It took hours to reach the ruins Lena found. Moss covered most of the carvings, but the Essence seal was clear—glowing faintly with crimson energy, identical to the one that had once protected the first Eye.
Aether reached out.
The moment his fingers touched it, the seal shifted.
A ring of runes spun around the gate, flaring once—then vanished.
The gate creaked open.
Beyond it was a long hall, untouched by time. Walls lined with broken armor and weapons. It wasn't just a ruin. It was a battlefield. A tomb.
Darius whistled. "Something bad happened here."
Selene examined the floor. "These aren't ruins. They're burial grounds. This was a last stand."
Aether moved ahead, eyes scanning the corridor.
Then he saw it—deep gashes in the walls, as if made by something impossibly fast.
He stopped.
"…He's here."
Lena's grip tightened on her blade. "Who?"
Aether didn't answer.
Not with words.
A shadow moved at the far end of the hall.
It stepped forward slowly. Hooded. Tall. Wrapped in torn robes of silver and black. A blade hung at his side—curved and pulsing with a cursed red glow.
Darius blinked. "Who the hell—"
"Riven," Aether said quietly. "My… rival. From the last timeline."
The figure lifted his head.
Eyes like violet glass met Aether's.
"…You really did change time," Riven said, his voice low, smooth. "I thought I was dreaming when I woke up ahead of schedule."
"You're not dreaming," Aether said.
"I should've known," Riven muttered. "The moment the Herald stirred… I felt it. The shift. And I remembered. Everything."
Selene stepped in front of Aether. "Who is he?"
"A friend," Aether said. "He fought beside me. Then turned on me."
Riven's hand brushed the hilt of his blade. "I didn't betray you. I chose the only path left. The one you were too blind to see."
"By siding with the Herald?"
Riven's smile was cold. "No. By siding with myself."
Without warning, he vanished.
Aether's eyes widened. "Move—!"
Steel screamed.
Selene barely parried the strike. Riven reappeared behind her, his blade dragging through the air like a phantom. His footwork—too fast. Too precise.
Phantom Step.
Lena clashed with him next, blades sparking. But she was forced back instantly.
Viktor raised a barrier. Darius flung shards of light.
Riven danced through it all like smoke.
Then he locked blades with Aether.
"You're slower than I remember," Riven said, eyes burning. "That regression of yours—did it cost you something?"
Aether pushed him back. "Not enough to lose to you."
Their blades clashed again.
Then Riven struck Aether's shoulder—just a graze.
But the moment the blade touched him, his Aura froze.
Aether staggered.
Riven's cursed blade sealed Essence.
"You remember this blade, right?" Riven said, voice low. "It took me years to master it in the last life. But now? I've had all the time I needed."
Selene moved to intercept—but Riven kicked her aside, blade glowing.
"Stay down," he warned. "I'm not here to kill him. Not yet."
He looked at Aether.
"This is your warning. Stop hunting the Eyes. The more you awaken, the faster the Herald returns."
Aether gritted his teeth. "That's the point. I'm not running anymore."
Riven shook his head.
"You still don't understand. You think you'll win this time? That your second chance changes the rules?"
He stepped back into the shadows.
"When you're ready to stop pretending you're a hero… come find me in the Hollow City."
And then—he vanished.
---
Later – Campfire Silence
No one spoke for a long time.
Aether stared into the fire. His shoulder still burned where Riven's blade touched him. He could barely feel his Aura there.
"He's a problem," Lena said. "We're not ready for him."
"No," Aether said. "We're not."
Selene sat beside him again.
"You knew he was still alive?" she asked.
"I hoped he wasn't," Aether muttered.
Viktor stirred the fire. "Why would someone like him side with the Herald?"
"…He didn't," Aether said. "Not at first. Riven hated the gods. All of them. When the world fell, he lost everything. He wanted to destroy it all. The Herald gave him power to do that."
"So he's trying to stop you?" Darius asked.
Aether shook his head. "He's trying to stop everyone. He doesn't believe in saving the world. He just wants to tear it down before the gods return."
Selene leaned in. "Are you going to fight him again?"
Aether looked up at the stars.
"I don't think I have a choice."
---
Elsewhere – The Hollow City
A city swallowed by fog. Streets empty. Statues broken. Once a capital of knowledge, now a ghost town.
Riven stood on the roof of a broken spire.
Beside him, a girl with pale eyes and a crown of thorns.
"He won't stop," she said.
"I know," Riven replied.
"Then why give him a warning?"
"Because," Riven said, eyes sharp, "the longer he plays the hero, the easier it'll be to break him."
Below, the fog thickened. Eyes blinked in the shadows. And something old stirred beneath the Hollow City.
Waiting.