Then the darkness cracked_
the next life pulling her in.
Cold.
That was the first thing alex felt.
A freezing wind cut through her tiny body, and rain tapped against her skin like shards of glass. She tried to move—only to find her limbs weak, unresponsive. When she opened her mouth, the only sound she produced was a thin, helpless whimper.
And then she understood.
A newborn.
She had been reborn as an infant—no more than a month old.
Alex—now Riven —forced her blurry vision upward, her golden eyes glowing faintly even in the storm. She saw the wooden steps of a building above her, a lantern flickering beside the door.
A small orphanage.
Before the darkness took her again, the door opened. A pair of warm hands lifted her gently.
"A baby…? Oh heavens—poor little thing. You must be freezing."
The nun cradled her protectively, pressing her to her chest.
"Welcome, little one. You are safe now."
For the first time in countless lives… Alex did not die young.
She grew.
She survived.
And she understood exactly why.
Morrivayne.
The ancient witch's voice purred inside her mind, amused and smug.
"It would be inconvenient for my vessel to die so quickly.
Consider this my investment."
Riven rolled her eyes internally.
"Right. Your 'investment.'"
Morrivayne laughed.
"You can thank me later."
Seven Years Later
Riven Nightthorn stood alone behind the orphanage, a wooden sword in hand. Her movements were sharp, precise—far beyond that of a child.
Every life she had lived before…
every warrior…
every fighter…
every struggle…
They all clung to her muscles like instinct.
She swung the sword again—clean, controlled.
Morrivayne hummed in satisfaction.
"Your progress pleases me, little spark."
Alex:
"Of course it does."
When Riven turned eight, she met her by accident.
A tall woman with red hair braided down her back, carrying a bow taller than riven herself. Her presence was calm, yet undeniably powerful.
Her name was Elyra Voss—a legendary hunter who had once shaken continents before retiring into obscurity.
Riven approached her boldly.
" I heard you are strong Teach me please."
Elyra blinked. "No."
Riven asked again the next day.
And the next.
And the next.
Until finally, Elyra sighed.
"You are persistent."
Her eyes narrowed.
"And far too talented for a child your age… Fine. I'll train you. But only if you survive the first lesson."
Riven ' smiled.
She survived all of them.
Most people awakened one type of magic.
Water.
Fire.
Earth.
Air.
Healing.
Sorcery.
Shadow.
But riven—
Riven could use any element she saw.
Elyra's eyes widened the first time Riven mimicked fire after watching her use it once.
"That's impossible," Elyra whispered.
Morrivayne chuckled darkly inside riven .
"Impossible? Child, you haven't even begun."
Later, Elyra discovered the truth:
'Riven's unique magic was Replication.
She could copy any type of magic simply by witnessing it—
as if it had always been hers.
And she had a second ability too:
Absorption.
She could drain magical energy from any enchanted object or living being.
Elyra kept this a secret.
Some powers were too dangerous to reveal.
At ten years old, riven was already stronger than most adults.
At eleven, she entered her first dungeon—E-Rank—by special permission from the Guild. Elyra accompanied her at first, but it quickly became clear:
Riven didn't need protection.
Sometimes Elyra even took away her weapons, forcing her to fight monsters bare-handed.
Riven adapted.
She always adapted.
At fifteen, riven had become the pride of the orphanage.
She trained often with two of her friends a girl and boy her age:
• Lira — bright, talkative, fiercely loyal.
• Ren — quiet, sharp, fast with a blade.
They were the closest thing riven had to a family.
But riven never stopped pushing herself.
Not with her body.
Not with her magic.
Not with her hidden truth.
One evening, while practicing alone, something strange happened.
Time… slowed.
Stopped.
Bent.
Riven froze, breath sharp.
Alex:
"…No way."
Morrivayne sounded far too amused.
"Oh look. Another gift."
Riven clenched her fist.
A third ability.
Time Manipulation.
She told no one—not even Elyra.
Some secrets were too powerful to share.
On the dawn of her fifteenth birthday, riven packed her bag, tightened the straps of her sword, and closed the orphanage gate behind her.
The world beyond her city walls was vast, steeped in magic, dungeons, kingdoms, monsters, ancient ruins.
Riven stepped forward.
This time, she didn't intend to die.
——————
Three years.
Three long years since riven had last walked the stone roads of her city.
Cold rain fell lightly over the rooftops as she entered through the eastern gate, a tall shadow in black. Her hair—jet-black and cut in a sharp wolf-style—clung to her jawline. Golden eyes scanned the streets with the calm precision of a hunter.
She had changed… and the city had changed with her.
New faces. New buildings. New life.
But the orphanage—her orphanage—remained the same. She had written them every month, sent money whenever she could, but nothing compared to stepping on this familiar ground again.
She paused by a candy vendor, pulling a few coins from her pocket.
"One bag, please." Kids like sweets
The old woman handed the sweets with a soft smile—then frowned at the growing crowd nearby.
"What's going on?" riven asked.
"It's the annual parade," the vendor said. "The ruling family walks the streets to show they care for us."
Riven barely glanced in their direction. She had never cared for royalty or titles. Not in her past lives, and certainly not now.
Then—
BOOM.
The ground trembled violently.
Screams tore through the air as the city gate exploded inward. A flood of beasts—wolves, ogres, and monstrous shapes—poured inside like a living tide.
Panic spread instantly.
People ran in every direction, pushing, falling, screaming. Soldiers struggled to form a line. The ruling family retreated behind their guards.
And in the middle of the chaos…
A child.
A small girl—seven, maybe eight—collapsed on the stone road, frozen in terror as a massive beast lumbered toward her. It looked like a grotesque mix of bear and crocodile, drool dripping from jagged teeth.
It raised a claw to strike.
And then—
In one blur of motion, riven was there.
She intercepted the claw with her bare hand, muscles flexing, and with a single kick, she sent the creature flying. It crashed into a distant wall with a sickening crack and fell limp.
Riven knelt before the shaking child.
"Hey," she said softly, "you're okay now."
The girl nodded through tears.
Riven lifted her, carried her back to the candy vendor, and set her gently down.
"Watch her for a moment," Riven said. "And give her anything she wants from those sweets."
"B-But—there are monsters—"
Riven was already gone.
She stepped into the center of the square. The monsters turned toward her—dozens of them, snarling, charging.
She raised her hand.
A pale blue light unfurled from her fingers, circling outward until it wrapped every civilian, every guard, every bystander in a shimmering glass-like barrier.
Not to protect them from the monsters.
But from her next spell.
The beasts lunged.
Riven exhaled.
The world flashed white.
A violent shockwave exploded outward, silent at first—then roaring like thunder as every monster was instantly reduced to ash. The surrounding buildings disintegrated into dust.
The city square became nothing but ruin.
Then Riven knelt, pressed a hand to the ground, and drew a glowing sigil—ancient and intricate.
"Reverse."
Time bent.
Cracked stone restored itself. Dust reformed into walls. Broken stands knitted back together. Life returned to normal, as if nothing had ever happened.
The ruling family stared at her from afar—stunned, speechless, and visibly shaken.
Riven didn't care.
She returned to the candy vendor, handed the little girl a sweet, and turned to leave—
When she felt two presences creeping behind her.
She smiled faintly.
Too slow.
She vanished and reappeared behind one attacker, pinning her with a dagger at her throat, while the other lay flat on his back where Riven had kicked him.
"Really?" Riven said dryly. "Sneaking up on me? How adorable."
The girl on the ground groaned.
"…Fine, I give up. I lost."
The boy wheezed, "That wasn't fair. You got stronger again…"
Before Riven could reply, a hand clamped onto her ear and twisted.
Hard.
"Ow—Ow—OW—!"
She spun around.
"Mother Superior—?!"
The nun stood there, face blazing with fury.
"I raised you since you were a month old," she snapped. "You arrive five hours ago—and don't come straight home?!"
"I—Ow—Wait—! I had business—please, that really hurts—!"
The nun didn't let go.
She dragged Riven by the ear while the two young hunters—Lira and Ren—tried not to laugh.
Then the nun froze.
The ruling family stood not far behind them, looking at them,,surrounded by bowing citizens. Even the nun dropped to her knees instinctively—pulling Riven with her.
Riven sighed internally.
Perfect. They think he saved them.
Good. Let them believe it.
I don't want to be the center of attention.
It meant less attention for her.
She gently pulled the nun up and whispered:
"Let's go home."
And together, they slipped into the crowd and vanished into the streets, leaving behind the ruling family whispering:
"Who was that girl…?"