Juno scanned Riven's bag twice.
"Fused spores don't do this."
"Do I still get the credits?" he asked.
She nodded slowly.
But her hand trembled.
---
That night, Riven didn't return to the dorms.
He walked to the broken statue near the outer wall —
the warrior with eyes gouged out by time —
and sat.
The voice came.
Not from outside.
From below.
"You remember now, don't you?"
He stood, fast.
The voice was gone.
But the air burned.
---
Two days later, during the Combat Showcase, Riven faced Del Mavik in the arena.
Del was fast.
Overconfident.
The fight lasted less than a minute.
Riven didn't touch him.
But Del screamed anyway.
Collapsed mid-swing.
And afterward, he wouldn't stop crying.
Not from pain.
From what he saw.
---
Later, Kael Dross reviewed the footage.
He slowed it down. Frame by frame.
And in one single flash, Del's eyes reflected something behind Riven.
Not a figure.
Not a ghost.
A throne.
Floating above a sea of fire.
And someone was sitting in it.