Thunder roared above the shattered plains of the rift zone, and the cold rain stung Riku's skin like tiny needles. He lay in the mud, blood soaking through his torn uniform, his body broken and his Essence flickering weakly. Yumi lay motionless nearby, her leg bleeding, her breathing shallow.
The beasts circled him, their grotesque forms snarling with wicked intent.
One of them raised a clawed foot—CRACK.Another kick to Riku's side.
He gasped, coughing up blood, pain radiating through his ribs.
As the thunder echoed, so did memories.
Middle school.A time he tried so hard to forget.
Kids pointing at him, whispering, laughing.
"He doesn't even have Essence. What a loser.""Why's he even at this school?""Useless."
He remembered walking home in the rain—no umbrella, a bruised cheek, and a cracked backpack.
But… not everyone treated him like that.
He remembered someone stepping in front of him.
"Back off. Just because he doesn't have Essence doesn't make him weak."
Yumi.She was one of the few who had stood up for him, even when others, like Toru, tried to push him down.
"You'll awaken one day, Riku," she had told him once, smiling."And when you do… you'll be great."
Now, lying there as the beasts prepared their final strike, Riku's fingers curled into the muddy ground.
"She… believed in me," he whispered.His heart pounded harder.The storm inside him surged.
"Even if it costs me my life……she will not die in here."
A pulse of pure energy erupted from his chest.
The rift trembled. The air twisted with divine pressure.
The beasts paused, growling in confusion.
Riku rose.
But not as he was before.
His hair, already silver-grey, now glowed with radiant light, strands levitating in the air like flickers of stardust.His eyes turned a brilliant sky-blue, illuminated like celestial fire.
His Essence flared to new heights, and arcs of silvery lightning coiled around him.
But this time, something more had awakened.
Above his head, a glowing halo of fractal energy formed—shifting rings of ancient symbols, orbiting like a divine sigil. His skin shimmered faintly with divine markings, glowing softly across his arms and face.
"Divine Avatar Mode… Ascended."
The beasts lunged.
Riku moved like light.
He appeared behind the first one in a blink—his fist crashing into its spine with a sound like thunder exploding. The beast was hurled through a cliffside, vanishing in a cloud of rubble.
The second tried to dodge, but Riku extended his hand—BOOM!A spear of divine energy pierced through its chest, detonating in a burst of celestial fire.
The third one, the strongest, growled and swung its bladed arm.
Riku caught it mid-air.
With one glare, his glowing blue eyes locked onto the creature, and the beast hesitated. Fear.
He twisted its arm, launched into the sky with it, and in midair—
"Essence Devourer Strike!"
A beam of energy shaped like a dragon surged from his body, enveloping the creature in light before it shattered into dust.
The rain slowed.
The storm faded.
Riku floated down beside Yumi, his Divine Avatar still glowing faintly.
He knelt beside her, brushing strands of wet hair from her face.
"You're safe… Yumi."
And this time—he smiled.