The Glitched Mage-Chapter 30: A Fight Between Brothers Part 2

Behind them, Cole snarled. "Stop playing with him, Kai! Just kill the bastard already!"

Kai didn't even look back. "Shut up, Cole. You wanted a fight, didn't you?" His golden eyes gleamed as he turned his full focus on Riven. "Now you've got one."

Then - he vanished again.

But this time, the air exploded around him. Wind magic surged outward in a violent burst, sending debris flying in every direction as Kai closed the distance in an instant.

Riven's eyes narrowed. He barely had time to react before Kai's fist rocketed toward his face, the sheer force of the wind magic behind it distorting the very air. But something inside him snapped.

The thrill of battle.

The hunger for destruction.

A wild grin stretched across Riven's face, his body thrumming with something primal, something dark.

His pupils dilated.

His shadows surged.

And for the first time - he didn't hold back.

The moment Kai's punch reached him, Riven's entire body flickered, twisting in a way that defied natural movement. He vanished, consumed by the abyssal darkness, only to reappear directly behind Kai.

Before Kai could even register what had happened, Riven's arm shot out.

His fingers wrapped around the back of Kai's skull.

Then, without hesitation, Riven slammed his head straight into the ground.

CRACK.

Kai's body buckled as the dirt beneath them split from the force. The air left his lungs in a strangled gasp, his vision whiting out for a fraction of a second as the impact sent tremors through his skull.

But Riven wasn't done.

He wrenched Kai's head back up - only to slam it down again.

And again.

And again.

Each impact sent dust flying, small craters forming beneath Kai's head as the earth gave way beneath the sheer brutality.

The second-years watching froze.

Even Cole, who had been shouting in rage a moment ago, took a single step back.

This... this wasn't normal.

Riven was laughing.

It wasn't a cackle, nor was it controlled - it was raw, manic, and completely unhinged. His shoulders trembled with the force of it, the shadows around him pulsating in sync with his madness.

Kai twitched beneath his grip, groaning in pain, but Riven wasn't done. With inhuman strength, he threw Kai's battered body into the nearest tree.

BOOM.

The tree snapped from the sheer impact, splinters and bark flying in every direction as Kai's body hit the ground, unmoving.

A sharp, eerie silence fell over the clearing.

Then, Riven turned.

His darkened gaze locked onto the silver-haired wind mage, who had been watching in stunned horror.

The second-year barely had time to lift his hands before Riven was on him.

A clawed hand wrapped around the mage's throat, lifting him clean off the ground as if he weighed nothing.

The mage choked, hands clawing at Riven's arm, struggling against his grip.

"W-wait! P-please-!"

CRACK.

Riven slammed him into the dirt, pinning him like an insect beneath his palm.

The silver-haired mage let out a strangled scream as shadows pierced into his limbs, writhing like living things, drilling into his body with slow, deliberate agony.

Cole staggered back.

This wasn't a fight anymore.

This was slaughter.

"Y-You monster-!" the last second-year stammered, his voice shaking. He turned to run.

Wrong move.

Riven flicked a hand.

A shadow tendril shot forward, wrapping around the fleeing mage's ankle, yanking him backward.

The second-year let out a choked gasp as he was dragged across the dirt, pulled helplessly toward the predator who now stood over him.

Riven knelt, gripping the back of the mage's head, forcing him to look up.

"Didn't you all say you were going to kill me?" Riven murmured. "Then why are you running?"

The second-year whimpered, eyes darting wildly, searching for an escape.

Riven clicked his tongue in mock disappointment.

Then he drove the mage's face into the dirt.

A muffled cry rang out, followed by a wet crunch.

Blood splattered across the ground.

Cole's breathing turned ragged, his entire body trembling as he took another step back.

Riven turned his head toward him.

That look.

Those pitch-dark eyes, void of mercy, void of reason.

Cole felt something he had never felt before.

Absolute Fear.

Riven slowly straightened, his grin stretching impossibly wide, his muscles tensed like a beast preparing to pounce.

"Your turn," he whispered.

Cole ran.

Or - he tried to.

The moment he turned, shadows burst from the ground, wrapping around his legs, pulling him back.

He screamed.

"Oh no, no, no." Riven's voice was laced with pure amusement. "We're not done, big brother."

Cole thrashed, panic overtaking his expression. "R-Riven! STOP! I-I was just-! I didn't mean-!"

His pleas fell on deaf ears.

Riven lifted him effortlessly, holding him in the air by his throat.

Cole gasped, his hands clawing at Riven's grip, his eyes wide with terror.

"P-please," Cole croaked, his face paling as the oxygen left his lungs. "I-I won't-!"

Riven squeezed.

Cole let out a strangled gag, his limbs spasming.

For a single, fleeting moment, Riven saw red.

He could end him.

Right here. Right now.

With just a little more pressure.

With just a little more force.

His fingers twitched.

His grip tightened.

Then-

Riven let out a slow sigh before swinging his fist down, his knuckles crashing into Cole's already bruised face with a sickening crack. The force of the blow sent his older brother into unconsciousness instantly, his body collapsing in a heap at Riven's feet.

He exhaled sharply, rolling his shoulders, but the primal hunger in his chest still refused to subside. The deep, gnawing desire to end them all right here, right now, coiled like a serpent in his gut.

Breathe.

Control it.

Riven let his head tilt back, his eyes closing as he forced air into his lungs, grounding himself.

'System, what's their status?' he asked internally, his voice flat in his own mind.

[[ Three out of four are critically injured. Immediate medical attention is required for survival. ]]

[[ The one at your feet is relatively unharmed, aside from mild bruising. ]]

Riven clicked his tongue. That won't do.

Without hesitation, he lifted his boot and stomped down on Cole's leg.

CRACK.

The grotesque sound echoed through the clearing, and a twisted sense of satisfaction curled in Riven's chest as Cole's unconscious form jerked involuntarily.

"Much better," he murmured.

Taking a deep breath, he stepped over the bodies of the second-years, his gaze flickering over their battered forms. He had been careless - letting his shadows run wild. If word got out about what he was truly capable of, it would only make things more difficult.

'System, can you alter their memories of tonight?' he asked, his voice calm once more.

[[ If their mental and magical resistance is low enough, memory alteration is possible. ]]

Riven crouched next to the two weakest second-years first, pressing his palm to their bloodied foreheads. Their labored breathing was the only indication that they were still alive.

"Let them remember that I beat them," he instructed the system. "But erase any recollection of my shadows. However..." A slow grin curled his lips. "Leave the fear. I want them afraid - enough that they won't even think of speaking about this."

[[ Initiating memory distortion... ]]

A faint, eerie glow spread from his fingertips, sinking into their skulls like tendrils of mist.

By the time he pulled back, their faces had slackened, their expressions shifting into dazed confusion.

He moved to Kai next.

Unlike the others, Kai wasn't unconscious. His half-lidded, golden eyes fluttered open slightly as Riven's hand pressed against his head.

Riven stared down at him, his smirk widening as he watched realization dawn in those sharp, feline-like eyes.

Kai knew.

He knew exactly what had happened.

And he was terrified.

But before he could speak, before he could even process the horror of what had unfolded, the system's power surged, and his pupils dilated.

The memory distortion took hold.

Kai's breathing slowed.

His body sagged.

When Riven moved away, Kai's expression was distant - uncertain. The fear still lingered, but the precise reason for it was gone.

Perfect.

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He finished the process with Cole last, ensuring his beloved older brother would remember only the pain, only the humiliation - without the knowledge of what truly lay beneath Riven's mask.

When it was done, Riven stood amidst the silence of the ruined clearing, closing his eyes for a brief moment.

No witnesses. No loose ends.

But there was one last issue.

'System, is there any way to inflict injuries on me?' he asked. 'It'll be too suspicious if I leave here without a scratch after taking down four second-years alone.'

[[ Please specify desired injuries. ]]

'Bruises, minor cuts... maybe a black eye,' Riven mused. 'I need it to look like I won, but not like it was effortless.'

[[ Understood. Commencing command. ]]

Pain erupted across his body in sharp bursts.

Riven let out a wet chuckle, the taste of iron flooding his mouth as blood trickled down his lip. His muscles throbbed, fresh bruises blossoming across his arms and torso. A dull ache settled into his cheekbone, signaling the formation of a deep bruise.

Perfect.

Then-

[[ WARNING: Five unidentified individuals approaching. ]]

Riven exhaled slowly.

Right on cue.

His legs buckled slightly, and he let himself collapse onto the dirt, his breathing ragged as he slumped against the nearest tree.

He wiped the blood from his mouth, smearing it slightly for effect.

Then, as the approaching footsteps neared, he forced his lips into a strained, exhausted smirk.

Time to play the part again.