Fire. Riven coughed, choking on the heavy scent of smoke in the air. Flames, licking, crawling over every bit of the house. Wood fell, as the house collapsed in on itself. He rolled off his bed, crawling out of his room, as beams fell.
What? Why? How? He had so many questions, but the immediate problem was finding the cause. There was not much need to dote upon this however, it soon presented itself. A shadow of a man, crumbling, launching fire in every direction around it. He was hollow.
Riven bolted, and while running, the hollow noticed him. A gleam in his eye betrayed his intention, and he flew after Riven. Wreathed in flames, a being straight from the abyss of death.
He dodged behind a tree as a bolt of fire narrowly missed him, blasting heat in his face. He looked back, finally able to get a good glimpse of the hollow, its face. His heart quickened its pace as the hollow lifted its head. Riven could not fight this.
With a jolt, he noticed a small scar on its left eye, and it was missing its right arm.
Urgh.
He grunted; his leg was failing him now. He stumbled and fell, maybe this was not such a bad way to go. The sadness of the realization was lost; he was simply left at a loss for words. His father, Karn, had become a hollow.
"F-Fath."
He stopped, unable to force the words out of his mouth, a choked sob appearing. There was no life in those cursed eyes, only the bitter emptiness of death. He closed his eyes, having truly given up.
Gordian, Bord. He would have to give his apologies in the next life, they would never see him again. But as quickly as he had lost hope, hope appeared.
A shadow of a being flashed through the air, appearing behind his father.
Another hollow?
He got his answer soon enough, as it stepped into the light.
A young woman, who could not be much younger than he, appeared. With her arm, she thrust straight through the heart of the hollow—his father. He ignored even this brutal wound, as if she did not exist in the first place. Karn loosed another bolt, this one made of lightning, straight towards his son.
Riven, still overcome with shock, barely moved. Just the hairsbreadth he moved was enough to spare his life—but not his arm. The bolt tore clean through it.
This time he stumbled, not out of fear but injury. He tried to stand but could not, overcome with pain. His face went white. Not just was the injury painful, but the fact that his father was the one who injured him was even more painful.
"Just go—it would be better for you to live." He said to the strange woman, still, unable to find the mental footing to retreat.
"Stupid bastard. Get up right now!"
She said, and instantly, a myriad of colors appeared. In her hand, she wielded a dire sword, thin and perfect for piercing. Just from staring at the miraculous blade, he knew this was no ordinary weapon, it was made of powers that did not belong in this world.
Two quick stabs relieved his father of his sight, and he wailed, unleashing blasts of wind in every direction, blowing Riven back. The girl, however, remained, and in her other hand she formed a dagger, longer than any he had seen.
Not quite a sword but not a knife either, the weapon of assassins. She sliced across his throat, but no blood appeared. His father's skin cracked, and with one more strike and a sigh, she removed his head.
It was… that easy?!
As soon as she did so, the non-existent life, the light in his eyes, went out. There was no body left, his remains crumbled and scattered into the night sky.
Riven stared at his house, wreathed in flames, and knew that he would never be able to put them out. So they watched as the house came crumbling down and left nothing upon the land he had once lived and tended to.
"So this is how everything ends; with everything up in flames."
A sudden fist came out of nowhere as she punched him to the floor, "Stop acting pathetic. This is not so much hardship you cannot bear, and I would not have saved you had I known you were a sniveling coward. My name is Mallory, and I presume you are Riven?"
Still lying on the ground and with a defeated expression, he sighed, "You presume correctly. State your business and be off."
He's… gone!
Dead!
"You Ingrate! I just saved your life, you should try to be more grateful." She clenched her fist again, barely holding back the urge to strike him.
"But no matter; Gordian sent me, he had a sinking suspicion you would find yourself in trouble once again. After all, the great Karn would never succumb to a hollow unless he himself was the cause of his own death."
"Great Karn this, great Karn that. I keep hearing about the greatness of my father, but what does that matter when he is dead?"
He spat, "My father will never hear the stories of his strength being told once more. He will never live to see the day I become strong. He and I have lost everything."
She took a stab at his eye, which he quickly dodged, "HEY!"
"I see. So you have not fully given up. Else, my blade would have pierced your brain, and you wouldn't have felt a thing as your guts spilled through the hole. Do not give up your life, it is all you have left."
"I should not have run from the hollow. What's left for me other than pain and sorrow?" Riven stood and punched a nearby tree. Blood flowed down his wrist—he hardly noticed.
"The cursed hollow. THAT IS IT!" he shouted, and Mallory flinched as his voice echoed across the mountains. "I even had no time to grieve, but here I am, at your mercy, and pity."
"Come with me. Not that there is a choice, you need a room somewhere. It'll be late, but we will make it to the town before midnight. At the very least, you will have a warm bed for the night."
"Should I follow someone I do not know?"
"I am a stranger no longer! I saved your life!"
"But…"
Mallory shot him a furious glare.
"Enough!"
Fine.
We'll die soon enough anyway.
With a grunt, Riven, still bloodied up, followed Mallory. With his arm wrapped around her, supporting his weight, they started on the way back to the town.
Riven stared off into the distance. The lights of the town grew near. This time, the devilish being he had seen once before no longer remained. A blessing, perhaps, such a thing should be stricken from the world and forgotten about. If he were to run into such a beast, there would be no hope for survival.
"We are here."
The world was much different from what Riven had known and loved; the peaceful illusion he had grown up with vanished in a mere second. Replaced by the horror of creatures and powers, the world did not seem the same as an hour ago.
Walking through the front door of the tavern, Riven heard the familiar ring of the door, and once again, he made eye contact with Gordian. "So you're back."
"So I am. With my house destroyed, I am missing a bed."
"Well, don't expect me to lend you one, I have enough business to take care of!"
What did I expect?
"Oh, I—"
Gordian chuckled, "I jest, of course I have a spot for you, Mallory would not have gone had I not. Follow me."
Riven got up and followed him as Gordian led him down a winding staircase, with Mallory following in suit. Lit only by candlelight, the darkness seemed to pull at him, calling out. He shuddered, and the unnerving feeling vanished.
Down below, in the room, there were two cots, a dreary bed which provided no comfort, only utility. Riven stepped into the room and was met with creaks, every single step of the way, as if the floor was crying out in pain.
After what he had seen today, He would not be surprised for it to actually be crying, the supernatural was real, and the story-books he had read as a child seemed to have come to life.
Visibly exhausted, Riven lay down on his cot and as soon as Gordian left, gave in to the sweet lull of sleep. It was past one, and he had a feeling he would be busy tomorrow, dealing with the aftermath of the events of the day. And the bitter sorrow that accompanied it. That is… if he had time for any of that…