The Glitched Mage-Chapter 31: Dragon Egg

"I can sense them up ahead!" Ember's voice rang through the trees, urgent and strained.

A moment later, five figures burst into the clearing. Riven barely had to lift his gaze to recognize them—Ember, Lucenya, Elder Thorne, and two academy staff members.

They froze at the sight before them.

The scene was drenched in blood, bodies sprawled across the dirt like discarded dolls. The air was thick with the metallic tang of iron, mingling with the damp earth beneath.

One of the staff members let out a sharp gasp. "My gods…" Their voice trembled as their wide eyes darted from the unconscious second-years to Riven's bruised and bloodied form.

Ember stumbled forward first, her breath catching as she took in the carnage around them. Her ruby-red eyes darted between the battered bodies of Cole and the other second-years before finally landing on Riven.

"Riven-" she whispered, eyes wide with shock and something close to horror.

Lucenya hesitated behind her, her usual sharp wit silenced by the sight before her. Even Elder Thorne, normally unreadable, stood frozen for a moment, his golden gaze sweeping over the scene with slow, calculated precision.

Riven let out a low, ragged chuckle, shifting against the tree he had slumped against. "Took you all long enough."

His voice was hoarse, laced with just the right amount of exhaustion. He let his head tilt slightly, his bruised face illuminated by the soft moonlight filtering through the trees.

Ember rushed toward him, dropping to her knees beside him. "What happened?" she demanded, hands hovering over his injuries, unsure of where to touch.

Riven exhaled sharply, as if debating whether or not to speak. Then, with a slow, hesitant sigh, he gave a weak shrug. "Cole… and his friends. They wanted to 'talk.'" He let the word hang bitterly in the air. "Didn't take long for them to start throwing punches."

One of the academy staff - a middle-aged woman with silver-streaked hair - stepped closer, her expression grim as she surveyed the second-years' injuries. "They're in critical condition," she murmured to Elder Thorne. "This wasn't just some sparring match. They were beaten within an inch of their lives."

Lucenya inhaled sharply. "By… by Riven?" Her voice was barely above a whisper, laced with disbelief.

Riven let out another exhausted chuckle, letting his head tilt forward. His hair, damp with sweat and blood, clung to his forehead as he spoke. "They underestimated me."

The words were simple, almost casual, but the weight behind them sent a shiver down Ember's spine.

Elder Thorne's eyes lingered on Riven longer than necessary. There was something in his gaze - something unreadable, almost calculating. He took a slow step forward, kneeling beside Ember.

"Riven," his voice was measured, almost too calm. "How did you manage to hold your own against four second-years?"

Riven blinked at him, his bruised face unreadable for a moment before he gave a half-hearted smirk. "Guess I got lucky."

Elder Thorne didn't look convinced.

His golden eyes flickered to Cole's unconscious form, then to the deep cracks in the earth, the shattered tree where Kai had been thrown, the raw devastation that marred the clearing. This wasn't the aftermath of someone getting 'lucky.'

It was a battlefield.

A massacre.

Still, Elder Thorne said nothing. Instead, he slowly rose to his feet, his robes billowing slightly with the motion.

"We need to get them to the infirmary," he finally said, his tone carrying an air of finality. He turned to the staff members. "Take the second-years first. Riven-" his gaze flickered back to him, unreadable. "You'll come with me."

Ember immediately tensed. "He needs medical attention too - !"

"I know," Elder Thorne said smoothly. "But I'd like to hear his side of the story… without an audience."

Riven sighed, feigning reluctance. He pushed himself up from the tree, forcing a pained grimace as he did so. "Fine," he muttered. "Just don't expect much. I already told you what happened."

Elder Thorne merely nodded, then turned on his heel, leading the way back toward the academy.

As Riven followed, he could feel Ember's lingering stare on his back, filled with unspoken questions.

He ignored them.

Riven followed Elder Thorne in silence, his steps slow and measured, playing the part of someone barely holding himself together. His body ached - not from the fight, but from the injuries the system had carefully crafted for him. Every bruise, every drop of blood, was calculated to sell the illusion.

But despite the pain, a sense of satisfaction curled within him.

Cole had been humiliated.

The second-years, who had laughed so easily at his expense, now lay broken in the dirt.

And none of them would ever remember what really happened.

Still, Elder Thorne was a problem. His sharp, golden gaze lingered on Riven too long, as if peeling away the layers of the story he had fed them. He hadn't asked many questions yet, but Riven knew they were coming.

He needed to stay ahead of him.

They entered the academy, the cold stone corridors eerily silent at this late hour. The torches along the walls flickered, casting long shadows as they walked.

Finally, Elder Thorne led him into an empty chamber - a small, dimly lit room filled with books and ancient tomes. It wasn't the infirmary.

It was his personal study.

The moment the door shut behind them, Elder Thorne turned to face him.

"Sit," he instructed, his voice calm but firm.

Riven hesitated for only a moment before obeying, sinking into the chair across from him. He leaned back slightly, letting exhaustion settle into his features, but kept his guard up.

Elder Thorne studied him for a long moment, then sighed, crossing his arms. "You want to tell me what really happened?"

Riven exhaled through his nose. "I already did."

The elder arched a brow. "You expect me to believe you defeated four second-years with nothing but sheer luck?"

Riven's lips twitched into something resembling a smirk. "I never said it was all luck."

Elder Thorne leaned forward, his golden eyes burning with intensity. "I warned you not to draw attention to yourself," he said, his voice tight with frustration. "You're already under scrutiny, Riven - now, after this, even more eyes will be on you." He let out a weary sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose.

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Riven scoffed. "So what? You expected me to just stand there and let them beat me to a pulp?"

"No," Elder Thorne shot back, his gaze sharp. "But I also didn't expect you to leave them half dead."

Riven exhaled slowly, tilting his head back, eyes drifting to the ceiling. The memories of the fight surged in his mind - the moment the shadows took over, the raw exhilaration, the sheer, unfiltered rage.

"I lost control."

Elder Thorne's expression shifted slightly. "What?"

Riven let a hollow chuckle slip past his lips, shaking his head. "You know what it's like for me, don't you?" He let just enough exhaustion and vulnerability seep into his voice. "Growing up as an illegitimate son of a Count isn't exactly easy."

Elder Thorne said nothing, but Riven caught the flicker in his expression - hesitation, understanding.

Taking that as a cue, Riven continued, weaving his words carefully. "When I didn't show any signs of forming a mana heart, the Duke locked me away - shut me in my chambers and abandoned me like I was nothing." He let the words linger, pausing just long enough to let them settle before continuing. "And my stepmother… she saw me as a stain on her perfect noble family. She made sure I never forgot it. Every day, she reminded me what a disgrace I was."

He lifted his gaze then, watching as the emotion warred on Elder Thorne's face - fury, pity, a barely restrained sense of injustice.

Perfect.

"I didn't awaken my mana heart until a few months ago," Riven went on, his voice quieter now. "And for the first time in my life, I thought I had a chance - thought I could finally live for myself. But then Cole shows up, bringing all that torment back with him. And when I saw him standing there, ready to hurt me yet again…" He exhaled sharply, running a hand through his hair. "I lost it. Years of anger, years of pain - I let it take over."

He shrugged, forcing a bitter smile. "So yeah, I beat the shit out of them."

A heavy silence settled between them.

Riven didn't blink.

Didn't waver.

Elder Thorne's jaw tightened, his fingers curling into a fist against his desk. The rage in his eyes wasn't directed at Riven anymore. No, it was aimed elsewhere - at the Duke, at the stepmother, at a system that allowed things like this to happen.

Good.

Riven knew he had him.

What Elder Thorne didn't know - what no one would ever know - was the truth.

He didn't lose control.

Not really.

He enjoyed every second of it.

And if he could do it all over again, he wouldn't stop at just beating them. He'd have made sure they never got up again.

Perhaps next time, he'd test his necromancy on them instead.

—x—

Elder Thorne didn't keep him much longer after hearing Riven's story. With a heavy sigh, he dismissed him, sending him to the infirmary to be checked over. The staff provided a small healing potion and recommended he rest, but Riven had no intention of lingering in the suffocating walls of the academy any longer than necessary.

As he made his way toward the mausoleum, he felt the ever-present gaze of two mages watching him from the canopy above the forest. The same ones as before. Seems that after the fight, they were assigned to watch him again.

Without breaking stride, he left behind the illusion of himself meditating in the clearing before slipping seamlessly into the shadows, his presence vanishing entirely.

The mausoleum chamber was silent when he arrived.

"Nyx?" he called out, his voice echoing faintly against the stone walls.

No response.

He exhaled through his nose, running a hand through his hair before lowering himself onto the cold floor. The weight of the day pressed against his skull, memories flashing through his mind like a storm. His body was exhausted, but his thoughts wouldn't settle.

Then, suddenly, a sharp pulse surged through his head.

A deep, rhythmic throbbing, different from before.

His eyes snapped open.

[[ WARNING ]]

[[ Dragon Egg is Reacting ]]

Riven's breath hitched. His hands moved before he could think, pulling the egg from his inventory and cradling it in his palms.

The moment it left his storage, heat pulsed against his skin. The egg trembled slightly, a soft vibration running through it.

"System, what's happening?" Riven asked, his voice steady despite the flicker of anticipation curling in his gut.

[[ Scanning… ]]

A pause.

[[ The Egg has reacted to your recent bloodlust. ]]

Riven blinked before chuckling under his breath, running a thumb over the egg's smooth shell. "So you like violence, little one?"

The egg pulsed in response.

[[ The Egg is attempting to absorb a large amount of your dark mana. ]]

A new window flashed before his eyes.

[[ Do you wish to proceed? ]]

[[ Yes/No ]]

Riven hesitated, narrowing his eyes slightly. "How much?" he asked warily.

[[ Estimating… ]]

[[ The Egg requires approximately 75% of your total mana stores. ]]

[[ Mana recovery estimate: Three days. ]]

Riven clenched his jaw, considering. He had barely felt a flicker from the egg since he first took it, never expecting it to hatch anytime soon. But now, it was awake, responding, demanding.

If there was a way to speed up its hatching… then it was in his best interest to oblige.

His lips quirked upward. "Fine," he muttered, selecting 'Yes' on the window.

Settling himself into a meditative position, he placed the egg gently onto his lap, hands steadying its weight.

"Eat up, little one," Riven murmured, closing his eyes.

[[ Commencing mana exchange… ]]

The moment the mana exchange began, Riven felt a sharp, almost electric pull deep within his mana heart. His dark mana surged outward, drawn into the egg like a river pulled by an unseen force. It wasn't gentle - it was hungry.

The egg pulsed against his palms, its heat intensifying as it greedily drank from him, siphoning his power in steady, ravenous waves. Shadows writhed around it, coiling like living things, drawn to the energy being transferred.

Riven clenched his jaw, his breathing slowing as he steadied himself. He had expected a drain, but not like this. It wasn't just a loss of mana - it felt like something deeper, something fundamental was being funneled into the egg.

His vision blurred slightly as the pull intensified.

[[ Mana reserves at 60%… ]]

[[ Mana reserves at 45%… ]]

Riven exhaled through his nose, forcing his muscles to remain relaxed despite the creeping weakness seeping into his limbs.

The egg trembled violently now, cracks beginning to spiderweb along its obsidian surface, glowing faintly from within.

His heartbeat slowed.

The chamber around him seemed to dim, the only light coming from the pulsating glow inside the egg.

[[ Mana reserves at 25%… ]]

[[ Caution: Mana depletion will result in temporary exhaustion. ]]

Riven's arms trembled, but he refused to falter.

"Take what you need," he murmured, his voice barely above a whisper.

The egg shuddered.

Then, with a final pulse of heat, the pull stopped.

Riven gasped, his breath hitching as his body sagged slightly, drained but still conscious. His head pounded, the world tilting for a brief moment before stabilizing.

And then-

[[ Mana Exchange Complete ]]

Riven's gaze dropped to the egg resting in his hands, his brow furrowing. It hadn't hatched, but something had changed. Veins, thick and pulsing with a dark blue glow, sprawled across its shell like living roots, thrumming with a quiet, eerie energy.

He exhaled through his nose, a faint chuckle escaping his lips. "Guess it wouldn't be that easy for you to hatch after all."

With careful movements, he tucked the egg back into his inventory, its warmth lingering against his palms even after it vanished.

The exhaustion hit him all at once. His body, already drained, felt heavier than ever.

"Damn… I need sleep," he muttered, his voice barely above a whisper. As soon as his head touched the cold stone floor, consciousness slipped from his grasp.

What Riven didn't see - what he couldn't possibly know - was the faint silhouette of a dragon unfurling across his back, its wings stretching outward towards his shoulders. A silent mark. A claim.

A notification flickered into the air, unnoticed.

[[ Bonding Process Initiated ]]

[[ Obsidian Dragon Egg (Rank: ???) Bond Link: 1/10 ]]