The moment the ritual circle ignited—
The world changed.
Light didn't shine.
It twisted.
Dark symbols spread across the chamber like living veins, crawling over the walls, the ceiling, the floor—until everything was covered in glowing patterns that pulsed like a heartbeat.
Rive stood at the center.
Frozen.
"…Okay," he said slowly, looking down at the glowing circle beneath his feet, "this is officially the worst position I've ever been in."
Energy surged upward from the ground, wrapping around his legs like chains made of light.
He tried to move—
He couldn't.
"…Vikram?"
"I see it," Vikram said sharply.
His eyes scanned the circle.
"Don't move."
"I wasn't planning to," Rive replied. "My body has already made that decision for me."
The ritualists stepped back, forming a wide circle around him.
Their symbols burned brighter.
The air grew heavier.
Harder to breathe.
Rive swallowed.
"Okay… small question."
No one answered.
"BIG question."
Still silence.
"…WHAT IS HAPPENING?!"
The leader of the ritualists stepped forward.
His smile was calm.
Almost peaceful.
"The Soul Anchor Ritual has begun."
Rive stared at him.
"Yes, I noticed the glowing death circle."
"You should feel honored," the man continued.
"Your existence makes this possible."
Rive blinked.
"I don't feel honored."
"I feel extremely concerned."
The ritualist raised his hand slowly.
Dark energy flowed toward Rive.
"You are the bridge."
"The connection between life and death."
Rive's chest tightened.
The energy touched him—
And something inside him reacted.
A pulse.
Deep within his soul.
"…What is that?" he whispered.
Lysara's voice cut through the tension.
"Rive!"
He looked toward her.
"Listen carefully!"
"This ritual is trying to lock your soul in one state!"
Rive frowned.
"What does that mean?"
"If it succeeds," she shouted, "you will lose your Tri-Vessel nature!"
His eyes widened.
"…So I'll just become a normal ghost?"
Vikram's voice was sharp.
"No."
"You'll become a tool."
The ritualist smiled.
"A stable anchor."
Rive's heart pounded.
"…Yeah, that sounds worse."
The symbols beneath his feet flared brighter.
Energy surged up his body.
His vision blurred.
The world around him began to distort.
For a moment—
He saw something else.
A road.
Rain.
Headlights.
The sound of brakes—
Rive gasped.
The vision vanished.
He staggered slightly.
"…That was… my accident…"
The ritualist nodded.
"Yes."
"The ritual is connecting all versions of your soul."
"Past."
"Present."
"And the path beyond death."
Rive clenched his fists.
"Okay… not good."
Outside the circle—
Vikram stepped forward.
Energy gathered around him again.
"Move," he said coldly.
The ritualists didn't.
Instead, their symbols glowed brighter.
The leader smiled.
"You cannot interrupt this."
Vikram's eyes hardened.
"Watch me."
"Nature Authority."
The ground trembled.
Cracks spread across the chamber.
"Stamina Destruction."
The shockwave exploded outward—
But this time—
The ritual circle absorbed it.
The energy vanished into the glowing symbols.
Vikram froze.
"…What?"
Lysara's voice was tense.
"The ritual is redirecting your power!"
Rive looked at him.
"Vikram, I don't like this plan anymore!"
"I didn't like it to begin with!"
The ritualist laughed softly.
"This circle is beyond you."
"Once it begins, it cannot be stopped by force."
Rive blinked.
"…Then what stops it?"
The ritualist looked directly at him.
"You."
Rive paused.
"…That sounds like responsibility."
"It is."
"…I don't like responsibility."
The energy around him intensified.
The light wrapped around his chest now.
His heartbeat slowed.
Then—
Split.
For a moment—
Rive saw himself.
Not one version.
Three.
One standing in the rain.
One standing in the ghost world.
And one—
Something else.
Something deeper.
Watching.
"…What is that?" he whispered.
Lysara stepped forward slightly.
"That's your third state."
"The space between worlds."
"It's reacting."
Rive clenched his jaw.
"…So what do I do?"
Vikram didn't hesitate.
"Take control of it."
Rive stared at him.
"That's your advice?!"
"Yes."
"I don't even understand it!"
"Then figure it out fast!"
Rive sighed.
"Great. Trial and error during a ritual sacrifice."
The energy surged again.
Pain shot through his body.
He dropped to one knee.
"Okay… that's new…"
The ritualists raised their hands together.
Dark energy spiraled upward.
The circle expanded.
The chamber walls began to crack.
Something was forming above them—
A tear.
In space itself.
Rive looked up.
"…Is that a portal?"
Lysara nodded slowly.
"Yes."
"To the living world."
Rive's eyes widened.
"…That's actually kind of cool."
"Focus!" Vikram snapped.
"Right. Not cool. Very dangerous."
Rive closed his eyes.
He focused.
On the energy.
On the feeling inside him.
The three layers Lysara mentioned.
He could feel them now.
Faint.
But real.
One pulling him back.
One holding him here.
And one…
Floating.
Free.
"…Okay," he whispered.
"Let's try something."
The energy around him flickered.
For a moment—
The chains binding him loosened.
The ritualists noticed immediately.
"…Impossible," one muttered.
Rive opened his eyes.
And for the first time—
They glowed.
Not with darkness.
Not with light.
But with something in between.
Unstable.
Shifting.
"…Yeah," he said quietly.
"I'm not your tool."
The circle trembled.
The ritual faltered.
Vikram smirked slightly.
"That's it."
Rive stood slowly.
The energy around him changed.
Not controlled.
Not wild.
Something else.
"…I don't fully understand this power," he said.
"But I know one thing."
The ground cracked beneath his feet.
"You're not taking it from me."
The ritualists stepped back.
For the first time—
They looked uncertain.
The leader narrowed his eyes.
"…Then we will take you apart."
Rive tilted his head slightly.
"…You can try."
The portal above them expanded.
The ritual destabilized.
And the entire chamber began to collapse.
The battle—
Was just beginning.