Riven was born beautiful.
Too beautiful.
Soft blue hair. Clear eyes. A face that made people pause.
But beauty, in this world…
meant nothing.
Because in a world ruled by fear—
Riven was invisible.
No one feared him.
And in this world, if no one feared you…
you were nothing.
From a young age, people smiled at him.
Teachers spoke gently. Classmates laughed with him.
But behind those smiles—
they used him.
"Riven, do my homework."
"Carry this for me."
"You won't say no… right?"
He never did.
He couldn't.
Because the moment someone raised their voice—
his chest tightened.
His hands trembled.
Fear controlled him.
Now, at sixteen…
nothing had changed.
The classroom buzzed with low whispers.
"Did you hear what happened in Tokyo…?"
Riven sat quietly, eyes on his desk.
He wasn't part of the conversation.
He never was.
"They said… everyone dropped to their knees."
"…what?"
"Yeah. The entire city."
A nervous laugh followed.
"That's impossible."
"I'm serious,"
another voice whispered.
"My cousin was there.
He said no one could move."
"No one?"
"Not even the police."
A brief silence filled the room.
Then someone spoke, quieter this time—
"They say… it was one person."
Riven's fingers twitched.
"One person did that…?"
"Yeah."
"…how?"
The answer came in a whisper.
"…Fear."
"They said just looking at him…
made your body stop."
"Like your instincts were screaming at you to submit."
Someone scoffed.
"Sounds like a stupid rumor."
"…then why hasn't anyone denied it?"
Silence.
Riven lowered his gaze.
Fear…
Power…
Those words didn't belong to him.
They never did.
"Hey… pretty boy."
The voice echoed through the empty classroom.
Riven froze.
His grip tightened around his bag as slow footsteps approached.
Three of them.
He didn't need to turn around.
He already knew.
"What do you want…?" his voice cracked.
A hand grabbed his collar—
and slammed him against the desk.
"You forgot something?" one of them smirked.
"The money."
"I-I don't have—"
SLAP.
The sound rang through the room.
Riven hit the floor, his vision spinning.
Laughter followed.
"Useless."
"Just a pretty face."
This wasn't the first time.
Not the second either.
He had stopped counting long ago.
A kick slammed into his stomach.
Air left his lungs instantly.
He curled up, shaking.
At the front of the class—
a girl watched silently.
She didn't move.
Didn't speak.
Didn't care.
"Get up."
Another kick.
Pain spread through his body.
But it wasn't the pain that broke him—
It was the fear.
Why…?
Why am I like this…?
Why can't I fight back…?
His heartbeat began to change.
Thump.
Thump.
THUMP.
The fear inside him—
was growing.
And then—
something shifted.
[Condition met]
[Fear threshold exceeded]
Riven's eyes widened.
"…what…?"
The world slowed.
The pain faded.
The voices disappeared.
Only one thing remained.
His fear.
[Awakening initiated]
The bullies stopped.
"…what's wrong with him?"
Another one said"WAIT… WHAT JUST HAPPENED??"
Riven slowly lifted his head.
His body stopped trembling.
His breathing steadied.
His eyes—
had changed.
For the first time in his life…
Riven looked at them—
without looking away.
And deep inside him—
fear began to twist into something new.
Something dangerous.
Power.
To be continued …