Perfect—this is your first public chaos chapter
Riven slowed his steps as he entered the street Ivan had marked.
Everything looked… normal.
Too normal.
Shops were open. People moved about, talking, bargaining, laughing. A vendor shouted prices while a group argued over something trivial.
Riven's eyes scanned the area carefully.
"…This is it?"
He checked his phone again.
Same location.
He exhaled slowly.
But something felt off.
Not loud.
Not obvious.
Just… wrong.
A man near the corner stumbled.
Riven's gaze shifted instantly.
The man dropped to one knee, clutching his head.
"Hey—are you okay?" someone asked.
The man didn't respond.
His body trembled.
Then—
He stood up.
Too fast.
His posture was off. Shoulders stiff. Neck slightly tilted.
His eyes—
Unfocused.
Empty.
Then he swung.
A punch—wild, brutal—sending the person in front of him crashing into a stall.
Screams erupted.
"What the—?!"
"Someone help him!"
But before anyone could react—
Another one collapsed.
Then another.
Riven's chest tightened.
"…It's starting."
Within seconds, chaos spread.
People screamed and ran. Shops shut violently. Glass shattered somewhere in the distance.
The fallen began to rise.
Not all.
But enough.
And every one of them moved the same way.
Unstable.
Aggressive.
Wrong.
---
Riven stepped forward.
For a moment—
He froze.
This wasn't a fight.
These weren't enemies.
They were people.
"…Damn it."
A man charged toward him, fist raised.
Riven moved instinctively.
His stance shifted—
Grounded.
Flowing.
Kethra Vein Art.
Aether gathered—not wildly, but controlled—focusing into his arms.
The strike came.
Riven deflected.
Redirected.
The man stumbled past him instead of breaking through.
Riven grabbed his arm, twisted slightly, and used his own momentum to throw him aside—
Hard enough to stop him.
Not enough to kill.
Another came.
Faster.
Stronger.
Riven blocked—
The impact shook him slightly.
"…They're stronger than normal."
He stepped back, breathing steady.
Focus.
Control.
He gathered aether again—carefully—compressing it into his right arm.
Not too much.
Just enough.
The next attacker lunged—
Riven stepped in.
A short strike—
Precise.
The body dropped.
Unconscious.
Riven exhaled.
"…I can do this."
Then he looked around.
And his expression changed.
There were too many.
Not just one street.
Not just one group.
Everywhere he looked—
People were turning.
Fighting.
Running.
"…No…"
A woman screamed nearby as someone grabbed her.
Riven moved instantly.
Closed the distance—
Pulled the attacker away—
Redirected the force—
Pinned him down.
But before he could finish—
Another grabbed his shoulder from behind.
Riven twisted—
Broke free—
But more were coming.
His breathing grew heavier.
"…I can't cover all of this."
For the first time—
He felt it.
Limits.
---
A loud crash echoed nearby.
Riven turned.
A van.
Its back doors were open.
Boxes scattered.
Small capsules rolling across the ground.
White.
Red.
His eyes narrowed.
"…So that's the source."
A figure stood near the van.
Not panicking.
Not running.
Watching.
Calm.
Too calm.
"…You're not one of them," the man said.
Riven stepped forward slowly.
"And you're not surprised."
The man smirked faintly.
"Why would I be?"
A pause.
Then—
"You're the anomaly, aren't you?"
Riven's eyes sharpened.
"…Try me."
---
The man moved first.
Fast.
Clean.
Not like the others.
Riven reacted—
Blocked—
But this one had control.
Their movements clashed.
Sharp.
Precise.
Riven stepped back slightly.
"…Not drugged."
"Of course not," the man replied. "Someone has to oversee the chaos."
He attacked again.
This time—
Riven adapted.
His stance lowered.
Flow returned.
He redirected the strike—
Countered—
Forced the man back.
A flicker of surprise crossed the man's face.
"…Interesting."
Riven didn't respond.
Instead—
He shifted his focus.
Not the man.
The van.
The capsules.
"…This isn't about you."
The man's expression changed slightly.
Riven moved.
Fast.
Past him.
Aether gathered—
Controlled—
A sharp strike—
The crates shattered.
Capsules scattered and crushed under impact.
The man turned sharply.
"You—!"
Too late.
Riven stood between the van and the chaos.
Breathing steady.
Eyes focused.
"…Cut the source."
For the first time—
He wasn't reacting.
He was thinking.
Far away—
Ivan moved.
Fast.
Unstoppable.
His gaze fixed ahead.
"…He's already there."
Back in Velkhar—
Riven clenched his fist slightly.
The chaos hadn't stopped.
But it had slowed.
Just a little.
He looked up.
Something felt different.
Not the crowd.
Not the noise.
Something else.
Watching.
He narrowed his eyes.
"…This isn't over."
END