Free Web NovelChapter 1: Chapter 1: The Rift
A frail-looking young man stood amid a massive crowd, looking down at the open pendant resting in his palm. Inside was the photo of his little sister who was terminally ill.
Riven closed his palms, stared at the massive stage in front of him, and mumbled.
"I will find a cure... no matter the cost."
Today was the day he was going to enter Astrionis and become a player. Astrionis was a game world that had merged with reality decades ago, opening up rifts that connected both worlds, destroying the life of the past generation and now... it was destroying life of the generation that he was the part off.
The natives of Astrionis attacked the earth and Players fought them but it wasn’t enough. So the government made it mandatory for everyone above 18 years old and physically able to enter Astrionis to stop the natives of Astrionis from invading.
But he wasn’t going because he was forced— the only reason he was becoming a player was to find a cure for his sister. Her doctor had said that there was a flower with medical properties that could cure her if it was given to her in time.
Riven tightened his grip around the pendant and drove it inside his pocket. Then he heard a voice echo from behind him.
"Make room! Lord Jasper is approaching!"
Riven froze for a heartbeat then he turned around and saw a group of heavily armored people walking towards him. At the center was a young man wearing a blue robe with a symbol of dark, jagged crown fused with a broken star-shaped ring emboldened onto its surface.
He gritted his teeth as realization dawned upon him.
"Jasper... the scion of the Supremacy Guild."
Guilds were a powerful organization that ruled over the military bases guarding the rifts between the two worlds. The most influential and strongest guilds are Supremacy Guild, Ascendancy Guild and Imperium Guild.
Out of all the guilds, he hated the Supremacy Guild with a passion. After the natives of the Astrionis started to attack Earth using the gate in their area, Supremacy Guild, which was in charge of the gate, ran instead of fighting because the invaders were too strong.
Tens of thousands died that day including his parents all because of their incompetence. Every time he saw them, he wanted to punch them — now it was the same but he didn’t since they could make their life hell in Astrionis.
So Riven moved to the side creating a path for him to pass through. When Jasper was beside him he halted his steps, glared at him, and said coldly.
"Move your feet, you are blocking my path."
For a moment Riven was confused then he looked down, his feet were just sticking out just a few inches. Nothing too crazy, they could just walk past it without any problem.
He thought to himself.
"Spoiled brat."
But Riven didn’t make a commotion instead he moved his leg to the side in order to create a path for Scion to walk through. It wasn’t worth angering the scion.
Jasper didn’t speak; instead, he walked past him. As he did, the guards escorting the Scion glared at him with hostility but he ignored them. A moment later, Jasper sat down on one of the chairs near the stage while the guard surrounded him.
Then a moment later, an authoritative voice echoed throughout the place.
"Silence everyone."
Everyone fell silent — no one made any noise. Only the sound of footsteps coming from the stage echoed through the room.
When he looked at the stage, he saw a middle-aged man, hands behind his back walking on the stage only halting his steps when he was at the center.
The man’s gaze swept across the entire crowd and then his voice echoed throughout the field.
"Since you have volunteered to enter Astrionis, I hope that you are prepared to die."
The crowd shifted uncomfortably. The man ignored it, put his hands behind his back and continued speaking.
"Some of you may be entering for money, some to survive, some to help humanity against the invading forces of the intelligent races of Astrionis, some do it for fame while some unfortunate ones..."
The man paused, his gaze lingered on Jasper for a heartbeat and then he added.
"Do this to prove their worth to the organization that they are part of."
The man pointed his finger towards the crowd and said.
"But remember no matter how strong your backing is... no one will come to your rescue if you are in danger because they can’t even save themselves."
Everyone swallowed nervously but Riven didn’t since he had no backup to speak off and didn’t expect anyone to help him.
Instead, he was kind of annoyed by the fact that the old man was giving them a lecture about trust instead of telling them how to survive.
If this was all the man was planning to do then maybe he should have just shown the path to the rift earlier so that those not interested in his nonsense speech could just enter the rift.
But he didn’t say a word and patiently waited. Suddenly, some from the crowd shouted.
"Hey, old man! Is it true that after we enter, we will have to fight the natives of Astrionis!"
The man looked at the crowd and asked.
"Why do you think the government has made it mandatory for everyone above 18 to enter Astrionis?"
No one from the crowd and the man continued. It was too obvious.
"But you won’t be forced to do anything. There will be missions issued by the guilds that you can accept but every single mission has something to do with fighting with the natives so you can’t avoid confronting them."
Another person from the crowd shouted.
"What if we don’t do any missions!"
The man laughed and added.
"Haha!! You can do that but you must live without any protection against the harsh weather of Astrionis and you will have to starve to death."
Of course that was the case. What kind of question was that? He mumbled.
"Fool..."
Then another person from the crowd shouted.
"I heard that we will all receive special powers, how to unlock them?"
Finally a useful question. Riven listened closely to the man’s answer.
"You don’t have to do anything, the moment you step inside the rift, the system bound to every single human will awaken your class which will be the basis of strength, and if you get a weak one... Well then prepare to face a horrible death."
Suddenly, the sound of a bell ringing echoed throughout the place. It was so loud that he felt like his eardrums would burst so he covered them with his hands.
Jasper who was sitting all this time stood up and said, his voice loud enough for everyone to hear.
"It’s time..."
The ground began to tremble followed by the entire stage shaking. The walls behind the man shook so violently that they came crashing down. Dust filled the hair, blinding his vision.
As the walls came crashing down, the man shouted loud enough for everyone to hear.
"Listen up Brats! Every single one of you will be teleported to the fortresses guarding the rift in Astrionis. There you can do missions to grow stronger."
The dust cleared a moment later...
Riven saw that the bars blocking the stairs leading onto the stage had disappeared. But it wasn’t what got his attention... in the place of the walls which were behind the man was a large hole in the very fabric of reality. He saw purple lightning pulsing around it.
He swallowed a mouthful of saliva as realization dawned upon him.
"This is it..."
The man clapped again, grabbing everyone’s attention. He looked at the crowd and said.
"Walk into it and enter hell."
Then the man walked towards the door from which he had come and disappeared from view. Silence descended, no one spoke even a single word or even moved.
Jasper walked towards the rift. When he was close enough, he stepped inside, and the lightning around the rift flickered for a moment before he disappeared from view. Seeing this, the others also followed him into the rift.
Riven also walked towards the rift. When he was a few steps away from it, he halted his steps and took a deep breath.
Then he stepped inside.
The world plunged into darkness. There was no sound, no sense of touch, no smell... there was absolutely nothing except darkness.
Then a voice whispered into his ears.
(Welcome to Astrionis! Brave Warrior Riven Holt!)
(Before you enter Astrionis, the power slumbering inside you must Awaken!)
(Awakening your class...)
(Awakened Successfully!)
Silence took over then a message flashed before his eyes. The words seemed to be carved out of gold itself.
(Class: Sovereign Sealer
Rank: Mythical)
