The metallic taste of blood filled Riven's mouth.
He struggled to breathe. Dust choked the air, and the twisted wreckage of steel beams loomed above him.
His limbs were crushed. His body pinned.
Around him, screams faded into silence.
"Is this how it ends?"
Forgotten. Buried beneath the ruins of a world that never cared.
His vision blurred.
Pain clawed at his mind, pulling him down into darkness.
But then—something stirred.
A whisper, ancient and commanding, echoed in his soul:
> "Fall no more. Rise."
Light exploded behind his eyelids.
The world shattered.
---
When Riven woke again, he was lying on soft linen sheets.
Golden sunlight streamed through heavy velvet curtains.
The air smelled of aged wood and parchment, not smoke and blood.
He sat up slowly, his muscles aching in strange, unfamiliar ways.
"Where am I?"
The room was richly furnished, with carved wooden furniture and a grand canopy overhead.
This wasn't a hospital.
This wasn't home.
A sudden flash appeared before his eyes.
> [Eternal Memory System Initialized]
Welcome, Riven Valen.
Skills Detected: Supreme Archer (7th Life), Royal Strategist (15th Life), Elemental Mage (32nd Life)...
Synchronization: 5%...
His heart pounded.
A system?
Like in those novels and games?
Before he could process it, memories surged—
The tension of a bowstring against his fingers.
The strategy of commanding armies.
The power of weaving elemental magic.
It was overwhelming.
He wasn't just Riven anymore.
He was... something more.
---
The door slammed open.
A young man, face pale with fear, stumbled in.
"Young Master!" he gasped. "You must flee! They're coming! The council has ordered your execution!"
Riven blinked.
Young Master? Execution?
"Move!" the man hissed.
Without thinking, Riven swung his legs off the bed. His body was weak, but adrenaline burned through his veins.
The man rushed to support him.
"I'm Eron, your steward! There's no time! We have to get you out of Valen Manor!"
"Valen Manor..."
The name tugged at something deep inside Riven.
He nodded.
They sprinted through dimly lit corridors.
Old tapestries lined the walls, depicting battles long forgotten.
The manor felt... abandoned. Hollow.
As they rounded a corner—
"Search every room!"
Soldiers' voices echoed down the hall.
Eron cursed under his breath.
He yanked Riven into a side passage behind a tapestry.
They descended a spiraling staircase, damp and reeking of mold.
---
> Synchronization: 8%...
---
"Where are we going?" Riven whispered.
"The old servant tunnels," Eron said. "They lead outside the estate."
The tunnel stretched endlessly into darkness.
As they ran, more skills filtered into Riven's mind.
Sharper senses. Faster reflexes. Ancient instincts.
Above them, heavy boots pounded the floors.
Riven closed his eyes, feeling the vibrations through the stone.
"They're waiting at the exit," he said.
Eron hesitated—but nodded.
He trusted him without question.
They turned into another passage just as soldiers swarmed the original exit behind them.
Moments later, they burst into a neglected courtyard.
A broken outer wall loomed ahead, and beyond it, freedom.
But before they could reach it—
Three figures emerged from the shadows, swords drawn.
"Going somewhere, little lord?" sneered the leader.
---
Eron drew his sword, his hands trembling.
Riven stepped forward calmly.
Memories aligned.
Techniques from lifetimes flooded his body.
He grabbed a fallen branch.
The mercenaries laughed.
Until Riven moved.
---
One blow crushed the first man's throat.
A second strike shattered another's temple.
The third tried to run, but Riven caught him, slamming the branch into his chest, then striking again with brutal efficiency.
In mere seconds, all three lay unconscious—or worse.
---
Eron stared at him, speechless.
"By the gods..." he whispered.
Riven dropped the branch, breathing heavily.
This strength... this clarity...
And his synchronization wasn't even complete yet.
---
> Synchronization: 20%...
---
Without wasting a second, they sprinted through the broken sally port into the dense woods.
The cold night air bit into Riven's skin.
But he didn't care.
Ahead lay danger, uncertainty—and opportunity.
Behind him, weakness and failure burned to ashes.
He clenched his fists.
"I will not fall again," Riven vowed to the stars.
Not in this life.
Not ever again.
---
Thus began the legend of Riven Valen—
The Archer of a Thousand Lives.