A searing pain tore through Riven’s chest, staggering him. Each breath came as a short, ragged gasp, grinding against his broken ribs. Another trickle of warm blood escaped the corner of his lips, dripping onto the scorched earth below.

In that instant, he remembered the massive bear he had just slain. He remembered how the hulking beast had bled from its eyes, ears, and mouth. Was the same thing happening to him now?

Riven’s body trembled violently. His vision wavered, but he forced his gaze forward. Only now did he truly see the strangeness of this place. The towering trees that should have stood firm were splintered and broken, scattered like shattered spears of wood.

The ground was fissured. Dead leaves smoldered with a heat that produced no flame, and the air carried the metallic stench of blood mingled with the suffocating, ozone-like tang of raw magic. The night had hidden it all before, but now the devastation lay bare.

And at the heart of the ruin lay Ashtoria. She was still wrapped in the blanket he had given her, resting as if utterly untouched by the chaos. As though the world had collapsed around her, yet she remained… asleep.

Riven swallowed the coppery blood rising in his throat. He didn’t know if this twisted phenomenon came from Ashtoria or from something else entirely. But he knew one thing: he had to get her out.

“Aria—!” His voice was a raw crack. He lurched forward on unsteady legs. “Wake up!!”

He shouted her name again and again, his voice shredding apart. Each cry tore at his lungs, and his body convulsed. More blood fountained from his mouth. Now, crimson droplets welled in his ears and seeped from the corners of his eyes, blurring his world into a haze of agony. Yet he did not stop.

“Aria!!”

For a moment, the world seemed to freeze. Then, he saw a reaction.

Ashtoria’s body stirred faintly. The crushing weight grinding his bones from the inside eased, just a fraction. He wheezed, chest heaving, as if granted a needle’s width of air to breathe.

From this distance, he could see her face. Her eyes were closed, but wet. Tears streamed endlessly down her cheeks. Her body quivered, wracked with silent sobs, as if trapped in an endless nightmare.

Riven choked. For a moment, the pain ripping him apart was eclipsed by something far heavier. To see her like that… it shattered something in his own chest.

He knew he should have run. He should have fled long ago, left it all behind. But now… it was too late.

There was no going back. To retreat now was to die before he even left this zone. He had walked too far—all for this woman.

The only path left was forward. To reach her, to try to calm her, even as every step made his body feel like it was cracking apart from the inside.

Riven forced himself upright, though his knees threatened to buckle.

‘This is insane…’ he thought. ‘This is the stupidest thing I’ve ever done.’

But still, he moved.

“Aria…!”

Riven kept shouting, his voice hoarse and breaking, drenched with the blood spilling from his mouth. He no longer cared. Each cry felt like it shredded his lungs, but he refused to stop.

“Aria! Wake up… hear me! I’m here!”

His voice echoed among the shattered trees. No beasts answered. No growl, no hiss. It was as if the forest itself had lost its pulse, every living creature having fled far from the crushing pressure. Riven knew only one person could hear him: the woman trapped within the nightmare.

And sure enough, with every cry of her name, the invisible force crushing him weakened, little by little. It didn’t vanish, but it eased enough for him to draw another ragged breath. As if his voice was a lifeline, piercing the veil of her dream and reaching the Ashtoria within.

“Aria… I’m here…”

His steps faltered; his legs felt as if they had splintered a thousand times over. Until finally, a stone caught his foot.

Thud!

Riven collapsed, his body slamming into the hard ground. Blood splattered from his lips once more. He grimaced, barely able to move. But his gaze rose, fixed on Ashtoria’s limp hand trembling faintly beside her.

With the last of his strength, Riven reached out. His fingers quivered, but at last, they brushed against her cold skin.

At the touch, Ashtoria’s hand reacted. As if startled, her fingers twitched, almost pulling away. But Riven held on tight, refusing to let go.

“Easy… it’s me…” he whispered, his voice a bloody rasp.

His slick, bloodied palm pressed against her pale skin, pouring out the last of his will.

Dragging himself forward inch by agonizing inch, his face was a twisted mask of pain. Each movement was a lance of fire through his bones. Each breath carved up his lungs. But still, he moved.

Until at last, he could gather her into his arms.

Riven pulled Ashtoria’s trembling body against his chest. He stroked her long red hair, gently, again and again, though his own hand shook violently.

“Calm down… no one can hurt you now…” he murmured softly into her ear.

“This is only a dream…you’re not alone anymore…”

“I’m here, Aria… I’m here…”

Each word spilled out alongside the rhythm of his hand brushing through her hair. At first, Ashtoria thrashed, her body tense, as though trying to escape a phantom. But Riven did not release her. His embrace was firm, not crushing—a promise that she was safe.

Little by little, her struggles ebbed. Her shoulders still trembled, her body shuddered with silent sobs, but slowly, she slackened in his arms.

Riven kept whispering, a flowing murmur of soothing sounds meant to pierce her nightmare. He hardly knew what he was saying anymore.

“Shhh… it’s over… I’m here… I promise… you’re not alone…”

Ashtoria’s tears still streamed, soaking his neck. Her lips moved, forming silent words he could not hear, drowned in her sorrow.

Still, he didn’t stop. He held her close, stroked her hair, whispered on.

The agony in his body was a universe of pain. His ears rang, blood dripped from his eyes, and his consciousness frayed at the edges. Yet within that ruin, one thing remained real: the warmth of Ashtoria’s body in his embrace.

That was all. That was everything.

“Aria…” his voice thinned, barely a breath. “I’m here…”

His eyelids grew impossibly heavy. The world dimmed and narrowed to a single point of light. But his hand still caressed her hair; his arms still held her tight.

Until finally, the darkness surged up and claimed him.

Riven collapsed into unconsciousness, still clutching the fragile Ashtoria securely in his arms.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep