The Glitched Mage-Chapter 36: Seraphis

Riven met Krux's unwavering gaze, leaning in slightly, his voice low but commanding.

"My first command…" His words carried an undeniable weight, thick with authority. The bond between them pulsed, and Krux visibly trembled, his entire being thrumming with anticipation.

"Yes, my liege! Just say the word and I shall-"

"Go clean yourself off," Riven interrupted, his expression twisting with barely concealed disgust as he flicked his fingers, trying to rid himself of the sticky golden ichor that had transferred from Krux's hair.

Krux froze.

"…What?"

"You're covered in that stuff," Riven gestured vaguely at the thick ichor coating Krux from head to toe. "It's disgusting. Wash it off before you do anything else."

For a brief moment, silence stretched between them.

Then-

"…As you command, my king," Krux intoned solemnly, bowing so deeply it nearly made Riven roll his eyes before he darted off toward the nearest water source, trailing golden droplets in his wake.

"What was that beast?" Nyx asked, her sharp eyes scanning him for any signs of injury.

"I'm not sure." Riven exhaled, stepping closer to the massive, lifeless serpent. The sheer size of it was staggering up close, its pearlescent scales gleaming faintly in the dim jungle light. "Even the system didn't recognize it."

Nyx's frown deepened as she knelt beside the fallen creature, tracing a hand over its thick hide. "The system didn't know?" She glanced up at him, her expression unreadable. "That means Velmorian had little to no knowledge of this beast… perhaps because these islands were once part of Varethun. If this thing came from there, it would explain the system's lack of information."

Riven crossed his arms, considering her words. "That makes sense. The system was built by Velmorian, and his understanding of Varethun was limited at best. If this creature is native to those lands, then of course the system wouldn't recognize it."

A heavy silence settled between them as they both stared at the fallen serpent. The weight of that revelation was unsettling.

The longer Riven stared at the massive serpent, the more an idea began to take shape in his mind. His shadows stirred, their tendrils stretching out toward the beast, twitching with something close to anticipation. A hum of mana vibrated through the air, an unspoken call that made the very ground beneath him tremble.

His gaze flickered to the shifting darkness slithering over the serpent's scales.

His shadows wanted this.

A thought clicked into place, a reckless, impossible idea.

But if it worked…

Riven's fingers curled, his pulse quickening. Surely not…

He raised his hand, shadows trembling in anticipation as he channeled his mana, forcing it to flow through his veins and gather at his palm.

"Awaken," he commanded.

A brilliant dark-red magic circle flared to life before him, expanding outward in intricate layers. The sheer complexity of the runes made his head throb, the ever-growing web of symbols stretching to accommodate the sheer scale of what he was attempting.

"My king…" Nyx murmured, her voice hushed with something between awe and uncertainty.

Krux, who had only just returned from cleaning himself off, froze mid-step, eyes widening as he felt the shift in the air. "What is this…?"

The very earth rumbled beneath them.

Riven's shadows flickered violently as thick tendrils of red mist unfurled from the summoning circle, reaching forward with slow, deliberate purpose.

[[ Attempting Skill: Puppeteer of the Dead ]]

The tendrils crept toward the fallen serpent, wrapping around its colossal body, winding between its scales like whispering fingers of fate.

Riven clenched his jaw, his muscles tensing as the spell demanded more and more mana.

"Come on…" he growled, forcing every ounce of control into the casting.

The serpent's massive form twitched.

Then convulsed.

The beast shuddered violently, its lifeless muscles jerking against the pull of the red tendrils as if resisting its purpose.

The ground continued to tremble beneath Riven's feet as the red mist thickened, seeping into the massive serpent's scales like ink bleeding into fabric. Its body lurched, violent spasms rolling through its form as if some unseen force was trying to deny the spell's control.

Riven grit his teeth, the pressure of maintaining the spell pressing down on him like an unrelenting weight. Sweat beaded at his brow, his mana surging, coiling, stretching past its limits to force the beast into submission.

Why is it fighting back this hard? Was it because it was a divine beast?

The red tendrils continued wrapping around Seraphis's form, twisting and binding like chains. A low, guttural hum vibrated through the air as the magic circle pulsed furiously, responding to Riven's sheer force of will.

The spell was working. Slowly.

Then, an unexpected notification flickered across his vision.

[[ Warning: Entity possesses remnants of a Divine Core. Full subjugation will require additional mana. Proceed? ]]

[[ Yes / No ]]

Riven's eyes widened slightly. A Divine Core? He had never heard of that term before. But if that was what made this creature so powerful, so resistant to his control…

His shadows stirred impatiently, feeding off his own hunger for power.

He exhaled sharply. No turning back now.

"Yes."

The moment he accepted the notification, a surge of mana erupted from Riven's mana heart, pouring into the magic circle at a rate he hadn't anticipated. His vision blurred for a second, his limbs going rigid as the sheer drain took hold.

The tendrils constricting Seraphis flared, the red mist morphing into jagged streaks of energy. The serpent's massive body arched, its tail slamming against the earth with a thunderous crack as its form began to contort unnaturally.

Nyx took a cautious step forward, her fingers tightening around her blade. "My king… is this safe?"

Riven didn't answer.

Because he wasn't sure.

His entire body burned, his mana reserves dangerously thin. He could feel the spell nearing completion - but the price for controlling a beast of this magnitude was pushing him to his very limits.

The serpent's head snapped up.

Its golden eyes, once dulled by death, had turned into twin voids - deep, endless, and brimming with abyssal energy. Dark mana seeped from them like wisps of living shadow, curling and twisting in the air as if the beast itself had become an extension of the darkness.

The shadows pulsed one final time - then snapped inward.

Seraphis let out a deafening hiss, its massive coils unraveling in a wave of movement as the last remnants of resistance shattered under Riven's will.

The beast… was his.

The notifications came in rapid succession.

[[ Subjugation Successful ]]

[[ Warning: Maintaining control over a Divine-Grade entity will require consistent mana flow. Overextension may result in loss of control. ]]

[[ Mana Reserves Critically Low ]]

[[ Adding Divine Beast Seraphis as an an undead minion (1/5) ]]

Riven's knees buckled. He caught himself, inhaling sharply as the weight of exhaustion crashed over him. His entire body ached from the sheer output of mana he had just expended.

But it was done.

He had done it.

This content is taken from fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm.

Seraphis loomed over him, its colossal head lowering until its dark eyes met his once more. This time, there was no wildness, no divine presence resisting him. Only obedience. Its forked tongue flickered briefly, tasting the air - before it lowered its head completely, bowing.

Riven exhaled, barely keeping himself upright.

"My king." Nyx's voice was steady, though there was something unreadable in her expression. Perhaps awe. Perhaps wariness.

Krux, on the other hand, had his hands clenched into fists, his expression filled with nothing but pure, unfiltered admiration. "To take dominion over a Divine creature… as expected of you, my liege! Truly, a King above all Kings!"

Riven ignored him, still catching his breath. His body screamed for rest, his mana reserves practically nonexistent.

But the rush of victory dulled the pain.

He had taken control of something the system couldn't even identify properly.

With a mere thought, Riven issued the silent command for Seraphis to retreat into his shadow.

A sudden gust stirred the air, a hushed whisper of power sweeping through the clearing. Shadows swirled like ink in water, curling around the massive serpent's form. Piece by piece, its colossal body dissolved into the darkness, vanishing soundlessly until nothing remained.

Riven exhaled, watching in awe as the last tendrils of shadow slithered back into his own, the beast now concealed within him.

A slight shudder ran through him as the beast's power settled within his shadow - coiled, waiting, like a hidden blade poised to strike at a moment's notice.

[[ WARNING ]]

[[ Someone is rapidly approaching your location ]]

Riven's pulse quickened at the notification, but he forced himself to remain calm.

"Both of you, retreat," he commanded without hesitation.

Nyx and Krux obeyed instantly, vanishing into his shadow in a swirl of darkness. The moment they were concealed, Riven allowed himself to stagger back, lowering himself onto the jungle floor. He leaned back on his hands, tilting his head skyward as he shut his eyes, willing his breath to steady.

Everything he had done so far - summoning, fighting, binding Seraphis - had drained his mana faster than he anticipated. He was running on fumes.

This needed to change.

He made a firm decision then and there.

From now on, his primary focus would be advancing to the Second Circle. His mana reserves were too shallow for the kind of power he wielded, and if he wanted to use Seraphis properly - if he wanted to push his abilities even further - he needed more. Much more.

A rustling in the trees signaled the arrival of the approaching figure.

"You ran off so quickly that I didn't even get the chance to equip you with a timer," Elder Thorne's voice carried through the clearing.

Riven pried one eye open, watching as his instructor stepped into view, his golden eyes sharp as ever.

"I apologize," Riven exhaled, still catching his breath. "I guess I got a little too excited."

"Hmm." Elder Thorne's lips curled slightly, his gaze sweeping over Riven's bloodstained clothes and tangled hair. He was practically drenched in dried ichor and mana beast remain. It was clear the boy had gone through far more than a simple hunt, and Elder Thorne looked almost eager to assess just how many mana cores he had managed to collect.

Taking another step forward, Elder Thorne suddenly froze.

His amused expression faded, his brows furrowing as his eyes flicked across the clearing. Slowly, he crouched, pressing his fingers into the damp earth near a glistening puddle of golden ichor - the only physical remnant of Seraphis's presence.

Riven remained still, his face unreadable.

"Elder?" he asked, tilting his head slightly in feigned curiosity.

Elder Thorne said nothing at first, his gaze lingering on the ichor before shifting back to Riven. A long silence stretched between them, thick with unspoken questions. Then, finally, the man let out a soft sigh.

With a flick of his wrist, a pulse of mana surged forward, and a glowing sequence of shifting numbers appeared on Riven's arm.

A countdown.

"You have six hours left." Elder Thorne's tone was even, but there was something in his gaze - something knowing. He studied Riven for a fraction of a second longer before turning on his heel. "Don't waste time lounging around."

As he disappeared back into the jungle, Riven let out a quiet chuckle.

His gaze drifted down to the flickering shadow beneath him, now deeper, darker - heavier.

He wasn't planning on wasting a single minute.