The Masked Virtuoso-Chapter 96: The Riftborn’s Awakening

The Chains That Shouldn’t Exist

Silence.

Not the silence of peace.

The silence of something waiting.

Ethan stood in the middle of the ruined battlefield, his golden-shadow flames flickering softly around him. The Old Riftborn were gone—ripped away by golden-black chains that were never supposed to exist.

Yet... the air still felt heavy.

His team gathered around him, their expressions tense.

Mia flipped her daggers, voice unusually sharp. "So... are we just gonna pretend that wasn’t the single most ominous thing we’ve ever seen?"

Selene, her silver eyes locked on the sky, exhaled. "Those chains... they weren’t just restraints."

Orion’s visor flickered erratically, scanning the lingering energy residue. "That energy signature—it’s unlike anything we’ve faced before. It’s not Rift energy. It’s not from the Old Ones."

Nefera’s golden flames burned hotter. "Then what the hell is it?"

Ethan’s golden eyes darkened. He already knew the answer.

"It’s from the Creator."

A sharp silence followed.

Kieran crossed his arms. "Okay, and I feel like that’s really bad."

Ethan exhaled. Yes. Yes, it was.

---

The Rift’s Final Scar

Ethan extended his power, scanning the battlefield. No trace of the Old Riftborn remained. No bodies, no energy signatures. It was as if they had never existed.

And that... was the problem.

Even when Ethan erased Nihilor, remnants had remained.

Even when he rewrote the entire universe, there had still been echoes.

But now?

Nothing.

Mia noticed his expression shift. "Ethan?"

He didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he raised his hand. His golden flames flared as he attempted something simple—rewinding time.

And—

Nothing.

His golden eyes narrowed. This was impossible.

Mia frowned. "Okay, I don’t like that look on your face. What’s wrong?"

Ethan’s voice was calm. Too calm.

"I can’t see what happened."

Selene stiffened. "What?"

Ethan turned toward her, his expression unreadable. "I can remember the battle. I can remember the moment the chains appeared. But the instant they took the Old Riftborn away... there’s nothing. No timeline. No echoes. No remnants."

Nefera exhaled. "That’s not possible."

Orion adjusted his visor. "It shouldn’t be."

Ethan closed his eyes briefly. Then—he understood.

"This wasn’t just erasure," he murmured.

"This was a complete overwrite of history itself."

---

A World That No Longer Remembers

It didn’t take long before they saw the consequences.

By the time they left the battlefield, the city had changed.

Not the buildings. Not the streets.

The people.

Ethan’s golden eyes scanned the crowd below. No one looked concerned.

No emergency response teams. No panic. No fear.

Mia immediately caught on. "Wait—hold on. We just fought some reality-breaking ghost gods, and now people are just... going to work?"

Selene’s voice was quiet. "They don’t remember."

Orion ran another scan. "No Rift energy detected. No battle records. As far as history is concerned, that fight never happened."

Kieran rubbed the back of his head. "Okay, I have a really bad feeling about this."

Ethan’s fists clenched. He could see it happening.

The Creator’s will was shaping reality. Anything he deemed unnecessary was being erased.

And Ethan knew—

This was just the beginning.

---

A Riftborn That Shouldn’t Exist

Ethan stood on the rooftop, staring at the skyline. The world below was alive—people going about their daily routines, oblivious to the war that had been erased from history.

They had forgotten everything.

And that was the problem.

The Rift’s collapse should have left some scars. But now? Nothing.

The battle never happened.

Ethan’s golden-shadow flames flickered as he reached out with his power, attempting to trace the erasure.

Then—

A ripple.

His entire body tensed.

Something was here.

Ethan turned sharply, golden eyes locking onto a distant rooftop.

And then—he saw him.

A figure stood across from him, golden eyes burning with the same intensity as his own.

A black coat billowed in the evening breeze. His posture was relaxed, hands in his pockets. But Ethan felt it.

This wasn’t just an enemy.

This was—

"...You."

The figure smirked. "Well. Took you long enough."

---

The Riftborn Who Should Have Been

Mia kicked open the rooftop door just in time to see Ethan standing completely still.

She frowned. "Hey, I know brooding on rooftops is kind of your thing, but—"

She stopped.

Because she saw him.

Another Ethan.

Mia blinked. "What the actual hell?"

The alternate Ethan gave her an amused glance. "Ah. Mia. Always ruining the moment."

Mia’s daggers instantly appeared in her hands. "Nope. Absolutely not. We’re not doing this ’evil clone’ nonsense today."

The alternate Ethan chuckled. "Relax. I’m not here to kill him."

Mia’s eyes narrowed. "Uh-huh. That’s exactly what an evil version would say."

Ethan exhaled. "You’re the Riftborn King."

The alternate version smirked. "Close."

He tilted his head slightly, his golden flames flickering in a way that felt too familiar.

"I’m the Ethan you refused to become."

Silence.

Mia’s expression twisted. "What the hell does that even mean?"

Ethan’s voice was calm, but the weight behind it was immeasurable.

"You’re from a timeline where I took the Throne."

The alternate Ethan shrugged. "More or less." His golden gaze sharpened. "I’m here to warn you."

Ethan’s golden eyes didn’t waver.

"Warn me about what?"

The Riftborn King exhaled.

"The rewrite has already started."

Mia crossed her arms. "Oh, great. More cryptic warnings. Just once, I’d love for some all-powerful being to tell us what’s happening in a normal way."

The Riftborn King glanced at her. "Mia, right?"

Mia narrowed her eyes. "What about it?"

The Riftborn King smiled slightly.

"You died in my timeline."

Mia’s breath hitched.

For once—she had no snarky comeback.

The air around them grew heavy.

Ethan’s flames surged instinctively.

The Riftborn King raised a hand. "Relax. I’m not here to threaten you."

Ethan’s voice was dangerously quiet. "Then stop talking like that."

The alternate version studied him for a moment. Then—he sighed.

"Alright. Let’s skip the dramatics."

He took a step forward, golden flames rippling.

"The Creator isn’t just rewriting the world."

Ethan exhaled slowly.

The Riftborn King’s golden eyes burned.

"He’s trying to rewrite you."

---

To Be Continued...