The Masked Virtuoso-Chapter 97: The Riftborn’s Reflection

A Warning That Shouldn’t Exist

The air was heavy.

Ethan’s golden-shadow flames flickered against the rooftop, casting an eerie glow across the space between him and the Riftborn King.

His alternate self.

A version of him that had taken the Throne of the Betrayer.

A version of him that shouldn’t exist.

Mia was still frozen from his last words.

"You died in my timeline."

Ethan’s fists clenched. His golden eyes burned as he studied the Riftborn King’s stance. Relaxed, confident, but controlled—like a predator that didn’t need to show its claws.

"You said the rewrite has already started," Ethan said calmly. "Explain."

The Riftborn King exhaled, stepping forward slightly. His golden flames flickered differently. They weren’t just golden—they had streaks of deep black.

"The Creator isn’t just erasing history," he said. "He’s altering reality at its core. And that includes you."

Mia’s daggers twitched in her hands. "You keep saying that, but what does it even mean? He’s just gonna snap his fingers and turn Ethan into a different person?"

The Riftborn King chuckled. "No. The Creator isn’t that crude."

He lifted his hand. His golden flames swirled in his palm, shifting—then suddenly changing color. The golden light darkened, warping into the same golden-black hue that stained his own aura.

"He won’t destroy Ethan," the Riftborn King continued.

"He’ll turn him into me."

Silence.

---

The Riftborn King’s Story

The wind blew between the two Ethans.

The Riftborn King stared at his counterpart. "I was you, once. Standing exactly where you are now."

His golden eyes darkened slightly.

"I fought against the Creator. I tried to stop him. Just like you’re about to."

He lifted a hand, staring at his own golden-black flames.

"And I lost."

Mia’s jaw clenched. "Then how are you still alive?"

The Riftborn King’s golden flames pulsed. "Because the Creator didn’t kill me."

Ethan’s eyes narrowed.

The Riftborn King met his gaze.

"He rewrote me."

Selene’s voice was sharp. "You’re saying you used to be... like our Ethan?"

"I was him," the Riftborn King said. "But after the Creator’s rewrite, I became something else. My will, my choices—everything started to shift." His expression darkened. "And by the time I realized what was happening, it was too late."

Ethan stayed silent. He could hear it in his voice. The Riftborn King wasn’t lying.

This wasn’t a trick.

This was a warning.

---

The First Signs of Change

Ethan’s golden flames pulsed, wrapping around his body. He closed his eyes for a brief second—scanning himself, testing his power.

Then—his eyes snapped open.

His heartbeat slowed.

A small change.

A tiny shift.

But he felt it.

For just a single moment—his golden flames had flickered with black.

His own power. His own essence.

And it had changed without his permission.

The rewrite had already begun.

Mia noticed the change in his expression instantly. "Ethan?"

He didn’t respond immediately. Instead, he clenched his fist, watching as the faintest trace of golden-black energy flickered for half a second before disappearing.

"...I see," Ethan muttered.

Mia frowned. "See what?"

Ethan turned toward the Riftborn King.

"You’re telling the truth."

The Riftborn King smirked. "Of course I am."

---

The Choice That Wasn’t a Choice

Ethan exhaled slowly.

If the Creator’s rewrite was already affecting him, that meant time was running out.

He had already rewritten the universe once before. He had rewritten reality itself.

So why—

Why couldn’t he feel the Creator’s influence?

Why was the rewrite happening outside his control?

The Riftborn King watched him carefully. "You already know, don’t you?"

Ethan looked up. His golden eyes locked onto the Riftborn King’s.

The answer was obvious.

The Creator wasn’t forcing Ethan to change.

The Creator was making Ethan choose to change.

Subtle shifts. Tiny alterations. Slowly, carefully. Until the day came when Ethan wasn’t himself anymore.

Until he willingly became the next Riftborn King.

Mia’s expression darkened. "So what, Ethan just wakes up one day and he’s not Ethan anymore?"

"No," Ethan murmured. "I wake up, and I believe that I was never anyone else to begin with."

Selene’s grip on her spear tightened. "Then what do we do?"

The Riftborn King smirked. "Well. You could let the rewrite happen."

Ethan gave him a blank look.

The Riftborn King chuckled. "Yeah, yeah. I know. You’re not that kind of person."

His golden-black flames flickered.

"Then you already know what your only choice is."

Ethan exhaled. His golden flames burned hotter.

Yes.

There was only one way to stop this.

---

The Only Way to Resist the Rewrite

"Rewrite myself first."

Mia blinked. "Uh. What."

Ethan’s golden flames flared. "The only way to counteract a rewrite is to overwrite it with something else."

The Riftborn King smirked. "And you think you can do it before the Creator’s influence fully settles in?"

Ethan’s gaze didn’t waver. "I don’t think." His golden eyes burned.

"I will."

Kieran crossed his arms. "Okay, cool, so let’s say we do this. How do you rewrite yourself without making things worse?"

Ethan closed his eyes briefly.

Then—he opened them.

Golden flames surged outward, spiraling through the air. But this time—there was something different.

Not just golden-shadow flames.

Something deeper.

Something new.

The Riftborn King’s golden-black flames flickered. His eyes narrowed slightly. "Huh."

Selene watched closely. "What... did you just do?"

Ethan exhaled. "I’ve rewritten reality before. I’ve rewritten existence. But now—"

He clenched his fist.

"I’m rewriting myself."

A pulse of golden light erupted around him.

A change that had never happened before.

A power that had never existed before.

And the Riftborn King—

For the first time—

Looked genuinely impressed.

---

The Rewrite Begins

Mia stepped closer. "Ethan, this... this is safe, right?"

Ethan didn’t respond immediately. He could feel it now. The Creator’s rewrite fighting back.

Two forces clashing. Two realities rewriting over each other.

His golden flames burned.

No.

Not yet.

He needed more.

And then—

Something else appeared.

A voice. A presence.

Not the Riftborn King. Not the Creator.

Something... deeper.

Something that had been watching.

"Interesting," the voice murmured.

Ethan’s breath slowed.

Because he knew that voice.

The Riftborn King’s expression flickered. "Oh. This is gonna be fun."

Ethan exhaled. His golden flames surged.

The rewrite had begun.

And someone—something—was paying attention.

---

To Be Continued...