In two vastly different worlds, two individuals shared the same features and name, Riven, yet their lives couldn't be more different. One was a teenage delinquent from modern-day Earth, known for his angelic face and sharp tongue. The other was a young noble with an equally angelic face but with a kind heart and superpowers from an alternate Earth, where superhumans ruled and the stakes were infinitely higher.
The day the delinquent Riven died on his Earth was nothing short of chaotic. It was a typical afternoon in the grimy alley behind the old warehouse where he often hung out, smoking cigarettes and throwing insults at anyone who dared cross his path. His foul mouth was his armor; his defiance, his shield.
That day, he'd stolen a car—because why not? Life was a game for those who dared to do things differently and he was winning, or so he thought, until a screech of tires and a blaring horn shattered the air.
In the blink of an eye, metal twisted and glass shattered. Riven's last sight was the glare of headlights rushing toward him, a blur of red and white lights, and then—nothing. Just darkness and emptiness. No angels, no devils or burning flames—just an endless void filled with the echoes of his own cursing voice.
What happened to the so-called hell that people often told him to go to?
Meanwhile, on an entirely different Earth—more like an alternate universe where everything shimmered with a strange, almost divine glow—the other Riven had just been scolded again by his father, Duke Ashbourne.
The boy had just completed a grueling session of the empire's superhuman writing contest, a competition that measured strength, wit, and the ability to impress the ruling class with feats of power and intellect.
Riven had come in second in the entire empire despite his fragile body, but, of course!—an achievement that made him the envy of many also earned him a sharp reprimand from his father, who was far more disappointed than proud.
Riven should have known, nothing he did was ever enough for the man.
"You are going to be the head of this family after I'm gone, Riven. That's how I know you are not living up to your full potential!"
The Duke barked, his voice echoing through the marble halls of their sprawling estate.
"The future of our family depends on your success. You have one last chance to prove yourself. Fail again, and you'll be nothing but a complete disappointment, you hear me boy?"
With that, the Duke marched off leaving the poor boy alone to his thoughts.
The boy's shoulders slumped, frustration simmering beneath his calm exterior. He had trained tirelessly, pushed himself to the brink, and still, his father's expectations loomed larger than any victory. He looked out the towering window at the sprawling city beyond, its skyline shimmering with energy—the same energy he wished he could harness, to prove himself worthy.
But inside, Riven felt a different kind of ache. He was tired of it all. Tired of the endless pressure, the relentless nagging, the feeling that no matter what he did, he would never be good enough. He wanted to vanish, to escape the weight of expectations and the suffocating grandeur of his life.
And so, as the day drew to a close, Riven's mind drifted further into the darker territory. He wandered to the balcony, gazing at the stars, longing for some form of release. And suddenly, a fiery impulse sparked within him—an intense desire to end it all, to escape this relentless cycle of striving and disappointment and so, he jumped!
Back in the endless void, the delinquent Riven's life seemed to be ending untimely because of a freak accident; and in the superhuman world, the Duke's son was finally escaping the tireing life he'd long to leave behind by taking his own life.
And in that moment—the moment when life and death converge—an unthinkable deal was struck.
Just when the delinquent Riven's consciousness seemed to be fading into nothingness, a calm voice whispered through the void, smooth yet ominous:
"Would you like a second chance boy? A chance to live again?"
"What's the catch?"
The delinquent Riven asked looking around the empty space wairly.
A voice asking him if he wanted a chance to live again?
That's not creepy at all!
"A deal will be made between the two of you." The voice spoke again and Riven was suddenly staring at his own reflection but with longer hair?
What the fuck is this? Is this some sick version of his life flashing before his eyes bullshit or what?
"You will live his life, and in return, you will have a second chance to live yours. His powers will be available to you..." The ominous voice continued.
Riven, in this critical moment barely registered the full extent of the words being spoken. He was exhausted, broken, and desperate enough to grasp at any hope.
"What do I have to lose?" he thought, his body trembling with a mix of desperation and despair.
"I accept!" Riven shouted his reply before the voice could finish speaking.
And so, the deal was sealed—an exchange of fates, a game of cosmic chess played in shadows.
Now that both Rivens had agreed to the deal. The mysterious voice faded away, the delinquent Riven felt himself being pulled back to life, leaving the darkness behind.
The superhuman Riven, on the other hand, closed his eyes, a sense of relief washing over him. "Goodbye." he whispered, as his consciousness began to fade.
In the unseen depths of the void, another person's world was ending but for another person, a new world awaited—one filled with shimmering castles, glowing runes, and beings blessed with powers that made even gods jealous.
Here, the delinquent Riven's new life was set to unfold in the body of the Duke's only son, tangled in secrets, ambitions, and a mission that would decide whether he lived or perished… for good this time.
But one thing was certain: neither Riven or the creepy voice knew that the choices they made in this strange circumstance would ripple back, forever altering the fabric of their worlds—and perhaps, the very nature of destiny itself.