The Glitched Mage-Chapter 87: A Tattoo?

The night was thick with silence as Riven sat cross-legged in his dorm room, the dim glow of abyssal fire flickering faintly around his skin. His breathing was slow, controlled, as his consciousness stretched outward, reaching across the vast distance between him and his kingdom.

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His bonded necromancers were his eyes in the Shadow Kingdom, their presence flickering through his mana like distant embers. Riven cast his awareness through the connections, skimming their perspectives with practiced ease.

The eastern ridge stood strong, fortified under Damon's oversight, while Alric ensured the outer defenses expanded swiftly.

Near the barracks, Varian and Haleth guided new recruits, their training in dark mana already showing results.

The Abyss-Touched Fields flourished under Benedict's and Mal's careful cultivation, with new herbs taking root—unstable, yet brimming with potential.

Everything was proceeding as expected.

Satisfied, Riven withdrew his focus, his awareness snapping back to the present.

The kingdom was expanding faster than he had anticipated.

Good.

He rose to his feet.

Then—

BANG.

The door slammed open.

Nyx strode inside, covered in dried blood and dirt, her dark hair matted to her forehead, her robes tattered in places. A heavy satchel thudded onto the floor, its contents clinking ominously.

Riven arched a brow, arms crossing as he leaned against his desk. "Rough night?"

Nyx exhaled sharply, dragging a hand through her hair. "Not all of us get to sit in dark rooms looking ominous while their minions handle everything." She tossed him a mana beast core—deep crimson, pulsing with latent heat. "That's an epic — got a few of those. The rest are lower, but still good."

Riven caught the core with a smirk, rolling it between his fingers. "And here I thought you were taking it easy."

Nyx scowled. "Easy? Some of those bastards wouldn't die." She peeled off her tattered outer robe, revealing deep claw marks along her forearm, already healing thanks to her mana. "Took me half the night to track a pack of firestalkers. One of them tried to rip my face off."

Riven hummed, inspecting her wounds. "Looks like it failed."

Nyx smirked. "Obviously."

She plopped down into a chair, stretching with a groan. "The primordial wilds island's mostly cleared on the western side, but the stronger ones are deeper in. We should go together again, I know you love it—lots of things screaming before they die."

Riven chuckled, setting the mana core on the desk. "Appreciate the work. These will be useful."

Nyx sighed, running a hand through her hair again, then frowned. "You're looking too pleased with yourself. What's going on?"

Before Riven could respond—

His inventory pulsed.

A soft tremor shivered through his mana reserves.

Then—

The dragon egg trembled.

A slow, rhythmic vibration. Subtle at first, but growing.

Riven's amusement faded, his focus sharpening as he reached into the abyssal void of his storage and pulled out the Obsidian Dragon Egg.

The moment it materialized in his hands, a wave of burning heat spread through his palms. The egg shuddered violently, the thick veins along its dark surface glowing once more—deeper this time, pulsing with an eerie, blue-black light.

Nyx stiffened. "Since when does that thing move?"

Riven didn't answer immediately. He had expected some reaction from the egg eventually—perhaps when he left the Academy, or when he reached a higher Circle—but not so soon.

Not again.

The first time had drained him nearly dry.

And yet, here it was.

Demanding more.

The egg pulsed in his grip, and this time, Riven felt it. The air grew thick with something unseen—an almost palpable presence pressing against Riven's senses. It was neither physical nor wholly magical, but something in between, a quiet, creeping awareness that coiled around him like unseen chains.

Watching. Waiting. Wanting.

The intent was impossible to ignore. A silent, almost insatiable hunger laced the space between him and the trembling obsidian shell, its veins pulsing like a living heartbeat.

His eyes narrowed. "System."

[[ Analyzing… ]]

A hum. Faint at first. Barely distinguishable from the air itself. But as seconds stretched, the sound deepened, vibrating through the very mana of the room. It wasn't an external noise—it resonated inside him, from the abyssal depths of his own energy.

A whisper of something primal.

The system's response flickered into existence.

[[ The Egg is responding to accumulated combat stimuli. Recent battles have triggered another progression phase. ]]

[[ The Egg is attempting to establish the next Bond Link. ]]

Bond link? Riven hadn't seen that before.

Riven's fingers curled around the shell. The fight with Cole. The tension, the mana, the sheer force of his abyssal power—his bloodlust.

The egg had fed on that.

And now, it was awakening again.

[[ Mana Exchange Required: 70% of Total Reserves. ]]

Riven clenched his jaw. That was almost everything he had. Again. Fortunately, he had taken a stash of Etherbloom mana potions from Mal's tent before leaving. With those, replenishing his reserves would be a simple matter.

"Are you going to tell me why the egg is glowing like that?" Nyx asked, standing now, her arms crossed as she studied the egg with open suspicion.

Riven debated his response for a fraction of a second before exhaling sharply. "It wants my mana."

Nyx's brows shot up. "It wants your—Riven, that thing already nearly drained you last time. If you keep feeding it, it's going to suck you dry."

His grip on the egg tightened slightly. "It's a Dragon Egg, Nyx." His gaze flicked to her, unwavering. "Even if feeding it blood would make it hatch—mine, yours—I wouldn't hesitate."

Nyx took an instinctive step back, eyeing him warily. "Yeah… let's not start getting any crazy ideas."

Riven's gaze fell back on the trembling egg. The pulsing energy it gave off was stronger this time—more insistent. Last time, he had been unprepared, caught off guard by the force of the exchange. This time, he knew what to expect.

He exhaled slowly, settling onto the floor. His fingers traced the dark veins threading across the egg's surface, feeling the heat thrumming beneath.

He closed his eyes, reaching into the abyss of his mana reserves. Shadows curled around his fingers as he let his energy flow, allowing the egg to take what it needed.

[[ Commencing Mana Exchange… ]]

The moment the transfer began, a sharp pull wrenched through his mana heart. The egg didn't just drink from him—it devoured.

Heat flared, rushing through his arms, his chest, coiling along his spine. His breath hitched as his mana flooded into the shell, siphoned in greedy waves. The sensation was familiar, but this time, it burned deeper, reaching into something beyond his reserves.

The egg pulsed.

Once. Twice.

Then—a low, guttural vibration echoed in the room.

Not a sound.

A presence.

A whisper of something vast, something ancient. It brushed against the edges of his mind, stirring something deep within his abyssal flames.

Riven's vision wavered.

[[ Mana Reserves: 50%… ]]

[[ Mana Reserves: 40%… ]]

The room felt smaller, the air thick with unseen weight. The egg trembled violently in his hands, the veins along its surface expanding, deepening, glowing with a dark sapphire hue.

[[ Mana Reserves: 30%… ]]

A final surge.

Then—silence.

The exchange stopped as abruptly as it had begun.

Riven gasped, his body swaying as the weight of the depletion settled over him. His limbs trembled, his breath unsteady, but he forced himself upright.

A flicker of blue-black light danced across the egg's surface before fading.

[[ Bond Link Established: 2/10 ]]

[[ The Obsidian Dragon recognizes you. ]]

Riven barely had time to process the words before something burned.

A sharp, searing heat flared across his back.

He stiffened, a curse slipping through his teeth as fire licked across his skin, racing up his spine. It wasn't external—it was inside him, deep, branding itself into his very being.

"Riven?" Nyx's voice cut through the haze.

He barely registered her moving until she was right in front of him, eyes narrowed with a rare hint of concern. "What the hell just happened?"

He didn't answer, gripping his robe as the burning intensified. Every breath sent a fresh wave of heat through his nerves. He needed to see.

Nyx, already picking up on his struggle, stepped forward. "Take it off."

Riven hesitated for a split second before shrugging off his outer robes, baring his back to the cool night air.

A sharp inhale.

"Shit," Nyx muttered.

Riven turned his head slightly. "What?"

Nyx's gaze was locked on his back, her usual sharp composure slipping for just a moment. She reached out, fingertips barely grazing his skin.

Nyx's fingers barely brushed against his skin before she pulled back sharply, eyes narrowing. "Riven… what the hell is this?"

Riven forced himself to take steady breaths, still feeling the ghost of the burning sensation that had laced through his spine. His muscles tensed as he turned his head slightly, trying to catch a glimpse over his shoulder. "What are you talking about?"

Nyx didn't answer immediately. Instead, she stepped around him, brows furrowing deeper as her gaze fixated on his back. "You have a tattoo," she said, her voice flat with disbelief.

Riven stiffened. "I don't have—" He cut himself off.

Because now that she mentioned it… he could feel it. A faint, lingering heat, like something seared into his very skin. It hadn't been there before—not that he had ever paid much attention—but now, it was undeniable.

Nyx exhaled sharply. "You're telling me you didn't know about this?"

Riven didn't respond right away. Instead, he forced himself to his feet, ignoring the weakness that still clung to his limbs and made his way over to the hanging mirror.

And there it was.

Dark lines stretched across his back, intricate yet primal, forming the unmistakable image of a dragon curled around his spine. Its wings fanned out toward his shoulders, talons digging into his flesh. The ink—if it even was ink—was darker than black, pulsing faintly as if alive.

Riven's expression remained unreadable, but inside, his mind was racing. This hadn't been there before. He was sure of it. Which meant—

"It appeared after you gave the egg your mana, didn't it?" Nyx guessed, stepping closer again, her gaze flicking between his back and the now-motionless dragon egg in his hands.

Riven flexed his fingers around the egg, his jaw tightening. "Looks like it."

Nyx let out a low whistle, shaking her head. "Damn. This might just be one of the craziest things I've seen — and I've seen a lot of crazy shit."

Riven exhaled slowly, his gaze still locked on the shifting shadows of the mark in the mirror. The dragon inked into his skin wasn't just decoration. He could feel it, woven into his mana, tethered to something deeper.

Something waking.

[[ Bond Link: 2/10 Established. ]]

The notification still hovered in the corner of his vision. Riven dismissed it with a flick of his thoughts, his focus sharpening.

This wasn't just some passive change.

It was a claim.

A step closer to whatever the egg was becoming.

He lightly stretched his limbs, testing the sensation. The heat had faded now, leaving only a faint, lingering awareness—like the dragon's presence had settled inside him, waiting.

Nyx's gaze flicked toward the egg again. "So? What now? Gonna feed it the rest of your soul while you're at it?"

Riven smirked, though there was little humor in it. "Not unless it asks nicely."

Nyx scoffed but didn't press further.

The egg had claimed more of him tonight.

The question now was—how much more would it take before it finally hatched?

And what would come out when it did?