Riven asked himself as his solid smoke shield dissipated and returned to the air around him. " he thought.

  he thought while turning his attention to his grandfather, who was staring daggers at him as he continued to cough violently.

  "What have you done to my grandson, you cursed abomination?!" he shouted between coughs while his finger pointed at him.

  "He thinks I'm fully possessed," he noted.

  "But he wasn't surprised by how I looked when he saw me first, which means the spirit possessing me wasn't his intended goal."

  As he was thinking, his grandfather suddenly shot out another flurry of flames at him.

  Grabbing the woman by the hand, his wings materialized before he took off into the sky, evading the attack as it surged into the burning building behind him, making the fire worse.

  "Here I go again," he muttered while looking at the woman he just saved twice. "Thank you, Thank you so much," the lady stammered but Riven wasn't listening

  "It looks like I can't help it," he thought as he tried to let go of her, but his hand wouldn't let him.

  "Right then," he said, accepting his new reality. "I need to get them all out of here," he told himself, knowing he wouldn't be able to fight and protect all at once.

  "Listen," he commanded while pulling her up to his level. "I need you to get everyone out of here—the firefighters, the paramedics, and the crowd. They all need to go, or they'll be caught in the crossfire."

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  "But—" she said, while looking at the roaring fire behind him that was even harder now that all the fighters turned their attention to the situation.

  "Don't," he said firmly. "You know him..." Riven started while turning her to look down at his grandfather, who was looking around confused and coughing as he searched for Riven, who seemed to him to have just disappeared.

  "He's one of seven great royals; he will kill you and everyone else here without an ounce of hesitation."

  "He did the same thing in that building that is currently burning to the ground," he continued to further prove his point.

  Hearing this, she froze in shock as realization hit her like a truck. "No other bodies," she muttered.

  "Yes," he replied flatly.

  "But what about the fire?" she asked.

  "I deal with it. You just get everyone out of here," he commanded as he flew a bit sideways before descending to the ground.

  Reaching the ground, he finally was able to release her, but as he was about to walk away, he felt her hand grab his.

  Eyes widening in brief shock, he turned around, questioning in his mind why she was able to touch him when everyone else who tried simply went through.

  But those thoughts were put on the back burner when the next words came out of her mouth.

  "Who are you?"

  Hearing this, he froze, but not because the question confused him; it was because he didn't have an answer, not even a non-answer. His mind went blank.

  "Who am I?" he asked himself as time seemed to slow. "I'm not Riven anymore. I don't look like him, and I'm not even acting like him, so who does that make me?" he questioned.

  But as he pondered, a delicate yet familiar voice spoke in his head.

  "You know what would have been a better name for you?

  "Lucian."

  "Why is there something wrong? Riven."

  Yeah, it's depressing. Your name means "and," to be broken or torn apart violently. And it doesn't suit you at all. It would be better if it were "Lucian," because it means light... And your fire after all.

  Hearing this voice for the first time since his transformation, a single tear fell from his eye, looking all but foreign on his unexpressive face.

  "Are you okay?" she asked, noticing the sudden tear as her voice gave the gentleness and concern of someone who couldn't be anything but a mother at the end of the day.

  Not replying to the question, he turned back around and said, his voice slightly less monotone,

  "I'm Lucian."

  Before he turned to smoke and disappeared right before her very eyes.