Morning sunlight slowly slipped through the curtains.
Riven's eyes opened weakly.
For a few seconds—
He simply stared at the ceiling silently.
Soft bed.
Warm blanket.
Familiar room.
His room.
"…Huh?"
Riven slowly sat up while holding his head.
Pain.
Not much.
Just enough to remind him something terrible had happened.
Then suddenly—
Fragments returned.
The rooftop.
The hunters.
The hole through his chest.
His eyes widened instantly.
Riven grabbed his chest quickly.
No wound.
Nothing.
"…What?"
He pulled his shirt slightly upward.
Not even a scar remained.
Silence filled the room.
"…How am I alive?"
His phone suddenly vibrated beside him.
Ivan.
Riven answered immediately.
"…Ivan."
On the other side, Ivan's calm voice came as usual.
"So you're finally awake."
Riven frowned.
"How am I alive?"
A small pause followed.
Then Ivan answered casually:
"I told you already."
"…What?"
"Your luck is ridiculous."
Riven blinked.
"That's not an explanation."
"It's the only one you're getting for now."
Riven sighed tiredly.
"…You're annoying."
"And you almost died."
"…Fair."
Then Ivan suddenly added:
"Also."
His tone became strangely serious.
"Be careful around your mother."
Riven frowned.
"…Why?"
"You'll understand soon enough."
The call ended immediately afterward.
Riven stared at the phone blankly.
"…What does that even mean?"
After several moments—
He looked toward the digital clock beside his bed.
10:03 AM.
A small smile appeared on his face.
"…Mom's gonna kill me."
A few minutes later—
Riven walked downstairs while stretching lazily.
The smell of food immediately reached him.
"…Now this feels like survival."
He entered the dining area casually.
"Mom, I'm hungry. Where's breakfa—"
He stopped slightly.
His mother sat near the table quietly reading something on her tablet.
Without even looking at him, she spoke coldly:
"It's on the kitchen slab."
Riven blinked.
"…Oh."
Something was wrong.
Very wrong.
Carefully—
Very carefully—
He walked toward the kitchen and grabbed the breakfast plate.
Then silently sat at the dining table.
The atmosphere felt terrifying.
Riven slowly picked up a spoon.
"…Where's Kiara?"
His mother answered calmly.
"She went to school."
"Oh."
Silence.
Then—
Unlike someone," his mother continued coldly, "she doesn't drink and stay outside the whole night."
Riven froze mid-bite.
"…Drink?"
His brain stopped for a second.
Then confusion hit him.
"…Who?"
His mother suddenly slammed the table.
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN WHO?!"
Riven almost dropped the spoon.
"YOU!"
She pointed directly at him.
"You were completely unconscious!"
Riven stared blankly.
His mother continued furiously:
"Poor Ivan had to carry you all the way home on his back!"
Riven suddenly remembered Ivan's warning.
And in that exact moment—
He started mentally cursing him with every word he knew.
You traitor.
You absolute snake.
His mother crossed her arms angrily.
"Do you even know how worried I was?!"
Riven immediately tried recovering.
"Mom wait it's not what you think—"
"Oh really?"
"Yes!"
"Then explain why you smelled like alcohol and looked half dead!"
Riven's brain worked at full speed.
Fast.
Desperate.
Then suddenly—
"I-I was helping Ivan!"
Silence.
His mother narrowed her eyes.
"…Helping him do what exactly?"
Riven immediately committed fully.
"He… uh…"
Please work.
"…got heartbroken."
Silence.
Riven continued before she could interrupt.
"So I went with him because he was sad and emotional and stuff."
His mother blinked once.
"…Heartbroken?"
"Yes."
Riven nodded seriously now.
"Very tragic situation."
"And somehow YOU became unconscious?"
Riven coughed awkwardly.
"…Supportive friendship?"
His mother stared at him for several long seconds.
Then sighed deeply while rubbing her forehead.
"You scared me."
That sentence immediately softened Riven's expression.
His mother looked genuinely exhausted.
"I called you multiple times."
Her voice became quieter now.
"You never answered."
Riven lowered his gaze slightly.
"…Sorry."
Silence filled the room briefly.
Then his mother sighed again.
"Just…"
Her expression softened.
"…don't do something like this again."
Riven smiled weakly.
"…Okay."
Then immediately—
"And tell Ivan to stop drinking too."
Riven almost choked internally.
"…Yeah."
The moment he reached his room again—
He instantly called Ivan.
The call connected almost immediately.
"You sold me out."
Ivan sounded confused.
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
"You made my mother think I got drunk!"
A small pause followed.
Then Ivan calmly replied:
"Well, while carrying your unconscious body through the city…"
Riven already knew this was going somewhere bad.
"…I saw a wine shop nearby."
"…Ivan."
"And I thought it sounded more believable than explaining how a reckless idiot believed a fake kidnapping threat and fought half the underground."
Riven covered his face.
"…You're the worst friend alive."
"No," Ivan replied calmly.
"You survived. So technically that title belongs to you."
"…I hate you."
"That's unfortunate."
Despite himself—
Riven laughed slightly.
Then Ivan's tone became more serious.
"The bounty has been removed."
Riven blinked.
"…Wait really?"
"Yes."
A grin immediately appeared on Riven's face.
"…Damn. Guess I'm not useless after all."
"It wasn't me."
The smile slowly disappeared.
"…What?"
"My family didn't remove it either."
Riven frowned instantly.
"Then who did?"
Silence lingered briefly.
Then Ivan spoke quietly.
"…Let's meet."
His tone sounded strange.
Serious.
"I'll tell you there."
Riven slowly nodded despite Ivan not being able to see it.
"…Okay."
The call disconnected.
Far away—
Ivan stood alone on a balcony beneath the cloudy sky.
Cold wind moved through his dark hair quietly.
In his hand—
A single glowing leaf rested silently.
The one Aarion had told him to give Riven.
Ivan stared at it quietly.
Even now—
He still couldn't understand what kind of existence Aarion truly was.
And somehow—
That bothered him.
Elsewhere—
A massive hall stood beneath endless darkness.
The atmosphere itself felt terrifying.
Ancient.
Heavy.
Two figures stood there silently.
One of them—
Aarion.
The other presence beside him felt equally horrifying.
A tall silver-haired man bowed slightly.
"My Lord…"
Aarion stood quietly while looking into the endless darkness ahead.
Then finally—
The silver-haired man asked carefully:
"…Will you tell him the truth?"
Silence.
Aarion's eyes slowly narrowed.
"The truth about his real parents."
The atmosphere grew heavier instantly.
"And who he truly is."
For several moments—
Nothing answered.
Then Aarion finally spoke.
Quietly.
"…Not yet."
The silver-haired servant lowered his head again.
"But eventually…"
Aarion's gaze deepened slightly.
"…he will have to remember everything."
And somewhere far away—
A strange pulse spread quietly through the world itself.
END