Chapter 25: The Man Behind the Name
The morning passed surprisingly peacefully.
Too peacefully.
Riven was already dressed and ready to leave when his mother called from the kitchen.
"Where do you think you're going?"
Riven froze near the front door.
"...Outside?"
His mother narrowed her eyes.
"Very informative."
Riven smiled awkwardly.
"I'll be back before dinner."
She crossed her arms.
"You said that last time."
"...That was different."
"Really?"
"Yes."
"How?"
Riven opened his mouth.
Then closed it.
Then opened it again.
"...I don't actually know."
His mother stared at him.
Riven stared back.
Several seconds passed.
Finally she sighed.
"Fine."
Victory.
Then she pointed at him.
"But don't help any more heartbroken friends."
Riven nearly tripped over his own feet.
Somewhere in the city—
Ivan sneezed.
The observatory stood upon the highest hill overlooking Velkhar.
Once it had been a place where scholars studied stars.
Now it was abandoned.
Forgotten.
The massive dome above carried cracks from age while vines slowly claimed the stone walls.
The city stretched beneath it.
Small.
Distant.
Quiet.
Riven climbed the final stairs and found Ivan already waiting.
Leaning against an iron railing.
Hands inside his pockets.
Looking annoyed for absolutely no reason.
"You called me."
Ivan glanced sideways.
"And you came."
"Obviously."
"You almost died the last time curiosity got involved."
"...Fair."
The wind moved quietly between them.
Riven eventually folded his arms.
"So."
Ivan already knew the question.
"Who removed the bounty?"
Silence.
For several moments Ivan simply looked toward the city below.
Then—
"Aarion."
Riven blinked.
"...The businessman?"
For the first time—
Ivan looked genuinely offended.
"The businessman?"
"Well that's what he is."
"No."
Ivan shook his head slowly.
"That's what he pretends to be."
The atmosphere changed slightly.
Riven immediately noticed it.
Ivan wasn't joking anymore.
"Aarion is many things."
His voice became quieter.
"Dangerous."
"Influential."
"Impossible."
Riven frowned.
"What does that even mean?"
"It means nobody knows who he truly is."
The wind intensified briefly.
"Nobody knows his age."
"Nobody knows his origin."
"Nobody knows how strong he is."
Riven stayed silent.
Ivan continued.
"There are Ascendants capable of destroying buildings."
"There are Ascendants capable of destroying cities."
"There are Ascendants capable of destroying entire nations."
A brief pause followed.
Then—
"There is Aarion."
The sentence hung in the air.
Simple.
Terrifying.
Riven slowly swallowed.
"...You're serious."
"I've never been more serious."
His gaze remained fixed on the horizon.
"My grandfather once told me something."
"What?"
Ivan answered calmly.
"He said if the ten giants ruling this country disappeared tomorrow..."
"...the country would survive."
Riven listened carefully.
"But if Aarion disappeared..."
Ivan's eyes narrowed slightly.
"The world would notice."
Silence followed.
Heavy silence.
The kind that leaves questions behind.
Questions Riven suddenly didn't want answers to.
His hand unconsciously touched the pendant beneath his shirt.
Warm.
As always.
A thought appeared in his mind.
A simple one.
Why?
Why would someone like that care about him?
The question escaped his lips before he realized it.
"Why would a man like that help me?"
Ivan remained silent.
Then—
"I don't know."
No joke.
No sarcasm.
Nothing.
Just honesty.
"And that's the part that scares me."
Several moments passed.
Then Ivan finally reached inside his coat.
"Speaking of Aarion."
He pulled something out.
A glowing leaf.
Small.
Ordinary looking.
Yet somehow beautiful.
The moment Riven saw it—
The pendant against his chest suddenly became hot.
Not painful.
Just warm.
Alive.
Riven froze.
Ivan immediately noticed.
"You felt that?"
"...Maybe."
The leaf floated gently in Ivan's palm.
"Aarion left this with me."
"For me?"
"Yes."
Riven slowly reached forward.
The moment his fingers touched the leaf—
The world disappeared.
Darkness.
Warmth.
A voice.
Gentle.
Familiar.
A woman's voice.
So familiar it made his chest hurt.
"Remember."
The single word echoed endlessly.
Then—
Everything vanished.
Riven stumbled backward.
The observatory returned.
The city returned.
The sky returned.
His heart was beating wildly.
Ivan grabbed his shoulder.
"What happened?"
Riven stared blankly at the leaf.
"...I heard someone."
"What?"
"A woman."
His voice felt distant.
"She told me to remember."
Ivan frowned.
For the first time all day—
Unease appeared in his eyes.
The conversation ended soon afterward.
Neither had answers.
Only more questions.
The worst kind.
By evening they left the observatory together.
Walking down the old stone path.
The sky above glowed orange as the sun slowly disappeared beyond the horizon.
Riven found himself staring upward.
Something felt wrong.
No.
Not wrong.
Missing.
A strange sadness settled quietly inside him.
Like remembering a face—
And forgetting it before you could see it clearly.
Someone important.
Someone precious.
Someone lost.
The feeling lingered all the way home.
Far away.
At the top of a skyscraper piercing the clouds.
Aarion stood alone.
The city lights stretched endlessly beneath him.
In his hand rested an old photograph.
Time had faded its edges.
The image itself remained hidden from view.
Three figures stood within it.
A man.
A woman.
And a small child.
Aarion stared silently for a long time.
The wind tugged at his coat.
His eyes softened slightly.
For the first time that day—
He smiled.
A sad smile.
"...A little longer."
His voice was barely audible.
"Just a little longer."
The photograph disappeared into his hand.
Above him—
The stars slowly emerged one by one.
And somewhere beyond them—
Something had finally begun searching.
End.