Riven’s Past

The city stretched out before them, quiet and cloaked in the hush of the late hours. After escaping the underground library, Lira and Riven walked in silence, their minds heavy with the knowledge they had unearthed. The discovery of the ancient texts, the tremors in the ground, the whisper of something dark waking in the depths—it was more than she had bargained for.

Lira stole a glance at Riven. His face was unreadable, his usual smirk absent. Instead, there was something else in his expression—something almost haunted. She had known from the start that he wasn't being entirely honest with her, that there were pieces of himself he kept locked away. But after what they had just seen, she was done waiting for him to decide whether she deserved the truth.

"You knew about that place," she said at last.

Riven didn't slow his steps. "I knew it existed," he admitted, voice devoid of emotion. "I just didn't know what we'd find inside."

Lira scoffed. "That's a lie." She stepped in front of him, forcing him to stop. His golden eyes flickered with irritation, but she didn't care. "You weren't surprised by what was in there. You were afraid."

Something passed through his expression—too quick for her to read—but it was there. He ran a hand through his dark hair, exhaling through his nose as if weighing his options.

"You don't know what you're asking, Lira."

"Then tell me." Her voice was firm, unwavering. "Because I know this isn't just about the artifact. This is about you."

Silence stretched between them. The dim lanterns along the street cast long shadows, flickering against the stone walls. He looked at her then, really looked at her, and for a moment, she thought he might deflect like he always did. Instead, he let out a quiet, humorless laugh.

"You don't give up, do you?"

"Not when I know I'm right."

Riven sighed. "Fine. Do you want the truth? Here it is."

He stepped back, leaning against the cold stone wall of a nearby building, arms crossed over his chest. His posture was relaxed, but there was a weight to his voice that made Lira's stomach tighten.

"I was raised in the Order of the Veil."

Lira's breath caught. "That's impossible. The Order was destroyed years ago."

"Not completely." His gaze darkened. "Some of us survived. And those who did… we were trained differently. We were taught things that most people aren't supposed to know."

Lira had grown up hearing about the Order of the Veil—a secretive sect tasked with guarding the boundary between their world and the unknown. They were supposed to be scholars and protectors. But then the rumors had started. Whispered stories of forbidden magic, of tampering with the Veil itself. The Order had been wiped out before she was even born, their knowledge buried, their teachings erased from history.

But if Riven was telling the truth… if he had been part of them…

Her pulse quickened. "So what were you?" she asked carefully. "A scholar? A warrior?"

Riven's lips curled into something that wasn't quite a smile. "A little of both. And a lot of neither."

She hated how cryptic he was. Hated that even when he was giving her answers, they only led to more questions.

"The artifact you're chasing?" He tilted his head. "It wasn't lost, Lira. It was hidden. By the Order. By people like me."

A shiver ran down her spine.

"Why?"

He hesitated. For the first time, she saw it—the conflict, the war waging inside him.

"Because it shouldn't exist," he said finally. "And because the people who created it… they didn't just want to understand the Veil." He held her gaze, his voice quieter now, laced with something she couldn't quite name. "They wanted to break it."

Lira took a step back, her mind racing.

"And you?" she asked, throat dry. "What are you trying to do, Riven? Destroy it? Or use it?"

His silence stretched between them, heavy and unspoken. Then, after what felt like an eternity, he answered.

"I haven't decided yet."

The words sent a chill through her.

For the first time since meeting him, she wasn't sure if Riven was truly on her side—or if she had just stepped into the path of something far more dangerous than she had ever imagined.

A gust of wind rattled through the street, sending a loose piece of parchment fluttering past them. Lira swallowed, suddenly hyperaware of the weight of her own heartbeat.

"You don't get to hesitate," she said, her voice sharper than before. "This isn't just some game, Riven. If that artifact is as dangerous as you say, then we need to act."

He studied her, his golden eyes gleaming under the dim lantern light. "And what would you have me do, Lira? Destroy something I barely understand? Bury it again and pretend it never existed? You think that will stop what's coming?"

She opened her mouth to respond, but the words caught in her throat.

Because she knew, deep down, that he was right. Something was coming—something bigger than both of them. And this artifact, whatever it was, was at the center of it all.

Riven pushed off the wall, stepping closer. His voice dropped lower, just above a whisper.

"You wanted the truth. Now you have it. But the real question is… what are you going to do with it?"

Lira clenched her fists. The answer, she realized, was one she wasn't ready to give.