Chapter 110: Back

Chapter 110: Chapter 110: Back

"Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end." — Seneca

The private training grounds of the Duke’s estate were silent, save for the rhythmic whistle of steel cutting through the freezing night air.

Hiss. Shing!

Riven stood alone in the center of the stone courtyard, his cloak shifting in the midnight wind. His arming sword moved through a sequence of precise, fluid strikes, each movement controlled and economical.

His right hand still bore faint traces of the injuries he had suffered beneath the large mercenary’s boot. The bones had healed, but the memory of that crushing pain remained. Sometimes, when he gripped his sword too tightly, he could still feel the phantom pressure of iron against his chest.

He never let it show.

Two months had passed since he had awakened in the imperial medical ward. Two months of solitary training and high priority contracts completed under the Duke’s protection.

And now, his six month residency was finally over.

One more strike.

Riven pivoted, drawing his blade through a horizontal arc before reversing the motion into a rising cut. His feet moved in perfect rhythm with the sword, his weight shifting naturally as he incorporated the techniques Elora had taught him in the abyss.

He finished with a short thrust.

The tip struck the center of a heavy target dummy.

Crack!

A thin fracture spread across its reinforced core before the mechanism crumbled into dust.

Riven lowered his sword.

He stared at the ruined dummy, his expression unreadable.

Once, he might have felt satisfied with that result.

The thought lingered for a moment before he forced it away.

Nyx rested atop a stone pillar overlooking the courtyard. Her dark scales blended into the night, leaving only her luminous violet eyes clearly visible. She watched Riven with quiet attention, her tail curling around the pillar.

When he finally sheathed his sword, she lowered her head and released a soft, vibrating chirp.

"I’m fine," Riven told her.

Nyx tilted her head.

"That expression is unnecessary."

She chirped again.

Riven glanced at her.

"Yes, I know. You’re very concerned about my health. I’ll be sure to inform the physicians that my wyvern has become an insufferable mother."

Nyx’s eyes narrowed slightly.

For a moment, Riven almost smiled.

Then he looked away.

Footsteps sounded beneath the stone archway.

"You’re pushing yourself too hard again, Riven."

He turned.

Lady Caelia stood near the entrance, wrapped in a thick, fur lined cloak. Her dark hair fell over her shoulders, and the cold had painted a faint flush across her cheeks.

Riven glanced at the sky.

"It’s the middle of the night."

"I noticed."

"Most people are asleep."

"I noticed that too."

"Then you have a remarkable talent for identifying obvious facts."

Caelia’s lips twitched.

"I brought you tea."

She held up a small covered cup.

Riven looked at it.

Then at her.

"At this hour?"

"You forget to drink anything when you train."

"I drink water."

"Occasionally."

"Water is very efficient. It has no preparation time, no unnecessary ingredients, and no tendency to burn my tongue."

"And yet you never drink the tea I bring you."

"Perhaps I enjoy disappointing people."

Caelia’s expression softened.

"Perhaps you simply enjoy pretending you don’t care."

Riven had no immediate answer to that.

She crossed the courtyard and placed the cup on the stone bench beside him.

Over the past two months, Caelia had become a familiar presence in his otherwise solitary routine. She brought him food when he forgot to eat, tea when he trained too long, and books she claimed were interesting enough to justify interrupting his work.

Most of the books remained unopened.

She had also developed an unfortunate habit of appearing whenever he thought he had finally found a quiet place to be alone.

Riven suspected the servants were helping her.

He had not bothered to investigate.

Caelia was kind. She was also persistent enough to make an army of siege engineers look impatient.

And she had a very obvious crush on him.

The way her cheeks reddened whenever he looked directly at her made that difficult to miss.

Riven picked up the tea and took a cautious sip.

It was warm.

He hated that he liked it.

"Acceptable," he said.

Caelia brightened.

"Really?"

"Don’t look so pleased. I’ve had worse."

"That might be the nicest thing you’ve ever said about something I’ve given you."

"I’ll try to be more insulting next time."

She laughed softly.

The sound was pleasant.

For a few seconds, the courtyard felt less empty.

Then Caelia noticed the parchment cylinder resting on the bench beside his sword belt.

"What’s that?"

Riven followed her gaze.

"Something I’ve been waiting six months to receive."

He picked up the cylinder and examined the red wax seal. The insignia of the southern governor was pressed into its surface, marking it as an official document.

A knight had delivered it earlier that evening, but Riven had been training and had not yet opened it.

He broke the seal.

Inside lay a thick sheet of parchment bearing the governor’s signature and an elaborate crimson stamp.

Sovereign Transit Pass.

Riven read the document once.

Then again.

Six months of verified employment.

Six months of contracts, monster hunts, and border assignments.

Six months of trying to rebuild a life after losing the people who had made that life bearable.

All of it had led to this single piece of paper.

He folded the document carefully and slipped it inside his coat.

Caelia watched him in silence.

"So..." she began.

Riven looked at her.

She clasped her hands together, her fingers twisting nervously around the edge of her cloak.

"You’re leaving."

"At dawn."

The words were simple.

They still seemed to hurt her.

Caelia lowered her gaze.

"I knew this day was coming. Father told me your paperwork would be ready soon, but I thought..."

She stopped.

Riven waited.

She forced herself to continue.

"I thought perhaps something would delay it."

"An unfortunate administrative error?"

Caelia gave him a weak smile.

"Something like that."

"Perhaps the governor will discover that he misplaced an entire mountain of documents. That could buy me another week."

"Would you want that?"

Riven looked at her.

The question had been quiet, but there was nothing casual about it.

He could have lied.

He could have told her that he wanted to stay, that the estate had become a home, or that the thought of leaving her troubled him more than he was willing to admit.

Instead, he gave her the truth.

"I have someone waiting for me."

Lyra.

Her violet eyes surfaced in his memory, along with the royal garden, the quiet conversations, and the promise he had made before the abyss swallowed him.

He had no idea how much time had passed.

He did not know whether Lyra had spent the intervening months searching for him or whether the Crown had already declared him lost.

But he had promised to return.

He intended to keep that promise.

Caelia nodded slowly.

"Of course."

She tried to smile.

It did not quite work.

"Is she beautiful?"

Riven blinked.

"What?"

"The person waiting for you."

He hesitated.

"Yes."

Caelia looked away.

"Then I suppose I should be grateful that I’m not competing with someone ugly."

Riven stared at her.

"That is an exceptionally strange way to look at the situation."

"I’m trying to make myself feel better."

"How’s that working?"

"Terribly."

Despite himself, Riven let out a quiet laugh.

It surprised them both.

Caelia looked at him as if she had just witnessed a rare magical phenomenon.

Riven immediately regretted giving her the satisfaction.

"Don’t make a habit of that," he muttered.

"Of what?"

"Looking so pleased with yourself."

"I can’t help it."

"Clearly."

Her smile faded as she looked at the transit pass concealed beneath his coat.

"Will you ever come back?"

Riven did not answer immediately.

He thought about the Demon Empire, its unfamiliar cities, its mountain roads, and the people who had treated him as a person rather than a weapon or a slave.

He thought about Fen, Sera, and Mira.

He’d rather not come back.

He thought about Elora, somewhere beneath the earth, separated from him by an entire world of stone and darkness.

And he thought about the girl standing in front of him, trying desperately not to cry because he was leaving.

"I don’t know."

Caelia nodded.

It was not the answer she wanted, but she accepted it.

"Then write to me."

Riven raised an eyebrow.

"Letters?"

"Yes."

"Those are notoriously inconvenient."

"So are people, apparently."

"People are considerably worse. Letters at least have the decency to remain quiet."

Caelia folded her arms.

"Riven."

He sighed.

"Fine. If I find a reliable courier."

Her eyes brightened.

"You promise?"

"I said I’d write."

"That’s not quite the same thing."

"It is the closest thing you’re getting at this hour."

She smiled again, and this time it was genuine.

"Thank you."

Riven looked away before she could see the uncertainty in his expression.

He wanted to tell her that she had helped him during the months after the incident. That her visits had given him something to look forward to, even when he had spent entire days wishing he could forget the faces of his dead friends.

He wanted to tell her that he appreciated every cup of tea, every quiet conversation, and every moment she had spent sitting beside him without demanding that he explain his grief.

But the words refused to come.

Instead, he said, "You should get some sleep."

Caelia’s shoulders lowered.

"You’re terrible at saying goodbye."

"I’ve had limited practice."

She studied him for a moment.

Then she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him.

Riven went still.

Her cloak brushed against his chest, and he could feel her trembling slightly as she held him.

For a few seconds, he did not move.

Then he carefully placed one hand against her back.

Caelia held him a little tighter.

"I hope you find her," she whispered.

Riven closed his eyes.

"Thank you."

"And I hope she knows how lucky she is."

He had no answer for that.

Caelia eventually stepped away, wiping her eyes with the edge of her sleeve.

Riven pretended not to notice.

It was the least he could do.

The main doors of the estate opened before either of them could speak again.

The elderly Duke emerged with a small escort of imperial guards. Behind them waited a carriage equipped for the journey through the freezing mountain pass.

The Duke approached Riven and extended his hand.

"Your transit papers are in order?"

Riven showed him the folded document.

"They are."

"Good. The border checkpoint has been informed of your arrival. You should have no difficulty crossing."

The Duke gave a faint smile.

The Duke’s expression became more serious.

"Your companions’ names have been entered into the regional Adventurer’s Hall. Their families have also been contacted, and the compensation promised to them has been arranged."

Riven’s smile faded.

"Thank you."

"They deserved to be remembered."

Riven looked down at the stone beneath his feet.

"Yes. They did."

The Duke rested a hand on his shoulder.

"Do not mistake survival for betrayal, young man. You honored them by continuing forward."

Riven’s throat tightened.

He wanted to believe that.

Some days, he almost did.

Other days, he could still hear Fen shouting at him to get out of the way, and he wondered whether surviving had been worth the cost.

He forced himself to look up.

"I’ll try to remember that."

The Duke nodded.

Then he stepped aside.

"The carriage is ready."

Riven turned toward Caelia.

She stood beneath the archway, her hands clasped in front of her.

For a moment, neither of them moved.

Then Riven gave her a small, genuine smile.

"Drink some tea for me."

Caelia stared at him.

"That’s what you choose to say?"

"It’s an important responsibility."

She laughed through her tears.

"You’re impossible."

"I’ve been told."

Riven whistled softly.

Nyx sprang from the stone pillar, landed beside him, and pressed her dark-scaled head against his hip. He rested a hand against her neck before turning toward the carriage.

He had his sword.

He had his transit pass.

He had Nyx.

And he had a promise to keep.

That would have to be enough.

Riven climbed into the carriage and settled against the seat as the guards secured the doors.

The wheels began to turn.

Through the window, he watched the estate slowly recede into the distance. Caelia remained beneath the archway until the courtyard disappeared from view.

Riven leaned back and closed his eyes.

The road ahead climbed toward the Ashen Ridge, winding between towering cliffs and snow covered peaks. Beyond those mountains lay the Human Empire, the royal court, and the life he had left behind.

The shadows had changed him.

The abyss had tested him.

His friends had taught him what it meant to trust others, and their deaths had left wounds no healing salve could touch.

He was no longer the boy who had crawled out of the abyss.

He was stronger.

More skilled.

More dangerous.

But there was one thing he still had to learn.

How to live with the people he could not save.

Riven opened his eyes and looked toward the distant mountains.

"All right," he murmured.

Nyx lifted her head.

"Let’s go home."

The carriage continued toward the border, carrying him back toward the life he had promised himself he would reclaim.