Chapter 115: Sword Saint

Chapter 115: Chapter 115: Sword Saint

"To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield." — Alfred

The heavy oak door creaked open before Riven could knock a fourth time.

"Enter."

The voice was gravelly and weathered, carrying the authority of someone who had spent a lifetime commanding steel and men.

Riven stepped inside and let the door click shut behind him.

The office smelled of aged parchment, pipe tobacco, and lamp oil. Maps of the eastern provinces covered one wall, while anatomical diagrams of sword forms hung beside shelves packed with old books. A massive oak desk occupied the center of the room, its surface cluttered with scrolls, ink bottles, and a half finished cup of tea.

Behind it sat an elderly man with iron gray hair and a deeply lined face. His sharp eyes settled on Riven the moment he entered.

Master Kaelen.

The Sword Saint.

Kaelen leaned back in his chair, resting his calloused hands on the armrests. He examined the hooded teenager standing before him without any apparent concern for the pressure radiating from Riven’s Tier Five core.

His gaze dropped to the sleek, obsidian creature coiled around Riven’s forearm.

"Not a standard recruit," Kaelen said. "And that little companion of yours isn’t something I see every day."

Nyx lifted her head.

Kaelen regarded her for a moment before looking back at Riven.

".State your business."

Riven pulled back his hood.

"I’m looking for Elara."

Kaelen’s eyebrows rose slightly.

The name seemed to change something in the old man’s expression. His sharp gaze softened, though not enough to lose its caution.

"Elara," he repeated.

"She went looking for you when you were missing I was in a dungeon with her."

Kaelen shook his head slowly and reached for his teacup.

Riven remained still.

"You’re the first traveler from her past to knock on this door," Kaelen continued. "If she’s tracking me, she hasn’t reached the summit yet."

Riven’s jaw tightened.

It was a small movement, but Kaelen noticed.

"We were separated when we were transported out of the dungeon," Riven explained. "There was a lot of confusion. She disappeared before I could secure her path."

He paused, choosing his next words carefully.

"I thought she would come straight here once she knew you were safe."

"When I heard news you returned I figured she would seek you out."

Kaelen set his cup down.

The old man studied him for a few seconds, his eyes moving from Riven’s face to his posture, then to the way his fingers rested loosely near the hilt of his sword.

A faint smirk appeared.

"Transported out of a dungeon together," Kaelen murmured. "Separated in the chaos, and now you’ve crossed half the empire just to find her."

Riven said nothing.

Kaelen leaned forward.

"Tell me, boy. Exactly what is your relationship with my best student?"

Riven froze.

It was an unpleasant sensation.

He had faced monsters capable of tearing through stone. He had fought opponents whose strength could crush him in a single exchange. He had walked through places where one careless breath could mean death.

Yet a simple question from an old man had managed to catch him completely off guard.

"W we..."

His voice stumbled.

Riven cleared his throat.

"She was my instructor."

Kaelen waited.

"And my comrade," Riven added. "We worked and survived together. That’s all."

"And she saved me."

"Is that so?"

"Yes."

The answer came a little too quickly.

Kaelen’s smirk widened.

"Just comrades?"

Riven looked toward the bookshelf behind the desk.

There were several thick volumes on sword theory, a collection of old maps, and a small wooden carving of a horse. All of them were suddenly far more interesting than the elderly man sitting in front of him.

"We’re friends," Riven said. "Former comrades. Nothing more."

Kaelen chuckled.

It was a deep, rumbling sound that echoed through the office.

"Right. Naturally."

Riven exhaled through his nose.

He had a feeling this conversation was not going to improve.

Still, Kaelen’s teasing was preferable to the alternative. The old man had not dismissed him, nor had he questioned how Riven was capable of surviving the journey. He seemed more interested in understanding why a teenager with such a powerful core had come searching for his former student.

Riven could work with that.

"If she hasn’t arrived, she will eventually," he said, returning his attention to the matter at hand. "I’ll stay here and wait."

Kaelen raised an eyebrow.

"Stay here?"

"Yes."

"Mistveil Isle isn’t an inn for traveling teenagers."

"I noticed."

"And the training yards aren’t a place where you can sit around doing nothing while you wait for someone."

Riven gave a small nod.

"Then I’ll find something to do."

Kaelen rested his chin against one hand.

"The knight cadets are always in need of a harsh reality check. Our training program is grueling, and the instructors have little patience for outsiders."

"That sounds manageable."

"Does it?"

Riven glanced toward the window. The training yards were visible beyond it, filled with recruits repeating drills beneath the watchful eyes of their instructors.

"I’ve had worse mornings."

Kaelen’s expression became more interested.

"Have you?"

"Several."

The old man watched him for another moment before giving a short laugh.

"You’re either very confident or very foolish."

"I’ve been told both."

"Good. At least you’re aware of it."

Kaelen pulled a blank ledger toward himself and opened it. He dipped a pen into the ink bottle, then glanced at Riven.

"If you intend to stay, you’ll need permission. You’ll be assigned a place to sleep, meals, and a schedule. In return, you’ll participate in the academy’s training."

Riven nodded.

"Acceptable."

"You’ll follow the instructors’ orders."

"Within reason."

Kaelen’s pen stopped.

Riven met his gaze.

A brief silence settled between them.

Then Kaelen laughed again.

"Within reason," he repeated. "You have a talent for making simple arrangements difficult."

"I’m trying to be honest."

"Then here’s some honesty in return. You may be strong, but strength alone won’t impress me. I’ve seen plenty of talented young men arrive here believing they were already finished products. Most of them learned otherwise before the week was over."

"I’m not here to impress you."

"Good. That saves us both some trouble."

Kaelen began writing in the ledger.

"Morning drills begin at dawn. You’ll report to the eastern yard. If you’re late, you’ll run the perimeter until the instructor gets tired of watching you."

Riven glanced at Nyx.

"She doesn’t run."

"Then she can watch."

Nyx’s violet eyes narrowed slightly.

Riven rubbed a thumb against her head.

"Don’t take it personally."

Kaelen finished writing and closed the ledger.

"Your name?"

"Riven."

"Just Riven?"

"All I was given."

The Sword Saint studied him, but did not press the matter.

"Very well. Riven. You’ll begin with the basic recruits tomorrow."

Riven’s gaze shifted toward the training yard.

"Basic recruits?"

"You heard me."

"I thought you said strength alone wouldn’t impress you."

"It won’t. And neither will a teenager who assumes he’s above the basics."

Riven considered arguing.

He decided it was probably not worth the effort.

"Fine."

Kaelen pointed his pen toward the door.

"You can collect your bedding from the quartermaster. He’ll show you where you’re staying. Keep that creature out of the kitchens, and don’t start any fights with the cadets."

"I’ll try."

"Try harder than that."

Riven gave him a small, almost imperceptible smile.

"I’ll do my best."

He turned toward the door, but paused with his hand on the latch.

"Master Kaelen."

The old man looked up.

"If Elara arrives, please tell her I’m here."

Kaelen’s expression settled into something more serious.

"I will."

Riven nodded.

"And if you hear anything about where she might be, I’d appreciate it."

"I’ll keep my ears open."

"Thank you."

He opened the door and stepped into the corridor.

The sound of the training yards drifted through the open windows. Cadets were still practicing beneath the fading light, their wooden blades striking in steady rhythm.

Riven stood for a moment, looking out at them.

Elara had not arrived.

That was disappointing, but not unexpected. She had been separated from him in the dungeon’s collapse. The continent was vast, and there were plenty of ways for someone to lose their trail.

At least he had found Kaelen.

That gave him a place to stay, a way to keep searching, and something useful to do while he waited.

Riven glanced down at Nyx.

"Looks like we’re joining a camp."

Nyx shifted around his wrist.

"Don’t look so excited. It’s only training."

She blinked at him.

He turned toward the quartermaster’s office.

Tomorrow, he would be surrounded by young knights who had spent years preparing for the battlefield. They would probably assume he was another wandering teenager who had mistaken the camp for a place to prove himself.

That was fine.

Riven had no intention of explaining his past to them.

He would train, keep his eyes open, and wait for Elara.

And if the instructors wanted to put him through hell, they could get in line.