Chapter 78: Ink

Chapter 78: Chapter 78: Ink

"Youth is not a time of life; it is a state of mind... but sometimes it is simply waiting for the exact moment the world is ready for you to change it." — Adapted from Samuel Ullman

The cool evening air of the upper spires drifted through the open stone archways of the palace corridor, carrying the faint, sweet scent of night blooming star lilies.

Riven walked in silence.

His footsteps were completely muted against the obsidian tiles.

Only an hour ago, Queen Aeloria had summoned him to her private study.

There had been no threats.

No political posturing.

No mention of the bruised egos of the high nobility.

Instead, the Queen had slid a heavy parchment across her weirwood desk.

Its edges were lined with silver.

A molten gold seal bearing the royal crest held it closed.

The document established a royal commission for Riven’s adventuring, complete with bounties, legal protection, and access to resources normally reserved for the crown’s most trusted soldiers.

It also included something he had not expected.

An institutional sponsorship for Estar Academy.

Riven was still turning the implications over in his mind.

For a boy raised in the blood soaked trenches of the mines, systems had never meant freedom.

They meant cages with prettier bars.

But this was different.

The decree offered clear objectives.

Legal immunity.

Access to high tier mana forges.

Restricted resources.

And scaled rewards for eliminating the remaining syndicate cells threatening the capital.

It spoke a language Riven understood.

Strength.

Freedom.

Results.

"Riven."

The breathless voice echoed down the corridor.

Riven stopped.

Before he could turn around, a blur of silver blonde hair and royal silk rounded the corner.

Lyra practically skidded to a halt in front of him.

Her chest rose and fell as she caught her breath, her violet eyes wide with a mixture of anxiety and relief.

"You saw her," Lyra blurted out.

Her hands immediately found his forearms.

"Mother called you in. You saw the parchment."

Riven looked down at her.

His unmasked face softened slightly.

"I saw it."

His voice was calm.

"An institutional sponsorship. A bounty board disguised as academic oversight."

Lyra let out a breathless laugh.

"She told you, then."

Her fingers tightened around his sleeves.

"But did you read the fine print?"

Riven reached inside his coat and pulled out the folded parchment.

"I focused on the jurisdiction and threat clauses."

Lyra stared at him.

"Of course you did."

She took the parchment from his hand and unfolded the lower portion.

Her slender finger stopped beneath a section written in bold elven runes.

"Here."

Riven leaned closer.

Lyra read it aloud.

"Subject to mandatory baseline maturity thresholds. Academic enrollment and campus residence at Estar Academy are restricted to candidates aged fifteen and older."

She looked up at him.

Riven stared at the parchment.

Then at Lyra.

Two years.

That was all.

Two years before the academy would open its doors to them.

Two years of field operations.

Two years of monster hunts.

Two years of dismantling the syndicate’s remaining roots.

Two years to strengthen his core and sharpen his skills.

Two years to bridge the gap between the boy who had crawled out of the badlands and the student who would eventually walk into one of the most prestigious academies in the world.

Riven slowly folded the parchment.

"Two years."

His gravelly voice was quiet.

Lyra’s expression became uncertain.

"I know that sounds like a long time."

She looked down for a moment.

"When Mother told me about the age requirement, I was afraid."

Riven remained silent.

"I was afraid you’d see it as a reason to leave."

Her fingers nervously brushed against his sleeve.

"You’re used to moving constantly. One contract after another. One fight after another. You’ve spent most of your life surviving."

She looked up at him.

"When I asked Mother to find a way to keep you here, I was scared you’d think this was just another cage."

Riven studied her face.

For several seconds, he said nothing.

Then he stepped closer.

Lyra’s breath caught.

Riven gently placed a gloved hand against her cheek.

His thumb brushed away the last trace of worry from beneath her eye.

"It’s not a cage."

Lyra stared at him.

Riven’s dark eyes remained steady.

"It’s a countdown."

Her expression softened.

"And unlike the ones in the badlands..."

His voice became quieter.

"This is one I intend to finish."

Lyra smiled.

It started small.

Then it grew into something bright enough to completely change her expression.

"So you’re staying?"

"For now."

She narrowed her eyes.

"For now?"

Riven gave her a faint smirk.

"You’ll have to keep me interested for the next two years."

Lyra stared at him in disbelief.

Then she laughed.

"You are impossible."

"I’ve been told."

She stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him.

Riven stiffened for half a second.

Then relaxed.

His arms settled around her in return.

Lyra rested her head against his chest.

For once, neither of them said anything.

There was no need.

The future suddenly felt much closer.

Two years.

They could survive two years.

Riven looked toward the open archway.

Beyond the palace, the capital glittered beneath the evening sky.

Somewhere beyond those walls were monsters.

Syndicates.

Enemies.

Stronger opponents.

More battles.

And eventually, Estar Academy.

He had spent his entire life running toward the next day.

Now, for the first time, he had something waiting for him at the end of the road.

A place.

A challenge.

And people he had chosen to protect.

High above them, half concealed by the shadows of a vaulted stone archway, Queen Aeloria watched from a balcony.

A slow smile touched the corners of her lips.

She had worried that Riven would reject the offer.

Instead, he had accepted the future she had placed in front of him.

The stray wolf had found a pack.

Perhaps he had not realized it yet.

But he was already becoming part of it.

Aeloria folded her hands behind her back and looked toward the distant lights of the capital.

The board was set.

The pieces were moving.

And when those two years were finally over, Estar Academy would receive something far more dangerous than an ordinary student.

It would receive Riven.