With a serene grace that belied the tension in the room, Think squared off against the hooded figure. She folded her hands in her lap, her emerald eyes piercing the shadows that still clung to him. "Now, as for the game—as you mentioned chips, I suppose you have in mind a card game?"
"No, speed chess," Riku replied, his voice calm, almost nonchalant. "That should make it easy for both of us to see that there is no cheating, yes?"
Think's gaze shifted to the ornate chessboard that sat on the large table between them. Her expression remained unreadable, but Riku could almost hear the gears turning in her ancient mind, calculating, analyzing.
"—Very well, then let us begin."
"All right, but first…" Riku's tone shifted, a subtle mockery entering his voice. "…would you mind terribly putting that piece back? White makes the opening move. My apologies."
Think paused, her fingers hovering over a piece she had subtly shifted. "Oh, excuse me. I am afraid I am not very well-versed in the game." Her voice was smooth, putting on airs, but Riku caught the ever-so-slight warping of her expression, the fleeting flicker of annoyance that she had been caught. Her ruse, probably covered with the full might of an octa-cast spell, had been seen through effortlessly. The Elf wondered if testing her enigmatic guest was too risky. She returned her piece to the board, undoubtedly intending—
"Then, as for my chip… The conceptual originator of Áka Si Anse is actually—"
"—Not you. I have that information."
Think visibly blanched. Riku's counter, spoken even before she could complete her intended bluff, struck her with the force of a physical blow. The Elf cursed inwardly. Her opponent's next statement twisted the knife further.
"As well as the information that that's a lie, and that you'd use magic to convince me of it."
It was almost too easy for Riku, a wave of boredom washing over him. He had anticipated her every move, her every attempted deception.
"Now, will that satisfy your prodding as to whether lies will work on me? Can we begin the game?" Riku's voice was light, merrily taunting her. He could see her thoughts clearly, wholly without need of magic. Her expression broadcast one simple question: Who in blazes is this fellow?
Riku smirked. As long as he knew her race, there was nothing to it. He was human. He couldn't detect magic. He'd been unable to sense that the piece had been moved. But he could predict what the sharpest wit and finest mage in a generation of Elves would do when presented with a prearranged chessboard by a stranger. So, he'd refrained from mentioning which piece had been tampered with and had disinclined her from using a spell to make him believe her. He had her exactly where he wanted her.
'To think your response didn't change despite the story being changed so much,' Riku thought, a wider grin spreading across his hidden face. 'Are you really the finest of the elves?'
Think Nirvalen stared at the hooded figure, her emerald eyes unwavering. She couldn't detect a hint of magic, no disguise, nothing that would reveal his true nature. Nor could she tell if he was lying – that required a level of magical penetration even she, an octa-caster unparalleled in the present and legendary by the measure of the past, couldn't pierce. With such might at his disposal, she would be helpless to resist her guest in any case. He'd even seized the upper hand in their psychological battle, allowing her a glimpse of information she couldn't ignore. That he was neither enemy nor friend... She had no choice but to trust those words and try to extract his information. Just as the ghost had said, she could verify it after the fact herself.
But having collected her thoughts to this point, her visitor spoke again.
"You can decide for yourself the information you wish to wager. Should it be deemed that said information holds no value, though, an alternate demand may be made. How is that?"
She found herself at risk of being forced to disclose secrets that were far too compromising. The ghost's tone gave the impression he'd been waiting for her to catch up, and the Elf clucked softly in frustration.
—she found herself at risk of being forced to disclose secrets that were too compromising. The ghost's tone gave the impression he'd been waiting for her to catch up, and the Elf clucked.
Riku didn't thought that dealing with her would be that easy.
However, it doesn't mean that he was weak before(in original story). At that time, riku had inhaled black ash and was in pain. He was in constant fear of being killed. Other than this, he had never met think nirvalen and he didn't know exactly what she'll do so he wasn't able to focus in the chess match.
One thing is sure, and that is, riku was way beyond her level to begin with.
"In other words—if I demand your identity…" Think began, her voice cool and measured.
"Then I shall demand that you wager information that is exceedingly inconvenient for you," Riku cut in smoothly, his voice firm and unwavering, leaving no room for negotiation.
Before she could form a response, Riku continued, seizing the initiative. "I shall wager the reason Dwarf learned of Áka Si Anse and yet decided that it was of no consequence."
"They—what?!" Think's composure shattered once more. Áka Si Anse, the ultimate magical rite, classified as inconsequential? The very notion was ludicrous, impossible. There were only three conceivable things that could mean: they had underestimated it; they had a means to defend against it; or, of all things—
"—Yes, of all things." Riku's voice, a soft whisper, seemed to echo her unspoken thought, as if he had plucked it directly from her mind. He was reading her, deepening the illusion of his omniscience.
After waiting for the Elf called Nina to reach that point—Riku said it. He was reading her mind—that was the illusion he meant to deepen. So she responded again:
"...I demand your information about that," Think said, her voice now tight with a desperate urgency she couldn't hide. "Which you say you know. If it's true those grubby moles have built something beyond it, I will sacrifice my life to obtain your information."
The game was no longer about proving his power. It was about controlling the flow of information, bending the will of this elf to his purpose. And Riku, the man who knew too much, held all the winning cards.