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.
"There's no need to do that," Riku said, his voice calm, cutting through the tension of Think's desperate plea. "My plan has changed. I won't be playing any game with you, and there will be no information exchange either."
The words landed like a physical blow. Think Nirvalen visibly flinched, her emerald eyes widening in disbelief. After all this, after the revelations and the intricate psychological dance, he was just… stopping? The sheer audacity of it, the abrupt reversal, hit her like a punch in the gut.
"Why?" Her voice was a strained whisper, a raw question stripped of its usual composure.
Riku leaned forward, his gaze locking onto hers, intense and unblinking. "You won't believe me, but I'll say it anyway." His voice dropped, imbued with a soft, almost reverent quality. "I've never seen you before tonight, and yet, after seeing you, there's only one word that comes to mind: beautiful."
Think's expression remained frozen, a mask of bewilderment.
"I fell in love with you the moment I saw you," Riku continued, his voice a silken promise, unwavering in its declaration. "This whole mind game, everything leading up to this moment, was simply to prove to you that I'm worth having."
A flicker of understanding, slow and dawning, began to cross Think's face. Her eyes narrowed, not in anger, but in a dawning comprehension of his audacious, impossible intent.
With a fluid, unhurried motion, Riku reached up and untied the fastenings of his hood, letting it fall away to reveal his face. His handsome features, chiseled and strong, were now fully illuminated by the ambient light of the room.
He then rose and, instead of returning to his chair, knelt gracefully before her.
"I am deeply, irrevocably in love with you, Think Nirvalen," Riku confessed, his voice ringing with a conviction that brooked no doubt. "I know this is wrong. I know it's unexpected, perhaps even unthinkable for you. But if you accept this… if you accept me… then I will give you all the information you desire. Every single secret, every hidden truth, without a single mind game, without any further conditions."
From a hidden pocket, Riku produced a small, exquisitely crafted ring. It was fashioned from glowing golden metal, with a single, perfectly cut red gem embedded at its heart, radiating a deep, mesmerizing warmth. He held it out to her, his hand steady, his gaze unwavering, pouring every ounce of his will and his impossible desire into the gesture.
"Will you accept my love, Think Nirvalen?" he asked, the question hanging in the air, weighted with the fate of his desperate, audacious gamble.
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I know what your question will be, "there's no way riku will for anyone, let alone her."
You're right.