Riku's face remained utterly expressionless.
There was incandescent rage in his eyes, boring into Nina Clive with an intensity that seemed to defy the very laws of physics. He possessed no discernible aura, no leaking magical energy, yet his glare was a palpable force, pressing down on Nina, chilling her to the bone.
Nina visibly trembled, her breath catching in her throat, but her resolve, fueled by a desperate love for Think, held firm. "I don't care," she choked out, her voice quivering but defiant. "It doesn't matter if I die in the process. It doesn't matter if the elves have to pay because of my recklessness. I won't let you take her away!"
From within the ethereal confines of Braham's Ring, Think Nirvalen's voice resonated in Nina's mind, urgent and clear. "Nina, stop. Let him go."
Nina's eyes flickered, torn between her devotion to Think and her desperate need to protect her. "But Think! He's... he's trapped you! I won't let him—"
"Nina, listen to me!" Think's voice was sharp, a command infused with an authority Nina rarely defied. "I know what he's doing. He won't harm me. He won't."
"How can I trust him?!" Nina retorted, her gaze flitting wildly between the impassive Riku and the unseen presence of Think within the ring. "He just… lied to you and... took you! How can you say he won't harm you after that?!" Tears welled in her eyes, blurring Riku's terrifying stillness. "You're everything to me, Think! I can't just stand by!"
"Nina, please!" Think pleaded, her voice taking on a softer, more persuasive tone, though still laced with urgency. "This isn't what it looks like. Somehow I can understand him. He is not our enemy. He needs our help, and in turn, he will help us. I'm trusting him, and I would not trust anyone if I believed there was any danger to me, or to us."
Her words were believable and warming, but riku concluded that she's taking his side to win his trust. Afterall, it was checkmate for them.
Nina wavered, her shoulders slumping. The conflict raging within her was almost unbearable. Her instincts screamed danger, demanded a fight to the death. But Think's voice, the voice of the one she loved more than anything, was unwavering, calm, even reassuring in its strange certainty. Think had never misled her, never allowed herself to be truly vulnerable.
"But... but what if...?" Nina stammered, her hands slowly dropping from their defensive stance, her body still trembling. The thought of losing Think, truly losing her, was a fear more potent than any threat Riku could pose.
"Nina, look at him!" Think urged, her voice resonating with an almost desperate logic. "You yourself came tell that he's in pain. He won't hurt anyone if he isn't forced to."
The weight of Think's conviction, the sheer force of her persuasion, finally broke through Nina's desperate resistance. She loved Think too much not to obey her, even when it defied every fiber of her being.
"Alright," Nina whispered, her voice barely audible, raw with pain and resignation. She finally stepped aside, leaving the path clear. "Alright, Think. If you say so." She raised her tear-filled eyes to Riku, a silent, profound warning in their depths. "But if you so much as think of harming her... I will find you. And I will make you pay."
Riku merely chuckled, a low, rumbling sound utterly devoid of humor, as if her impassioned words were nothing more than a child's empty bluster. His face remained a canvas of dispassionate calm, reflecting no fear, no concern. It was a chuckle of absolute control, of a game already won.
He turned, his movements unhurried, almost languid, as if the grand mansion were his own, and he merely taking a leisurely stroll through its opulent halls. Each step was deliberate, measured, conveying a profound sense of self-possession. He didn't rush, didn't glance back, his confidence an almost tangible aura. Nina, still trembling and defeated, watched him go, powerless against his unnerving indifference.
A short while later, the rhythmic thud of hoofbeats against soft earth announced his arrival at a secluded copse, far removed from the elven manor. His horse, a sturdy, dark-maned beast, whickered softly as he approached. Riku smoothly unhitched the reins and swung himself into the saddle, the leather creaking under his weight. The moon, now high above, cast long, silvery shadows through the ancient trees as he guided the horse deeper into the whispering forest.
From within Braham's Ring, Think Nirvalen's voice, devoid of its earlier fury and now laced with a cold, analytical curiosity, resonated in his mind. "Are you a 'bald monkey'?"
Riku's lips twitched, a faint, sardonic smile playing on them. "It would be better if you called me a 'human' instead of a 'bald monkey'," he replied, his voice a low murmur against the night. He nudged the horse into a gentle canter. "Though, I didn't know the world had found out about the existence of humans. It's been a long time since we were anything but ghosts."
"Very few," Think corrected, her voice taking on a detached, academic tone, as if lecturing. "Only those with the means to gather information from the deepest, most obscure corners of Disboard. Our understanding is... limited. A race that often stays hidden, possesses a primitive civilization, doesn't attack, and easily becomes prey. That is the sum of our knowledge."
Riku's grip tightened on the reins, a flicker of irritation in his eyes. "Prey, huh?" he mused, the word tasting bitter. "And how and when did you find out I was human?"
"The moment you removed your hood and revealed your face," Think stated, her voice devoid of emotion. "Your facial structure, your skin pigmentation, your cranial development... all aligned with the sparse, fragmented data we possess on your race. Though, I must admit, your physical condition is... exceptionally robust for a human. And your appearance, as you so aptly pointed out, is quite striking." There was a hint of a dry, analytical amusement in her tone now.
"So, my 'confession' was just confirming your suspicions then?" Riku chuckled again, this time with genuine amusement. "A convenient coincidence for you, I suppose."
"Indeed. A confirmation, and a remarkable demonstration of your species' audacity. To attempt such a deception on an Elf of my caliber, with such conviction... it was almost impressive. Almost," she added, the last word carrying a subtle, disdainful edge.
"Almost?" Riku scoffed, guiding his horse through a narrow pass. "I trapped the 'unparalleled octa-caster' with two words and a cheap ring. I'd say that goes beyond 'almost impressive', wouldn't you?"
"You did not 'trap' me," Think retorted, a new sharpness in her voice. "You presented an unconventional wager, which I accepted based on my own calculations. Your... 'confession' was merely a variable I chose to incorporate into my assessment. A fascinating variable, I grant you."
"Fascinating enough to give up your freedom?"
"My freedom is not yours to take, ghost," Think's voice crackled with a cold fury. "This is a temporary inconvenience. Once I extract the information I need, and you fulfill your end of... whatever this is, then you will return me. And then, we will discuss the consequences of your actions."
A knowing smile creeped on his face, 'just how much of a fool you can be?'