The sleek limousine slowly came to a stop beside the curve. The driver's door silently clicked open, and a delicate foot, pale and tiny, wrapped in the rubber bands of her heels, landed softly on the pavement.
Standing in the early autumn, her silver hair fluttered gently in the wind. Her hands rose, pushing a strand behind her ear–that was much shorter due to her disguise–as she scanned the surroundings.
Walking to the back of the limo, she slowly opened the door until it was horizontal to the car.
Riven stepped out first, his black hair shimmering in the sunlight. His blazer hung across his shoulders, untouched by his arms, the look more red-carpet than boardroom — the white shirt beneath crisp and deliberate.
A smirk–cold yet filled with unending confidence–complemented his sharp features.
Turning back, he held out his hand, helping Sera out of the vehicle. Sera's lightly curled platinum blonde hair flowed down her back like a waterfall—a Green formal dress, matching her eyes, wrapped around her figure.
"The entrance is right there," he said, looking in its direction before turning to Sylvia. "We'll be fine from here. Remain with the car, we'll all be leaving in the limo after. Dutch will come get the other car later when the girls get here."
"As you wish, my lord." Sylvia bowed before getting back in the limo and driving it away.
"Well, Miss Halvenne, shall we get going?" Riven asked, holding out his arm for her.
"Yes, we should, Mr. Damocles," Sera said, grabbing hold of his arm.
The walk to the gate wouldn't take long, merely a short five minutes. Much better than the ten-minute walk it would be from the parking lot. Could they have parked at the gate? Sure, but not only was it against the school's rules, you would also offend the Damocles family, who don't park at the gate themselves.
Back when the Redhaven was being built, members of the family, learning from the early twentieth century, decided to have the parking lot outside of the school, so students would have to walk and get some physical activity. Though, of course, students were allowed to be dropped off five minutes away.
Paired with a stadium-sized parking lot, as well as a school comparable to a large mansion, they needed a way to ensure the rule couldn't be bypassed by just jumping over the wall. The brick wall was made larger, thicker, and wrapped around the entire school.
This eight-foot wall often accompanied Riven and Sera during their walk. The simple sight of it brought back dreams now forsaken.
"When we were still in school, I would always dream of this walk."
"This walk?" he asked, puzzled.
Sera nods, "But not exactly. I dreamed of the day we would walk through here, our faces edged with the struggles of adulthood, but with smiles full of happiness and love as we chatted with the proof of our love."
"Yeah, that would've been nice… But maybe such a life was never in the cards for us." he looked a wistful yearning in his gaze.
"Maybe, but I wish some things from that dream were a reality."
He looked at her, "Only you can turn your dreams into reality."
"Yeah, well…" For a moment, her lips parted like she might say something else. Instead, she looked ahead. "This one would need more than my cooperation."
"Well, there's no road I wouldn't be willing to drive… no path I wouldn't walk…If you asked," he answered with a cheeky smile.
Silence followed, but it wasn't heavy—just lingering. The air carried the faint rustle of early autumn leaves, brushing across the sidewalk. Above, the sky was crisp, the sun cutting through with a pale warmth that clung to the wall beside them.
Their feet carried them forward, the sweet melody of nostalgia—sweet yet somber—playing in their footsteps. Before long, they walked underneath the gate cresting.
Etched into the wrought iron arch of the gate, the school's emblem loomed: a sword suspended by a thread from the talon of a raven. The blade spoke of the Damocles legacy, while the raven's watchful eye symbolized knowledge.
The two walked side by side, another conversation starting naturally between them. Though not for long, as a voice cut in just as their feet entered the plaza. "Well, isn't this a sight for sore eyes, if it isn't the eternal runner-up herself, Seraphine Halvenne. Still walking the halls in someone else's shadow, I see "
"Yeah, it is, I have to see you, Serena Blandover." Sera countered, folding her arms over her chest.
"It's Vancouver, but I guess it's hard for your unpolished tongue." Serena returned, flicking her blond hair over her shoulder.
"Yeah, but I guess that's how it is when you come from a family with real power, and not you prime and proper wannabes."
"Like you can talk, last I heard you got kicked to the curb by your family."
A playful smile danced across Sera's lips as she shot back with a sharp retort. "And yet… Tell me, which family could compare to the one standing beside me?"
Serena's lips curved in a tight smile. "Funny, Seraphina. But you should know better than anyone—proximity to greatness doesn't make you great."
Sera's eyes glimmered with restrained fire. "Then I suppose you'll never know, Serena." She shifted slightly, her shoulder brushing Riven's arm, subtle but deliberate.
Riven sighed. He knew exactly where this was going. First, they would start with social standing, dragging him in; next, intelligence, once again pulling him in; and then finally, appearance.
Or at least that's what he expected…
"Oh, Riven, I'd like to apologize," Serena said, bowing a full ninety degrees, her blonde hair hiding any visible emotions.
To say this was shocking was an understatement. Riven, even with all his divine knowledge and wisdom, this was the last thing he expected, out of billions of possibilities.
It surprised him so much that, if not for Sera nudging him, he would've let Serena continue to bow. "Serena, please stand up. It's water under the bridge."
"No, it's not that simple." She shook her head vigorously. " I was immature and too easily swayed by those around. I should've taken the chance to get to know you from the get-go and not when your name was cleared in our final year."
"Like I said, it's–"
"Sorry, Riven, but I have to agree with her," Sera said, cutting him off.
"Ok fine," he raises his hands in mock surrender. "How do you wish to atone?"
"I don't know," she said, shaking her head.
Riven let out a deep sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose as waves of frustration washed over him. "Sera's setting up a business; find some way to help her."
"Okay,"
"Good, now raise your head." Serena lifted her head, moving her displaced hair out of the way. "See, much better. A face like yours was never meant for shadows."
A nostalgic look flickered across her face at his compliment, but all she could offer in response was a fleeting smile. "There it is, flirty and sincere yet never carrying the same flair held for her." Her expression became a bit downcast as she whispered, "I've really lost to you this time, Sera."
"Maybe not, but I guess you already moved on." Sera cast a quick glance past Serena's shoulder, her eyes landing on a young girl who bore an uncanny resemblance to her. It was as if she were looking into the past, stirring a mix of nostalgia.
The girl walked over before speaking. "Hey, Mom, who are you talking to?"
"Oh. Sweetheart, let me introduce. These two are my friends from school. The gentleman with red eyes is Riven Damocles." She said, placing her hand on the girl's shoulder.
"Hey, there." He waved.
"And this lady is my archenemy and Rival, Seraphina Halvenne." Leaning over, Serena added, whispering in her daughter's ear. "Don't tell her all the good things I've said about her."
Sera smiled, "Hello."
"And this is Mina, my pride and joy." A radiant smile blossomed on Serena's face, lighting up her features and showcasing her joy.
Mina gave a small bow before speaking. "Thank you for taking care of my mother. I'm sorry for the trouble she has caused you."
Riven bursts into a fit of laughter, the sound ringing out like joyous bells. "No problem. Most of the problems she caused can be shortened down to the tantrums of a child."
"Hey, what do you mean by that? I never caused problems."
"Oh yeah, what about that one time you dragged Riven into your relationship problems with Michael, which then dragged the whole class in, and no less on a school camping trip," Sera replied with a knowing smile.
"That's not fair if Riven had just done what I asked, the problem would've never escalated that far."
"And he wasn't interested in playing the role of fake boyfriend in your slew of problems." Sera let out an exasperated sigh, shifting her weight to one hip as she rolled her eyes dramatically.
"Yeah, well… it's not like you can talk, Miss take on the whole kindo club."
"If they hadn't…"
While those two argued, Riven continued to talk with Mina. "Let's, let those two continue their squabble while we talk about something else."
"You see, Seraphina and I also have two girls starting school this year. I'm not asking you to befriend them, just look out for them. Those girls are strong-willed like their mother, but their thought process can bit… Y'know off.
Nyra is intelligent and not easily fooled, but sometimes her way of thinking can be too flexible or optimistic, which worries me about how she will handle difficult decisions.
Aria can be a bit rigid in her way of thinking, but she has a one-of-a-kind talent for sports and physical activity. If she can move past her way of thinking she'd be unstoppable in any situation."
Mina nodded. "I understand."
Riven looks over at the two bickering adults, ready to jump at each other's throats. "I don't know if your mother told you, but I've been on a trip for some years and missed a lot of those girls' lives. There's so much I don't know about them, so take my words with a grain of salt and try to get to know them."
"I'll try my best, Mr Damocles." She nodded once more with a bit more vigor.
"No need for the formalities." He said, waving his arm. "Uncle Riven works just fine."
"And Aunt Sera for me." Sera chimes in with a smile on her face from listening to their talk.
"Ok." The young girl nodded slowly.
"Alright, Riven, Sera. Now that you've turned my daughter against me. We'll go ahead and explore the school before we're stuck in our seats for the long speeches."
"Oh, ok. It was nice meeting you, Mina, and I guess it was nice seeing you again, Serena." Sera said, waving at the two as they walked away.
"Yeah, it was nice meeting and seeing you both," Riven added, waving as well.
"Alright, now where are our two freshmen?" Sera questioned, scanning the crowd of people as they walked through the gate for familiar faces.
"Well, aren't we in luck? It seems they just arrived." Riven said, pointing to the girls as they made their way through the crowd.
'Traffic must've been bad. I should speed up production on the extreme gear.' He thought his mind flashed back to the prototypes of a board and bike in the restricted zone of Herta's lab, 'those two would be perfect for them when completed.'
"Sorry, we're late," Nyra said as they arrived in front of them.
"It's fine, you're just on time. But we should head in, if my mom doesn't see me in my seat ahead of time, she'll think I got into some trouble." He replied with a smile.
"Shouldn't we be worried if Grandma Kira has that opinion of you?" Aria questioned, with a raised brow.
"Nope," He said as he led the way.
***
The auditorium spread wide and high, its dark stone walls softened by banners of deep red that hung between tall windows. Light slanted through stained glass, scattering faint autumn hues across the polished floor.
At the center above the stage, the school's crest—a raven holding a sword by a thread–watched over the gathered crowd.
Kira walked to the center of the stage, her brown hair neatly tied into a bun. Grabbing the mic, she began, "Hello everyone, it's good to see you on this wonderful September morning. For those unfamiliar with this school, I am Kira Damocles, the headmaster of Redhaven."
"Today may just be the opening ceremony, but tomorrow your children…" Just gonna skip the rest of this, nothing too exciting, just the usual kid future yad yad stuff.
"Always the long speeches, can't she trim it done a bit?" Riven complained, shifting in his seat as he stifled a yawn.
Sera stifled her laughter, a hand covering her mouth as she observed Riven's restless energy. He fidgeted like an anxious child, every twitch and movement drawing her attention and making it hard to hold back her amusement. "Just bear with it, your mom never liked them either, but formalities are formalities."
"Just a little excitement would make this more bearable," he said, leaning back in his chair while crossing his legs. Long speeches weren't something new to him, but in most cases, when a long speech was being said during a meeting between Paragons, it was always, without fail, interrupted.
Fights, arguments, and just something more important popping up were common sights during those meetings, and added a bit of flair needed for beings at the top of creation to remain interested.
It wasn't that they couldn't stay focused, but talking amongst themselves for one stellar epoch, or 5M yrs, can be a bit boring. Even the last meeting with Origin took one system era, 100 years, and even that was interrupted. It was barely an hour's worth of time to them.
Now, imagine having to use mortal standards of time, planetary time, when a hundred years is barely felt. It sucks even with his powers sealed and having already spent a year on the planet to readjust, a few hours of sitting still made him sleepy.
And if he yawned, his mother would surely notice. Not only did she put him in the front row, but every now and then, she would briefly look directly at him as if to make sure he was paying attention.
Even now, she just glanced at him; the only difference was the small smirk on her face…Wait smirk a weird sense of foreboding entered his chest. That look never meant anything good. The last time she wore it, he ended up searching the whole multiverse for unique cuisines.
He had to fight with every fragment of his being to not disappear on the spot because he knew exactly what was coming, and this time, there was no being wrong.
"As you all know, it's been a long-standing tradition of the Damocles family to have its members have some involvement in nurturing the younger generation beyond their own, and this year, my very own children, World-renowned genius Herta and Riven Damocles, will be teaching classes of their own. When they have time, of course."
'Arghh, I knew it, I should've ran when I had the chance.' He screamed internally. If he left and didn't hear her, he could've friegned ignorance, but because he did, if he didn't show up at least once, he'd be a terrible son.
He had to admit, she got him good, but she made a small error. She didn't say what he had to teach, and what better for the Paragon of Doom to teach than mythology?
Now that was something to look forward to.
—
{Chapter 13 Preview}
Next time on Daily Life of the Strongest…
Riven makes a surprise visit to Herta's lab, his mood less than pleasant.
"Hey, Herta."
"Riven, didn't you say you wouldn't use your powers anymore?" She questioned, looking up from writing on her clipboard.
"Already had to use them earlier, so let's call it a cheat day." His tone darkened, the weight in his voice enough to press the air thin. "Now… tell me about our snake friend you had me kill."
Next Chapter: "Why'd it have to be snakes"