After the Throne Hall
The heavy doors of the throne hall slammed shut behind Riven , and for a moment the hallway felt suffocatingly quiet.
Then—
"WHAT was that?"
Kara's voice exploded first.
The warrior practically stormed toward Riven, her eyes wide with fury.
"You threatened to kill nobles in front of the king—openly! Do you realize how insane that sounded?"
Beside her, Princess Lyria wasn't angry.
She was terrified.
Her hands were trembling slightly as she stepped closer.
"Riven… they tried to kill you." Her voice cracked. "And you spoke as if you're used to this. As if it's normal."
Riven tilted her head, calm. "It is normal for me ."
Lyria flinched at the answer.
Kara growled under her breath, "If I find the bastard who did this, I'll break every bone—"
"Kara." Riven 's voice cut through her anger like steel. "Leave it for now ."
But Kara didn't leave it—she stared, jaw clenched, as if ready to tear someone apart.
Lyria stepped closer, almost hesitantly, and spoke in a softer voice.
"Riven … I will protect you. let me protect you."
Riven blinked slowly.
Then she smiled—small, polite, and painfully fake.
"You don't need to protect me, Your Highness," she said gently. "But… thank you."
Lyria's heart twisted.
Something about that smile felt wrong—Riven was comforting her, not herself.
Riven glanced at the entrance.
"It seems training is canceled for today," she said with a faint shrug. "Rest well, Princess."
And she turned to leave.
Lyria watched her walk away—
a dark silhouette moving down the corridor, unbothered, unreadable, unknowable.
And deep inside— Riven already knew. This was not the last attempt.
⸻
In a hidden cellar beneath a noble estate, Cassian paced with trembling hands while Renwick and Dorian stared, pale and sweating.
"That girl—she toyed with the attackers," Cassian whispered. "She moved like she knew every motion before it happened."
Renwick cursed. "We underestimated her. Again."
Dorian's voice shook, "So… what now?"
Cassian looked up, eyes dark with fear and spite.
"We try again."
"This time," he continued,
"outside the palace… where no one can protect her."
⸻
Two Days Later
The evening sun bled across the rooftops as Riven walked toward her mentor's house, hands in her pockets, expression relaxed.
Morrivayne's voice drifted into her mind.
"They are here."
"I know," Riven answered silently.
She had sensed it long before.
Five heartbeats. Three breaths held . Two shadows too still .
The assassins didn't appear human this time.
Cassian had grown desperate.
Something thick and metallic tainted the air—a spell, unfamiliar and dangerous.
A circle snapped to life beneath Riven's feet, glowing crimson.
A binding spell.
Illegal.
Ancient.
Her muscles jerked violently as invisible chains wrapped around her ribs and throat, trying to crush her lungs.
A voice echoed from the darkness:
"Hold her! Don't let her move!"
Three cloaked men stepped forward carrying long iron rods etched with runes—soul-piercing spears, weapons meant not to kill the body…
but to destroy the spirit.
More fatal than any blade.
The rods hummed as they pointed them at her chest—
if they struck, her soul would splinter into fragments.
For a normal person, it would be impossible to survive.
But Riven—
Her eyes narrowed.
Her pulse slowed .
She whispered:
"…pathetic ."
The chains cracked.
The spell buckled .
And in one violent pulse of golden power—
Riven shattered the entire binding circle.
The explosion flung two assassins into a stone wall.
The third managed to lunge forward—
—but Riven caught the soul-spear with her bare hand.
It burned through her skin.
Steam rose from her palm.
But she didn't flinch.
She twisted, broke the spear, grabbed the man by his throat, and slammed him into the ground so hard the stone fractured with his skull.
The last assassin tried to crawl away.
Riven grabbed him by the collar…and dragged him back effortlessly.
⸻
The man trembled violently as she lifted him to eye level.
Her voice dropped to a calm, terrifying whisper.
"Who sent you?"
He clamped his jaw shut.
Riven tilted her head. Her eyes darkened.
"Do you truly want to die for nobles who don't even remember your name? Who won't care if you vanish tonight?"
The man's breath shook.
She leaned closer. "Speak … and i will let you walk away."
He hesitated. Then— He broke .
He told her everything.
Every secret. Every name. Every detail.
When he finished, his face was drenched in sweat.
He exhaled shakily. "Please… you said you'd let me go."
Riven looked at him. Her expression softened. "Mm… I lied ."
Her hand pierced his chest in one clean motion.
His eyes widened with horror as she pulled out his heart—
still beating—
and crushed it slowly in her fist in front of his eyes.
Blood dripped down her wrist as the body collapsed.
Morrivayne laughed and said, "That was cruel, but beautiful."
Riven walked to her mentor's house as if nothing had happened, wiping her hand on a discarded cloak.
Her mentor flung the door open, breathless.
"Riven ! What was that noise? I heard—"
She froze when she saw the dead bodies behind Riven .
"…what happened?"
Riven shrugged softly. " nothing important just Another assassination attempt."
Her mentor's face turned red with rage.
"THOSE—THOSE BASTARDS! They dare target my student?! I swear I'll—"
"Relax." Riven placed a calm hand on her shoulder. "Everything is under control."
Her mentor stared at her, heart pounding. "Under control? They're trying to kill you !"
Riven's eyes darkened slightly.
"There is a bigger story behind this," she said quietly. "Much bigger."
Her mentor swallowed.
"And you'll tell me everything… later?"
"When the time is right."
And with that—
Riven stepped inside to begin her training,
as if murder and danger were nothing more than a passing inconvenience.
⸻