The morning sunlight felt strangely cold now.
Riven stood in the garden with dirt still clinging to his gloves, staring at the unknown number on his phone.
"…Who is this?"
A distorted voice answered almost immediately.
"Good. You picked up."
Riven frowned.
"What do you want?"
A brief silence followed.
Then—
"If you want your father alive…"
Riven's expression froze instantly.
"…What?"
"…come to the abandoned railway station on the outskirts of Velkhar."
The voice remained calm.
Too calm.
Riven's grip tightened around the phone.
"What the hell are you talking about?"
A low chuckle came from the other side.
"You really should learn to control your temper, Riven."
The moment his name was spoken—
A cold sensation ran down his spine.
"Who are you?" he asked sharply.
"That doesn't matter."
Riven stepped forward unconsciously.
"Where's my father?"
Another short silence.
Then—
A muffled sound echoed through the call.
A voice.
Weak.
Familiar.
"…Riv—"
The line crackled violently before cutting the sound off.
Riven's heartbeat stopped for a moment.
"Dad?!"
The distorted voice returned.
"Come alone."
Riven's jaw clenched hard.
"If you touch him—"
"You're in no position to threaten anyone."
The tone sharpened slightly now.
"Listen carefully. If you contact the CSD, the Association, or the Kaelthorns…"
A pause.
"…you'll collect your father's body instead."
Riven's breathing grew uneven.
"Why are you doing this?"
"You ask too many questions."
The voice lowered.
"Three hours."
The call ended.
Silence.
The garden suddenly felt suffocating.
Riven slowly lowered the phone.
His mind raced violently.
No.
No, this didn't make sense.
His father was Deputy Director of the CSD.
Who the hell could kidnap someone like that?
And more importantly—
Why target him?
Riven ran a hand through his hair, trying to think clearly.
Call the CSD?
No.
If the threat was real…
He looked toward the house instinctively.
His mother was inside.
His sister too.
If something happened because of him—
"…Damn it."
He kicked the loose shovel beside him hard enough for it to slam into the fence.
His chest tightened.
Every option felt wrong.
The phone rang again.
Riven instantly picked it up.
"…Dad?!"
"No," Ivan replied.
Riven froze for half a second.
"Oh."
Ivan immediately noticed the tension in his voice.
"…Something happened?"
Riven looked toward the house again.
"…No. Why?"
A lie.
Not clean enough.
But Ivan didn't press immediately.
Instead, his tone turned serious.
"The drug incident from Velkhar reached the main market this morning."
Riven's eyes narrowed.
"…Again?"
"No. Aftermath."
Ivan continued calmly.
"The market district falls under Vaelcrest influence."
The moment he heard that family name—
Riven already felt a headache coming.
"…Let me guess."
Ivan sighed faintly.
"Ardyn wants to pin the incident on you."
Riven blinked.
"…What?"
"He's claiming you were seen near the outbreak before it escalated."
"That's because I WAS there stopping it!"
"I know."
Riven clenched his jaw.
"That idiot seriously—"
"He's angry," Ivan interrupted calmly. "And embarrassed."
Riven scoffed coldly.
"So he's throwing a tantrum."
"In noble families," Ivan said dryly, "they call it politics."
Despite everything—
Riven almost laughed.
Almost.
Ivan's voice became more serious.
"Listen carefully. Until my family and the Vaelcrests present the actual evidence…"
A small pause followed.
"…be careful."
Riven's gaze lowered slightly.
"What kind of careful?"
"Don't move recklessly. Don't attract attention. And definitely don't fight anyone publicly for the next few days."
Riven rubbed his forehead slowly.
"…That sounds annoying."
"That's because it is."
Another pause.
Then Ivan spoke again.
"…You sure nothing happened?"
Riven's fingers tightened around the phone.
For one brief second—
He almost told him.
About the call.
About his father.
About the station.
But then—
The threat replayed inside his head.
You'll collect your father's body instead.
"…Yeah," Riven answered quietly.
Silence lingered for a moment.
Ivan clearly didn't fully believe him.
But eventually he said:
"…Fine."
Then—
"And Riven?"
"Hm?"
"If something feels wrong…"
Ivan's tone lowered slightly.
"…call me first."
The line disconnected.
Riven stood there motionless.
The guilt hit almost instantly.
He had lied.
To Ivan.
To someone who had helped him repeatedly.
But this was different.
This wasn't just him anymore.
This was family.
Inside the house, laughter echoed faintly from the living room.
Normal.
Peaceful.
His mother was probably watching television.
His sister was probably wasting time doing absolutely nothing productive.
And his father—
Riven clenched his fist.
No.
He couldn't sit still.
He entered the house quietly.
His mother looked up immediately.
"You finished the garden already?"
"…Yeah."
She smiled lightly.
"Good. Wash your hands, then help your sister with the groceries."
"I can hear you," his sister shouted from upstairs.
"Then stop pretending you can't," their mother replied instantly.
Riven normally would've laughed.
Today—
He barely reacted.
His mother noticed immediately.
"…Riven?"
"Hm?"
"You look pale."
He forced a small smile.
"Just tired."
"Then rest."
"…Okay."
He turned away before she could look deeper into his face.
Because mothers noticed things.
Too easily.
Inside his room—
Riven shut the door slowly.
The silence felt heavy.
His eyes drifted toward the clock.
Three hours.
His father's position flashed through his mind again.
Deputy Director.
One of the highest-ranking officers in the CSD.
Strong.
Experienced.
Respected.
Yet someone had still managed to take him.
Which meant only one thing—
This wasn't normal.
His breathing slowed gradually.
In.
Out.
In.
Out.
Aether circulated instinctively through his body.
Kethra Vein Art.
Control.
He needed control right now more than ever.
Panic wouldn't save anyone.
Riven opened his drawer slowly and pulled out a black jacket.
Then his eyes landed on the pendant around his neck.
For some reason—
The moment he touched it—
That uneasy feeling deepened.
Like something terrible was waiting for him at that station.
But despite that—
His decision had already been made.
Riven picked up his phone one last time.
Looked at Ivan's contact.
Then slowly locked the screen.
"…Sorry."
And somewhere deep inside—
For the first time since all of this began—
Fear truly settled into his heart.
END