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Lex was a child never meant to be born.
All of his family's love, all of their care, always belonged to Riven.
"My family… don't let Riven get sick… don't let Riven go hungry… let Riven wake up…"
Lex was like a piece of furniture in the house — he existed, but no one noticed him.
Days and months passed; the quiet sorrow inside him slowly turned into anger.
One night — without anyone noticing — he opened the door and left.
He didn't know where he was going; he only wanted to be far away.
Amid cold stones and empty streets, he carried something missing in his chest — an invisible wound.
A dark corner, trembling breaths, footprints fading in the frost…
There, a man in a black cloak appeared. A crooked smile stretched across his face; his eyes, however, truly saw Lex.
"You… have been abandoned," said the man, his voice a whisper merging with the night.
"I can be your real family. I can give you power."
Lex hesitated — then thought: "My family never saw me… but he said my name."
That simple word awakened something inside him — something long lost.
And from that day on, Lex was raised by darkness.
He was trained; taught pain, shaped by hatred.
Only one purpose was born within him: to surpass Riven.
Years later, unrest stirred again in the village.
Darel approached with heavy steps, the worry on his face seeping into the air itself.
His eyes fixed on the door as his voice lowered.
"Riven, we need to go to the village."
Riven straightened slowly. He looked tired, yet resolute — still the family's "golden son."
Lex leaned forward from the shadows, like a fragile hope barely clinging on.
"Brother… can I come too?"
Riven turned his head toward him.
That look — cold, measured — extinguished the fragile spark within Lex.
After a long silence, Riven gave a short, clipped answer:
"…Fine."
Elya stood in the corner, her worry etched across her face, hands clasped tightly together.
Her gaze lingered on Lex; she could feel something dangerous changing within him.
Darel stepped forward, as if to shield them, but could only do so much — the shadow of the past weighed on them all.
A faint smile curled on Lex's lips — but it wasn't warmth or joy.
It was cold, calculated.
"I'll kill you, Riven," he said; his words hung in the air like a dark proclamation.
The night wind paused.
Even the trees seemed to fall silent as Lex's voice echoed — a low hum beneath the village walls.
Riven's "fine" — was it acceptance, or mockery? No one could tell.
Elya's eyes welled up; Darel's gaze froze, as if standing on the edge of a decision.
The emptiness inside Lex was no longer quiet — it pulsed with power, resolve, and vengeance.
He had been raised by darkness; now, it was time to see how that darkness would take shape in the real world.
Did he truly wish to stand beside Riven… or to surpass him — to destroy him?
That question would draw the line between brotherhood and betrayal.
And so, beneath the cold stones of the village, another night began —
one shadowed by old ties, secret plans, and a child's desperate need to prove himself.
Lex's steps were cold and steady; Riven's eyes searched for a light that no longer existed.
Nothing would ever be the same again.
…
For a brief moment, Corven's eyes gleamed red — a flicker like the call of blood, cold and insatiable.
Inside him, the hunger that had grown over the years surfaced at last.
Yet his voice, when he spoke, was calm — almost polite.
"Master…" Corven said slowly. "I don't trust Lex. It feels like… one day, he'll kill you."
Lex kept that icy smile and locked eyes with Corven.
For a moment, the two measured each other in silence.
Riven intervened — quiet, yet commanding.
"Corven — watch him. Don't leave his side."
Corven bowed, obedient as a soldier ready to follow orders.
"As you command."
He took his place beside Lex, using silence as his shield — his shadow blending with Lex's own.
Inside, Riven was filled with a storm of stillness.
Outwardly calm, yet something fractured within his thoughts.
"Is this what family means?" he wondered, feeling the hollow between his lips.
"I can barely remember my parents' faces… Am I losing my emotions?"
That question clashed against his protective instinct — he couldn't tell if what he felt toward Lex was mercy… or threat.
Elya watched from afar, her hands trembling.
Darel's face showed determination shadowed by unease.
The night pressing down on the village grew heavier around them.
Each of them had begun to play their role:
Corven, the watcher.
Lex, the shadow.
Riven, the protector — and the guardian of his own emptiness.
And the night crept toward its first trial —
of loyalty, of blood, and of the thin line between love and ruin.
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