Riven looked up.
"He says Elder Kael wants to see you."
For a brief moment, Riven simply stared at the door.
Then he exhaled quietly.
Of course he knows.
He pushed himself up from the bedroll and stepped toward the door.
"I'm coming."
The evening air felt cool against his skin as he stepped into the courtyard a little later.
A disciple stood waiting just beyond the gate.
Plain robes. Stiff posture.
The boy bowed the moment Riven stepped outside.
"Core Disciple Riven."
It had been a while since someone had called him that.
"I was sent to escort you. Elder Kael is expecting you."
Riven studied him for a moment.
Something about the boy felt familiar.
The narrow shoulders. The careful posture.
Then the memory surfaced.
It was the same disciple, that had been sent to fetch him the first time Kael had summoned him.
He looked a little less nervous now.
But still not confident.
Riven gave a short nod.
"Lead the way."
The boy turned immediately and began walking up the stone path.
Riven followed.
They moved through the sect in silence.
The path gradually began to climb.
Higher.
Deeper into the sect's cliffs.
After a few minutes, the buildings grew quieter. Fewer disciples walked these terraces, and the air itself seemed calmer here, as if the mountain held its breath.
Eventually the boy stopped.
Riven looked up.
They had arrived at a familiar place.
Kael's residence.
The house wasn't large. Or lavish.
It was still simple — a single-tier structure of polished stone and aged darkwood tucked between two bent pines like it had grown there rather than been built.
No banners.
No carved pillars.
Not even a plaque with Kael's name.
But it still felt like an elder's home.
Something about the place carried a quiet weight. The stone path was perfectly swept. The air still. Even the old wood didn't creak in the evening wind.
The boy gave a short nod and stepped aside.
Riven approached the door.
It was already slightly ajar.
He pushed it open and stepped inside.
The room was cool.
Quiet.
And in the center of that silence sat Kael.
He rested on a low cushion beside the open window, mist drifting in slowly from the cliffs outside. The fading light caught half his face.
The wrong half.
The long scar that ran from his temple past his jaw looked just as brutal as Riven remembered.
Kael looked up.
His eyes settled on Riven.
"You're back sooner than expected.
Riven stepped forward and bowed slightly.
"Master."
It felt a bit weird saying it.
But on paper, this untrustworthy-looking man was his master.
Kael studied him for a moment longer before speaking again.
"I was informed that you intended to remain outside the sect until the Verdance auction."
His tone was calm. Neutral.
"But that auction is still roughly three months away."
Silence settled in the room.
Riven didn't answer immediately.
His mind moved quickly.
Originally, he had come back to return Vaern's body. That had seemed like the proper thing to do at the time.
Now it felt like a mistake waiting to happen.
If Kael learned about Vaern…
And asked him about the circumstances...
For a moment, Riven considered simply saying he had changed his mind.
But then something Elder Syen had said before they parted in Verdance surfaced in his memory.
Poison arts.
Riven straightened slightly.
"My strength improved faster than I expected while traveling," he said.
Kael's gaze remained steady.
Riven continued.
"So I felt like I'm ready to learn the sect's poison arts."
A small pause.
"I want to learn them."
Kael's expression didn't change.
But something in his eyes sharpened.
"Improved?" he repeated.
Before Riven could react, a strange pressure settled over him.
It wasn't physical.
Not quite.
The sensation reminded him faintly of when he used soul force—like something brushing against the edges of his existence.
But this was far stronger.
It felt as if Kael's awareness had spread through the entire room and settled directly on him.
Examining.
Measuring.
Riven stayed still.
Then Kael's eyes widened.
For the briefest moment, the calm mask cracked.
"Mid Inner Condensation?"
The words came out quieter than before.
Disbelief crept into his voice.
Kael looked at him again, more carefully this time.
Riven had begun cultivating less than a year ago.
Reaching Mid Inner Condensation that quickly bordered on absurd.
For a brief moment, Kael seemed lost in thought.
Then the expression vanished as quickly as it had appeared.
His face returned to its usual calm.
"So that is what you meant by improvement."
He leaned back slightly.
"In that case you really are qualified to learn the sects arts."
He paused slightly.
"When you're ready, you may visit the Venom Hall."
Then, almost casually, he asked the next question.
It was a completely different topic.
"Did you happen to see Vaern during your travels?"
Riven felt the tension in the room tighten.
Here it comes.
His expression remained neutral.
"No."
Kael watched him quietly.
"Strange," he said after a moment.
"I had asked him to trail you for a time."
Riven blinked.
"Following me?"
The reaction came a fraction slower than true surprise, but close enough.
His brow furrowed slightly as if the idea genuinely confused him.
Kael watched him.
"I had asked him to trail you for a time," the elder repeated calmly. "To ensure you didn't encounter trouble you couldn't handle."
Riven frowned faintly.
His face showed confusion.
Inside, however, the pieces slid neatly into place.
His earlier speculation about Vaern's presence got confirmed.
Riven shook his head slightly.
"I didn't see him."
His tone carried a hint of disbelief now.
"If he was nearby, he hid it well."
Kael's gaze remained fixed on him for a moment longer.
Measuring.
Then the elder leaned back slightly.
"That would have been the point."
A brief pause followed.
"But it is strange."
His fingers tapped once against the table beside him.
"You returned."
His eyes settled back on Riven.
"And he did not."
Silence stretched in the room again.
Riven held Kael's gaze for a moment.
Then he spoke slowly.
"…Senior Brother Vaern is far stronger than me."
"If something happened to him… I doubt I would have even noticed."
Kael didn't respond immediately.
His eyes lingered on Riven's face, searching for something beneath the calm surface.
Riven kept his expression neutral.
Then Kael spoke.
"That's true."
The tension seemed to lift slightly.
Eventually Kael leaned back slightly.
"But let me know if you remember something," he said.
His voice carried no accusation.
Just quiet consideration.
Riven nodded.
"Will do."
Kael watched him for another moment.
Then he gave a faint nod.
"That will be all then. You may return."
Riven excused himself, turned and walked toward the door.
The room remained silent behind him as he stepped back outside.
Only when the door slid shut did the tension fully leave his shoulders.
The cool evening air greeted him as he stepped back outside.
The escorting disciple was gone already.
Of course.
No reason for him to linger now that the task was finished.
Riven walked down the quiet stone path, leaving the elder's residence behind. The higher terraces of the sect remained calm at this hour. A few lanterns flickered along the walkways, their light reflecting softly off polished stone.
That had gone better than expected.
Kael had asked about Vaern.
But he hadn't pushed.
Which meant one thing.
No one should be hunting him for the trial's inheritance for now.
Riven continued walking until the familiar vines and flowers of Jasmine Garden appeared ahead.
The small residence looked the same as before, lantern light spilling faintly through the windows. Brann must still be inside.
Riven stepped through the gate and crossed the courtyard.
Inside, the house was quiet.
Brann glanced up from the small table where he had been cleaning something, but Riven only gave a short nod before continuing toward his room.
There was nothing to discuss right now.
Once inside, Riven sat down on the edge of the bedroll again.
His thoughts drifted briefly back to Kael's words.
Venom Hall.
The sect's poison arts.
He hadn't actually planned to learn them yet.
That excuse had simply been the first thing that came to mind.
Still…
Now that Kael had given him permission, it would be foolish not to take advantage of it.
The poison techniques of the Venomthread Sect were famous for a reason.
And afterward he could leave again, continuing to make money for the upcoming auction.
But there was something else he wanted to do first.
Riven leaned back slightly and exhaled.
During the journey back to the sect, he had spent a great deal of time studying the manual left behind by the Knight's Order girl and her maid.
At first the text had been difficult to understand. Much of it relied on unfamiliar terminology and concepts he had never encountered before.
But over the course of the journey, the pieces had slowly begun to make sense.
Now…
He felt like he finally understood it well enough to try.
Riven's hand rose to the small ring dangling from his sister's necklace.