Clouds–dark and heavy–stretched far and wide, suffocating the light of day. Torrents of rain poured down onto the school, the sound like a hundred footsteps against the roof.
Within the school's confines, the students sat intently listening to today's lecturer, who was none other than Riven.
A very welcome surprise for everyone present, who had believed the lectures would be more spontaneous. However, this was already the third one this month, and even Aria and Nyra had no clue he would be there today.
Once more, his lecture on mythology, although not particularly useful for most of them, always seemed to have a magical pull that served to keep them all interested.
Even the overhead LEDs, that hummed faintly, glaring down at full strength onto their heads, did little to distract them.
But what was he teaching that was so interesting to begin with?
Walking through the hall, Riven's voice rang out clear against the sound of rain. "According to murals found on the recently discovered island off the northern coast of Russia."
A male student raised his head before speaking. "Sir, sorry to interrupt. You say recently discovered, but it's been over a decade since its discovery."
Riven paused, his finger lightly tapping on the book in his hand, as he thought about it. "Hmm, it seems my memories are a bit jumbled. You're right, good catch, Ben."
Resuming his walk, he continued. "Many of the well-known gods in myth have all tried to close Pandora's box, through many means, and all have failed."
"But why is that?" Raising his hand, he pointed the remote at the screen, changing the slide to one of the many depictions of Pandora.
This one, in particular, had bright pink hair, skin as pale as white jade, and pink eyes that radiated warmth.
"Pandora, also known as Anesidora, was the first woman created in Greek mythology by Hephaestus, upon following Zeus' instructions. But it wasn't her appearance that changed the world, but more of her actions."
Riven paused, grabbing his water bottle. He tipped the bottle back, his Adam's apple bobbing with the motion. The simple act drew a ripple of shifting shoulders and muffled whispers from a few rows, as if the sudden reminder that their teacher was human — and unfairly attractive — unsettled their focus.
Though two felt a bit uncomfortable about the change in attention, he was getting. Especially since he was playing the part of their father.
A hush lingered in the hall as he set it back down, though a few students found themselves blinking away thoughts they couldn't quite place.
Clearing his throat, he continued the lecture. "Until the discovery of the murals, it was believed that Pandora, who, upon being accepted by Epimetheus, scattered the contents of her jar."
"Oh, sorry, the jar is the proclaimed box," he said, quickly realizing he forgot to mention it. "But anyway, based on the murals, what was believed to be a jar was indeed a box. A box that contained the evils of humanity."
Glancing down at his watch, Riven realized that class time was almost up. Clapping his hands, he began to wrap up the class. "Alright, the bell will be ringing in a short five minutes, so we'll stop here. Next time, we'll finish up the details on Pandora and begin the first project I have for you all."
Turning the screen off, he continued. "Thank you all for coming, and I would like to remind you all. Once you let something out of the box, no matter what it is, don't expect it to go back in as easily as it came out."
As his voice fell, the bell cut through the hall, mingling with the steady patter of rain outside, signaling an end not just to the lecture but to the quiet spell Riven had woven over the class.
***
A day later, Riven sat in the living room, his figure reclining on the sofa, the TV remote tightly wrapped in his fingers. His attention focused intently on the news forecaster's words.
"We've seen a steady Rise in wind speeds worldwide, and that means fall could feel colder than usual this year. While the cause isn't fully understood, many meteorologists believe this is connected to the broader climate shifts we've been tracking over the last century. Please stay tuned while we get a deeper look with our stormchasers."
With a click, the screen turned black. Riven's reflection stared back at him. "Seems like it'll be a lot of work to clean up these leaves, better do it before it's time to go to the ancestral land."
"Mr Riven," two voices called out, followed by the soft pattering of socks on the hard floor.
"Hmm," turning to look over the sofa to the two girls, who, unlike his casual wear of a white T-shirt and simple jeans, were dressed a lot more cleanly.
Aria wore a black T-shirt underneath a plain white jean jacket, paired with a simple pair of blue jeans. In contrast to her sister's more stylish outfit, Nyra opted for a more comfortable look. She was dressed in a large pink sweater that covered her torso and oversized black pants that draped over her legs.
Another difference was their hair, which was neatly done when compared to his inky black hair that hung loosely around his face.
"Can we?" They both spoke before stopping, instantly realizing they would overspeak each other, glancing at one another. Nyra nodded.
Aria took a step forward, clearing her throat, she asked. "Is it okay for us to invite friends over?"
A smile slowly stretched across Rivens' face, a light chuckle following. "Of course." He said before adding, "This place is as much my home as it is yours, so feel free to invite people over."
"Great!" Aria replied, brimming with excitement, turned to Nyra, raising her palm into the air. A sharp clap echoed through the air as Nyra completed the high-five.
Riven's smile deepened. This was how children were supposed to act, he thought. No worrying about bills or how to make money or these other adult things. Just having fun and living in the moment was best for children, or at least that's what he figured.
And to make it better, he'll be sure to be miles away from the house whenever they do have friends over, so he won't be in the way, but when would they?
'Should probably ask,' he thought, his hand smoothly running through his hair, clearing his vision fully.
"So when do you plan to have 'em over?" he asked, rising from the sofa and stretching lightly.
"Today!" both girls spoke, their voices blending together, sounding louder than they expected.
Riven's lips twitched lightly. 'Today…'
A gentle chime echoed, quickly accompanied by the faint thrum of a phone vibrating against fabric, the sound flowing gently into their ears.
"Oh, that should be Mina," Aria said, taking out her phone. Quickly reading the message, she added. "They're here."
"Let's go greet them then," Nyra said, pulling her sister along.
Riven followed a step behind. 'They're really excited,' he reasoned. It must be the first time having their friends over, which was another good reason he should find something to do away from the house to allow the girls to have fun without a famous father around.
'That would be best,' he said to himself, nodding.
"So what'd you arbitrarily decide?" Sera softly whispered in his ear, the warmth of her breath massaging the inner walls of his ear.
"Sera," he said, moving a step over, so she wasn't behind him. Sera smiled, clasping her hands behind her lower back in a casual, almost girlish pose.
"Nothing really."
Titling her head slightly, she let out a low hum. "Hmm"
"More importantly, did you know?"
"Know what?"
"That they were having friends over?"
"Yeah, but don't worry, I only found out an hour before you. Though" She paused as a thought came to mind.
"Though what?" he asked, raising a brow
"Well, I told them they should ask you if it was fine directly after they asked me, but seeing as you found out just now, they might still be afraid to ask you for things." Sera reasoned.
"Afraid, huh." he nodded slowly. It made sense; it had been barely two months since they moved in, and it'd be weird if they just suddenly threw away the principles that dictated their lives. He would just have to try harder to earn his place.
"Maybe afraid wasn't the word I should've used, but–"
"Nah, it's fine," Riven said, patting her shoulder as he walked past her. "Now let's welcome our guest."
Stepping through the door, the bright sunlight filled his eyes, momentarily blinding him before his eyes readjusted. The fresh smell of falling leaves entered his nose, a refreshing, nostalgic scent that always improved his mood.
But maybe not this time, as his eyes landed on the group standing in the driveway. His gaze instantly locked onto a member of the group, different from the rest.
"Riven," Sera called out.
Turning to her, he noticed the look she was giving him. Sighing, he nodded. "Alright, I'll play my part and stay out of it directly. I won't overstep the authority you've given me."
Sera smiled before nodding, "Good. Now let's go."
Walking over the group, their voices floated into their ears.
"Whoa, this place is massive," one of the girls said, her eyes scanning the large front yard that seemed to stretch to the horizon.
The other girl nodded in agreement, her mouth slightly agape in surprise."Yeah, I can't believe you two get to live here."
Aria smiled wearily, scratching the side of her cheek, she said. "Well, if it's worth anything, I believe you guys are the first non-family members to step into this place."
"Really, as expected of Uncle Riven. He really doesn't like the crowd." Mina said, nodding smugly, her arms crossed over her chest.
"I think your understanding of my dad is a bit flawed," Nyra replied bluntly, causing the group to erupt into laughter.
"Hey, what are you guys talking about?" Sera asked, smiling gently.
"Oh, Mom, Dad, let me introduce you to our friends," Aria said, holding her hand out. She began introducing them one by one. "You've both already met Mina."
"Hello, Uncle Riven, Aunt Sera," Mina said, waving to the two.
"It's good to see you're doing well, Mina." Riven nodded.
"This is Aoi," Aria said, pointing to a girl with long black hair.
"Hello, Ma'am." She said before turning to Riven, "Hello, Mr. Riven."
Stepping next to another girl with short brown hair she Aria said. "Next, this is Mio."
"It's nice to meet you, Miss Halvenne, and to see you once more, Mr. Riven," Mio said, bowing lightly in front of them.
"And last but not least, Haruto." Nyra finished, slightly pushing the nervous boy forward from the back of the group.
"H-Hello, Sir, Ma'am," he said, nervously rubbing the back of his head.
"It's wonderful to meet you all," Sera said with a smile.
"They're from Japan. Their families came over when they got accepted into Redhaven Elementary."
Redhaven Elementary was a subdivision school built to introduce more foreign influence into the lives of the younger generation on the eighth continent. From there, students would go to any middle school of their choice.
It was a process designed to test students and parents alike before students would be allowed to attend Redhaven High School. Behavior, how they treated others based on appearance, and overall academics were tested to ensure each seeded student would uphold the same policies of the Damocles family.
Of course, many students would not take this route and would apply the normal route, much like how Aria and Nyra had to, and that was fine, as seeded students were meant to be the cream of the crop.
Riven himself had gone through the process, as did every member of the Damocles family. However, in their case, Redhaven Elementary didn't exist, so it was a process only within the family and was much harsher.
Riven's eyes took on a sharp glint, "I see, so you all went through that process. Then—"
Sera cut him off, moving in front of him. She spoke, "Ahem, please excuse him, he's a bit new to this whole father thing, y'know, having been travling most of the time."
Clapping her hands, she continued, "How 'bout we head inside? After all, it is a bit cold outside."
Aria nodded, "Yeah, let's go."
As they walked past, Sera whispered to Riven. "Why don't you cool down a bit."
Riven stood there, a long exhale leaving his lips as his shoulders dropped. He raked his fingers through his hair, a strong shake of his head expressing his frustration as if trying to dislodge the thoughts swirling inside.
Raising his head high, he looked toward the sky, no beyond that. To a place far beyond what he could see currently, where a white tree gently danced among the sea of red foliage.
His mouth opened the words sitting on the tip of his tongue, yet he swallowed them back down. Shaking his head, he let out a slow, hollow chuckle before walking back into the house.