The sharp clack of shoes against the hardwood echoed faintly through the hall, their authoritative presence filling the hollow silence as his footsteps carried him further into the estate. Yet his destination was not where everyone else had gathered but elsewhere.
His eyes carried an unsettling glint, unknown to mankind, yet his face betrayed no emotion, appearing as still as a lake.
He paused mid-step as a voice spoke from behind him, "Where are you going? The living room is this way."
In a breath, his expression smoothly changed as he turned to face her, "I know, I was just going to handle some business, plus an old guy like me has no business around a bunch of kids trying to have fun."
"You're lying," Sera said, walking closer to him, only stopping a step away. Her eyes stared directly into his own.
He turned his head away, not wanting her to see the truth behind his facade, the reality of what he had become, and the darkness that whispered within his mind.
Sera raised her hands with quiet resolve, her fingers finding their place at the sides of his head. Her touch, light yet immovable, turned his face toward her. Their eyes met—unspoken truths passing between them like echoes through a silent hall—leaving him nowhere to hide beneath the mask he wore.
"To be honest, Riven, I don't understand you, can't say I do," she said, shaking her head, a small smile hanging on her lips. "You've changed so much, from a boy who seemed ready to collapse despite having the talent and skill necessary to pioneer your own path."
His throat tightened. 'She remembers that boy… even if I've tried to forget him.'
A glossy shimmer covered her eyes as she spoke. "To a man chained down by a past locked behind a steel door."
He held her gaze, but the weight of her words pressed against his chest like a physical force. She wasn't wrong.
Softly pulling her arms away, she stepped back. Her smile, a tad larger as she took in his figure. "You always said your dad wanted you to be a man who could puff out their chest and speak with pride."
His breath hitched faintly. That memory hadn't crossed his mind in years—not like this.
Saying this, she puffed out her chest and started walking around like a certain old sailor.
Riven smiled at her antics; he always did. It brought him a sense of comfort; he couldn't explain why. There was just something different about her.
Stopping in front of him, she smiled, "If you ask me, I think you've at least accomplished that."
Her words pricked at something buried deep, a longstanding memory of his tormentor, his grandmother. With all the time that's passed, maybe things will be different with her.
"Thank you, Sera," he said slowly and deliberately, his voice filled with sincerity. "The girls are really lucky to have you as their mother."
Sera shook her head, "No, I'm lucky they chose me."
Riven smiled softly. "Alright, give me an hour, and I'll be back. I'll just go get some candy or something."
"Ok." She nodded.
Walking past her, his mind felt a bit clearer. It wasn't as if the whispers stopped; they were still there and would probably always be, and that was fine. His time to deal with them would come one day.
"Oh, and Riven," Sera called out, stopping him in place. "You're not that old, you're still plenty handsome."
As he gazed back at her, a warm smile spread across his face. "Thanks, Sera."
She watched him disappear around the corner, the sound of his footsteps fading into the house's quiet. A small exhale slipped past her lips — part relief, a part something else she couldn't quite name.
Turning back toward the living room, she straightened her posture, slipping into her usual composed self before stepping through the doorway.
"Hey, Mom, is everything alright?" Aria turned back and asked, seeing her walk back in.
"Yeah, why do you ask?" Sera replied, gently lowering herself onto the loveseat.
"Well, you and Dad were out there talking and seeing you're the only one who came into the living room…" Aria said, turning her attention to the device in her hand, before looking back at her.
Smiling lightly, Sera waved her hand. "It's nothing to worry about, Riven just went to get some candy, he'll be back in a bit."
"Okay," She nodded.
"So what have you guys been talking about?" Sera asked, noticing they all seemed to be looking at something on their phones
Aoi gently set her phone down on the coffee table. Once she was sure it was well-placed, she exploded with excitement and shouted. "Just how legendary you and Mr. Riven are,"
A rosy hue crept across Sera's cheeks as she impulsively exclaimed, "Legendary."
Aoi nodded enthusiastically, her eyes sparkling with excitement. As she began to speak, her hands danced through the air. Her voice flowed quickly, carrying a contagious energy that made it hard to look away.
"Well, yeah, you two easily set a new standard, though I guess it's more of you set a new standard while Mr. Riven just cemented what most had speculated about him to begin with."
Sera let out a soft hmp as she waved her hand. "What I did wasn't that big of a deal."
"Not that big of a deal," Aoi said, her voice rising an octave higher, seeming as if she would faint from disbelief.
"Here we go again," Aria mumbled, rolling her eyes.
"Miss Sera, I'm sorry for saying this, but you are sorely mistaken. Women all around the world look up to you. I look up to you. In high school, you were in the top one percent of athletes worldwide, besting some of the greatest in their craft, no matter the gender."
Sera's eyes opened wide in surprise; she didn't expect that in the slightest and couldn't help but feel a bit flattered. "Well, if you put it like that, then sure. But even then, my academics weren't the best, and even though I was such a good athlete, there was still a sky above where I ran."
Aoi smugly smiled as she nodded slowly, her arms crossed under her chest, "Of course, the Damocles family's monstrous talents, Mr. Riven and Miss Herta."
Aria and Nyra looked at her, speechless; what was she so proud of? Their talents had nothing to do with her.
Sera nodded along. "Yep, Herta was smart enough that even if you tried to logically argue with her, she'd find the smallest loophole and use it against you."
Leaning back into the seat, she closed her eyes briefly, "While Riven, once he got serious." She shook, letting out a short chuckle, "Good luck."
"I don't understand, Mr. Riven, and even you, Miss Halvenne, both of you could've accomplished anything you dream of, and yet you didn't, why?" Haruto chimed in, his voice a mixture of confusion and wonder.
Turning to him, Sera smiled gently, "Well, when you become an adult, sometimes you have to make tough decisions that pull you further away from the path you were walking."
She paused, thinking a bit before speaking, "If I speak about my circumstances, I simply acted hastily, fearing it would be my only chance to do something I should've done long ago."
"Do you regret it?" He asked almost on instinct.
"No," she said, shaking her head. "How could I? It gave me the two greatest treasures of my life," she said as she looked at the twins.
"Then what about Mr. Riven?" Mio interjected with a quiet, calm voice.
Sera lightly tapped her finger on the arm of the chair as she thought about it. What could she possibly say about Riven that she was at least one hundred percent sure of… There was not really anything she could say except for what she herself thought, but that was better than nothing.
"While his story is not mine to tell, I will share this with you. Riven's never really wanted anything except to be someone others could lean on, or at least that's the way he acted." She said after thinking a bit more.
"Acted?" Nyra questioned, tilting her head.
Sera nodded. "Riven has always just done things, and when asked for his reasoning, he would always make an excuse. I don't recall him being this way until our senior year, but I didn't really know him before then. It always just seemed like he had an image of himself he wanted others to see."
"Though nowadays he doesn't really care…" Her mind flashed back to the conversation she had just had with him. "I guess."
"You guess," Aria repeated.
"Yeah, I guess. You got a problem with that?" Sera said cocking her head to the side, her eyes narrowed.
Aria quickly shook her head. "No ma'am."
"Good, now enough about me and Riven, let's talk about you guys, or at least play a game on the TV," she said, pointing towards the TV and a few controllers lying around the stand.
Nyra nodded, standing up, she grabbed the controllers while Aria turned on the TV. With a surge of excitement, they eagerly fired up a classic game, the anticipation buzzing in the air as the familiar graphics flickered to life on the screen.
The rest of the day passed in laughter and friendly competition, the kind of quiet joy that made the house feel alive again.
**Two days later**
Riven tugged at his tie, attempting to loosen the tight feeling around his throat. "Do I really need to wear a suit?"
"Yes," Jessica said, sliding her clipboard under her arm, she grabbed his tie, fixing it properly. "There shouldn't be as tight."
Riven groaned in frustration as he slid his hands back into his pockets. "Whose idea was it to schedule a meeting on Monday?"
"That was you, sir," she said as a soft ding filled the elevator as it came to a stop.
The doors slid open gently, revealing the bustling office atmosphere as they stepped out and began walking towards their destination.
"Your exact words were, you wanted to get out more and allow the girls the space they need to get used to your presence."
"Right."
Stopping at the glass door of the conference room, she turned to him, "Anything else you would like to know, sir?"
"What's my itinerary for the day?" he questioned, opening the glass door.
"Other than this, your schedule is mostly clear except for a few minor things that need your attention."
"Great, so the rest of the week is packed," he said, sitting down. His posture radiated the majesty of a king as he looked down coldly at the others in the conference room.
"You may begin."