Squeezed between two large concrete buildings was a small wooden one.
The wood on the outside had degraded, the surface was rough and tattered.
It screamed desolate.
The only accessory to the building that was in good condition was an old sign; hung above the entrance.
Getting a bit closer to read the words, he couldn't, it was faded.
Turning his head around just in case, there was nobody around him.
Scanning all around, it was empty.
'I feel like somebody's watching me', he thought, giving reason to his slight nervousness.
'It's quiet....is it abandoned?'
Stepping a bit closer, the door was slightly ajar.
'Is this a sliding door?'
Peeping inside, it revealed a dim interior, lined with tatami mats.
Morning light pierced through the cracks, giving it a vibrant feel.
"Looks like a dojo...", he mumbled.
BZZZ
Flies buzzed around him softly, but he paid it no mind, his whole focus was on the inside of the building.
Focusing intently, he believed to have made out the noise of metal being sharpened.....
Curiosity was gnawing.
Gently, he pushed the door open, offering a quiet creak.
Creak!
Straight away he noticed the room was bigger on the inside; high wooden beams stretched each corner of the room, whilst dust covered the air.
His eyes scanned.
It was simple.
Almost....welcoming.
But looking straight ahead, Riven noticed something...
Postured inside sat a lone figure.
He wore a white training robe, sitting cross-legged on the floor.
SHING! SHING!
He was sharpening something.
Violet hair, tied up, with hues of ebony on the side, his back was turned.
Riven couldn't get a good look at him, but he felt a quiet strength leaking out.
SHING! SHIN-
The man abruptly stopped.
Lightly turning his head, he cracked a single eye open; showcasing a lazy hazel stare that locked on to Riven with a slight curiosity.
"Oh?", he spoke softly, his voice playful.
"A guest this early...how rare."
The words came sudden, slightly alarming Riven.
'...How did he....'
His lips parted to respond:
"He----"
But before he could, he was interrupted:
"Shoes off. You're dragging dirt", the man stated, hand cradling his knee.
Glancing down, Riven rubbed the back of his head, quickly taking off shoes, placing them on the steps.
"Better."
A pause filled the room.
"So...mind telling me what drew you to my humble abode?"
Under the watchful eye of the man, Riven felt like he was under a microscope.
The slightest twitch...
The slightest reaction...
Everything was under his view.
"I...was just looking around, and got lost"
"Hm?", he mused.
In the silence, Riven grew the confidence to view the rest of his surroundings:
He landed his eyes on a few blades, hung up in the corner of the room.
The smell of incense invaded his nose as it was burnt in the back.
A painting of the words, "As above so below", rested on the wall next to the incense.
It was neat.
Once again proving its simplicity.
A strange location in the heart of a city.
"See something you like?", he questioned half-smiling.
Riven had many questions....but as his lips parted, no words came.
"Uh..." "Um...."
Only short stammers filled the room.
"Relax.", the man exclaimed, offering a short chuckle. "Take a seat".
It seemed Riven's restlessness amused him.
Walking forward, Riven followed his advice and took a seat right in front of him.
The instinctive thoughts of wary slowly washing away.
"First things first", he stated, a grin forming.
"What's your name? You can't just waltz into a house without greetings you know?"
Was it humour? Or seriousness disguised?
Releasing a light chuckle, "Sorry for that. My name is Riven, Riven Brown".
"Riven hmm? Nice name."
"Care to tell me why a Silent is in my house?".
He raised a brow, a thin smile gracing his lips following the words that flowed. His eyes never left the boy....in fact they seemed to delve deeper, into his soul.....
It took a second for Riven to digest what he'd heard.
'A what now?'.
Offering a confused, weird look, "What's a Silent?", he quipped.
Genuine confusion and also curiosity, written across his bland features.
At that question, the man blinked, before letting out a chuckle. "You don't even know?".
"Strange..."
The man leaned forward, a wry smile still gracing his lips.
He gazed at Riven a while longer, studying his features as if he was a puzzle, before his lips parted:
"A silent is someone with no medium. No magic, no spirit bond, no taming, no ki...nothing. All that remains is silence."
Picking up the knife, and twirling it around, he continued, "Most know what they are by your age. Either you've been living under a rock, or you are indeed lost."
Riven's heart skipped a beat.
Silent.
No medium.
But how?
He'd already been accepted into an academy he'd never heard of...
To hear he's essentially powerless....
'...What?'
He couldn't believe it.
His lips parted to question the man further, but....he thought of earlier.
Throwing the weight of spells out into the air.
Trying to materialise some sort of mystical energy...
It wasn't much, but he'd truly felt nothing.
He'd felt....
'Ordinary?'
A brief silence set in.
The word echoed softly in his mind, as it slowly set in....
'Silent' 'Silent'
Like a death sentence.
'No magic? No ki? Nothing?'.
His face bloomed with disbelief.
He believed he had something.....
His body said otherwise.
The letter said he did.
The man in front of him begged to differ....
The magic test said he had.
It slowly made sense....that he wasn't.
Sitting in-front of this man's carefree expression, in his quiet dojo, the truth had winded him.
'What am I even here for?'
Raw.
Young.
The thought chased and pulled at his mind.
Why was here?
Why him?
Where was the old Riven?
He was slowly dreading the situation he'd been forced too.
Whilst he mulled over his situation, the man's eyes softened.
A smirk tugged at his lips.
"Don't get all gloomy on me now, being a Silent isn't the end of the world."
He paused, raising and flailing his arms:
"Who needs flashy magic; flying to the top of the sky and summoning dragons?"
The movements were rhythmic....seemingly ruining Riven's mood further, before he followed:
This time, adopting a more serious expression.
"After all, no-one will hear you coming."
Riven's face blanked at the words, the weight of what had just passed, flying over his head.
Sigh!
"You just revealed to me that I'm powerless, and you want me not to be gloomy?"
The man offered a brief chuckle, as he palmed his hand in the air.
"Sure, because guess what? I'm a Silent too."
A brief pause filled, as he regained Riven's attention.
'Huh?'
"Do I seem powerless?"
A short sentence.
But one that harboured vast amounts of meaning.
For Riven's body shrunk backwards, a chill spreading from the very words the man uttered.
It had become hard to breathe.
The pressure he inflicted....
Sudden.
...Menacing.
It was a show of strength, to a small fish in a well.
The feeling lingered momentarily, before dissipating seamlessly; Riven finally caught his breath a moment later.
Huff Huff
'...What the hell...'
"A-Are you really a Silent too?", Riven questioned, with some hope but also wariness from that display....
"No."
...A clown.
A quick witted reply after he'd summoned the jaws of death upon a small rabbit; truly one of a kind.
"Hahahaha!", the man laughed.
Riven just stared as he slapped his knee over and over, making a mockery out of him.
'This mother--'
Clenching his fists, Riven wanted to smack him on the head, but knew he had no chance.
"On a serious note, there's nothing wrong with being a Silent", analysing his thin build, "You just need to eat more, seriously, you look like a stick."
It was truth.
Malnourished his form appeared, the previous inhabitant not being an eater it seemed....
Veins popped out of Riven's head, as he clenched his teeth.
"What's wrong is that, I have to go to some academy in 2 weeks, and you just told me I have no chance!"
It was an exclaim amidst a scene of chaos, but one that drew the man's attention no less.
"Oh! you're going to Eldris Academy. Well if you're a Silent, they'll probably just shove you somewhere out of the way."
The end came lazy, as his arms outstretched.
"So what division are you in?", he asked, neutral expression showing.
Riven blankly stared into space, he was fed up with this man, but he was learning a-lot from him.
"The Magic division...", he muttered, voice flat.
The man blinked.
"Magic? Huh...that's unexpected." His tone was casual, but the words, weighty.
Riven glanced away.
'Silent. Magic division.'
The two didn't belong together.
Both of them knew that.
A pause lingered before the man added, "Well, nobody's forcing you. If you don't want to go, don't go."
Riven turned, slight surprise etched on his face.
Thinking back to the letter it did mention <"Failure to attend within the allotted time frame will result in revocation of your acceptance and reassignment of your position to another candidate">
However, Riven didn't look at that as a real option, he hesitated.
"But you do, don't you?", the man knowingly blurted, as he fiddled with some items.
Riven didn't have to think about it.
He knew he wanted to go.
Who wouldn't want to?
This opportunity didn't come often.
"I want to, yes." He proclaimed, hands clutching to his shirt.
Silence pressed between them as Riven hesitated.
His lips trembled before the words finally broke free.
"Can...can you help me? Please."
The man's eyes lingered on him, unreadable, until the faintest smirk tugged at his mouth.
Without a word he rose to his feet.
Riven blinked, confused at the display, as he disappeared into another room.
Seconds stretched, as he just sat there. Then footsteps returned.
In his hand was a simple, short, wooden sword, the surface worn and smooth with its age, the handle wrapped in a white cloth.
He sat it down in front of Riven, steady, deliberate.
"Two weeks, huh?" His gaze was cool.
"Pick it up. We've got work to do."
Riven blinked. 'We?'
The word tasted strange, almost foreign.
Still....it warmed something buried deep inside him.
He lowered his eyes, then glanced back up.
"I don't even know your name."
The man raised an eyebrow, as surprised he hadn't asked sooner.
"My name? ...The name's---"