Alone he stood.
Nobody was focused on him; the whole procession dying down after the Elite Classes' display.
Only Kalen watched.
His arms crossed, eyes fixed.
The memory of that training session, flashing behind his eyes.
Riven stopped before it.
The machine waiting.
A few students turned their heads lazily. Nothing urgent. Just another scan.
Then his fingers made contact.
'...Cold'
The crystal didn't glow. Didn't pulse. Didn't flicker.
The machine paused.
....
One second. Two.
Then it shorted - a sharp flicker across the rims, as symbols glitched and sputtered.
Across the display, letters snapped into place, jagged, it read:
"NULL"
No flare. No colour. No medium. No measurable strength.
Just a void.
And for the first time in minutes...the entire room went still.
Then-
"Null?"
"What does that even mean...?"
"Wait....is that a Silent?"
"No way.."
The murmurs grew louder, less hushed.
Heads turned, gazes narrowed.
"Does that mean...he can't use any mediums?"
"I thought the tests caught this."
"They let this in?"
Students leaned sideways to get a good look. Eyes full of doubt. Some of disbelief.
Off to the side, the Elite Class was lined. They watched with varying expression.
Aelana Cael had her arms folded, expression flat. "Should've guessed, he looked empty."
Veyna Aris chuckled softly. "He'll be gone by morning".
Naeva Solene didn't speak, but her eyebrow twitched.
Seris Halden stared, lips tight. A quiet judgement in her eyes.
Even Lyria Skorne, usually unreadable gave a single blink.
Kalen Voss said nothing. His gaze didn't change. He was still. Not amused. Not cruel. Just...watching.
"How does a Silent get into Eldris?"
"He must've cheated the evaluations."
"They're letting that stand beside the Elite?"
A dry laugh cracked somewhere in the crowd. Then another.
The tension turned to ridicule, thin, toxic.
Some instructors exchanged glances.
One of them - a sharp-eyed women in a sea-green robe. She stepped forward with a raised hand.
"He should-"
"Let him stand"
The interruption came like a blade drawn slow.
A tall man stepped forward from the faculty row.
Broad-shouldered. Dark robes. Dirty blonde hair flowing in the air past his ears.
He didn't raise his voice.
"The Trial speaks," he said. "Let him stand".
The female instructor lowered her hand slowly.
The room didn't quiet after this.
If anything; the crowd boiled.
"This is insane".
"The Elite Class just displayed their ranks. And this?"
"It's a disgrace"
A wave of irritation swept through the room - not just mocking, but offended mostly.
Students here had trained, sweated, bled to be here; to watch a Silent share their stage?
"He should hand in his uniform".
"Someone drag him out of here"
Even some higher noble houses looked toward the instructors, waiting for someone to fix this.
None of them moved.
Riven didn't either.
He stood beneath the screen. Unmoving. Expression unreadable.
In that chorus of noise.
A rustle of motion in the crowd.
tap. tap. tap.
Not fast. Not loud. Deliberate.
A student strolled forward. Uniform sharp. Crest polished.
The walk of someone raised in command.
A noble.
The crowd shifted slightly. Parting enough for him to walk through.
Eyes turned, breath caught.
Still....Riven didn't move.
The student didn't introduce himself. Didn't need to.
The cut of his coat, the way his boots echoed the floor. It spoke for him.
Walking past the other students. He finally stopped right in front of Riven.
Their eyes didn't meet. Riven still hadn't moved.
The noble tilted his head slightly. His voice, when it came, was low. Smooth.
"You wear that uniform like you earned it".
Riven didn't blink.
The noble's eyes narrowed. His lips curved.
"Tell me...did you sew the crest on yourself? Or did someone take pity."
A few gasps. More stifled laughs.
"It's a good illusion, i'll give you that. You stand very still. I almost mistook it for poise"
"But it's just emptiness, isn't it?"
Riven didn't answer.
Didn't shift. Didn't show anything at all.
"You what they call uniforms like yours in my house?", the noble asked, loud enough for the others to hear, "Decoration".
He stepped even closer. Just enough for the tension to be unmistakable.
"Whatever you are. You don't belong in this hall".
The crowd had circled now.
Some laughed.
Some stared, silent, uncomfortable.
A few looking at the instructors, waiting for action.
Aelana Cael let out a quiet breath, "They really can't help themselves", she muttered.
Veyna smiled sharply, enjoying the festivities of it all.
Izan, the scarred one, didn't bother commenting. He just studied Riven.
Torin Vale, broad and calm-eyed had his arms folded the entire time.
He hadn't reacted to the insults.
But as the noble finished speaking, he let out a breath through his nose:
"Hmph"
That was all it was. But the way he stood; unmoved, it was a quiet statement.
The silence stretched.
Riven hadn't moved.
Hadn't even looked at him.
The noble's mouth twitched with irritation. The kind when someone beneath you refused to acknowledge their place.
"Tch..."
He stepped forward, boots scraping faintly.
"You think ignoring me makes you strong?"
No answer.
His voice sharpened.
"Say something".
Still, nothing.
His nostrils flared.
"Coward"
Having enough, he voiced his next sentiment louder - so everyone heard:
"Fine. If your silence is all you've got, let's test that"
He took a step back, whipping his hand wide, gaze firm on Riven.
"I challenge you. Right here. Right now."
The room froze instantly.
Then burst into sound.
"He's serious-?"
"A Silent against a noble?"
Students craned forward in anticipation.
Some instructors tensing.
-----
The crowd was shifting now; nervous energy welcoming excitement. A duel? Here?
Some were grinning. Some, once again, looking at the instructors.
Finally one stepped forward.
Vei Alros, the Vice Headmaster.
Her boots tapped against the floor as he moved to the platform.
She hadn't raised her voice.
"That's enough"
Silence waved in immediately"
Vei's sharp gaze landed on the noble, and then moved to Riven.
"This is an induction, not a stage for pride or grudges. Stand down."
The noble opened his mouth, mind still filled with arrogance- but Vei cut him off.
"Or you do want to your first act at Eldris, to be defying a Vice Headmaster?"
A beat of stillness.
Vei, turned to Riven. Curiosity barely veiled beneath a composed voice.
"Will you indulge this?", she asked.
Attention went to Riven; everyone stared at him.
He stood motionless for a moment.
Then, his hand rested near his front pocket, where his storage capsule rested.
He spoke.
"I don't mind."
The words were soft.
Flat.
Unbothered.
Somehow they felt heavier than anything shouted before.
The noble blinked.
The room shifting suddenly.
It wasn't a concession. A withdrawal. It was barely an answer.
It was a line drawn.
For a second, no one moved.
Then the murmurs returned.
"Did he just-?"
"He doesn't even care...."
Some laughed, but the venom was lacking compared to before.
Some of the commoners leaned forward, slightly.
On the side some Elite Class students exchanged glances.
Seris' surprised look.
Torin Vale's eyes opening for the first time.
Jacob seemingly ignoring everything before; paused momentarily, looking up now.
Even Kalen's eyes narrowed, whilst the rest of the Elite were surprised or intrigued.
From the instructor's row, one of the older teachers leaned. "What do we have on this boy?"
Another teacher shook his head, "Says he used C Class Magic prior"
"Then what is he doing here....?"
In the centre of it all, Riven looked like he hadn't just said anything important at all.