BEEP!
BEEP!
Soft chimes rang in the air.
A lot had happened since the fight.
In such a short time too.
Something Riven would come to terms with....once he woke that is...
BEEP!
BEEP!
How long had it been?
Eight hours?
Nine?
After being carried off, he laid on that soft bed; surrounded with fluorescent lights.
Nobody had come to visit....apart from a short visit from Headmaster Kael Sarn.
And a slightly longer visit....from Vice Headmaster Vei Alros.
BEEP!
BEEP!
A few med-bots hovered in the corner of the room, their sterile blue beams sweeping the air in coordinated arcs.
It was....peaceful.
The soft chimes.
The faint hum of energy in the walls.
The slight gusts in the wind.
Quiet.
In that quietness....Riven's fingers twitched softly, prompting a response from a robot nearby.
A scanner whirred down his arm, cool and precise.
BEEP!
BEEP!
Those grey eyes fluttered, immediately greeted with a vibrant flash from above.
Shielding his view, it wasn't long before his surroundings swam into focus.
White.
Seamless.
Clean.
...huff
A soft exhale parted from his lips. He felt it.
'....I lost.'
The thought came slow, but prevalent.
The sequence of events flashed before his eyes:
The first exchanges.
The domain.
....The last strike.
It all flashed, before he thought back to the feeling of his legs giving way.
He placed his arm on his forehead, partially covering his view.
BEEP!
BEEP!
The only sounds in the room were the med-bots whirring, and the occasional beeping from the monitor.
His arm slid down from his forehead gently. Fingers curling loosely against the sheets, he didn't move again.
Under that symphony of noise, he stared out the window.
The silent night of Eldris looming in the air.
He watched without thought, his gaze fixed somewhere far beyond their glow.
The world celebrated elsewhere.
Here?
Silence kept him company.
BEEP!
BEEP!
----Faculty Hall, Eldris Academy---------
The chamber was lit by pale crystal lamps.
Their glow stretched the room as-well as the lavish round table.
The atmosphere was still, heavy almost. It's as if the walls themselves had absorbed the sounds of the days fight.
Korreth Halden leaned forward, his thick arms resting against the polished woodwork and craftsmanship.
"Jacob Lacura", he began. "Potential beyond measure. That much is clear."
Mireya Varn's fingers tapped the table gently.
Tap tap, "Potential, yes. But what I saw was brutality. Controlled, but excessive..."
Sitting across, the elderly one in the room, Maerth Olin scoffed.
"If you are referencing that 'Voss child', the boy lost control. Too much pride, not enough temperance. I'd wager he dosed himself before the match with that spike he displayed..."
Tasha Renee's eyes flashed, "You think he chose to drug himself? His aura reeked of something unnatural. Foul. That was no measured remedy, it was a corruption."
"Convenient." Maerth leaned forward slightly, "The Voss family has always been heavy-handed. The kid must have made a desperate bid to claw past his ceiling."
Tap tap
"The medics found evidence of a catalyst. A forbidden one at that. Do you think he'd be able to acquire that easily?" Mireya questioned, eyes furrowing as the tension in the air grew.
Korreth's jaw grinded silently before he spoke.
"Enough. Whatever the cause, he's been detained anyway. The Council was not going to tolerate with a first year caught channelling through illegal drugs inside these walls."
He took a break, letting all the eyes fall on him.
Huff
"Intentional or not, that stain belongs to him...unless proven otherwise."
A silence spread, some nodding, others glancing away unconvinced.
In that silence, Jael Cendric was looking outside. He turned slowly whilst the others looked into the air.
"Kalen's situation is indeed worrying...but what of that boy, 'Riven'."
They all turned, the air shifted slightly at the mention of the name.
Maerth raised a brow, "What about him?".
Jael said nothing more....
His reflection stood pale in the glass.
The one who cut the silence was Mireya Varn, her voice was sharp. "Speculation won't change what's required. The duels and the showcase are over, and the Council expects celebration. The ball begins tomorrow night. The Recognition Ceremony follows."
Her gaze sharpened as she looked around, the air almost splitting. "Whatever doubts remain, keep them buried. The eyes of foreign observers, royals and nobles will all be on Eldris. We will not show a fracture."
Korreth leaned back, his arms still crossed, his tone was covered in disdain. "So we plaster it in silk and call it enough."
----------
The cell was narrow.
Stone walls.
No windows.
Only a single strip of pale light hanging above.
Kalen sat on a bench, wrists bound tightly in glowing restraints.
His head leaned forward, strands of midnight black hair shadowing his tired eyes.
Every breath came with a rasp.
The remnants of the clash still carved into his body, not allowed to recover somewhat.
Silence pressed down....only broken by an occasional hum from the runic locks along the door.
He raised his neck softly, gaze catching the faint reflection of himself along the metal surface in-front.
Hollow-eyed.
Pale.
A guard passed.
He paused as their eyes locked.
Not with pity, but suspicion.
They moved on.
Kalen lowered his head again, fists tightened until the cuffs cut into his skin.
No words.
Only waiting.
Always.