The door creaked open.
Light spilt into the chamber in a thin, hesitant line, as if even the corridor outside wasn't eager to step fully inside. A shadow crossed the doorstep first. Then a man followed, robes pristine, posture relaxed, confidence worn like perfume.
There he came, CHENYUFEI....
Riven recognised him instantly—not from Vaerun's memories, but from his own. The face was older than the version burned into Riven's past life, sharper around the eyes, less careful. Ambition had already taken root here. It just hadn't learned to hide yet.
Chen's gaze slid across the chamber, cataloguing details. Chains. Runes. The faint glow of abyssal energy lingered in the air.
Then his eyes landed on Riven and paused.
Not long enough to be suspicious. Just long enough to be curious.
"So you're awake," Chen said. His tone carried mild surprise, nothing more, as if Riven were a tool he hadn't expected to function this soon.
Riven said nothing.
He stood still, wrists bound by the chains, head slightly tilted. The chains hummed faintly as abyssal energy brushed against the seals, testing them the way a predator tests a fence.
Chen smiled. "Good. Saves time."
He stepped inside, letting the door shut behind him. The sound echoed louder than it should have.
"Do you know why you're here?"
Riven met his eyes. Crimson stared into brown, unblinking.
Chen frowned. Just a flicker. He hadn't expected silence.
"You were… discovered," Chen continued, undeterred. "Traces of demonic energy were found near your quarters. Normally, that would mean immediate escalation." A pause. "But I prefer certainty."
Riven almost admired the audacity in Chen.
In three days, this man would expose Vaerun publicly. He would stand before the academy elders, righteous and calm, and present evidence that condemned a demon prince to execution.
In this timeline, he was still playing investigator.
Still thinking he was in control.
Riven's lips curved slightly.
Chen noticed it.
Amusing, is it?" he asked lightly. "Your kind usually begs by now."
"Do I?" Riven finally spoke.
The sound of his own voice felt… correct. Not human. Not a demon. Something in between. Something sharper.
Chen blinked. "What?"
Riven leaned forward just enough for the chains to pull tight. Metal groaned. The runes flared, then dimmed again.
"I asked," he said, calmly, "Do I have to beg now?"
Silence between them stretched.
Chen's smile thinned. "Confidence won't save you, you demon filth."
"No," Riven agreed. "But accuracy might."
He straightened, chains settling. His gaze drifted—not to Chen's face, but to the faint bulge beneath the man's sleeve. Probably... a hidden talisman. Used for the emergency transmission. One pulse away from alerting the sect.
Chen followed his eyes instinctively, and it was his bad habit.
[Noted. He carries a fail-safe. Reaction speed is below optimal.]
Riven ignored the voice.
Instead, he let his attention shift inward. Vaerun's memories stirred, aligning with his own future knowledge. CHENYUFEI. RIGHTEOUSFLAMESECT. Has lots of Gambling debts. Embezzled funds. A desperate need to prove value before his superiors noticed the missing resources.
A man standing on rotting ground, pretending it was stone.
"You came alone," Riven said.
Chen recovered quickly. "Arrogance is common among demons."
"No, it's fear, and that is common for humans, not me for a demon."
He let the word hang.
Chen's jaw tightened. Just a little.
Riven continued, voice unhurried. "If you had certainty, this chamber would be full. Elders. Seals. Witnesses. Instead, it's just you. And that tells me everything."
Chen's smile vanished.
"You think insight changes your situation?"
"I think," Riven said softly, "that you're in a more dangerous situation than I am currently in."
The air shifted.
Chen raised his hand, fingers brushing the talisman. "Shut your mouth, you arrogant piece of shit. One signal—"
"You'll lose your advantage." Chen froze, hearing that...
Riven's eyes narrowed, not in threat, but in calculation. "Expose me now, and you gain favour. Short-term. But, what about your accounts?" He paused. "What about your debts?...What about the missing sect funds you gambled and lost?"
Chen's breath caught. Just once.
Riven watched it happen.
There it is, this is the thing Riven needed.
"You think the sect doesn't audit?" Riven went on. "They do. They always do. You were planning to present me first. Distract them. Buy time."
Chen laughed, hearing that, sharp and brittle. "Baseless accusations from the demon who is one step from death."
"Are they?" Riven asked. "Did you forget BLACKLOTUSPAVILION. Third floor. Back room. You prefer the dice over the cards. Worse odds. More thrill."
Chen staggered back a step.
The talisman slipped from his fingers, clattering against the stone.
Riven smiled properly now.
[Probability shift detected. Fear response confirmed.]
Chen swallowed. "You… you're lying."
"Check your left sleeve," Riven suggested. "The ledger fragment. Still warm from the copying spell, how fascinating."
Chen's hand moved before his mind caught up, and his face went pale, and sweat began to form in his temples.
Silence crashed down between them, thick and suffocating.
Riven straightened fully, chains rattling. He didn't rush. He didn't threaten.
He simply spoke.
"You have three choices."
Chen's eyes flicked to the door. Then back. Then down.
Riven raised one finger. "Choice no 1: You expose me now. You die later, quietly, when the sect cleans house." Second finger. "Choice no 2: If you say nothing. Continue stealing. Die messily." Third finger. "Choice no 3: But, if you work for me."
Chen stared at him, breathing fast. "You're asking me to betray my sect."
"No, I'm offering you survival."
Chen laughed again, desperate now. "You're in chains, demon."
"Yes, but for the moment."
Riven leaned forward, and this time the chains cracked, not broken just enough to make the runes etched in them flicker violently.
Chen flinched.
[Seal integrity compromised by 4%. Continued pressure will trigger countermeasures.]
Riven stopped immediately because control always mattered and lowered his hands.
"You have three days. In three days, you've planned to end me, isn't. Instead, you'll help me disappear from this."
Chen's mind raced. It showed on his face. Calculation fighting terror.
"And what if I refuse?" he whispered.
Riven considered him for a moment. Really considered him, then he waved.
"Then you were never useful for yourself and for me."
The words weren't cruel. They were final.
Chen collapsed to his knees. His shoulders slumped, something breaking behind his eyes.
"...Wha...… What do you want?"
Riven's smile faded.
"Now you're useful, I want information," he said. "Access. Delay."
He met Chen's gaze, unblinking.
"And when the time comes," he added, "you will stand where I tell you to stand. You will say what I tell you to say."
Chen nodded, too quickly. "Yes. Yes, I can—"
Riven raised a hand.
"Careful now, lying now would be inefficient for you."
Chen swallowed and nodded again, but slower this time.
Outside the chamber, a bell rang somewhere in the academy. It was distant and innocent at the same time. Riven turned his head slightly and listened.
Three days.
It's more than enough.
DING...!!!
{ SIDE QUEST COMPLETED: INITIAL DOMINATION }
{ VILLAIN POINTS +30 }
{ NOTORIETY: SUSPECTED THREAT }
The interface faded.
[Adequate outcome. You resisted unnecessary violence. Interesting restraint. Host.]
Riven exhaled softly.
"Leave, and Chen... remember—if you betray me, I won't kill you."
Chen hesitated. "You...You won't kill me?"
Riven's eyes met his, cold and steady.
"No, I'll let you live...for now."
Chen fled immediately.
The door slammed shut.
Riven stood alone again, chains humming, power coiled tight beneath his skin. Outside, the academy continued as if nothing had changed because his first pawn piece had moved.
And the Chess board was finally in his control.