Shattered mask

Riven woke up in his little room—or whatever you could call a room in an underground city. The walls were damp stone, patched with old moss, and the faint glow of fungus lanterns flickered dimly from the ceiling. The stale air tasted of dust and forgotten memories. The ceiling felt lower than usual today.

His head throbbed painfully.

He groaned, clutching his temples.

"My head feels like shit… What happened last night?"

As his eyes adjusted, he noticed someone sitting beside him—an old wooden chair tucked in the corner, worn with time and stained by the ages. On it, asleep and still as a statue, sat Mr. Nobody.

Riven's eyes narrowed.

What is he doing here?

Even in sleep, Mr. Nobody sat with a kind of unbothered elegance, his posture relaxed but poised. The shadows of the room played against his sharp features, making him look almost ethereal. Riven scoffed under his breath.

"Handsome bastard…"

As if triggered by the insult—or compliment—Mr. Nobody stirred, slowly blinking awake. He looked around once, then smiled lazily.

"Good morning," he said, voice smooth and calm like flowing water.

Riven glared at him from the bed.

"There isn't a morning or night down here, idiot. And even if there was, there's nothing good about it."

Mr. Nobody raised a brow, unbothered.

"Good point. You seem angry this morning. Something wrong?"

Riven rolled his eyes.

"Oh, everything feels wrong. First off—how did I get here? Second, why does my head feel like crap? And third…" He stared directly at the man, "What the hell are you doing here?"

Mr. Nobody leaned back slightly, thoughtful.

"Good point."

Riven let out an annoyed exhale. "So? What happened?"

Mr. Nobody—still half-lidded and relaxed—took a moment before speaking.

"Well, you were induced by the bonefire. The bone marrow from the monster we used had… certain properties. Properties that make people feel drunk. Do stupid things. Everyone around it, including me, was affected. The one who set up the bonefire is being punished—though he claims he didn't know about the marrow's effect. If that's true, he might not be punished too harshly."

He paused, then added, "After that, you started shouting something about seeing the future. You put on your mask, screamed like hell, and collapsed. I called someone to get the doctor. They took you to the infirmary. Doctor said you'd be out for a while but would wake up eventually. You've been asleep for… maybe twelve hours? Give or take. Hard to tell without clocks or sunlight."

Riven rubbed his forehead again, groaning.

"Oh, so that's why my head feels like this. And why I feel so weak. Makes sense…"

Mr. Nobody smirked a little. His tone stayed cool and easy.

"It's Kael, by the way."

Riven blinked.

"What's that?"

"My name," Kael said, locking eyes with him. "My name is Kael."

Riven blinked again, then chuckled under his breath.

"Took you long enough. I thought you'd never tell me. I figured if you said your name out loud, something terrible would happen to you."

Kael raised an amused brow.

"Wait, what? My name's not some cursed secret or anything. Everyone knows it. You just never asked."

Riven stared at him.

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh…"

A beat of silence passed before Riven cleared his throat.

"Well, now that I'm alright, I want my space. You can go now."

Kael leaned forward with a smirk, looking mildly offended.

"Is that what you say to the person who saved your life? Who watched over you while you were passed out like a corpse?"

Riven narrowed his eyes, genuinely trying to remember.

"Wait. If I remember correctly… I'm supposed to say… thank you?"

A quiet moment hung between them.

Riven's past flickered in his mind—images he didn't like to remember. His parents and siblings… slaughtered. Burnt homes. Blood-soaked dirt. After that, he'd been sold into the Order. They didn't teach him kindness. They taught him how to survive. He never learned how to say "thank you" properly. He barely knew what friends were. He had acquaintances—people he knew—but he didn't realize they were more than that until it was too late.

His social skills were, simply put, a mess.

"…Oh. Sorry," Riven said awkwardly, scratching the back of his head. "Thank you. Very much."

Kael tilted his head, clearly unconvinced.

"That thank you doesn't feel from the heart."

Riven sighed.

"By the way, my name's Riven. But I guess… you already knew that."

Kael nodded, smiling faintly.

"Yeah. I did."