Shattered Sanity

(Meanwhile, Riven’s POV)

The rain had grown considerably heavier by the time Riven and the others finally reached the outer edge of the Northern Forest, leaving all six of them drenched as they continued escorting their twelve prisoners towards House Argent.

Water ran from Riven’s hair and down the sides of his face while Sky-Cleaver remained secured against his waist, as behind him, the captured Aureate students trudged through the increasingly muddy ground with their hands bound.

For a group that had been laughing and insulting one another only minutes earlier, however, Riven’s crew had become unusually quiet.

Even Jeff and Matt had eventually stopped celebrating how easily they had captured their five opponents, while Randy, Batista and Flair appeared considerably less interested in conversation after everything they had endured deeper inside the forest.

Riven himself had barely spoken at all.

His attention remained fixed upon the path ahead as he walked beneath the pouring rain, although every few moments his eyes wandered upwards towards the dark clouds gathering above them.

KABOOM!

A brilliant white flash tore across the sky.

Riven flinched.

It was subtle, little more than a sudden tightening of his shoulders as the thunder followed immediately afterwards, although Jeff had been walking close enough to notice.

”What’s up, Boss? Why are you flinching at a little thunder? I thought Storm was your element,” Jeff asked with an amused grin, as Matt glanced towards Riven curiously from the other side.

Riven didn’t answer immediately.

He looked towards the sky once more, watching another faint streak of light disappear somewhere behind the clouds before releasing a quiet sigh.

He wasn’t afraid of thunder.

At least, he didn’t think he was.

However, after everything that had happened during his recent training sessions, there was something about those sudden white flashes that made his body tense before his mind could tell it there was nothing to fear.

The memories surrounding those incidents remained frustratingly incomplete.

One moment he remembered everything.

And then nothing.

KABOOM!

Another rumble rolled through the clouds.

Riven lowered his gaze.

”I’m not flinching at the thunder, mate. It’s just....”

His words died inside his mouth, as he noticed someone standing farther along the road through the pouring rain.

He looked to be about as tall as him, though judging by the faint steam rising from his shoulders as rain struck his body, Riven wondered if he was a flame elemental user.

KABOOM!

Another flash illuminated the road, and for a second Riven could see his face, as he recognised the man instantly.

’That’s Gary!’

Riven thought, as his eyes widened in shock.

The number one overall pick stood directly ahead of them, his soaked robes clinging against his body while rainwater streamed from his hair, yet he hadn’t taken shelter beneath the surrounding trees or made any attempt to conceal himself.

He simply stood there.

Waiting.

Riven stopped walking.

The abrupt halt travelled through the formation behind him as Jeff and Matt stopped beside him, the prisoners nearly colliding with one another before Randy, Batista and Flair brought the rear of the group to a standstill.

Riven’s unfinished sentence was forgotten.

His right hand slowly descended towards his waist and wrapped around Sky-Cleaver’s handle.

Jeff followed his gaze first.

His amused expression disappeared.

”It’s Gary!” Jeff shouted, as his posture immediately stiffened. ”Gary Ironveil is here!”

”Huh?”

Batista’s exhausted expression sharpened as he pushed past two prisoners and hurried towards the front, while Randy and Flair followed close behind after realizing something had gone wrong.

Within moments, all six Argent students stood beside one another.

Batista stared at Gary for several seconds before the absurdity of what he was seeing brought some of his confidence back, as despite his swollen face, split lip and exhausted body, he raised one hand and pointed directly towards him.

”What? You planning on taking on all six of us alone, you punk?” Batista called through the rain, as a grin slowly returned to his battered face. ”I’d run while you still can before we capture you like the rest of these fools.”

Gary didn’t respond.

He didn’t even look towards Batista.

His eyes remained fixed entirely upon Riven.

That silence wiped the amusement from Batista’s face.

’Something’s wrong.’

Batista thought, as despite all his usual thick headedness, he had the instincts of an animal, and at this moment he could feel that he was being stalked by a predator.

”He’s not alone.... Batista.” Riven muttered, as his eyes shifted towards the trees surrounding the road. ”There’s no fucking way he’s alone.”

Batista’s raised hand slowly lowered.

Almost simultaneously, movement came from the forest around them.

A boot pressed into wet soil somewhere to their left.

Leaves shifted behind them.

Another figure moved between the trees to their right, followed by the faint scrape of someone stepping across rain-soaked bark.

The five Second Years had begun closing in.

Riven watched one silhouette emerge through the rain before another appeared farther along the tree line, and within seconds the reason Gary had been standing so confidently in the middle of the road became painfully obvious.

They had walked directly into an ambush.

The road towards House Argent was blocked by Gary, while Aureate seniors were moving through the surrounding trees to close the remaining gaps and cut off their retreat towards the Northern Forest.

CLICK!

Riven pulled Sky-Cleaver free.

Aether flowed through the ancient weapon as its shaft extended to full length within his hands, while the curved blade locked into place with its tip angled towards the rain-soaked ground.

Behind him, the twelve prisoners suddenly became much more rowdy.

”SENIORS PLEASE HELP US. PLEASE TAKE DOWN THESE PUNKS!”

”GARY! WE DID THIS FOR YOU! WE WENT AFTER DAWNRIVER FOR YOU!”

They shouted, as Riven looked from Gary towards the figures surrounding them before glancing at Randy, Batista, Flair, Jeff and Matt.

Three of them were already exhausted, while the other two were not a match for seniors.

Riven adjusted his grip around Sky-Cleaver.

”If any of you find an opening to run back to safety, take it,” Riven said quietly, as his gaze continued moving between the Aureate students surrounding them. ”I won’t hold it against you. If even one of us can make it back to Argent safely and tell them what happened here, then that’s what we need to prioritize.”

Nobody answered.

Riven drew a slow breath as rainwater ran down the blade of Sky-Cleaver.

”If we can’t....”

His fingers tightened around the shaft.

”Then I guess we’re all going to be taken prisoner.

Because, I don’t foresee us winning this fight.

Not even if we had planned it to perfection.”